Discount Power, Inc.

Discount Power, Inc (“DPI”) thanks you for the opportunity to respond. Attached please find the electronic enrollment for the above-referenced customer. The customer enrolled online on 9/24/through a relationship with the *** *** Credit Union or its agent Robyn S***
to receive electricity from DPI on a Variable with a Cap Plan which was regularly offered to credit union members at the time. The rate was guaranteed to never exceed $kWh until 5/2013, with no termination fees, when the rate would become straight variable and could be priced at any rate. In fact, the customer actually stayed below $until 11/as DPI was able to keep its rates low until the Polar Vortex months where the customer’s rates increased as DPI’s costs increased. 12/2013-1/2014, the customer’s rate went to $kWh and from 1/-3/the rate went down to $0.1599, finally going down to $kWh from 3/until 4/2014, when the customer dropped and returned to standard service. As you read the electronic signature from left to right please pay special attention to the following columns: 1. J- the customers email address can only be supplied by the customer or someone who knows her address; DPI, has no knowledge of this unless the customer provides so to say she doesn’t know how she signed up with DPI is possible as someone could have done it for her but DPI did not initiate the enrollment2. X-Enrollment type=request; this means customer(or her agent) requested enrollment3. AA-RoSw7644=Robyn S*** who worked with the *** *** Credit Union 4. AC-esignature=Lauren P***=indicates customer enrolled and signed, at which time she would have the option of printing her contract documents5. AI-Product Type-Var/Cap.085=describes the rate she enrolled to receive, and 6. AJ-Date of the enrollment While DPI sympathizes with the rate increases of that time period, DPI sold energy at a loss. This customer received below the cap rate of $even after the 5/end date and could have cancelled anytime without penalty, but for whatever reason did not do so. DPI respectfully denies the customer’s request for a refund as the enrollment and rates charged were squarely within the Statutes and Regulations in force at the time. Any questions, let me know Ken F* Licensing and Regulatory Administrator Discount Power, Inc* *** ***
*** ** *** ###-###-#### Ex *** ***

Website Complaint Response:
This customer is on Discount Power's variable rateDue to the high wholesale rates this winter, Discount Power's variable rates increasedOur variable rates have been coming down since our high January prices
Sent on: 2/26/8:26:AM

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
I signed up for their service not even knowing
that the rate was flexibleAfter all how flexible
the rates possibly could be ? Increase more than percent with no warning?
The customer should have been warned about such changes
Otherwise it feels like a robbery.
The company didn't give me any offer
They didn't comment on my offer I described
in my initial letter either
Sincerely,
*** ***

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
Sincerely,
*** ***
P.SIs a rebuttal letter still necessary since I have accepted the business's response to resolve this complaint?
Sincerly
*** ***

Revdex.com:
Thank you for your helpI am pleasantly surprised that you were able to contact Discount Power and get them to refund some of what I overpaidI do believe that this rate variability is extreme and I have had to endure another month of a similarly high electric bill. This time, however, I knew what to expect.
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: yes I recieve a call from them show me the recording that I agreed on variable hateBUT what I thought the variable rate was gonna be better tha fix rate that use to hadMy fixable rate is something with *** Power rate start Something with they didn't explain to me what exactly I was get my self in to it by change fix to variableThey claim I was gonna save so much money with themSo pretty much my eletric bill double because this liers scamming company Thay take advantage of people that don't understand the sistem very well like I meI had no idea by "Variable " meantI'm divorce and alone try to pay my billsBarly making and he comes over dollar billThat I never pay in years that I live on this house This company need to make they consumer understand very clear what "Variable" meanSo if the rates go up you electrical bill will be absurdely gonna sky rocket.And which was something I had no clue of itI feet complete take advantage of it I get mad just talking about it
Sincerely,
*** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: I didn't understand the variable hate when they call meI was giving explanation that I would save much more money than my corret fix hate I had with *** My hate start and power hate I found out later start at Some number What I want for future people to understand and this discount power company to explain very well variable and fix rates are and give consumes the actual fact numberWhich was never given to meThey lie yah ypu gonna save money but reality they are put hand on your pocket and pretty much take your money outI feel complete robed and take advantage I never in my life had such big bills in years of living on this houseThis company need to accountable of take advantage of peopleI live in this Country for years and I don't really understand much about to many words and what they meanMy bill double in this month with them
Sincerely,
*** ***

-----Original Message-----
From: *** ***
Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 1:PM
To: ***
Subject: Complaint ID *** resolution
My complaint #*** has been resolved. I have been informed by Discount Power of an adjustment
to the price and a fix in the advertised price
*** ***

Website Complaint Response:
This customer enrolled on Discount Power's variable rateDue to the high wholesale rates this winter, Discount Power's variable rates increasedOur variable rates have been coming down since our high January pricesOn our variable product we state in the
terms and conditions that the price may vary month to month without notification to the customerDiscount Power's goal is to show value to our customers, and we expect to provide value to them in the long run
Sent on: 2/26/8:48:AM

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
Sincerely,
*** ***

Discount Power (“DPI”) thanks you for the opportunity to respond. In October of 2014, DPI employed an outside telemarketing firm to solicit energy sales in the state of *** (“**”). These third party telemarketers were supplied with the Federal, ** and internal “Do Not Call”
(“DNC”) lists to upload into their dialing system to be compliant with the various DNC regulations. Unfortunately, the system utilized by this company allowed some restricted numbers to be dialed repeatedly over the span of a few weeks, inconveniencing some ** residents. This particular customer called and expressed her displeasure, to which DPI responded that we would do our best to ensure she was not contacted again. After advising the telemarketer to fix their system ASAP, DPI had no choice but to terminate their contract. I attempted to explain and to apologize to Ms ***; however, she wanted none of it. Again, DPI apologizes for the inconvenience and terminated the contract of the telemarketer. Ken F* Licensing and Regulatory Administrator Discount Power, Inc* *** ***
*** ** *** ###-###-#### Ex *** ***

Website Complaint Response:
While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Ms. [redacted] enrolled in November 2011, and Discount Power became her supplier effective...

December 2011. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to another. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to other suppliers, at their own convenience. Ms. [redacted] contact Discount Power and spoke with a Customer Care Representative on January 24, 2014. This information was forwarded to her utility company on January 24, 2014 as the utility company determines when a customer’s drop can become effective; third party suppliers like Discount Power have no control over this. We then received notice from her utility company, [redacted], that her service would end effective January 24, 2014. Ms. [redacted] was contacted by a Customer Care Representative on March 7, 2014 and was offered a re-rate for her December 18, 2013 – January 17, 2014 and January 17, 2014 – January 24, 2014 usage. This resulted in a refund of $30.84 which will be issued via check to Ms. [redacted]. The refund process began on March 7, 2014 and a check will be mailed to Ms. [redacted] as soon as possible.
Sent on: 3/7/2014 3:09:04 PM

Website Complaint Response:
While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Ms. [redacted] enrolled in March 2010, and Discount Power became her supplier effective...

that same month. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to another. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to other suppliers, at their own convenience. Ms. [redacted] was contacted by a Customer Care Representative on March 7, 2014 and was offered a re-rate for her December 12, 2013 – January 14, 2014 usage. This resulted in a refund of $51.52 which will be issued via check to Ms. [redacted]. The refund process began on March 7, 2014 and a check will be mailed to Ms. [redacted] as soon as possible.
Sent on: 3/13/2014 3:05:03 PM

Website Complaint Response:
While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Mr. [redacted] enrolled in January 1010, and Discount Power became his supplier effective...

February 2010. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to another. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to other suppliers, at their own convenience. Discount Power received a drop request from Mr. He’s utility company, [redacted], which advised that his service through Discount Power would end effective February 20, 2014. Mr. [redacted] was contacted on March 7, 2014 and spoke with a Customer Care Representative who offered to re-rate Mr. [redacted]’s supply charge for his December 19, 2013 – January 22, 2014 billing cycle. This resulted in a refund offer of $39.85 to be issued via mailed check. As of March 7, 2014 this refund is being processed and a check will be mailed to Mr. [redacted] as soon as possible.
Sent on: 3/7/2014 3:24:43 PM

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.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Website Complaint Response:
While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Mr. [redacted] enrolled in June of 2012 and Discount Power became his supplier effective...

that same month. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to another. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to other suppliers, at their own convenience. We sincerely apologize for the difficulty Mr. [redacted] had in reaching a supervisor when he attempted to contact us. Due to the increase in our variable rate, we also experienced an extremely high call volume at certain points this winter, which did result in difficulties escalating and returning calls. Mr. [redacted] was contacted and spoke with a Customer Care Representative on March 10, 2014 who offered to re-rate Mr. [redacted]’s supply charges for his December 16, 2013 – January 16, 2014 usage at a rate equivalent to Discount Power’s cost for that supply. This resulted in a refund offer of $67.05. As of March 10, 2014 this refund is being processed and a check will be mailed to Mr. [redacted] as soon as possible.
Sent on: 3/13/2014 4:58:27 PM

Ms. [redacted],   Thank you for the opportunity to respond.  Attached please find the [redacted] recording of [redacted] assenting to service With Discount Power, Inc. (“DPI”) in May, 2014.  Mr. [redacted] statement that DPI “…just became my supplier…” was incorrect.  Please...

listen to the attached recording and possibly play it for Mr. [redacted], maybe his memory will be refreshed.  As to his contention that his bill is high, the [redacted] and the Terms and  [redacted] Please note recording will be sent in a separate email**
 
Conditions he received after his telephone enrollment clearly explain that his rate was fixed for 3 months at 10 % below [redacted] Power’s rate of $.0611 kWh and then it would become variable.  The customer agreed that he had seven (7) days to rescind the offer after receiving his Terms and Conditions in the mail but chose not to rescind.  There was no penalty or charge to cancel at anytime and the customer’s failure to terminate the agreement since June 2014 was his choice and his alone.  The customer received exactly what he agreed upon and the enrollment met the criteria set out in the [redacted] through Ch. [redacted] (Competitive Retail Electric Service Providers) and [redacted] et al, (Telephone Solicitors).  Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or comments using the information below.   [redacted] Licensing and Regulatory Administrator Discount Power, Inc. [redacted]

Website Complaint Response:
This complaint was in reference to an account under the name [redacted]; Discount Power also received a complaint from Mr. [redacted]. Please see the response to Mr. [redacted] below. In addition, when drafting Mr. [redacted]'s complaint we neglected to address his statement...

that he attempted to contact Discount Power several times, and as Ms. [redacted] referenced the same issue, we have included a response to that below. We hope that Ms. [redacted] will share our apologies regarding that issue with Mr. [redacted]. While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Mr. [redacted] enrolled in September 2011, and Discount Power became his supplier effective that same month. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to anothis. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to othis suppliers, at their own convenience. We sincerely apologize for the difficulty Mr. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] had in reaching a Customer Service Representative when they attempted to contact us. There was one particular day when our phone lines were down due to a power outage in our office complex, and as the outage was unexpected, we were not able to implement a pre-recorded message advising of this issue. Due to the increase in our variable rate, we also experienced an extremely high call volume at certain points this winter, which did result in exorbitant hold times for some customers. We did the best that we could to get to every caller as quickly as possible. Discount Power received a drop request from Mr. [redacted]’s utility company, [redacted], which advised that his service through Discount Power would end effective February 14, 2014. Mr. [redacted] was contacted on March 7, 2014 and spoke with a Customer Care Representative who offered to re-rate Mr. [redacted]’s supply charge for his December 13, 2013 – January 15, 2014 billing cycle. This resulted in a refund offer of $57.57 to be issued via mailed check. As of March 7, 2014 this refund is being processed and a check will be mailed to Mr. [redacted] as soon as possible.
Sent on: 3/7/2014 3:14:50 PM

Website Complaint Response:While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Ms. [redacted]...

enrolled in December of 2012 and Discount Power became her supplier effective January 2013. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to another. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to other suppliers, at their own convenience. Introductory variable rates for prospective new customers are posted on Discount Power’s website, and these rates can differ from the current variable rate being offered to existing customers. The introductory rate for new customers applies to their first month of service with Discount Power as their supplier; as it takes one to two billing cycles for a newly enrolled customer to begin service with Discount Power, these rates are based on what wholesale power market conditions will be in the future. The variable rate for existing customers applies to the current month, and as such, this rate is based on current energy market conditions. In addition, the fixed rate Ms. [redacted] refers to was clearly posted as beginning for enrollment in March 2013, and as such is based on the future conditions of the energy market, as is the introductory rate posted. Ms. [redacted] spoke with a Customer Care Representative on February 10, 2014 who offered to re-rate Ms. [redacted] usage for her December 27, 2013 – January 28, 2014 billing cycle to a rate equivalent to Discount Power’s cost for that supply, amounting to a refund of $31.24. Ms. [redacted] declined that offer. At that time, the Customer Service Representative also advised Ms. [redacted] that she was currently in the middle of a billing cycle for which Discount Power’s rate, due to energy market conditions and Discount Power’s cost for the supply, was still above that of her utility. The Customer Service Representative also advised Ms. [redacted] to immediately contact her utility to terminate her service with Discount Power, as they might be able to do this effective the same day as her call, so that she might not complete the remainder of her current billing cycle at a rate higher than that of the utility company. We are under the impression that this is what Ms. [redacted] did, as her service through Discount Power ended effective that same day, February 10, 2014. Ms. [redacted] spoke with another Customer Care Representative on February 11, 2014, at which hpoint Ms. [redacted] stated that she was unaware she was enrolled under a variable rate. The Customer Service Representative retrieved and played Ms. [redacted]’ third party verification phone call, done at the time of her enrollment, which explained that the rate plan she was enrolling for was in fact a variable rate plan and that the cap on that variable rate plan would expire May 31, 2013. After this point in time, Ms. [redacted] remained under variable rate that fluctuated based on energy market conditions. Discount Power remains willing to provide the refund offered, $31.24, a re-rate to a rate equivalent to Discount Power’s cost for that supply, to Ms. [redacted] via a mailed check should Ms. [redacted] choose to accept it.
Sent on: 3/14/2014 11:02:46 AM

Website Complaint Response:
While we cannot promise savings versus the utility company every single month, Discount Power’s goal is to show a savings versus the utility over a period of time. Ms. [redacted] enrolled in September 2013, and Discount Power became her supplier...

effective December 2011. As the Discount Power Terms and Conditions of Electric Service explain, when a customer has a variable rate plan, the variable rate can fluctuate based on changes in the wholesale power market. We understand the frustration with the recent increase in the variable rate. Unfortunately, due to unusually high wholesale costs this winter, our variable rate did increase, as the rates are based on current market conditions. The fluctuations of the wholesale power market can affect suppliers differently, contributing to the variance in rates from one supplier to another. Our current rates are available each month through the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website ([redacted]) so that our customers can stay up-to-date on our rates and how they compare to other suppliers, at their own convenience. Ms. [redacted] requested to cancel her service through Discount Power and this information was sent to her utility company. Her utility company, [redacted] determined that her service through Discount Power would end effective January 14, 2014. Ms. [redacted] was contacted by a Customer Care Representative on March 7, 2014 and offered a re-rate of her December 12, 2013 – January 14, 2014 billing cycle, which resulted in a refund of $43.22 to be issued via mailed check. The refund process began on March 7, 2014 and a check will be mailed to Ms. [redacted] as soon as possible.
Sent on: 3/7/2014 3:30:54 PM