Respond Power

Review: When I first switched from [redacted] to Respond Power, I was pleasantly surprised by how our bill went down. However, that all changed a few months later. Our bill more than DOUBLED! When I called [redacted] to discuss this matter, they explained that Respond Power was our provider and they couldn't do anything about the charges. They suggested calling RP and talking to someone there. They did cancel our service with RP but I still needed to call. Well, I called and called and called for weeks! No one ever answered the phone and I have never spoken to a person working at RP in my life. I am now paying off a large bill to [redacted] that I don't feel I should have to pay. RP is scamming customers. Besides, what company doesn't answer the phone????? I will NEVER use them again and I am telling everyone I know not to use them.Desired Settlement: I want Respond Power to refund me the amount I have paid to [redacted] for their services. RP ripped us off and charged us an exhorbitant amount of money for a service.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon,

We are having difficulty finding the customer's information in our system. Please provide the account holder's name or account number.

Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

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:

How do they not know who we are?!?! The account with [redacted] is in my husband's name. His name is [redacted]. I do not have the account number with me at the moment as I am at work.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

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 still have not fixed this. RP is ripping off customers. I want my money refunded and I want something noted PUBLICLY that they do what they want with the rates.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Unfortunately, because the customer was validly enrolled in our variable rate program, no refund is warranted or due. As explained earlier, 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 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. It is unfortunate the customers enrolled in the variable rate program experienced high rates, however those rates were determined by market conditions.

Review: I had a "Respond Power" agent come to my door and explain who he was and how he can help me save on money on my electric bill. After listening to her she asked if he could see my electric bill and explain how it works. Finally, after it all I did not want to participate in any assist program. I thanked her for her time and wish her a good day. The following month I received my electric bill to find that I had new charges from "Respose Power Supply." I immediately called my electric company and asked how could this be, they explained that the agent could of used my account number and enrolled me without my approval. I asked for it to be fix and they said they will put a cancel on it. The next month I received another bill with charges from response power. I am very upset at this time, so I called the company and they said a Sarah from my residence approved the change. I explained to the representative that there isn't a Sarah at this address and why would Sarah be allowed to change my account information. All in all, I am still going through this headace and wanted to share my experience with others.Desired Settlement: refund and penalties towards the agent who stole my identity

Business

Response:

After we spoke on the phone we were able to resolve the issue. Sincerely, Customer Service

Review: When salesperson was here only bragged about the cost of the energy and how cheap it is. But never mentioned that commodity charges would be so high that when figured out it was double what most companies offered.Desired Settlement: Would like to see a credit issued to our account.

Business

Response:

Review: My January 2014 bill for electricity generation was initially $1,972 ($0.36 per kwh) then Respond stated their was a billing problem wait for new bill I did and it came with a charge of $1,036 ($.019 per kwh). When contacted they stated there was nothing more they could do they already cut it in half. The point being we switched to them because they told us they were cheaper than PP&L and in January PP&L was $0.0875. They lied and they ripped us off. We checked with Revdex.com before switching and there was no indication of the grossly inflated billing practices we have experience. You should seriously reconsider how you have rated them I personally feel betrayed.

We are no longer using Respond Power because while the initial bill for October 2013 was less ($0.07 kWH) than PP&L, each subsequent month the rate increased by a few cents. We decided to switch in January, obviously not soon enough!

I find their charges to be excessive and unscrupulous.Desired Settlement: I would like to be charged at reasonable rate for my electricity generation for the month of January. We used 5,459 kWH.

Business

Response:

As has been widely reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was reflected on Ms. Bunting's 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 January’s on record. We are referring customers to the February 14 press release from the PUC regarding this issue. (Please see email attachment)

While we understand Ms. Bunting's complaint about her bill, her bill simply reflects the high amount of electricity used multiplied by the current market rates. Respond Power does not set the rates on the mercantile exchange, we merely hedge our purchases to try and provide customers with the best possible rates. Seeing the PPL rate much lower can be confusing, however customer's should understand that PA utilities price their default supply up to 6 months in advance, and therefore those rates are not reflective of current market conditions. Customer's are urged to enroll in fixed rate plans which provide protection from market spikes.

As we are no longer servicing the account, we consider this matter closed.

Regards

Respond Power

Review: Respond Power/Major Energy says that you can save money with their service and I haven't seen this money savings on either of my accounts. What I have seen is outrages charges on both my electric and gas bills. I also know that it is a variable rate, but even cause of the variable rate my charges are much higher each month than they should be with a variable rate/ almost tripled.Desired Settlement: I would like to have their name removed from my bill and all the outrages charges be removed or adjusted, because I know they are wrong

Business

Response:

Good Morning,

As the customer notes, she was enrolled in a variable rate plan with our company. 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 customer's account has been cancelled.

Regards,

Review: On 2/**/2014 we received a bill for $670 in electric. At that point we had realized that the rates went up and quickly tried to call and email the company to get them to rectify the problem. After being talked down to and hung up on we then decided it was time to cancel our account with this company and move onto another. It took two weeks to get ahold of anyone from this company to be able to cancel the account. Due to them screwing over other the phone lines were busy with hour waits. I had to get up every day and try to be the first caller of the day to be able to get put on hold. Most days as soon as I called a recorded message came up telling me they reached their call limit for the day and to call back or go on line to email them and they would get back to me in one business day.....needless to say I have not once received a email or call from this company. After two weeks we got threw and asked to cancel the account. At this point we were 3 weeks into the next billing cycle.

We now just received a bill for $1,170 from them, here is the shocker they doubled our rate per khw. I have been told to contact the PUC, Attorney General, and Consumer Advocate to report this issue with them.

I took PPL higher rate of .087 per khw and used that to come up with what I see fit for a rebate check from Respond Power to compensate us for the three weeks it took to cancel with them. I started off today at 8:50 with a email to them requesting a call back....still no word from them. At 9 on the dot this morning I called in, waited a half hour on hold to only get a guy who yelled at me and talked over me, not letting me speak. I asked to speak with someone more professional and he put me on hold for 5 mins. He then answered and told me there was no one else for me to talk to. I insisted to talk to his supervisor and he said nope and hung up on me at 9:46. That was 46 minutes on the phone my first time.

I called back at 9:47 was put on hold till 10:55. Over a hour on hold. Spoke to a lady who once again spoke over me, insisting it was ppls fault not theirs and they would do nothing for me. I asked to speak to someone else who would be more respectful and help me. after asking god knows how many times she put me on hold . Some other lady answered claiming to be supervisor and was even more unprofessional then the last lady. She called me [redacted] threw out the call, laughing, mocking me and told me I can spend all day calling and they still wont help me and will just hang up on me. I asked to speak with a real supervisor because based off her tone and they way she spoke to me there was no way on hell she was the higher up. And shockingly she hung up on me as well.

I just called a third time 12:45 to wait for over a hour again. Got a guy who claims Respond power has emailed and called me back.....I have phone records to prove I have not received one call from this company like he claims. He then continued to tell me there was nothing they can do and guess what....hung up on me.

I am not asking for them to pay the $1670 they have charged me for two months worth of electric.....I am only asking for a rebate check to compensate the three weeks it took to get a hold of them. And at this point I will be asking for more due to the absolute disrespect I have had to deal with all day from them. This is only my story, my husband has also had to take long lunch breaks to call them as well in the past month about this issue. And they have treated him just as poorly.

This company is financially ruining our family. My husband has been having chest pains since yesterday after opening the $1,170 bill. I have been on the phone with everyone and anyone today, while in tears, trying to get someone to help me deal with this company. I have emailed two State senators, my State Representative, and several news channels. I don't no what else to do to get this company to take me seriously.

For a company to mock me, laugh, talk over me and to hangup on me is not ok.Desired Settlement: I would like a rebate check in the amount of $830. This will compensate the three weeks of trying to get a hold of the company and the stress they have put on me and my family for the last two days. I used PPL rate of .087 times 2,653 kwh used in the past month, and subtracted that from the amount owed for just this past bill. we will continue to make payments for the $670 from two months ago because that was our fault for not watching this company and they rates they charged. But we will not pay for a month were we could not get ahold of the company, nor will we pay that to a company who hangs up on people.

Business

Response:

Review: Two representatives of Respond Power LLC showed up at my door in the summer of 2013 claiming I could get a cheaper rate per kilowatt with their company. I was told I could cancel anytime. This winter my electric bill jumped from $159.00 in October and November to $400.19 in December and then came down to $394.00 for January. Then I find out the company is charging a variable rate in the winter months. I want this company canceled and off my electric bill. I know I did not use this much electric. I own a duplex apartment building and they are still under contract with First Energy, even with 2 apartments it bill has not even come close to the amount I was charged. I will never change my electric company again. I would like Respond Energy LLC to cancel my contract and put it back to First Energy. I have tried to call several times. The last time I was on hold for 20 minutes when it was my turn the call went dead. I am tired of fooling with this Company.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund, although I doubt that will not happen...I just want the contract canceled......NOW

Business

Response:

Review: Respond power did not tell be it was a variable rate with the electric they provided. On the PA Switch website they currently over 11 cents fixed rate. How can they offer a fixed rate when they are charging their current customers 38 to 25 cent killowats. This is insane. Price gouging. Taking people for granted during a hard winter. I have no respect for these people, when they can not answer my phone calls, messages , or any kind of communication. Go right to the attorney general, Revdex.com, public utility they are a scamming people. The first month was 7 cents, next month 11, and directly to 38 cents. BEWARE!!!! 3 WEEKS HAVE GONE BY AND THEY DO NOT RETURN CALLS OR COMMUNICATE. I have sent several messages and they always put you on a 30 min wait on the phone and you never get them. All I wanted was to talk to one person, which I never go, so I switched which cost me 100 dollars.Desired Settlement: 100 fee for me switching to another carrier because this was an insane charge and could not keep letting them charge me 38 cent for killowats. Also back to 7 cents they promised when I enrolled in sept and the next month went up to 11 and up thereafter. Want refunded back to the 7 cents. An apology. They also need to get honest with people and get some integrity. Need to become and honest company, Not advertise on PA Switch they are a fixed company!!!!!!

Business

Response:

On Dec ** this service provider enrolled me for 0.926/kwh. When I called them and said it was a higher price they said they will de enroll me and enroll me to a new price which is 0.826/kwh. They processed the cancellation of first enrollment on dec [redacted] and enrolled me for new rate on same date. However on Jan [redacted] when I realised that this change did not reflect they said [redacted] asked to withdraw the enrollment. [redacted] normally does not do that. What happened was this guys processed my first enrollment/de enrollment of Dec ** and did not communicate [redacted] of enrollment of dec [redacted] for 0.826/kwh
However due to their mistake they sent first cancellation notice to [redacted] and finally did not enroll me at all. They have not notified me of de enrollment. Most irrespnocible service providers.

Review: They have salesmen going door to door promising decreases in the electric bill of up to twenty percent if you switch to respond power. He did not tell me that he was not from my default electric provider until I had already given him my information and was talking on the phone to another one of their representatives. By that time he was already in my house and I felt pressured and manipulated into signing up. He said I would definitely realize the twenty percent savings because my home fell within the "red zone" and I would never end up paying more than my local utility. Upon switching my bill remained the same for about two months until the rate was practically doubled for April and May compared to the average rate in the region for March 2014. I paid more in electric in these two months then I did in the previous year combined with my old provider although the usage had remained constant. After the first large bill which came out to around five hundred dollars I called to voice my concern and cancel their service, I was told that they would only terminate my service at the conclusion of my next billing period. I paid the bill and was satisfied that I would no longer have to deal with them after I paid the next bill. Upon receiving my next electric bill I was irate. The bill was just shy of seven hundred dollars which is over three times what I paid in the middle of winter. I called Respond to ask them why my bill had skyrocketed, They told me that because I was a variable rate customer their was no guarantee in price savings and that because of the polar vortex this winter market prices for electric had skyrocketed and their was nothing they could do about it. This is a bold faced lie if I have ever seen one. The polar vortex in no way explains why in the middle of spring my rate would jump 250%. I checked the historic prices on the commodity market for natural gas which they use to generate their electricity and although natural gas prices have risen, they only have risen 20%. a far as their excuse about the pipeline goes I'm quoting the Pennsylvania unfair trade and consumer protection laws when I say "advertising goods or services with intent not to supply reasonably expectable public demand, unless the advertisement discloses a limitation of quantity." I think any reasonable person can assume that when their rate is to be tripled because of limitations in the gas supply then that does not constitute supplying reasonably expectable public demand. No sane person would pay three times the going rate on any commodity. A sane person would cancel their service decreasing the demand for the product until it matched the supply, but because I was not informed of this limitation in quantity beforehand (in regard to the limitations in natural gas which in turn led to the price hike) I was unable to terminate my service in a reasonable timeframe.Desired Settlement: I want a full refund for the last two months, according to the Pennsylvania unfair trade practices and consumer protection law causing likelihood of confusion or of misunderstanding as to

the source, sponsorship, approval or certification of goods or services or taking part in any deceptive or fraudulent conduct which creates a likelihood of misunderstanding is punishable by a five thousand dollar fine plus restitution to anyone who suffered damages which were caused by a violation of the act. I was led to understand that my electric bill was to be lowered by up to twenty percent if I switched providers but it was in fact raised by three hundred percent. I have done research and I believe this is both deceptive and fraudulent.

Business

Response:

Good Morning,

We are sorry if the customer has had a bad experience. The sales representatives of our independent partner vendors are trained to never guarantee savings, although they may state that historically, our customers have saved money. The customer was enrolled in a variable rate product as confirmed by the customer's signed sales agreement. The rates on a variable rate

plan are subject to change based on market conditions. 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. While the commodity markets for natural gas are one factor that affects energy prices, they are not the only factor.

The account has now been cancelled. If you would like to discuss this further, we encourage you to contact our customer service department.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

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]

This does not solve any of my issues, I want my money back.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon,

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

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Respond Power, LLC regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Review: After signing up for cheaper electric servicei in October the above company never mentioned that it was a variable rate my electric bill doubled in one month to $495. is this legal to raise it that much at once. west penn power stated if I would have stayed with them my bill would have been $225. at no time did they say it would e a variable rate. I believe they are doing this to a lot of customers.Desired Settlement: I would like them to at least reduce my bill to the $225 I would have paid with west penn power. after all they claim to be cheaper

Business

Response:

Review: My roommates and I have been with Respond Power since at least the summer of 2013, where a representative came to our house and promised competitive rates for electricity. Everything has been fine until our bill this month that is double the amount we've been paying. Now I flipped out because our bill shouldn't be $800 if our house is always 55 degrees. I called West Penn Power inquiring why the sudden jump and inquired how it could increase by double if we only used 25% more electricity. The representative told me we were being charged $ .15 per Kwh. I asked if this was high and she said the PUC is only charging $ .05! Now I know that the polar vortex came through but how can a company just increase their rate in two months to triple the amount West Penn Power is charging without notifying customers? I assumed that our increased bills this winter were due to our new water heater. I never even suspected a rate increase that significant. No emails, no letters, no hints that 'power for February might just break the bank so use energy wisely.'

On their website and brochures the company promises "competitive prices." After some research I found that prices of competitors in our area on papowerswitch.com. And Respond power is not anywhere in the ballpark. They are two and three times higher than every other company. How can these other companies produce power at such lower rates and this company cannot?

And I also tried contacting the company by phone twice, never got a callback within 24 hrs like they said and then emailed them on their website and still haven't heard back.Desired Settlement: I want Respond Power to lower our kwh rate to $ .08 which is similar to the more expensive competitor companies for the month of February. Our bill is $720 and the price with other companies is only $350! The lack of informing customers about increased rates is outrageous and if I had known we would have switched back in January. Also, I want a competitive rate for the month of March since our bill came in after the new cycle started and are not allowed to switch during a billing period.

Business

Response:

Review: I have been unable to talk to anyone at Respond Power about my bill. I get constant message about high call volume. I wated and got gown to 3 calls then the phone rang and then it went to voice mail. I have left 3 messages for them to call me and I have not received a call. The cost has been doubling for the last few months. I would like to change back to PPL but I am unable to get in touch with anyone to facilitate this. Per PPL they are unable to help me Respond has to release me. I am very frustrated. it has been over a week that I have been trying to get through.Desired Settlement: I would like to have a refund of the outragouse amount charged the last 2 months. I would also like to cancel Respond PowerLLC and go back to PPL>

Thank you,

Business

Response:

Review: I called RespondPower because after they promised to reduce the price I pay for electric with PECO, I ended up paying more than triple times what I originally had been paying with PECO on two bills. After being on hold for some minutes, a CSR named [redacted] finally responded. After I asked about the increase in my bill and finally made it known to her that I wished to cancel my service with RespondPower, she became extremely rude. She wouldn't let my speak and kept interrupting. After she said it had been cancelled in a very nasty tone of voice, I asked to have a confirmation and she became very loud and told me that they don't give customers confirmations but the name of the CSR who the customer spoke with. As I was about to ask another question, she rudely interrupted me again, told me to have a nice day and hung up the phone on me. Desiree was extremely rude and unpleasant. I called again to get answers to my question and [redacted] was a lot more pleasant. I don't understand why a company would have such a rude employee. I would never recommend RespondPower to friends, family or any one else I know. Not only was I lied to about saving, but their customers service was horrible with the exception of [redacted].Desired Settlement: Desired Settlement: Refund-Credit Card Credit

Business

Response:

We are sorry for the customers experience with our customer service department. We are reviewing the call and will take all steps necessary to improve.

Thanks

Review: Respond power was 3rd party billing me without my knowledge. My most recent electric bill was $783. I live in a tiny home and I dont even use electric to heat my home. I use oil. My direct carrier which is met ed was charging 1/3 of what they were. When I asked for a copy of the "so-called" agreement , they refused. Saying it was their property. I feel as though they 've been stealing money from me.Desired Settlement: I would like a copy or confirmation that I gave permission. Second they shouldn't have been able to bill me to extreme. I "canceled"my service with them emidiately. I would like a refund / price adjustment for the money they took from me.

Business

Response:

Good Morning,

We are sorry you are unhappy with your service after being our customer for so long. Because this is a public forum, we are unable to go into the specifics of your account. However, we will note that we have been supplying your electricity since 2012. If you have remaining questions, please contact our customer service department again.

Regards,

Review: I received my electric bill and for the past few months it seemed to be higher than usual. I am very busy and going through a divorce and by my mistake I did not check the breakdown of my bill. I finally did last month and found that Respond Power, LLC was showing up on my bill and charging me 0.249897 compared to my usual .003 causing my bill to skyrocket. I never received any information that this company had taken over my electric services and bill. They claim that they had sent me letters concerning this matter yet I never received anything from the company. When I called my electric company, West Penn Power they informed me that they had recieved notice that I signed on with Respond Power, LLC nearly 4 months prior!! I never signed up for their company and they claim that they have a signed contract and telephone verification from a salesman that came to my door. Me and my husband are the only two adults that live in my household and neither have signed a contract or even ever heard of this company who is based out of NY and we live in PA. When I called Respond Power, LLC they were extremely rude. I explained to them that I did not sign up for this service, I did not give phone confirmation and I surely did not ask to be charged this ridiculous amount of money! I now have a $993.52 electric bill!! I asked for a refund in the difference from what my provider West Penn Power charges me and I was told that they "could not make me happy" and "could not give a refund" I have never dealt with a company who was so arrogant in that they provide such horrible customer service. I am upset because of the high bill but I am even more upset that I have to deal with this when I NEVER signed up for it!Desired Settlement: I would like the difference of the KWH usage refunded that I was being overcharged by Respond Power, LLC.

Business

Response:

Good Morning,

We are sorry the customer has had a bad experience. The customer enrolled in a variable rate plan with our company, meaning the rate would be determined by the energy market. I have attached the customer's signed application as verification of her enrollment. The customer's account has now been cancelled. We will not be issuing a refund in this situation.

Regards,

Review: A year ago when I signed on with Respond Power, LLC, the spiel they gave me was that [redacted] was strongly encouraging people to choose an electric supplier and that Respond Power, LLC would be more than willing to assist. I was nave in the fact that I chose to go with the variable rate. Up until December of 2013, where I had a balance of 0 due to paying ahead of time, Respond Power, LLC was charging 0.10989426 per KWH and [redacted] was charging 7.87 per KWH, then in January of 2014, Respond Power charged 0.10990510 per KWH while [redacted]s rate was 7.17 per KWH and my charges were $137.17. I noticed that [redacted] (who should be called to task on this) was not reading the meter rather they were estimating and so I began to add more money to the designated payment in order to keep down total costs for when they finally read the meter. In February, Respond Power LLC charged 0.14989655 and [redacted] charged 7.17 per KWH and my billing statement was $226.97. Now for March of 2014, Respond Power LLC charged a whopping 0.19989853 per KWH while [redacted]s charge was 7.30 per KWH. My charge for the month of March was $687.95. I am [redacted] old and in all my years of paying utility bills, I have never been raked over the coals in such a manner. This is plain and simple price gouging and greed. I had previously tried over a week ago to contact Respond Power, LLC to rescind the contract but never heard back. After receiving the exorbitant electric bill, I immediately tried contacting Respond Power via email x2 and waited for approximately 35 minutes to speak with a representative (message conveyed heavy calls ~ big surprise there). After voicing my opinions over what I consider to be unscrupulous billing prices, I asked to return to both [redacted] and [redacted] immediately and was told it was done and would take 1-2 billing cyles!Desired Settlement: For the months of January, February and March of 2014, I wish to have reimbursement for the cost of what Respond Power, LLC charged per KWH over that of what [redacted] charged per KWH.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon,

According to the complaint, the

customer states that he is unhappy with the current rate being charged.

The customer agreed to a variable rate contract, meaning his 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.

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

In addition please see this informative article.

Consumer

Response:

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 continues to insist on blaming the Polar Vortex, the cost of moving electricity etc. to justify in their opinion the extremely high cost per KWH they charged when it basically just boils down to taking advantage of the situation at hand. It is like a company price gouging after a hurricane or any other natural disaster which may have occurred. I could understand a slight increase occurring; however, going from roughly $.10 per KWH to $.20 when [redacted] is locked in at roughly $.08 in a matter of three months is inexcusable. Admittedly, I was naïve along with many other electricity consumers and vulnerable for choosing a variable rate and apparently they had the right people on board to sway us from where we were at the time the contract was signed. And I feel that Respond Power is quite smarmy when instructing me to look for a fixed rate the next time. Choosing an alternative electric supplier has been programmed into consumers from the state of PA, along with lots of correspondence from [redacted] and we fell for it. To having Respond Power attach a pre-warning announcement from the PUC dated for February, 2014, something tells me that there may be snakes in the woodpiles of both places. But as a local TV station ~ WPXI out of Pittsburgh follows the rounds of complaints and the generic answers from Respond Power and even elected officials, this act of greediness and its countless repercussions are far from over. And the fact that I called Respond Power almost two weeks ago to get out of the contract with a company with questionable consumer practices only to find out from [redacted] that I cannot go back to them until the next billing cycle beginning April [redacted], 2014 only irritates me further as I anticipate another shocker of an electric bill. Respond Power can try to justify their costs to the consumers as much as they want but it is still a diluted answer. Also, I was instructed by [redacted] to contact Respond Power as to what rate they will be charging for this billing period and still am awaiting a response. All that will make me happy is to be reimbursed for the cost of electricity overcharged to our account by Respond Power over what [redacted] charged its customers for those three months and the money it will cost our account before we can move to [redacted]. I am behind the proposed law that consumers have the right to cancel with their electricity supplier and to be connected immediately to the supplier of choice. Here again, a pig with lipstick is still a pig!

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Our previous answers have been responsive to the customer's complaints.

Consumer

Response:

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 PA Attorney General's office is now actively investigating the many complaints that have been generated by the sudden spike in energy costs for the months of January, February and March 2014 from those who offered to be suppliers of electricity and something tells me that reference to Respond Power will somehow make it into the investigation.

And yes, I can read that they have no intention of rectifying their greedy behavior, but I want to thank the Revdex.com for follow-up.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: March electric bill $ 456.35 Kwh used 3670 @ 0.08250April Electric bill $ 753.62 kwh used 3113 @ 0.19990Between March and April rate was increased 143%I live in an apartment.Desired Settlement: I am willing to pay 50% higher rate which will be $ 385.23 per my kwh consumption.There must be a cap how much they can increase at a time and per year.

Business

Response:

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 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. 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

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 [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

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:

[It is unheard-of a rate hike of 143% within one month. Give me a price break so that I can pay off the bill.]

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

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 unable to pay. ]

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Mohammed Rashid

Business

Response:

Good Morning,

For help paying your bill, please contact PECO directly for budget billing information.

Regards,

Review: The company, Respond Power, LLC, provides electricity through [redacted]. This supplier of power has increased rates in the last four months from a rate of $.059902 per KWH (For the month of November) to $.0799 (December) to $.1099 (January) to most recent month being $.1499 (February, payment due in March). This is about triple of what [redacted] charges in cost. Now, when I had signed up for another supplier, they had never stated the company name, nor did what I sign have anything that I noticed a variable rate. Having studied contractual and business law, I have learned to review everything. I also understand the concept of supply and demand, but when I have been cutting down my usage the last three months, I don't understand how my rate increases by approximately 30% three months in a row. Not only is this unethical, I highly doubt the practice is legal. I believe that the electrical suppliers (in this case Respond Power) need to be held accountable for their borderline illegal but definitely unethical behavior. I am also contacting the Attorney General's office since the organization refuses to do anything about the rate changes as they pull the "we can't do anything about our prices" card regardless of who I talk to within their customer service department or their management. Luckily, I am switching away from them, but I do want this organization investigated for its practices. When I had apparently switched, the person deliberately misinformed who he was working for, claiming to be a state employee. The above statement is to the best of my knowledge to be the truth and to my knowledge is accurate to the best of my abilities and comprehension. I do have the last four billing statements on hand to verify the accuracy of the cost per KWH.Desired Settlement: Ideally, I would like a refund of the differential between the $.059902 rate and the various rates from the last three months of bills. I've had to finance the last bill... and I was using less electricity than I did last year, yet paid hundreds of dollars more per month. I am willing to compromise and go with the $ .0799 rate for the last two months and get a check for the difference. That would leave me satisfied; however, I am still switching my power supplier to not be Respond Power and did file a complaint with the Attorney General's office in [redacted].

I'd prefer to get a refund for the money spent, as I do understand companies need to make money; however, I do not think making monthly increases of approximately 30% in three consecutive months to be ethical either. I want a reasonable resolution here.

Business

Response:

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.

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

Consumer

Response:

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:

First of all, one of your employees claimed to be a state employee conducting research to ensure that we were not being double charged distribution charges from our electric supplier (at the time [redacted]). He explained to me and had me speak to a person on the phone. At this time I did not see a document stating anything about Respond Power nor did anyone claim to be a representative of Respond Power. I also have a witness to verify this.

Regardless though, when your competition has variable rates and they are costing about a third of the cost of what your company is charging, you're obviously charging an unethical price. This is one of my issues with your company.

Listen, I told you how to resolve it. You've already lost me as a customer, and there is already a grass roots movement to boycott your company entirely in this state. If you continue your practice of leading customers into contracts while LYING ABOUT WHO YOU WORK FOR, then that's the major issue. Do you honestly think there will be no repercussions from a lack of ethical behavior?

I will pay you the .0799 rate from December to January from my bills. I want that rate applied to the next two bills I had already paid and I want a refund of the difference. It's a fair compromise because I am still paying you a higher rate than most of your competition out here, but I am not letting you charge me that .1499 rate and think that you can get away with it without me continuing the process. I have already contacted the Attorney General's office, as have many other citizens of [redacted].

Until I get a partial refund, this issue is not resolved in my book.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Good Morning,

We are sorry the customer is dissatisfied with our previous response. The customer validly enrolled in a variable rate plan, meaning the rate would be effected by the energy market. We will not be issuing refund.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

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,

Review: This company is just charging UNREASONABLE and UNREALISTIC rates. I can't believe they really expect customers to be able to pay such prices. It's really unfair to the average working person in my area to one day receive a bill that is over double a normal bill. They are charging 5X's the going rate. It's unfair. With the winter that we had, there should have been a warning. They could have even called their customers to try to get them to sign up for a fixed rate. I dont mind paying for the kwh that I have used. I expect to pay that every month. But to say, you now have a bill DOUBLE your last month's bill that is FIVE TIMES the going rate, to me just sounds very unfair.Desired Settlement: I would like my bill to be adjusted to a comparable rate. Not a rate 5X's the going average.

Business

Response:

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 [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.

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

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 [redacted]