Hiko Energy

Revdex.com Complaint ID:***
Our call volume had drastically increased during the period the customer tried to contact us, but to ensure that customers are able to reach us, we have doubled our Customer Service staffOn 02/**/a customer service supervisor called back the customer leaving a
message on the answering machine.
Upon thorough review of the enrollment, the customer enrolled on variable rate which fluctuates based on current market conditionsThe offer also included one free month of energy supply after months of servicesAs you know, this winter we’ve seen some of the harshest weather in yearsThe 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 surpriseBecause we only offer variable rates, our rates went up to reflect our cost.
Unfortunately, because we feel that we have been compliant with the terms and conditions of the enrollment we will not be able to honor the request of a refundA copy of the Third Party Verification recording is available if the customer wishes to listen to the enrollment offer by calling our Customer Service Department at ###-###-####

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
Why would I reject there service when they admitted they called me in June summer time then I would take there service in December that is totally ridicules also they were on my bill since August didn't notice it because I pay bill on line for National Grid at no time did I or anyone in my family accept there Companies services over the phone. n order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

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Good Afternoon,
This customer enrolled on a monthly variable rate in October Although he was on a variable rate, we kept our rates lower than the utility’s supply rates for most of the yearDuring the winter, however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as wellAs stated in our Terms and Conditions, our variable rate is based on the market, cost, supply and demand, and other determining factors
Customer's electricity and natural gas accounts has been submitted for cancellation without any penalty
As per customer's request, we have done a one-time courtesy refund
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer

Good Morning,
We received the rebuttal from this customer
As per further review of this customer's concerns, we have issued a rate adjustment of the billing cycles and a courtesy refund has been issued to this customer
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer
Thank you

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Good Afternoon,
This customer enrolled his account on our monthly variable rate plan in November of Although he was on a variable rate, we kept our rates lower than the utility’s supply rates for most of the yearDuring this past winter, however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as wellAs stated in our Terms and Conditions, our variable rate is based on the market, cost, supply and demand, and other determining factors
On 04/**/we contacted this customer and explained the variable rate and in the rate increaseAlso confirmed that his electricity account has been cancelled as of 04/**/and the natural gas will be cancelled as of 05/**/
As a one-time courtesy a rate adjustment will be sent to the customer
A copy of this resolution has been sent to the customer
Thank you

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:First of all, if HIKO has representatives working around the clock as they say, why did I never receive a return email or phone call from *** *** or someone else to discuss my issue? I am only getting a response by taking matters to the Revdex.com Also, they never said that it was a "one time credit" when they sent me the refund check They originally sent an abitrary amount of $and that $made up for the actual difference as calculated by PSE&G so it's not as if HIKO is doing me any favors other than giving me the correct amount by sending that "additional" $
Most importantly, HIKO is completely avoiding their GUARANTEE which is in bold on their contract and also avoiding the fact that I asked the representative who signed me up to explain this GUARANTEE "HIKO ENERGY GUARANTEED SAVINGS AND FREE MONTH PROMOTION HIKO will be 1-7% lower than the utility's price for the first six months of service Afterwards, it will be rolled onto a competitive monthly variable rate." In the language of their guarantee on their contract, for the "first six months" the rate will be lower (therefore regardless if the rates "skyrocket" just because it is winter January was my first of "first six months" Therefore, according to the above, the rate for my first six months of usage should have been lower than PSE&G and in fact it was not I request the difference as discussed in my original complaint The difference for the first of the six months made up But I request the difference for every month I had HIKO.
HIKO is finally off my bill and for that I am grateful I did speak with PSE&G and they said HIKO would say that "PSE&G determines the date." PSE&G said that was false, that it is up to HIKO I am not going to go back on forth on this particular matter but obviously I trust PSE&G MUCH more than HIKO's word
Sincerely, *** ***

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Good Morning,
Our records indicate that this customer enrolled her natural gas and electricity supply accounts on a variable rate plan with Hiko Energy in November of via third party voice verificationDuring the winter however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as wellAs 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 will be cancelled with us as of 03/**/and the gas account was cancelled as of 04/**/with out any penalty
As a one-time courtesy a rate adjustment will be sent to the customer
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer
Thank you

In regard to the complaint filed by *** ***, please see our position below
Customer is alleging he was slammed and he did not supply any account information for web enrollment in HIKO servicesCustomer also is requesting exact date and time of web enrollment.
Answer: Upon additional review of the enrollment, our records confirm the enrollment was a Web Sign Up through ***, meaning the enrollment was done through the internet on 2/**/at 7:pm and processed by HIKO on 3/*/Through Web Sign Ups the person enrolling needs to click on the Sign Up Now section and must enter information that only the account holder has, address, city, utility company name and the utility account number.
The most important step of the enrollment is the acknowledgement of the Terms & Conditions and the Bill of RightsThe customer must click on the sections which indicates he/she has agreed to the Terms & Conditions and the Bill of RightsIf these step are skipped the enrollment is automatically voidedThe customer also has the option at this point to print a copy of the terms and conditions.
Customer claims he never received any correspondence or welcome package from HIKO and that at no time was he contacted by a HIKO representative in regards to his web enrollmentCustomer also claims he never received any notification of the switch to HIKO services.
Answer: As an extra layer of protection, customers are notified by mail from their local utility notifying of the switch in service, they also provide a service start dateHIKO customer welcome packets are generated at the time the enrollment is processed and sent via hard copy mail to the service address provided by the customer.
Customer states that HIKO advised a rate of per kwh posted on the *** website may be "out of date"Customer feels HIKO should be held responsible for the rates and any other information provided by the *** website
Answer: As per ***, many of the rates advertised on their website are not "up to date"The webpage has a Disclaimer which informs customers of the following information: “The offer information on this website is provided solely for educational and informational purposes and may not represent a complete and/or accurate listing of all offers in the Connecticut marketplaceAs with any contract, you should call individual suppliers to confirm offers, terms, and conditions before enrolling.”
Customer is requesting that HIKO honor the rate of per kwh posted on the *** websiteCustomer is requesting that HIKO adjust the rate he was billed per kwh to reflect the price.
Answer: We feel that we have been compliant with the enrollment and at this point there is nothing further we can offer this customer.
If you have any further questions or concerns please contact HIKO customer service at ###-###-####
Thank you

In regard to the complaint filed by *** *** (#rebuttal) please see our position below
The customers complaint specifying that additional money is still owed after receiving a courtesy refund
HIKO has determined that the customer will receive an additional adjustment which will reflect the price to compare of the utility rate for the final month of his serviceThis will be in addition to the courtesy refund sent to the customer previously.
This will be a final resolution and no further adjustments or refunds will be givenWe feel that we have been in compliance of the enrollment and there is nothing further we can offer this customer

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Good Morning,
HIKO has done a rate adjustment for this customer's account and has contacted this customer and offered a refund for the rate differencesCustomer enrolled on a variable rate plan which reflects the market

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Good Afternoon,
You enrolled her account on our monthly variable rate plan in August of Although you were on a variable rate, we kept our rates lower than the utility’s supply rates for most of the yearDuring this past winter, however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as wellAs stated in our Terms and Conditions, our variable rate is based on the market, cost, supply and demand, and other determining factors
Because customers were having difficulty reaching our Customer Service Department, we expanded our CSD over the past few weeksWe have representatives working around the clock to respond to all customer calls, messages, and inquiries
This customer's electricity account has been cancelled as of 03/**/and the gas account as of 04/**/14, without any penalty
As a one-time courtesy a rate adjustment will be sent to the customer
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer
Thank you

A Third Party Verification recording of the enrollment offer is availableWe also reached out to customer with our final resolution which the customer accepted

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
It figures that the company would choose to pass the buck! yet not refund itThe bottom LINE HERE IS they 100% LIEDTHEY PROMISED THAT THEIR 'VARIABLE RATE' was cheaper than my * * * rate by hundreds. in the FIRST CYCLE they charged me almost double! when told to cancel they did not cancel instead they continued to bill be and not notify my *** of my cancellation for a meter reading- rather convienient...AND when TOLD how THEY SOLICITED MY BUSINESS UNDER PROMISES they then continued to bill me for another cycle at an even higher rate! It was their own CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT *** *** STATED" WE are NO longer able to compete from weeks ago when we made those calls" It is their own Customer service agents stating they are wrong but there is and I quote " no manager to deal with billing issues" so Its very funny that they waited to even respond to the Revdex.com w/ a lame excuse only after several attempts and ignoring them as well blaming it on call volume...** the P.U.Cis mortified by this look at all fixed rates online at the time and variable and still you will see that they overcharged beyond whats appropriate and beyond what was promised...Did not cancel service as told...refused to have a supervisor call back..This PLace HIKO ENERGY is the worst NEVER GET YOUR UTILITIES FROM THEM I AM STARTING A *** PAGE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW CRAPPY THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AND HOW THEY FRAUDULANTLY SCAMMED A SINGLE MOTHER OF WITH A *** CHILD! AND CALLING THE TIMES HERALD RECORD! NOONE WILL DO BUSINESS WITH THEM EVER AGAIN.!!!!!
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

Customer enrolled in March on a Standard Variable Ratewith first month guaranteed savings and 12th Month Free program.HIKO has a valid contract and valid TPVCustomer was sent terms and conditionsreflecting the offerThe contract, TPV and terms and conditions clearlyreflect
the one month savings guarantee and a Variable rate thereafter.The customer first contacted HIKO on 6/**/via email tocomplain about her rates and request a cancellationA response email was sentto the customer the same day and a cancellation request was submitted to theutility on 6/**/HIKO does not show any history of calls coming in to theCall Center from this customer nor any additional email(s)A copy of the emailcommunication is included below: Incoming email from Customer : * ** *** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** * *** ** *** *** *** *** ** *** ** *** *** ** ** ***
*** ***
*** ** ***
*** *** *** *** ** ** *** ** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** * *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** * *** ** *** *** *** *** ***
*** *** *** ** *** * Thank you for contacting HIKO Energy, in looking over your complaint, Our offer was for 3% off the Utility rate for the first month then a variable rate thereafter, the cost of electric has risen this current month, but we do expect it to go back down, This contract is a month to month contract with no penalty for cancellationWe also offer the Free Month, you can send in this bill after months of active service and you will get a refund for the HIKO Portion of this bill. Thank you for contacting HIKO Energy ,Customer Service Supervisor The actual date of cancellation is beyond HIKO’s control andwhile the cancellation was submitted within the required timeframe, thecustomer’s final read was 7/**The customer will not be charged a cancellationfee.The complaint includes a statement by the customer that **
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
***”These allegations appear to be unfounded as only one emailcommunication was received as mentioned above

the customer went through the enrollment process and valid TPVs are on filethere is no fraud

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 and the matter has been resolved
Sincerely,
***

Good Afternoon,
This customer enrolled with Hiko's monthly variable rate plan in December of Additionally, a welcome packet was sent to the customer and it includes our Terms and Conditions, which clearly state that he enrolled with HIKO’s variable rate plan
Although he was on a variable rate, we kept our rates lower than the utility’s supply rates for most of the yearDuring the winter, however, the cost of energy skyrocketed, causing our rates to increase as wellAs stated in our Terms and Conditions, our variable rate is based on the market, cost, supply and demand, and other determining factors
Because of this recent rate increase, HIKO has been experiencing extremely high call volumeBecause customers were having difficulty reaching our Customer Service Department, we expanded our CSD over the past few weeksWe have representatives working around the clock to respond to all customer calls, messages, and inquiries
This customer electricity account has been cancelled with us since 03/**/and the gas will be cancelled as of 04/**/with out any penalty.
We have done a one-time courtesy adjustment as per customer's request.
A copy of this resolution has been sent to this customer

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The account was on a savings rate plan with two of HIKO’s incentives: Six months of guaranteed savings up to 10% off Atlantic City Electric posted rate to compare and one free month of energy supply after months of servicesAfter the 6th month the rate will be on a competitive monthly variable rateUnfortunately, due to the big increase in the cost of the energy, our rate has gone upAlthough we can't guarantee savings after the initial month, it is always our intention to do soOn a variable rate there will be times we can be higher or equal to the utility company’s rateThe variable rate is determined by HIKO Energy, based on numerous key factors, including current market conditions and climateWe reached out to customer by email with our final resolution

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Regarding our offers and rates, HIKO does try to stay as competitive as possibleThe rate that we offer is a variable rate with savings over the course of one yearUnfortunately, because of the extreme weather and other determining factors, the cost of electricity and natural gas skyrocketed this winterBecause we only offer variable rates, our rates went up to reflect our costAlthough we can't guarantee savings, it is always our intention to do soWe reached out to customer by email with our final resolution

We received the rebuttal from this customerAt this point there is nothing further that we can offer this customer