Energy companies have been springing up like wild flowers on a prairie now that most states have deregulated and stopped the monopoly that have kept consumers in a stranglehold for decades.
However, when you are approached by a telemarketer, respond to a door-to-door solicitor or direct mail information, you must proceed with caution. There is no free lunch, and if the deal sounds or appears to be too good to be true, it usually is.
One thing to remember when dealing with a telemarketer or door-to-door solicitor is to never, ever give them your electric or gas bill account number. What the person on the telephone or at your door will do, is have you sign an "acknowledgement" that you understand you are "paying too much for your electric or gas service". This is a blatant attempt to get your account number from your current utility provider and switch your service over to their energy company. All of a sudden, you get a bill with "activation or start up fees" and a "two year service agreement/contract". If you want to switch back to your old energy company or supplier, now you are on the hook for a "early termination fee". Oh, how nice.
If you feel that you have been unfairly taken advantage of a telemarketer or a solicitor at your front door, report them to your State Attorney General and institute a consumer fraud complaint.
Competition is great, being a smart consumer is better.
Copyright, 2012, by Peeper Talk. All rights reserved.
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