Question regarding snafu with electric power providers.

[Susan Calvin]

Has anyone had their retail power provider switched by someone other than themselves? If so, how did you handle it?

I called Constellation as soon as I found out. I found out by getting a bill from them for $150, seeing the disconnect notice when I went to pay it, and realizing that the bill was an early termination fee.

Constellation said they would fix it, but two things about that worried me. The first is that they added, "If your current provider will release you." (They better, since I certainly didn't switch.) The second is that I don't know who my supposed new provider is without calling Centerpoint, which I'm sure would do no good at this particular time. Constellation couldn't tell me who I'd been switched to.

I not only want it fixed, I want to figure out how it happened, if I can.

[twodogsbarking]

1. I have had gas and electric switched, not at my direction. Phone too years back.

[Susan Calvin]

4. How did you handle that? nt

[twodogsbarking]

5. Contacted the utility directly to switch back. There was no fee.

[SARose]

2. Maybe this is the issue

This is an FAQ from the town of Henrietta, NJ.

It could be your town decided to go with a different provider? This FAQ talks about opt out and opt in and why the town chose not to have conventional as the default.

My suggestion is call your township and find out if the situation in NJ applies to your town.

Hope this helps.

[Susan Calvin]

3. Thanks.

I am in unincorporated Fort Bend county, so it doesn't.

[Susan Calvin]

6. Well, did I find out something interesting.

I did get hold of Centerpoint, who gave me a number that turned out to be for TXU. So I called them. Turns out you don't have to prove you live at a place to get a retail electric contract there. My power had been switched all right, but under somebody else's name. I remarked several times that it was ridiculous that I had to prove I was me to even talk to them about it, but the person who caused this, whether accidentally or maliciously, didn't even have to prove they lived here.

The part about not having to verify that you lived there, or at least had some connection that made it reasonable you would want a power contract there, was confirmed by both Constellation and by TXU.

[Susan Calvin]

7. No, they wouldn't tell me the name on the contract,

Even though it is associated with my address

[SARose]

8. Omg

This is insane. Have you checked your credit report?

[Susan Calvin]

9. Yep, thanks for asking.

It doesn't look like I've been hacked in any way except that somebody signed up for an electric contract at my address without having to prove they had any reason for that. Who knows if it was malicious or an honest mistake. It's the whole idea that it could happen that floors me.

Whatever law it is that allows this, it needs to be changed. You should need to verify that you either own the property at that address or reside in it or both.

[Susan Calvin]

11. And if it causes cancellation of an existing contract

Someone at your existing provider should call you and verify before switching.

[Susan Calvin]

10. I'm going to be talking with someone at corporate at TXU tomorrow.

That was their idea, not mine, I'll give them that.

One of the people who replied on another website said that someone had recently been going around with a clipboard trying to sign people up, and that someone she knew who had the same thing happened to them in the past called TXU and was told that sometimes these people they hired to go around trying to sign people up do bogus sign ups to get the commission.

[TexLaProgressive]

12. Back in the Stone Age of landline phones being deregulated

There was a nefarious way that long distance companies would call and trick people into switching services. If I remember correctly any time the person called said, “YES” that was considered approval. This began with the loss of Ann Richards to GWB. The regulatory commission of the state of Texas have no teeth. The Public Utilities Commission was a fearsome beast when dealing with telephone and electrical power. The Railroad Commission made the oil and gas industry toe a tight line. I am sure the same is true of the other state commissions. No one is guarding the hen house and so the foxes are picking us off one by one.

I don’t know if the old LD switch scam is what happened to you but I suspect it is.Good luck or move to someplace sane like New England.

[Susan Calvin]

13. I would love to move someplace sane like New England,

But I doubt I could hack neither the housing prices nor the cold. I was raised in hot, so it seems more normal. At least so far, but that is, of course, changing.

[TexLaProgressive]

14. It's just Texas has gone completely stupid

I remember a conversation with a man who worked in the capital. He retired early shortly after W got in. He said the culture was so awful, the stress of not able to be an effective public servant would shorten his life.

I'm sure that it's worse now.

[Susan Calvin]

15. It's off the charts ridiculous now. nt