Respond Power

Good Afternoon, According to the complaint, the customer states that she thought she would save money on her energy bill and is unhappy with his current rate According to the signed sales agreement (attached), Customer agreed to a variable rate contract, meaning her rate would be determined by the energy market We do not produce any literature that advises that our rates will always be lower than the utility Additionally, as has been widely reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was reflected on the most recent billThis is merely a reflection of the current energy market where a shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of massive demand due to one of the coldest winters on recordWe are referring customers to the February press release from the PUC regarding this issue (Please see attached) In addition, this is not just happening in Pennsylvania Please see this link relating to New York prices as well [redacted] Finally, the account has been canceled the Utility We are truly sorry for your experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price protection Regards

Good Evening, According to the complaint, the customer is unhappy with the recent rate being charged The customer agreed to a variable rate contract, meaning the rate would be determined by the energy market I have attached a copy of the sales agreement and the third-party verification call As has been widely reported, there has been a spike in the wholesale energy market which was reflected on the most recent billThis is merely a reflection of the current energy market where a shrinking supply of electricity is under the strain of massive demand due to one of the coldest winters on recordWe are referring customers to the February **press release from the PUC regarding this issue(Please see attached) In addition, this is not just happening in Pennsylvania Please see this link relating to New York prices as well [redacted] Finally, the account has been canceled and it is now up to the utility to process the cancellation Please contact your utility for budget billing concerns We are truly sorry for your experience and advise you to sign up on a fixed rate that will ensure price protection Regards In addition please see this informative article Why Have Energy Bills Increased – Explaining Price Volatility It has been a record cold winter across much of the country, and many have been expressing deep concern as to why energy bills have been so highRegardless of whether energy is purchased from a utility or a competitive energy supplier, customers have seen electricity and natural gas prices spike in many parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Why did prices rise? Simply put, the issues at hand are the cold weather, electric grid and natural gas pipeline capacity, and the increasing use of natural gas not just for heating purposes, but to create electricity There is ample gas supply in the United States, especially given the boom in shale gas What customers are feeling are the results of a strained transportation and infrastructure system that delivers electricity and gasWhen demand is high and capacity is constrained, costs increase This winter’s “polar vortex” has increased the demand for both natural gas and electricity, resulting in significant congestion in the natural gas pipelines and on the electric grid (the highways of the energy system)Everyone relies on these natural gas pipelines and the electric grid to get energy from where it is produced to where it is used by the homeowner, the tenant, and the business ownerJust like only so many cars can efficiently travel along a highway, only so much natural gas and electricity can move through the natural gas pipeline system and the electric grid Also, while more and more people are using natural gas directly for heating purposes, electricity generators are also increasingly using natural gas to produce affordable powerIn the short-term, this electricity generation is putting further strain on the natural gas capacity in certain parts of the countryAt the same time there are also bottlenecks on some parts of the electric grid, preventing electricity from getting from the generators to the consumers in an efficient manner It’s known from economics that constraints on supply (such as not being able to get gas from where it is plentiful to where it is needed) cause prices to rise, and this has occurred in the wholesale energy marketsThe result? Competitive energy suppliers and utilities alike are paying higher than prices when purchasing from the wholesale market in order to provide energy to homeowners, tenants, and business ownersThis is causing everyone’s bills to rise As the winter weather gradually improves and temperatures rise, the demand for energy to heat homes and businesses will decrease, placing less pressure on the nation’s electricity grid and allowing energy prices from suppliers and utilities to normalizeHowever, winter weather may very likely be around for some weeks to comeDespite the unusual weather, the gas and electric delivery systems have proven to be highly reliable this winterA number of new natural gas pipelines and electricity transmission lines are planned or under construction which should reduce the chances of a similar price spike in the future In the meantime, there are some things that can be done to help manage energy bills Conserve energy as much as possibleFor example, make sure doors and windows are well insulated, seal any air leaks, and lower the water temperature setting to degrees on the water heater Customers using a competitive supplier and who are on a variable rate plan or whose fixed contracts have expired, should review their contract to confirm the accuracy of the pricing and call their supplier if they have any questions Customers interested in price stability can also investigate fixed price options that many suppliers offer Customers in need of financial assistance should investigate their state’s home heating assistance programsIn many states, a customer can stay with a competitive supplier and still receive assistance paying utility bills Customers should visit their state’s “energy shopping” websites to compare offers from different suppliers For a list of shopping websites, visit [redacted]

A sales agreement was signed, although none of the particulars (fixed rate, variable rate, etc.) was checked off on the agreementAs soon as I signed it I realized this had nothing to do with fixing my gas meter I called the company's customer service department at 9:am on March [redacted] and cancelled the agreement I am still concerned that the cancellation will not happen since the whole process was so shady to start with

Good Morning, We are sorry the customer remains unhappy We again refer the customer to his signed sales agreement where a variable rate is clearly indicated Regards,

Good Morning, We are sorry the customer has had a bad experience The customer enrolled in a variable rate plan, meaning that the rate would be determined by the energy market As the customer notes, the rate was different the previous month We cannot, however, arbitrarily offer a previous month's rate for this month If the customer is interested in savings, we encourage her to enroll in a fixed rate plan I have included some additional information about how rates are determined and why they have risen so steeply this year Regards, Why Have Energy Bills Increased – Explaining Price Volatility It has been a record cold winter across much of the country, and many have been expressing deep concern as to why energy bills have been so highRegardless of whether energy is purchased from a utility or a competitive energy supplier, customers have seen electricity and natural gas prices spike in many parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Why did prices rise? Simply put, the issues at hand are the cold weather, electric grid and natural gas pipeline capacity, and the increasing use of natural gas not just for heating purposes, but to create electricity There is ample gas supply in the United States, especially given the boom in shale gas What customers are feeling are the results of a strained transportation and infrastructure system that delivers electricity and gasWhen demand is high and capacity is constrained, costs increase This winter’s “polar vortex” has increased the demand for both natural gas and electricity, resulting in significant congestion in the natural gas pipelines and on the electric grid (the highways of the energy system)Everyone relies on these natural gas pipelines and the electric grid to get energy from where it is produced to where it is used by the homeowner, the tenant, and the business ownerJust like only so many cars can efficiently travel along a highway, only so much natural gas and electricity can move through the natural gas pipeline system and the electric grid Also, while more and more people are using natural gas directly for heating purposes, electricity generators are also increasingly using natural gas to produce affordable powerIn the short-term, this electricity generation is putting further strain on the natural gas capacity in certain parts of the countryAt the same time there are also bottlenecks on some parts of the electric grid, preventing electricity from getting from the generators to the consumers in an efficient manner It’s known from economics that constraints on supply (such as not being able to get gas from where it is plentiful to where it is needed) cause prices to rise, and this has occurred in the wholesale energy marketsThe result? Competitive energy suppliers and utilities alike are paying higher than prices when purchasing from the wholesale market in order to provide energy to homeowners, tenants, and business ownersThis is causing everyone’s bills to rise As the winter weather gradually improves and temperatures rise, the demand for energy to heat homes and businesses will decrease, placing less pressure on the nation’s electricity grid and allowing energy prices from suppliers and utilities to normalizeHowever, winter weather may very likely be around for some weeks to comeDespite the unusual weather, the gas and electric delivery systems have proven to be highly reliable this winterA number of new natural gas pipelines and electricity transmission lines are planned or under construction which should reduce the chances of a similar price spike in the future In the meantime, there are some things that can be done to help manage energy bills Conserve energy as much as possibleFor example, make sure doors and windows are well insulated, seal any air leaks, and lower the water temperature setting to degrees on the water heater Customers using a competitive supplier and who are on a variable rate plan or whose fixed contracts have expired, should review their contract to confirm the accuracy of the pricing and call their supplier if they have any questions Customers interested in price stability can also investigate fixed price options that many suppliers offer Customers in need of financial assistance should investigate their state’s home heating assistance programsIn many states, a customer can stay with a competitive supplier and still receive assistance paying utility bills Customers should visit their state’s “energy shopping” websites to compare offers from different suppliers For a list of shopping websites, visit [redacted]

Good Afternoon, We are sorry the customer remains dissatisfiedWe believe our last answer was responsive to the customer's concernsWe encourage the customer to contact our customer service department if he has remaining questions Regards,

We have been in contact with the customer via email Regards,

Good Morning, We are sorry the customer is dissatisfied with our previous response The customer validly enrolled in a variable rate plan, meaning the rate would be effected by the energy market We will not be issuing refund Regards,

Good Morning, We are sorry the customer had been dissatisfied with his experience Regards,

Good Afternoon, The customer validly enrolled and was billed according to the terms and conditions of the contractWe will not be issuing a refund in this case Regards,

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]the company has not even tried to negotiate a settlement with me, therefore I will never do bussines with them, and if I can turn anyone away from them I will 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] Variable rate is not what I was told by Respond powerI was told and I qoute " [redacted] is charging you cents Per Kilowatt hour, Respond power can offer you a rate of cents per Kilowatt hr." When I spoke to [redacted] about why my bill was so high they told me that right away Respond Power took my rate from cents to cent to cents to cents , etcall the way to cents per Kilowatt hrwhich is not a variable rate but a balloon rateThe bottom line is Respond Power was deceitful, and does not do business in good faith and I want my money back that they over charged me over cents per Kilowatt hrMeantime I have a close to $electric bill and [redacted] is demanding that it be paid along with a $deposit for security or they're gonna shut my power offRespond Power created this mess they need to fix itI had no issues with my power supplier until Respond Power showed up on my door step In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted]

Good Afternoon, We will resolve this issue through the PUC Regards,

Good Afternoon, We are sorry the customer has been dissatisfied with her serviceThe customer was enrolled in a variable rate plan, meaning that the rate would fluctuate with the energy marketUnfortunately, the energy market performed very poorly this past winter due to decreases in energy supply and increases in demand due to the cold weatherWhile suppliers like Major Energy/Respond Power base the rate on a daily rolling average and hedging, most utilities purchase energy in massive block and adjust quarterly or semi-annuallyBecause of that, sometimes suppliers find themselves with higher rates than utilitiesEventually trends reverse and utilities are forced to adjust their rates to make up for losses due to underpriced supply sold to customers during high markets Please note that all billing issues should be addressed directly with your utilityWe do not bill you separately from the utility and we do not send collection noticesPayment plan and budget billings questions should also be addressed to your utility Regards,

We apologize for the inconvenienceUnfortunately, because the customer was validly enrolled in the variable rate program, no refund is warrantedThe energy market performed very poorly this past winter due to decreases in energy supply and increases in demand due to the cold weatherWhile suppliers like Respond Power base the rate on a daily rolling average and hedging, most utilities purchase energy in massive block and adjust quarterly or semi-annuallyBecause of that, sometimes suppliers find themselves with higher rates than utilitiesEventually trends reverse and utilities are forced to adjust their rates to make up for losses due to underpriced supply sold to customers during high markets

We apologize for any inconvenience the customer experiencedA customer service representative will contact the customer as more information is needed before the account can be reviewed

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: FYI...I will not be making payment arrangements and I will not be paying the money that you think I owe you Period I will continue to pay [redacted] their portion of this bill and all future bills Nothing more Regards, [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: [redacted] The sales person DID NOT disclose the fact that it will be a variable rate and pressured me into signing the contract [redacted] The increases in rate that Respond Power applies to their customers' accounts do not reflect the other electric suppliers companies in the tri-state area [redacted] I am not satisfied with the outcome and I am planning on contacting the PA Public Utility Commission Thank you ? 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: [I have spoke to [redacted] and I need to have my billing issues resolved with Respond Power, not themI have since switched to a different supplier but that doesn't make my balance go away and I am now being threatened with having my power shut offI realize electricity prices rose over the winter but that doesn't explain the ridiculous costs the company charged because other suppliers and [redacted] weren't charging rates that were nearly that highIt also doesn't make sense that last month, which wasn't nearly as cold as January or February, my rates jumped significantly and as of 4/*/a customer service representative stated that for a new customer the rate was If the "demand" for electricity is so high then why are new customers only charged .0938? This article from Forbes magazine explains the situation a bit better: [redacted] If necessary, I can provide copies of electric bills from the past few months from my neighbor who lives in the exact same type/size of studio apartment as me and received electricity from [redacted] and wasn't charged nearly as much as meSo please explain how that makes sense with your supply and demand explanation?] In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above Sincerely, [redacted]

Good Afternoon, We are sorry the customer has had a bad experience with our companyThe sales representatives of our partner vendors are prohibited from guaranteeing savings, although they may state that historically our customers have saved moneyThe customer enrolled in a variable rate plan, meaning the rates would fluctuate with the energy marketUnfortunately, the energy market performed very poorly this past winter due to decreases in energy supply and increases in demand due to the cold weatherWhile suppliers like [redacted] /Respond Power base the rate on a daily rolling average and hedging, most utilities purchase energy in massive block and adjust quarterly or semi-annuallyBecause of that, sometimes suppliers find themselves with higher rates than utilitiesEventually trends reverse and utilities are forced to adjust their rates to make up for losses due to underpriced supply sold to customers during high markets The account has already been cancelled Regards,