Respond Power

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:

The response from the company states that they encourage customers to compare prices with PA Power to Choose, but this is the first I have ever heard of the program.  How can the responder possibly know what the third party representative that came to my apartment said to me?  They don't work for Respond Energy.  The response was incredibly underwhelming and frankly absurd.  I was under-informed because there was no way to get informed.  The individual at that came to my apartment entirely misrepresented the company and the fast talking phone rep didn't answer any of my questions or concerns.
The response is not accepted.  Respond has failed to inform me as a customer which is very shady business practice. What is worse, the company they hired to solicit me HAD NO CLUE WHAT THEY WERE SELLING.  I want refunded 15-20 cents per kwh for the past 3 bills, what I should have been paying before being hoodwinked by the scoundrels at Respond and the cronies they sent out to solicit the "under-informed".
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]
I do understand it has been an extremely cold winter but our usage was less this winter than previous winters.  Respond Power's customer service did tell me it was a variable rate I was signing up for BUT also told me numerous times that the rate would ALWAYS still be below whatever [redacted]'s rate would be.  To just price guage customers is against the law! I did cancel after the 430 dollar bill only to have Respond price guage us one more time and send us a 700 dollar bill when our usage that month was even less.  To price guage customers to get what last little bit out of them you can is just unethical and this case is not resolved b/c the least Respond can do is give half of what they have taken from my family back.  Maybe they need to research price guaging laws instead of blaming it on our cold winter!
 
 
 
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:

They state the rate is the same all PECO customers where variable rates were charged.  I would appreciate it if the business would  provide the location where I can view and understand how their rate is derived and the basis of their determination.  I would agree that I am not being singled out and that a good number of customers are being affected but I do want to understand, as well as I am sure other customers, how the rate is determined.
There are up to 13,000 claims relating to electric supply rates against various suppliers with the PUC which shows I am not alone and that this is one of the pitfalls of deregulation.  Thank you for following up.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Good Afternoon,
According to the complaint, the
customer states that she is unhappy with the rate being charged and not being able
to contact our customer service department.
We are very sorry that she could not
reach our customer service.  We...

have been
in contact with many customers and are returning calls as soon as possible.
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 [redacted]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 by our company and it is now up to the utility to process the
cancellation.
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 high. Regardless 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 gas. When 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 owner. Just 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 power. In the short-term, this electricity generation is putting
further strain on the natural gas capacity in certain parts of the country. At
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 markets. The result? Competitive
energy suppliers and utilities alike are paying higher than normal prices when
purchasing from the wholesale market in order to provide energy to homeowners,
tenants, and business owners. This 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 normalize. However, winter weather may very likely be around for
some weeks to come. Despite the unusual weather, the gas and electric delivery
systems have proven to be highly reliable this winter. A 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 bills.
Conserve energy as much as possible. For example, make sure
doors and windows are well insulated, seal any air leaks, and lower the
water temperature setting to 120 degrees on the water heater.
Customers 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 questions.
Customers interested in price stability can also investigate
fixed price options that many suppliers offer.
Customers in need of financial assistance should investigate
their state’s home heating assistance programs. In 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 http://www.CompetitiveEnergy.org.

Good Morning,
We are sorry the customer is unhappy after staying with us for so many years.  The customer was enrolled in a variable rate plan, meaning the rate would be determined by the energy market.  The severe winter, combined with less energy supply, caused rates to...

rise steeply these past months.  I have included some additional information on why rates rose. Your account has been canceled.  Please speak with your utility for budget billing options.  Again, we are sorry to you as a customer, but we will not be issuing a refund in this situation.
Regards,
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 high. Regardless 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 gas. When 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 owner. Just 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 power. In the short-term, this electricity generation is putting
further strain on the natural gas capacity in certain parts of the country. At
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 markets. The result? Competitive
energy suppliers and utilities alike are paying higher than normal prices when
purchasing from the wholesale market in order to provide energy to homeowners,
tenants, and business owners. This 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 normalize. However, winter weather may very likely be around for
some weeks to come. Despite the unusual weather, the gas and electric delivery
systems have proven to be highly reliable this winter. A 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 bills.
Conserve energy as much as possible. For example, make sure
doors and windows are well insulated, seal any air leaks, and lower the
water temperature setting to 120 degrees on the water heater.
Customers 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 questions.
Customers interested in price stability can also investigate
fixed price options that many suppliers offer.
Customers in need of financial assistance should investigate
their state’s home heating assistance programs. In 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 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 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] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted]

Good Morning,
We are sorry the customer was dissatisfied with our previous response.  The [redacted] the customer interacted with works for an independent partner vendor.  They are instructed never to guarantee lower rates.  In light of the customer's comments, we will be reviewing [redacted] policies with the vendor to ensure that no deviation from that instruction has occurred.  We also apologize for the long wait to speak with one of our customer service [redacted]s.  We have been experiencing a drastic increase in call volume over the past several months.  We have recently taken steps to better serve our customers through our customer service department.  Our records indicate that one of our customer service [redacted]s contacted the customer on 3/**/13 but the customer declined further service.  Again, we apologize if the customer has had a bad experience.
Regards,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
The utility company should be PPL and not West Penn Power, also I have not heard anything back concerning my natural gas.

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 have spoke to [redacted] and I need to have my billing issues resolved with Respond Power, not them. I have since switched to a different supplier but that doesn't make my balance go away and I am now being threatened with having my power shut off. I realize electricity prices rose over the winter but that doesn't explain the ridiculous costs the company charged because other suppliers and [redacted] weren't charging rates that were nearly that high. It also doesn't make sense that last month, which wasn't nearly as cold as January or February, my rates jumped significantly and as of 4/*/2014 a customer service representative stated that for a new customer the rate was .0938. If the "demand" for electricity is so high then why are new customers only charged .0938? 
This article from Forbes magazine explains the situation a bit better: [redacted] 
If necessary, I can provide copies of electric bills from the past few months from my neighbor who lives in the exact same type/size of studio apartment as me and received electricity from [redacted] and wasn't charged nearly as much as me. So please explain how that makes sense with your supply and demand explanation?]
 
 
 
 
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 unhappy with her experience.  As the customer notes, variable rates rose steeply this winter due to severe and prolonged weather.  The customer should also be aware that certain utilities drop customers from budget billing plans...

when they sign up with an alternate supplier (like our company).  Please contact your utility directly for budget billing questions and help paying your bill.  The account has been cancelled.
Regards,

Good Afternoon,
We are sorry the customer has been having a difficult time reaching our customer service department.  Due to ongoing repercussions from the Polar Vortex, we have experienced an unprecedented number of calls.  However, the customer was able to reach one of our...

customer service representatives today who is currently working to verify the customer's enrollment in our variable rate plan (meaning the customer's rate has been determined by the energy market).  The customer should continue to communicate with our customer service department.  Again, we are sorry for the delay.
Regards,

Good Evening,
We are sorry if the customer had a bad experience with our company. The sales representatives of our partner vendors are strictly prohibited from guaranteeing savings, although they may state that historically we have saved customers money. This customer was enrolled in...

a variable rate plan. Unfortunately, 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 account has now been cancelled, however, it typically takes the utility one to two billing cycles to process the cancellation. Please contact your utility directly for budget billing options. 
Regards,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We will call the customer and try to work out something. Electric use reported by Met-Ed averaged 4754 kWh per month, very high. We advise the customer to work with Met-Ed on making sure the readings are correct.

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]
The reasons were completely unsatisfactory. They promised to lower my rates and they overall over the three months that I used their service charged me an additional $200 over the same period the year when compared to [redacted].  The reason was inadequate and at the end of the day was just a lot of excuses. This company is not a reputable company and should not be rated as one.  
 
 
 
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 was promised lower rates. And if thats not what it was then they have their people saying and promising the wrong thing.

[Your Answer Here]
 
 
 
 
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 would like a phone call from the company in order to work out the billing situation. I would like something in writing showing the account is cancelled. Phone number to reach is ###-###-####. Thank You in advance.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Good Morning,
We forward cancellation requests to your utility within 24 hours.  It then usually takes the utility 1 - 2 billing cycles to switch your service.  We have no control over this time frame.
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:
Respond Power is still claiming that I could have saved up to 10% this year. 
Let's do some math.
From 12/**/2013 to 1/**/2014 I was charged .19411 per kWh for 532 kWh. [redacted]'s rate was .0977. I was charged $103.27 by Respond Power. [redacted] would have charged me $51.98 = $51.29 overcharged.
From 1/**/2014 to 2/**/2014 I was charged .22527 per kWh for 451 kWh. [redacted]'s rate was .0977. I was charged $101.60 by Respond Power. [redacted] would have charged me $44.06 = $57.54 overcharged.
From 2/**/2014 to 3/**/2014 I was charged .34990 per kWh for 385 kWh. [redacted]'s rate was .0877. I was charged $134.71 by Respond Power. [redacted] would have charged me $33.76 = $100.95 overcharged.
On 3/**/2014 Respond Power offered me a fixed rate of .0987. I declined since [redacted]'s rate was lower. I requested that Respond Power terminate my agreement. When I contacted [redacted] on 4/*/2014 I was informed that the agreement had not been terminated by Respond Power so I closed my [redacted] account to avoid further charges from Respond Power.
From 3/**/2014 to 4/*/2014 I was charged .**960 per kWh for 100 kWh. [redacted]'s rate was .0877. I was charged $**.96 by Respond Power. [redacted] would have charged me $8.77 = $16.19 overcharged.
If I had agreed to Respond Power's fixed rate of .0987 per kWh this is what I would have been charged:
From 4/*/2014 to 4/**/2014 - The Bill has been misplaced since my husband received a paper bill since it was a new account. [redacted]'s rate was .0877 during this period so the bill would be less than Respond Power's rate of .0977
From 4/**/2014 to 5/**/2014 Respond Power would have charged me $48.07 for 487 kWh. [redacted] charged my husband $42.71 = $5.36 less by choosing [redacted].
From 5/**/2014 to 6/**/2014 Respond Power would have charged me $64.75 for 656 kWh. [redacted] charged my husband $56.23 = $8.52 less by choosing [redacted].
From 6/**/2014 to 7/**/2014 Respond Power would have charged me $104.23 for 1056 kWh. [redacted] charged my husband $90.60 = $13.63 less by choosing [redacted].
From 7/**/2014 to 8/**/2014 Respond Power would have charged me $71.06 for 720 kWh. [redacted] charged my husband $61.86 = $9.20 less by choosing [redacted].
[redacted]'s new rate for Sept to November will be .0825 which is still less than Respond Power's rate of .0987 that was offered to me.
Based on these 9 amounts I would have paid a total of $652.65 to Respond Power and $389.72 with [redacted]. 
Please explain mathematically how it would be possible for Respond Power to have saved ME even 1/100 of a percent in 2014 based on these numbers. A courtesy refund of $25 and a fixed rate that is higher than [redacted]'s rate was/is not going to save ME any money. Do not just tell me the statement "customer could save up to 10% with a fixed rate plan" is true. Prove it with math. If you can't show me how it is possible with some math then Respond Power is still making false claims. Please issue me a refund of $**2.72.
Thank you.
 
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 find that this resolution will be ok for now, they told me that I would...

be on a fixed rate and my service would be removed without penalty should I move to another state and close out my [redacted] services at my location.
Sincerely,
[redacted]