Respond Power

We are sorry the customer finds our response unsatisfactory To reiterate, there has been an unprecedented spike in the price of electricity
(mercantile exchange) which has adversely affected customers across the
countryWhile suppliers like Respond Power base the rate on a daily rolling
average and hedging, most utilities purchase energy in massive block and adjust
quarterly or semi-annuallyBecause of that, sometimes suppliers find
themselves with higher rates than utilitiesEventually trends reverse, and utilities
are forced to adjust their rates to make up for losses due to underpriced
supply sold to customers during high markets
While we certainly apologize for your high rate, please understand it is
merely a reflection of the electricity market where both natural gas prices
(which powers much of the new generation stations) are at a year high, coal
production for supply is at a historic lows (for example - 48% of the electric
supply in vs37% today), and one of the coldest Januaries on record that
has pushed demand to extreme levelsAs the country moves away from fossil
fuels and towards green energy, rates unfortunately will increase until the
supply can meet demand at a more reasonable price
Again, our apologies for
your higher than expected bill
Regards,

I am incredibly disappointed in your company As a loyal company for years, my contract expired and instead of sending me a reminder expiration notice, you just about doubled my rate to where my electric bill became an amount that is outside our budgeted utility amount, even during the coldest months I have since cancelled my relationship with your company and will be sure to tell my friends and family how unhelpful and dissatisfied I was with your company and its customer service JCP&L was kind enough to offer my family a payment plan so that we can afford your rates for the month of December and what we anticipate you charging us for the month of January until our contract termination becomes official in February

Good Evening,
According to the complaint, the
customer is unhappy with the recent rate being charged
The customer agreed to a variable
rate contract, meaning the rate would be determined by the energy market.
As has been widely
reported, there
has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was reflected on the most
recent billThis is merely a reflection of the current energy market where a
shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of massive demand due to
one of the coldest winters on recordWe are referring customers to the
February ** press release from the PUC regarding this issue(Please see
attached) In addition, this is not just happening in Pennsylvania.
Please see this link relating to New York prices as well
***
Finally, the account has been
canceled and it is now up to the utility to process the cancellation While we send the utility the cancellation request within hours of receiving it, we have no control over how long the utility takes to process it For further questions on the subject, please contact your utility directly Please note that we would never retaliate against a customer for cancelling and the rates charged are simply a reflection of the energy market Please contact your utility for budget billing concerns
We are truly sorry for your
experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price
protection
Regards
** *** *** *** *** *** ***
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Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved
Sincerely,
***

We are sorry that you are unhappy with the cancellation process. We initiate the cancellation immediately, it is up to your local utility to process the cancellation. We do not guarantee savings for any given month
Regards

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
-The business claims I signed up for a variable rate plan, however I was at no point informed this would be a variable rate plan and was told I would in fact be getting a fixed rate plan, that fixed rate was in fact the entire reason I switched
-The business claims the market crashed and their rates are reasonable, however, even the article they link listed the increase at around 21% max; their rate increased over 100% during this time periodEven customers that pay attention to this rate increase and how ludicrous it is are then trapped with them for two more billing cycles
-Other companies in the area that can be viewed on papowerswitch.com still list rates well under 50% of this company's rate, including the listed rate for this company on that site
-The "fixed rate" I was offered was still around 33% higher than that offered by companies in this area and required me to agree to a cancellation fee, and again is below the advertized rate on papowerswitch.com
Sincerely,
***

Good Afternoon,
"">
According to the complaint, the
customer states that she thought she would save money on her energy bill and is
unhappy with his current rate
According to the signed sales
agreement (attached), Customer agreed to a variable rate contract, meaning her
rate would be determined by the energy market.
We do not produce any literature that advises that our rates will always
be lower than the utility
Additionally, as has been widely
reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was
reflected on the most recent billThis is merely a reflection of the current
energy market where a shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of
massive demand due to one of the coldest winters on recordWe are referring
customers to the February press release from the PUC regarding this issue
(Please see attached) In addition, this is not just happening in
Pennsylvania. Please see this link relating to New York prices as well
[redacted]
Finally, the account has been
canceled the Utility
We are truly sorry for your
experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price
protection
Regards

Good Afternoon,
"">According to the complaint, the
customer states that she thought she would save money on her energy bill and is unhappy with
her current rate
[redacted] agreed to a variable rate contract, meaning her rate would
be determined by the energy market. We do not produce any literature that advises
that our rates will always be lower than the utility
Additionally,
as has been
widely reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market
which
was reflected on the most recent billThis is merely a reflection of
the
current energy market where a shrinking supply of electricity is under
the
strain of massive demand due to one of the coldest January's on record
We are
referring customers to the February press release from the PUC
regarding
this issue(Please see attached) In addition, this is not just
happening in Pennsylvania. Please see this link relating to New York
prices as well[redacted]
Finally, the account has been canceled the Utility
We are truly sorry for your experience and advise you
to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price protection
Regards

Good Afternoon,
"">
According to the complaint, the
customer states that he is
unhappy with his current rate and has questions about the estimated vs actual usage portion of the bill
According to the signed sales
agreement (attached), Customer agreed to a variable rate contract, meaning the
rate would be determined by the energy marketWe do not read the meter, that is performed by [redacted] and you can ask them for actual readings for any given month
Additionally, as has been widely
reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was
reflected on the most recent billThis is merely a reflection of the current
energy market where a shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of
massive demand due to one of the coldest winters on recordWe are referring
customers to the February ** press release from the PUC regarding this issue
(Please see attached) In addition, this is not just happening in
Pennsylvania. Please see this link relating to New York prices as well
[redacted]
Finally, the account has been
canceled
We are truly sorry for your
experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price
protection
Regards
In addition please see this informative article
Why Have
Energy Bills Increased – Explaining Price Volatility
It has
been a record cold winter across much of the country, and many have been
expressing deep concern as to why energy bills have been so highRegardless of
whether energy is purchased from a utility or a competitive energy supplier,
customers have seen electricity and natural gas prices spike in many parts of
the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions
Why did
prices rise?
Simply
put, the issues at hand are the cold weather, electric grid and natural gas
pipeline capacity, and the increasing use of natural gas not just for heating
purposes, but to create electricity
There is
ample gas supply in the United States, especially given the boom in shale gas
What customers are feeling are the results of a strained transportation and
infrastructure system that delivers electricity and gasWhen demand is high
and capacity is constrained, costs increase
This
winter's "polar vortex" has increased the demand for both natural gas and
electricity, resulting in significant congestion in the natural gas pipelines
and on the electric grid (the highways of the energy system)Everyone relies
on these natural gas pipelines and the electric grid to get energy from where
it is produced to where it is used by the homeowner, the tenant, and the
business ownerJust like only so many cars can efficiently travel along a
highway, only so much natural gas and electricity can move through the natural
gas pipeline system and the electric grid
Also,
while more and more people are using natural gas directly for heating purposes,
electricity generators are also increasingly using natural gas to produce
affordable powerIn the short-term, this electricity generation is putting
further strain on the natural gas capacity in certain parts of the countryAt
the same time there are also bottlenecks on some parts of the electric grid,
preventing electricity from getting from the generators to the consumers in an
efficient manner
It's
known from economics that constraints on supply (such as not being able to get
gas from where it is plentiful to where it is needed) cause prices to rise, and
this has occurred in the wholesale energy marketsThe result? Competitive
energy suppliers and utilities alike are paying higher than prices when
purchasing from the wholesale market in order to provide energy to homeowners,
tenants, and business ownersThis is causing everyone's bills to rise
As the
winter weather gradually improves and temperatures rise, the demand for energy
to heat homes and businesses will decrease, placing less pressure on the
nation's electricity grid and allowing energy prices from suppliers and
utilities to normalizeHowever, winter weather may very likely be around for
some weeks to comeDespite the unusual weather, the gas and electric delivery
systems have proven to be highly reliable this winterA number of new natural
gas pipelines and electricity transmission lines are planned or under
construction which should reduce the chances of a similar price spike in the
future
In the
meantime, there are some things that can be done to help manage energy billsConserve energy as much as possibleFor example, make sure
doors and windows are well insulated, seal any air leaks, and lower the
water temperature setting to degrees on the water heaterCustomers using a competitive supplier and who are on a
variable rate plan or whose fixed contracts have expired, should review
their contract to confirm the accuracy of the pricing and call their
supplier if they have any questionsCustomers interested in price stability can also investigate
fixed price options that many suppliers offerCustomers in need of financial assistance should investigate
their state's home heating assistance programsIn many states, a customer
can stay with a competitive supplier and still receive assistance paying
utility bills
Customers should visit their
state's "energy shopping" websites to compare offers from different suppliers
For a list of shopping websites, visit[redacted]

Good Afternoon,
"">
According to the complaint, the
customer states that he signed up through our website and is
unhappy with his current rate
The customer admits agreeing to a variable rate contract, meaning his
rate would be determined by the energy market
Additionally, as has been widely
reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was
reflected on the most recent billThis is merely a reflection of the current
energy market where a shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of
massive demand due to one of the coldest winters on recordWe are referring
customers to the February press release from the PUC regarding this issue
(Please see attached) In addition, this is not just happening in
Pennsylvania. Please see this link relating to New York prices as well
http://www.lohud.com/article/20140225/NEWS02/302250088/Natural-gas-electric-bill...⇄ /> Finally, the account has been
canceled
We are truly sorry for your
experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price
protection
Regards
Please see the below article as well
Why Have Energy
Bills Increased – Explaining Price Volatility
It has been a
record cold winter across much of the country, and many have been expressing
deep concern as to why energy bills have been so highRegardless of whether
energy is purchased from a utility or a competitive energy supplier, customers
have seen electricity and natural gas prices spike in many parts of the
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions
Why did prices
rise?
Simply put, the
issues at hand are the cold weather, electric grid and natural gas pipeline
capacity, and the increasing use of natural gas not just for heating purposes,
but to create electricity
There is ample
gas supply in the United States, especially given the boom in shale gasWhat
customers are feeling are the results of a strained transportation and
infrastructure system that delivers electricity and gasWhen demand is high
and capacity is constrained, costs increase
This winter's
"polar vortex" has increased the demand for both natural gas and electricity,
resulting in significant congestion in the natural gas pipelines and on the
electric grid (the highways of the energy system)Everyone relies on these
natural gas pipelines and the electric grid to get energy from where it is
produced to where it is used by the homeowner, the tenant, and the business
ownerJust like only so many cars can efficiently travel along a highway, only
so much natural gas and electricity can move through the natural gas pipeline
system and the electric grid
Also, while more
and more people are using natural gas directly for heating purposes,
electricity generators are also increasingly using natural gas to produce
affordable powerIn the short-term, this electricity generation is putting
further strain on the natural gas capacity in certain parts of the countryAt
the same time there are also bottlenecks on some parts of the electric grid,
preventing electricity from getting from the generators to the consumers in an
efficient manner
It's known from
economics that constraints on supply (such as not being able to get gas from
where it is plentiful to where it is needed) cause prices to rise, and this has
occurred in the wholesale energy marketsThe result? Competitive energy
suppliers and utilities alike are paying higher than prices when
purchasing from the wholesale market in order to provide energy to homeowners,
tenants, and business ownersThis is causing everyone's bills to rise
As the winter
weather gradually improves and temperatures rise, the demand for energy to heat
homes and businesses will decrease, placing less pressure on the nation's
electricity grid and allowing energy prices from suppliers and utilities to
normalizeHowever, winter weather may very likely be around for some weeks to
comeDespite the unusual weather, the gas and electric delivery systems have
proven to be highly reliable this winterA number of new natural gas pipelines
and electricity transmission lines are planned or under construction which
should reduce the chances of a similar price spike in the future
In the meantime,
there are some things that can be done to help manage energy billsConserve
energy as much as possibleFor example, make sure doors and windows are
well insulated, seal any air leaks, and lower the water temperature
setting to degrees on the water heaterCustomers
using a competitive supplier and who are on a variable rate plan or whose
fixed contracts have expired, should review their contract to confirm the
accuracy of the pricing and call their supplier if they have any
questionsCustomers
interested in price stability can also investigate fixed price options that
many suppliers offerCustomers
in need of financial assistance should investigate their state's home
heating assistance programsIn many states, a customer can stay with a
competitive supplier and still receive assistance paying utility billsCustomers
should visit their state's "energy shopping" websites to compare offers
from different suppliersFor a list of shopping websites, visit[redacted]

We apologize for the inconvenience the customer experienced. As was explained to the customer when speaking to a representative of the company, the energy market performed very poorly this past winter due to decreases in energy supply and increases in demand due to the cold weather. While suppliers like Major Energy/Respond Power base the rate on a daily rolling average and hedging, most utilities purchase energy in massive block and adjust quarterly or semi-annually. Because of that, sometimes suppliers find themselves with higher rates than utilities. Eventually trends reverse and utilities are forced to adjust their rates to make up for losses due to underpriced supply sold to customers during high markets.
 The refund provided was offered as a courtesy and customer accepted the refund. At no time did any representative of our company make light of the situation. The company was aware of customer's intentions of going to the PUC, notwithstanding the courtesy refund. 
Since the customer has filed a complaint with the PA PUC, all allegations regarding our business practices will be addressed by the PUC. The PUC is a regulatory body that regulates companies like Major Energy. Since our company does business in Pennsylvania and the dispute is in regards to services performed in Pennsylvania, the PUC has the authority to investigate customer’s complaint. As part of the PUC complaint process, our company will be submitting a report to the investigator assigned to the customer’s case. The investigator will examine the report and any further information required in order to make a determination as to customer’s complaint. The PUC will also determine what, if any, refund is warranted. If customer should have any inquiries as to the status of the case, customer should direct those inquires to the PUC.

Good Afternoon,
The customer validly enrolled in a variable rate plan. We will not be issuing a refund in this case.
Regards,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]
[redacted] has said that they read the meter in April and that I shouldn't have any further dealings with respond energy. But it has been nothing short of the high charges that I have received  from this company and you can be sure I will warn all my friends to stay away from this company and their miss representation, which is false and you don't know that until your caught up in this whole thing. I still would these charges looked at and removed. Can I have a #800 number for the respresentative that looks at this, so I need to I can call.
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]
My bill is disproportionately higher than what other providers are charging. 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I am going to upload a copy of my form. If that is NOT checked off...I am taking you guys to court!!! And this complaint is still NOT RESOLVED!!!!
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Good Afternoon,
We are sorry the customer is dissatisfied with our previous.  However, we reiterate, the evidence of a variable rate plan is three years of bills where the rate fluctuated nearly every month.  We will not be issuing a refund in this situation.
Regards,

Good Afternoon,
According to the complaint, the
customer is unhappy with the recent rate being charged.
The customer agreed to a variable
rate contract, meaning the rate would be determined by the energy market.
As has been widely reported,...

there
has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was reflected on the most
recent bill. This is merely a reflection of the current energy market where a
shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of massive demand due to
one of the coldest winters on record. We are referring customers to the
February ** press release from the PUC regarding this issue. (Please see
attached)  In addition, this is not just happening in [redacted]. 
Please see this link relating to New York prices as well.
[redacted] 
Finally, the account has been
canceled and it is now up to the utility to process the cancellation.  Please contact your utility for budget
billing concerns.
We are truly sorry for your
experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price
protection.
Regards
 
[redacted].

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]
Response Power did not answer the question on how the amount they charged on the electric bill.  I askr hem to break it down like Atlantic city Electric break the bill , determiningt he watts that were used.  There response was Atlantic city Electric told them how many watts was used during each month.  My other question is so why is your portiono f the bill higher then Atlantic city Electric.  Response Powerc pulse not answer the question.  Also there advertisement is false.  BBecause you tell people that there electric bills will be low and it's just as high.  I told Response Power will not pay this Billy til my question are answered.
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

There was no response from the customer.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I am not satisfied with the response as ONE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES STATED HE WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE STATE OF [redacted]! This is fraud. Also, a variable rate would mean that rates would fluctuate, not increase at a rate of 30% or more three months in a row. Especially when usage has DECREASED. This goes against supply and demand, therefore making your price unethical. You are telling me that your rate of about three times the rate of your competition is ethical let alone legal? I am willing to pay the higher rate of .0799 per kilowatt. Which is more than any competitor around.
I would like the verification of my agreement to the variable rate in print form of the EXACT document I signed and/or to hear the recording of the person I talked to, who I am sure did not state to me that she was a representative of Respond Power.
I am willing to pay you a higher than local rate for the three months of high costs you incurred upon me at the above mentioned price. If you refund the price differential for other months, there is no issue. You're talking about a refund of a few hundred dollars as a worst case scenario when you are still making profit. Why is this an issue?
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]