North American Power

Hello,
Complaint# [redacted])
class="MsoNormal">In response to Mr. [redacted] complaint concerning his rate increase;
It is NAPG’s standard practice to notify its customers of their renewal options
prior to the expiration of their fixed contract.  However, if the customer takes no action
and/or opts out of renewal, the Terms of Service indicates that their account
will automatically default to a variable rate plan.  This was not the case with Mr. [redacted].
Due
to an administrative oversight, the renewal letter was not generated in the
appropriate time to inform the customer of the pending expiration of his fixed
rate term.
Therefore,
in an effort to rectify the situation, the customer was issued a refund in the
amount of $256.53 – which is the difference between what the customer paid with
us for their supply and what they would have paid if they were charged at the
customer's original fixed rate of $0.0769/kWh for the customer’s October – April billing invoices.
As of 4/7/2015, the customer's account has been cancelled with NAPG and will not incur any further charges beyond this date.
Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Compliance Department

Upon receipt of this complaint, we sent the following email to the customer:
 
Hello Mr. & Mrs. [redacted],
 
North American Power apologizes for the inconvenience regarding the delay of your $50.00 Welcome Bonus. To...

expedite the process a $50.00 check will be refunded to you, as a means to substitute the Visa card. The check should be received within the next 14 business days.
 
As always, you’re more than welcome to contact me at [redacted]o discuss any questions or concerns.
 
Thank you,

Hello, Complaint# [redacted]) - Rebuttal
We
at NAPG apologize for any inconvenience Ms. [redacted] may have experienced regarding
NAPG rates.
Again, some utility territories cross
zip code areas and, as a result, marketing efforts to new and former customers
in a specific zip code sometimes reach customers that are served by a different
utility—as is the case for [redacted] customers receiving marketing materials for
[redacted] customers. These marketing materials, however, clearly indicate that
it was an offer for [redacted] customers.
Due to Ms. [redacted]'s grievances and inconvenience an accommodation in the amount of $25.00 will be issued to the customer - which should be received within the next 10-14 business days.
As of 4/22/2015, Ms. [redacted]'s account has been cancelled with NAPG.. 
If you have any other
questions, you may contact us at ###-###-####, Monday through Friday between the
hours of 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST.
Sincerely,Compliance Department

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.
 A representative has contacted me and has offered a refund check that I agreed with, they stated I should receive the check in the mail in approximately 10 days from Feb 19,2015. Thank you for your help with this issue.Sincerely, [redacted]

Here is our Account Specialist's summary of the resolution with the customer:
 
I was able to contact the customer regarding the complaint. We discussed the complaint briefly, I apologized for the inconvenience they experienced and I...

informed them that after a review we have decided to provide a refund of  $80.44 that they should receive within 2 weeks at the verified address. The customer was very happy with this resolution. I also assured the customer that we would re-rate the next month's billing to the utility RTC as well. I provided them with our direct line if they should have any further questions or concerns.

Company Response to Complaint:
face="Times New Roman">It is NAPG’s standard practice to notify its
customers of their renewal options prior to the expiration of their fixed
contract.  However, if the customer takes no action and/or opts out of
renewal, the Terms of Service indicates that their account will automatically
default to a variable rate plan.  This was the case with Mr. [redacted].
As a courtesy and resolution to this
complaint, NAPG will rerate Mr. [redacted]'s last bill cycle to the utility's
standard offer and issue him a reimbursement for the
difference.  Contact is being made to advise Mr. [redacted] of this
information.  As an alternative he is also encouraged to contact NAPG's
escalation hotline at [redacted] ext. [redacted] to speak directly with an
escalations agent. 
We hope this response has meaningfully
addressed this complaint. 
Regards,
Compliance Department
North American Power and Gas

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; however NAP did not initially offer the 7.499 rate as promised by a previous phone call that was documented in the original complaint. In addition, no check has been received to date but that may still take some time to be fair to NAP 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello,[redacted] - Complaint # [redacted](Rebuttal)As indicated in our initial response to Ms. [redacted]'s concerns regarding the estimated time of arrival of her accommodation check.  This check was prepped and mailed to the customer on Wednesday, December 23, 2015; and should have been received within 2-3 business days after the check was mailed.  However, upon further research, it was found that the customer's accommodation check was mailed to an address of: [redacted]; which differs from the address that Ms. [redacted] specified in her most recent response.  Therefore, a new check will be reissued and mailed to the address of; [redacted] - which was provided by Ms. [redacted].Again, we regret that Ms. [redacted] has had an adverse experience and hope that this response has meaningfully addressed her complaint. Sincerely,Compliance DepartmentNorth American Power & Gas, LLC

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The variable rate is surreptitious and price gouging the consumer.  
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Hello,This email is being sent in response to the complaint filed by [redacted] - Complaint # [redacted]We at North American Power & Gas take the satisfaction of both our customers and potential customers very seriously, and we apologize for any challenging experience [redacted] might have...

had.  With the hopes to rectify this matter with [redacted], he was recently contacted in order to discuss and address the issues summarized in his complaint report; and we're happy to inform you that the customer's concerns have been addressed.  Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.Sincerely, Compliance DepartmentNorth American Power & Gas

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I did not receive the mail as the business attached in this complaint; 
When I first registered into the contract, the customer service misled me on the contract "fix rate" will be auto-renewed. 
The overcharge is almost double of market rate(my local electric delivery agent sale), also much more than any rate North American Power commercial online now and/or anytime during my contract.
At last, I left phone number to the business to allow them contact me any change occurred under my account, especially for contract price change in double!
In conclusion, the business is more like a SCAM service, which design to over-charge customer without proper/sufficient notification!
Sincerely,[redacted]

After reviewing this complaint, it appears that it is the same customer--they have a few different electricity accounts at [redacted]

Here is the email that our Account Specialist sent to the customer:
 
Hello Mr. & Mrs. [redacted],
 
With regards to the higher-than-usual variable rate that you received last month, wholesale electricity costs have...

been astronomically high in Illinois this winter—in fact, they've been high throughout the Tri-state, the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest.
 
The exceptionally cold weather this winter has resulted in a very high demand for electricity and gas, causing the rates to spike. In fact, the highest winter demand day ever was recorded in January.
 
We understand your frustration, as a way to provide some relief a courtesy accommodation will be issued to you. Below you will find the breakdown of this accommodation:
 
270922 – Electric
·         $25.81 – 4/05-5/05
·         $24.26 – 3/06-4/05
·         $28.45 – 2/05-3/06
·         $31.96 – 1/06-2/05
·         Difference at the utility’s rate to compare
 
Total refund $110.48
 
The accommodation will be issued to you in the form of a check and should be received within 14 business days.
 
Please contact me a[redacted] if you have any questions or concerns.
 
Thank you,

We're truly sorry that the
customer,...

like many customers of both suppliers and utilities across the
region, have experienced higher-than-usual variable rates this year. After the
customer’s fixed rate expired, as outlined in the terms of service, the account
continued onto our variable rate for one month.
However, we’re happy to inform
you that this matter has been resolved with the customer, and an accommodation
check in the amount of $282.96, which is the difference between what the
customer paid with us for their supply and what they would have paid to the
utility at its rate-to-compare for the customer's past three billing
cycles.  The customer will also be re-rated to NAPG’s current fixed rate
for their final month of service with NAP. The account will no longer be
enrolled with NAP as of 9/11/2014.
We encourage the customer to
contact me directly at [redacted] with any additional
questions or concerns. 
 [redacted] Regulatory Compliance Analyst
North American Power
[redacted]

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. 
 
I would like to thank North American Power for refunding the requested amount.  The company's attempts to contact me have been to my husband's phone number, which he is unable to pick up while at work.  I will be contacting them in response to the refund and their calls tomorrow.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

We're truly sorry that the customer, like many customers of both suppliers and utilities across the region, have experienced higher-than-usual variable rates this winter—unfortunately, wholesale prices for both electricity and natural gas...

this winter have sky-rocketed as a result of a severe winter energy shortage caused, in large part, by the extraordinarily cold weather. We do offer fixed rates that can help insulate customers from these types of market fluctuations, and our variable rate customers can always call us to make this switch. 
 
In the interest of customer satisfaction, we are sending the customer a check in the amount of $674.35, which is the difference between what the customer paid with us for their supply and what they would have paid at the utility's rate-to-compare for the customer's last three billing cycles. 
  
 
We sent an email to the customer outlining these points. We sincerely hope that the customer is satisfied with this outcome, and we encourage them to contact our Account Specialist, [redacted] with any additional questions or concerns.

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]

Here is an update from our Account Specialist on his attempts to reach the customer to discuss their concerns, along with our accommodation:
 
I made a 2nd attempt to contact this customer regarding complaint: No answer, I left the following in a detailed...

message: I advised reasons for the variable rate increase, stated that a notice was sent out in November indicating that the variable rates were likely to go up in the winter, advised that as a courtesy we are issuing an accommodation to the customer in the amount of $75.22 and he should receive this in 2 weeks. The amount represented the difference at the rate-to-compare for their last three billing cycles with us. I advised him to call me once he gets his last next bill so that we can make an adjustment to this as well.

Here is our Account Specialist's summary of the resolution with the customer:
 
I had been talking with the customer since 8-18-14. I called the customer back 8-22-14 and informed him that a check for $86.48 is being sent and will be received shortly at the...

verified address. The customer was very happy with this outcome.

Hello,Complaint# [redacted] ([redacted])As a standard, NAPG sends renewal letters to customers prior to the expiration of their account. We encourage the customer to contact us before their fixed term expires to discuss possible fixed rates options, if the customer does nothing the fixed rate term expires and defaults to a variable rate upon the completion of the customer's fixed rate plan.Attached you will find the renewal letter which was mailed to the customer.The customer has indicated that they have received the $264.12 accommodation in the form of a bill credit. However, they still express dissatisfaction with their final billing invoice supply charges incurred from NAPG. We have further reviewed this customer's account and have considered all options to amicably resolve their concerns. With that said, in the hopes to provide customer satisfaction; an additional accommodation in the amount of $144.84 will be issued to the customer. This accommodation will be issued in the form of a check and should be received within the next 10-14 business days.This accommodation was calculated at the difference between what the customer paid for supply with us and what they would have paid, if they were charged at the rate of $0.1089/kWh for the customer's 2/6/2015 - 3/4/2015 billing cycle.As of 3/6/2015, this customer's account has been cancelled with NAPG and has not incurred any further charges since this date.Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.Sincerely,Compliance Department