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HARRISBURG, PA — On this time of heightened stress, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Fee (PUC) reminds customers to stay vigilant when discussing power provide service with telemarketers, notably if the contact was unsolicited.
Moreover, customers are inspired to be looking out for unscrupulous exercise and potential rip-off artists who could pose as utility representatives.
“Guidelines of the Street” for Power Gross sales
The PUC has established clear pointers for power telemarketing in Pennsylvania. When discussing electrical and pure gasoline provide service with telemarketers, we ask customers to remember these three fundamental guidelines:
- Caller should let you know who they’re;
- They need to clearly clarify why they’re calling; and,
- They can’t declare to signify the PUC, one other utility or different group.
“Pennsylvania’s ‘guidelines of the street’ for power advertising are there to make sure that customers get clear, direct details about who’s contacting them and what they’re trying to promote,” mentioned PUC Vice Chairman David W. Candy.
Gross sales brokers should instantly establish themselves, establish the provider they’re representing and the explanation for the decision. If the agent fails to do that instantly, the patron ought to finish the decision.
The rationale for the phone name needs to be particular. Any obscure and doubtlessly deceptive statements – for instance, “I’m calling about an pressing matter regarding your era service,” or “about your utility invoice,” or “about your low cost /refund /rebate /bonus/overcharges” ought to alert the patron to finish the decision.
Moreover, gross sales brokers could not recommend a relationship with a utility – akin to your native electrical or pure gasoline distribution firm; a authorities company – such because the PUC; or different provider – together with false claims that different suppliers are “going out of enterprise” or experiencing different issues.
Undesirable Calls
The Fee additionally reminded customers that each the state and federal “Do Not Name” lists and laws apply to all power suppliers advertising providers in Pennsylvania and are supposed to safeguard customers on these lists from undesirable calls. Along with Do Not Name listing protections, suppliers are additionally required to honor requests from particular person customers to not be contacted once more.
For extra info on Pennsylvania’s “Do Not Name” listing and to enroll, see the Lawyer Normal’s web site at: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/protect-yourself/do-not-call-list/ .
Ideas for Power Buying
- Ask for the identify of the provider.
- Ask for the worth and different phrases and situations. Know and perceive the way it compares to your utility worth. Ask to be offered the knowledge in writing so you possibly can overview and totally take into account it earlier than making any fast choices.
- Solely share account info over the cellphone in case you are able to make a change.
- Don’t really feel pressured to make any choices over the cellphone or instantly. If a suggestion sounds too good to be true, the shopper ought to assume twice earlier than performing – and should you really feel pressured to behave instantly, it is best to finish the decision. No cheap supply ought to require a shopper to behave instantly.
The PUC urges customers to keep away from intimidating gross sales pitches pressuring them to behave now, reminding them that they’re not required to decide on a aggressive provider for his or her electrical energy or pure gasoline provide.
Ought to the shopper elect to enter right into a contract with a aggressive provider, residents ought to anticipate the next as soon as the provider’s gross sales agent completes a transaction:
- The gross sales agent should clarify the provider’s verification course of that’s used to verify the shopper’s intent to change suppliers;
- The provider should ship by mail or e-mail a full disclosure assertion with all contractual phrases and situations together with a shorter contract abstract that highlights an important phrases;
- Prospects could rescind the transaction inside three enterprise days after receiving the disclosure assertion.
Attainable Scams
Be alert for any caller who calls for fast cost for utility or provider service. No utility or provider goes to demand fast cost up-front for service. And no utility or provider goes to name you and threaten to terminate your service – together with calls for that funds be made utilizing present playing cards, wire transfers or different non-traditional methods of paying your invoice.
Any caller making these sorts of calls for and threats is NOT a utility or a provider – and it is best to finish the decision instantly. The Fee has prohibited utilities from terminating service throughout the present COVID-19 emergency. When you’ve got any questions on your utility or provide service – name your utility or provider – their cellphone quantity is in your utility invoice.
When going through an aggressive gross sales agent or suspecting a possible rip-off, customers are inspired to contact the PUC’s Bureau of Shopper Companies at 1-800-692-7380. The PUC frequently displays suppliers and their gross sales and advertising actions by each the PUC’s Workplace of Aggressive Market Oversight and its Bureau of Shopper Companies.
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