Retail Electric Suppliers

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Electric Suppliers Deregulation
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• Deregulation in many states has made it possible
  for persons to choose which electricity supplier
  they obtain their power from.  There are a number
  of reasons why people choose to do this.  Price
  is obviously one of the most important factors in
  many peoples minds.  However, there are other
  things people should think about before they make
  a switch.  The reliability of an electricity
  company is also important.   
• The level of reliability can be determined by
  getting a copy of the companys codes of
  practice.  Every electricity provider is required
  to publish a copy of these codes in order to
  obtain a license to market electricity.  These
  codes spell out the policies and services that
  each energy company abides by.   While these
  codes are not legally binding, they do give you
  guidelines by which the gauge the level of
  support you can expect to get from a particular
  electricity provider. 
• There are five areas of policy these codes
  address.  They are not legally binding, but if an
  electricity supplier fails to keep its word in
  any of these five points, there are grounds for a
  legitimate complaint.   
• 1.     The first thing to look at is an
  electricity companys procedure for handling
  complaints.  Even the best companies get
  complaints.  Its not the complaints that make or
  break their reputation, but rather, how
  empathetically they respond and take action on
  them.  Do they take complaints over the phone? 
  Does management follow up on complaints?  If so,
  can you count on getting information down the
  line if your complaint was professionally
  addressed? 
• 2.     You also need to know how a particular
  electricity supplier handles bill payments.  You
  may not plan on ever being late on a bill, but it
  happens.  What if you need to make special
  payment installments or ask for an extension? 
  You need to know in advance if you can even ask
  for such things otherwise, you can find yourself
  getting stuck with a bill you cannot pay on
  time. 

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• 3.     It should also be clearly stated what site
  access procedures the company has for its
  website.  Most companies, once you are a
  customer, give you a username and login.  You
  need to find out what kind of information this
  username and login gives you.  Can your bill be
  paid online?  Can you arrange for repairs?  Can
  you contact customer service? 
• 4.     If you find a company that offers free
  energy efficiency advice, take note of this. 
  They do not make any money giving you advice on
  how to save it.  If they go out of their way to
  help you save money, this shows the company has
  the best interest of its customers at heart.   
• 5.     Codes also should state what special
  services the electricity supplier offers to
  chronically sick persons, elderly persons, and
  disabled persons.  You may not need these special
  services, but common sense tells you that any
  company that neglects the sick, the elderly, or
  the disabled really ought to be avoided. 
• No doubt you will find positive and negative
  reviews about a lot of electricity providers you
  investigate.  You cannot believe everything you
  read at face value, especially if the review is
  the person writing the review appears angry
  without specific explanation.  Sometimes people
  do not do their homework and blame the company
  for what goes wrong.  Such complaints will not
  help you form an accurate assessment. 
• Instead, pay attention only to reviews that give
  you information that pertains to compliance with
  the codes above and only pay attention to
  specifics on how well a given electricity
  supplier has followed them in the past.