Yeah, they are charging for continuously sending that damned electron back to you. But, if you wait long enough, it'll probably come back on its own anyway.
What a scam.
They're preying on our desire for instant gratification, no doubt.
Interestingly, the same could be said for the water company.
God no! Please never let the water company switch to AC! Actually, it sounds like something Time Warner would do if they ran a water company....