Hiko Energy

I was scammed into switching my gas provider over to Hiko Energy, they claimed they would save me hundreds a year on my gas bill. In actuality they over charged me hundreds of dollars and treated me terribly. After months of trying to cancel my service and paying out over $1,000 I was finally able to switch back to my previous gas supplier. They were involved in a class action lawsuit from which I received a substantial settlement check but never received a refund for the amount they overcharged me.
Now, after repeatedly asking to be taken off their calling list, Hiko calls me persistently from various numbers. It is harassment. It is absolutely horrible. these people are not only crooks, they are bullies. I am very tired of these calls. The representatives are rude, pushy and completely out of line. They continue to call and I continue to ask to be taken off their list.
This is a horrible company with horrible employees. I wish there was something I could do.

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]

Good Morning, 
We have done everything in our power to settle this with the customer. 
We feel that we have been complaint and at this point there is nothing further that we can offer this customer. 
Thank you.

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Good Afternoon,
This customer enrolled his account on our monthly variable rate plan in December of 2013. During this past winter, however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as well. As stated in our Terms and Conditions, our variable rate is based on the market, cost, supply and demand, and other determining factors.
This customer's electricity account has been cancelled as of 02/**/14 with out any penalty.
As a one-time courtesy a rate adjustment has been issued.
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer.
Thank you.

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]
Hiko's welcome/enrolment letter states in bold writing they "Guarantee Savings"...they go on to say and Underline "guaranteed to be 1-7% less than your local utility's price to compare for the first six months...I was only with your company for three months an you over charged me as much as three times the rate of my local utility's!
 
See below.
 
Electric:
February [redacted]bill Hiko over charged me $166.19 JCP&L rate was 10.484813 Hiko's rate was 29.9000 I used 856KH
March [redacted]bill Hiko over charged me $81.40 JCP&L rate was 10.390187 Hiko's rate was 19.9000 I used 856KH
 
 
Gas:
February **bill I was over charged $132.23 NJ Natural Gas was rate .4493 Hiko's rate was .8900
March **bill I was over charged $120.07 NJ Natural Gas was rate .4493 Hiko's rate was .8900
March **bill I was over charged $144.46 NJ Natural Gas was rate .4493 Hiko's rate was .9484
 
I want a check for the full amount of the $644.35 which is the total for the bills above because you did not meet the guarantee of being 1-7% less than my local utility's price to compare for the first six months.
 
[redacted] 
 
 
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:

Never received a refund.
 
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

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The customer enrolled on a variable rate plan with 1-7% savings over the course of the year. We were able to stay competitive and give this customer a lower rate than his utility until the drastic increase in the cost of energy. Since this is a variable rate, our rates increased to reflect the cost. We do expect our rates to go back down so that we can continue to save our customers money on a monthly basis. This customer also enrolled in our Free Month Program.
We have done a one-time courtesy adjustment for his most recent bill.
We have been experiencing a huge increase in our call volume. We have recently expanded our Customer Service Department to better handle all calls. Our Customer Service Department phone number is [redacted]. Customers can also reach HIKO by email [redacted]) or fax ([redacted]).

Good Morning,
We received this rebuttal from this customer.
We contacted the customer to comply with his request, once he returns our call we will be able to provide the third-party voice verification for his review.
Thank you.

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Upon thorough review of the enrollment, the customer agreed to the term and conditions of the third party verification enrollment. The recording clearly shows the customer consented to the enrollment and acknowledged that Hiko Energy was not the utility. The verification clearly tells the customer that she was selecting HIKO Energy as her electric provider and was enrolling on a variable rate. It also asked the customer if she understood that HIKO ENERGY is an energy supply company and is not the utility. A copy of the verification recording is available if the customer wishes to listen to the enrollment by calling our Customer Service Department at ###-###-####.
As per our rates because this winter we’ve seen some of the harshest weather in years. The cold affected electricity generation systems, particularly natural gas, in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast such that supply weakened and prices skyrocketed, catching many homeowners and business by surprise. Regarding our offers and rates, the only rate that we offer is a variable rate with savings over the course of one year plus one free month of energy supply after 12 months of services. Because our rates went up to reflect our cost, our call volume also drastically increased, but to ensure that customers are able to reach us, we have doubled our Customer Service staff. On 03/**/2014 we emailed the customer confirming the cancellation and advising of the TPV done on 10/**/2013.

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:

Why would I reject then sign up for a Company to double my Gas bill every month it is more then ridiculous my consumer fraud complaint # [redacted] is with the New York Attorney General Office with the same matter this company needs to be taken to task for Fraud,that is why they tried to get on my Con Edison service also & were REJECTED the same time they claim I accepted where is any documentation I sign for any service. 
 
 
 
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:

[Your Answer Here]
I was enrolled with HIKO’s Guaranteed Savings only. It is
written clearly in the Agreement. The same is confirmed in the HIKO welcome kit.
“GURANTEED TO BE 1-7% LESS THAN YOUR LOCAL UTILITY’S PRICE TO COMPARE, FOR THE
FIRST SIX MONTHLY BILLING CYCLES.
My first month billing cycle started from Nov/13 for
electric and Dec/13 for Gas. I was over charged from the first month onwards as
compared to local utility price. Till now the over charged amount is 292$ (not considered
the 1-7% guaranteed savings as specified in the agreement). Please refund all
the overcharges and the given one time courtesy refund ($159.49) is highly unacceptable.
Over charged details
Jan/14 - HIKO charged $132.83, Local utility price will be
$66.96 (Difference $65.87)Feb/14 - HIKO charged $239.37, Local utility price will be $79.78
(Difference $159.59)Mar/14 - HIKO charged $108.61, Local utility price will be $42.47
(Difference $66.14)
Total difference is $292
I hope, this will not repeat for Apr/14 billing cycle for
Gas. As I am still within the six month billing cycle.
 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

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At HIKO Energy we offer a monthly variable rate, month to month contract that would save our customers 1-7% savings over the course of a year. After twelve months of service HIKO would provide the customer a free month of service by reimbursing the supply portion for the bill from the month of the customer’s choice. The term is month to month and can be canceled any time without any termination charges. Unfortunately we have not been able to achieve these savings due to the weather and market conditions. We can assure that our rates will be decreasing in the next coming months. We reached out to customer with our resolution.

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 are attempting to hide behind a vague statement that is used on all web sites, which I do not believe can stand up to scrutiny. This is not the first energy supplier I have signed up for, but it is the first energy supplier that has tried to lie and cheat me.
The stated rate was, and still is $0.0759/kWhr. Lets get the answer to a few of these questions and see where that leads us.
1. When was the advertised rate of $0.0759/kWhr in effect? First date and last date of that rate? 
2. Then, what was the rate immeadiately after the $0.0759 rate? and the effective dates for that rate.
3. How long does a rate have to be in place before it can be raised?
4. How long can a firm, like HIKO, knowingly post a stale rate that is so much lower and out of date?
5. Why after being informed of this is the wrong rate still advertised on the energize ct web site?
 
Over the years I have selected other energy suppliers from the energizect web site and the rate, fixed or variable, has always matched the advertised rate. it has risen over time, but never doubled in a month. No energy prices have doubled in a month. not my oil, not my propane, not my cable, none.
This is a classic bait and switch. Advertise a low rate and then bill for what ever rate they want, and with the system in place it probably works pretty well for them. 
 
 
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Good Morning,
This customer enrolled his account on our monthly variable rate plan in November of 2011. Although he was on a variable rate, we kept our rates lower than the utility’s supply rates for most of the years of 2011, 2012 and 2013. During this past winter, however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as well.
Because of this recent rate increase, HIKO has been experiencing extremely high call volume. Therefore, our customers were having difficulty reaching our Customer Service Department, we expanded our CSD over the past few weeks. We have representatives working around the clock to respond to all customer calls, messages, and inquiries.
Per our Terms and Conditions, we only offer a variable rate plan. At the time of enrollment the customer was sent a Welcome Packet which included details of how the variable rate is determined.
As per customer's request, the electricity account has been cancelled as of 04/**/14 with out any penalty.
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer.
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
The only thing I received was a check of $256.63.  However, no other communication has been made by the company after many attempts.  The check certainly didn't cover aug a high such if I over $700.00.
At this time, I have not...

been contacted by Hiko Energy LLC regarding complaint ID [redacted].
[redacted]

Good Afternoon,
This customer did not accept HIKO's resolution because he was questioning his final bills with HIKO. Customer's account has finally dropped and HIKO will do one last adjustment for his final bill with HIKO. HIKO will be sending this customer a refund in the amount of $58.02.
Thank you.

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This customer enrolled on a variable rate plan with up to 10% savings over the course of the year. We were able to stay competitive until the drastic increase in the cost of energy. Since this is a variable rate, our rates increased to reflect the cost. We do expect our rates to go back down so that we can continue to save our customers money on a monthly basis. This customer also enrolled in our Free Month Program. We reached out to customer by email with our final resolution.

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We emailed the customer with the following information 03/[redacted]/2014.
From: [redacted][[redacted]]
Sent: Monday, March [redacted], 2014 12:07 PM
To: '[redacted]'
Subject: RE: [Customer Service] I want to cancel service with your company.
Hello [redacted],
Thank you for emailing Hiko Energy.
I have submitted a cancellation on the account. The process of the cancellation will take 30-60 days. We will notify your utility company of the cancellation and you will receive a letter confirming the cancellation. The confirmation number is [redacted]. There are no fees for cancelling.
Thank you
[redacted]

In regard to the complaint filed by [redacted], please see our position below.
Q: The customer is specifically referencing two bills, February and March of 2014.The customer states that they are owed a difference of $195.46 for overcharges in February, and $68.30 for over charges in...

March for a total refund amount of $263.77.
A: This customer enrolled with HIKO’s monthly variable rate with two of HIKO’s incentives – six months of guaranteed savings and one free month of energy supply after 12 months of service. We evaluated his billing history and found that each month, for six months, we were either lower than [redacted]’s price to compare, or we adjusted the bill and sent customer a refund for the rate differences totaling $131.27. 
The March bill was the seventh month of service and as stated in customer’s contract, after six months of guaranteed savings, the rate will automatically roll over to a regular variable rate with no guaranteed savings. This customer contacted us on 02/**/14, 03/**/14, 03/**/14 and on 03/**/14. We discussed at length the variable rate he rolled over to as per his contract. Therefore, customer is fully responsible for the full payment of this bill and no additional rate adjustments will be done.
HIKO will issue a refund in the amount of $64.20 as a final resolution to the customer. This will bring the total adjusted refunds to $195.46 sent to the customer. The customer will be notified via email of the investigation of this complaint and the final refund due.
In closing, we feel that we have been compliant with the enrollment and at this point there is nothing further that we can offer this customer.

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On 02/**/2014 we spoke to the customer and did a one-time courtesy rate adjustment of $179.88. We explained that the rate that we offer is a variable rate. Unfortunately, because of the extreme weather and other determining factors, the cost of electricity and natural gas skyrocketed this winter. Because we only offer variable rates, our rates went up to reflect our cost. The customer stated his total bill was over $1,000.00. Upon thorough review of the Feburay and January bills Hiko’s supply charges were below that amount. We will reached out to the customer by email with our final resolution.