All of you who have entered a contract with energy supplier have at some point encountered the issue of bill stock or a discrepancies with their utility bills. Of course this is not the only problem working with energy suppliers there are others as well. Problems with energy suppliers are recurrent in the retail energy market. Be it your business or household, you must have faced some problems related to energy providers. However, if you are under our expert guidance, we will help you avert risks and fix problems at your supplier’s end. This article aims to outline the major issues of working with energy suppliers.
Some Of The Common Energy supplier Issues
Be it for commercial or residential purposes, anyone who has signed up with energy suppliers must have encountered certain risks and issues with their providers. Here’re some of the common energy supplier problems and how you can probably avoid or negate them.
Early Service Termination Fees
It is almost a common practice in the retail energy supply market to charge early termination fees from consumers who want to end their contracts before it expires. This early termination fee can be a big amount and therefore causes consumers a lot of issues. That is why if a consumer is switching service to another provider then it is very essential that he/she understands their contractual obligations. This becomes one of the issues of working with energy suppliers.
Hike in Energy Rate
Some energy suppliers do tend to increase energy rates in the middle of a contract tenure. This can lead to a hike in energy prices owing to a financial issue for the consumer. Although this is unethical and a breach of contract, still some suppliers tend to do it under hidden contract terms. This is yet another issue of working with energy suppliers and out of nowhere a consumer’s energy suddenly spikes without their knowledge or understanding.
Auto-Renewals
Sometimes energy supply contracts include auto-renewal clauses that force consumers to enter a new contract at a new rate. This means that the consumer automatically enters a new contract with the supplier at a new rate and pays more for similar service, if the contract has not been terminated in writing. Moreover, there are suppliers that mandate consumers to cancel their contracts within a stipulated time or else their contracts will be auto-renewed at a revised rate without their knowledge.
Dual Billing
There are some suppliers who have a dual-billing plan. In this sort of plan you will be billed individually by the utility company as part of the delivery charge, while the supplier will send you a separate bill for the energy supply charges. On top of this already complicated and confusing billing pattern consumers are hardly made aware of such things owing yet another problem of working with energy suppliers.
Addition Charges
Often suppliers deliberately include hidden charges that consumers fail to comprehend and end up paying without their knowledge. Due to such unethical practices you will have to pay additional charges that were not disclosed to you at the time of entering the contract.
Slamming
Sometimes energy suppliers sign up consumers without their consent. If this is the case with you as well, it is known as slamming in the energy sector. Although unfortunate, this can be a result of energy frauds and scams.
Missed Enrollment
Retail energy contracts have all essential information like start date, end date and the fixed rate at which you’re buying energy. However, if your supplier does not enroll your energy account on the correct meter reading date, then you may have to pay higher rates to the utility company or previous suppliers.
Fixed-Rate Terms
Although most fixed electricity rates include major price components, including energy, transmission, and capacity, some contracts offer fixed rates only for the energy portion, while other components like transmission and capacity are offered at market rate. This is of course unfair for consumers owing to yet another issue of working with energy suppliers.
How Can You Avoid Issues Of Working With Wrong Energy Suppliers
One of the easiest ways to avoid the above listed issues is by consulting a genuine price comparison company like Comparison Junction. We will deal with the energy suppliers for you and ensure that they do not charge you unfairly or unethically. Our utility experts have years of experience to unearth any hidden clause that is unfairly added in your energy contract to exploit you. Apart from these, we will help you compare energy rates of different suppliers and select energy plans that suit your needs. Moreover, we will take care of all the paperwork involved on your behalf and offer a seamless energy shopping experience. If you want to avoid any such issues while dealing with energy suppliers, give us a call at 1-844-678-6868, and we will just be there to help you out.
