Electric supplier calling to get my info?

Discussion in Gas & Electricity started by dconklin • Apr 5, 2013.

  1. dconklin

    dconklinActive Member

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    Lately I have gotten a few things in the mail about other companies that will provide my electric cheaper then JCP&L but JCP&L would still be responsible for repairs - sounds kind of fishy to me as why would I pay somebody else for my electric but yet my local company is still responsible for paying for any repairs? Anyway, yesterday I got a phone call from a supplier that I had not heard of before this call. Usually I get mailings, not phone calls.

    On the phone he was telling me that JCP&L had sent out information to save money with a list of suppliers. He said "You remember getting this information right?" I told him no. He then said that it was sent out directly from JCP&L and not the company he was calling from but I had no idea what he was talking about. So I asked him when it was sent out and then finally when I asked him if it was in with a bill, he said "yes it was with a recent bill." He said that I qualified for quite some time now and that I could get a rebate since I have not signed up yet. He knew my address where the meter was, but said he needed my customer number. I thought it was odd so I told him that I couldn't find the most recent bill at the moment as I was busy (trying to be polite as I didn't know if this was legit and no way was I giving him my account number.) He then told me that an old bill was fine that they have been mailing it out with the bills for about a year now. I don't usually look at anything but my bill so I still was not sure if this was legit.

    He was a little insistent on signing me up but I told him I was too busy to look for a bill that had my info on it and he left me his number and extension. Not sure that I would switch anyway as I don't feel that JCP&L should be responsible for everything but me pay somebody else, especially after all they did for our state after Hurricane Sandy - it cost them 100s of millions in repairs.

    Going to look into this today with JCP&L, but would you give somebody calling like this your electric account info?
     
  2. pafjlh

    pafjlhActive Member

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    I would never give anyone calling me out of the blue this type of information. In fact, I refuse to give someone calling me my credit card information over the phone, I ask them to sent me a bill in the mail and I will handle it from there. I just won't give out such information unless I am the one doing the calling, then I know that I am indeed talking to this company over the phone. I think you handled this quite well, given the fact that he was so insistent was reason for you to feel uneasy. You did the right thing in not letting him pressure you into giving up this type of information. Your also right in wanting to check this company out to see if it really is legitimate.
     
  3. dconklin

    dconklinActive Member

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    I hear about all these scams where people call and I really don't trust people over the phone quite that easily. I forgot to ask the electric company as it was a busy day and I am not looking to change providers, but the same number called again today. I didn't answer the phone this time. I would think that if he had the right information based on my electric service he would know my customer number to continue. Not sure that there is much somebody could do with my electric account number, but you never know I guess! I did Google them and the company seems legit, but I don't know if it was really a representative from the company calling me. On the caller ID it showed number but not name.
     
  4. Antau LJn

    Antau LJnNew Member

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    I wouldn't trust them, even if they were legal. For me, the red flag would be that your original company is responsible for repairs.

    Calling incessantly is not a red flag to me, because legitimate companies often do this - and it is possible that they don't have access to your account number if they, indeed, have been sending out flyers. Most likely, the company was given a stack of flyers and asked if they would insert them with the bills. I'm not really sure why a company would put a competitor's information in correspondence (bills) to their own customers, though. Neither am I sure why the company would sell them a list of customers' names, addresses, and phone numbers.

    My advice would be to stay away from them, especially since you wouldn't buy their service even if they are legitimate. (I'd find out if they were legit, simply out of curiosity.)
     
  5. dconklin

    dconklinActive Member

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    Yeah I was not to quick to do this to my electric company. I am usually one to save everywhere I can, but I cannot do this to JCP&L after all they did for us during and after Hurricane Sandy. I know they may increase their rates a little to help make up some of the money they spent to restore everybody, but it won't add up enough for me to do this to them. They were so helpful and brought guys and gals in from other states just to work around the clock to bring our whole state back to having power and it literally cost them a ton of money.

    From what I understand, electric companies here in NJ have to provide customers with an option to change to save money on their bill.
     
  6. Antau LJn

    Antau LJnNew Member

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    I can see why you would be reluctant to change after they did all that. I would be, too. I was not aware that the whole state lost power due to Hurricane Sandy. That must have been quite the nightmare for them.

    If the law states that electric companies there have to provide customers with an option to change, then the company is probably legitimate, in any case.
     
  7. dconklin

    dconklinActive Member

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    It wasn't quite the whole state, but a good amount of people were out of power. It took them a couple weeks to restore every household with all the downed poles, lines and trees. It was crazy, we watched flashes out the window as transformers were blowing out around town. We literally watched lights blink out down the road until ours went out too.
     
  8. Antau LJn

    Antau LJnNew Member

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    I'll bet that was really scary to watch.

    I wonder - was the law made before or after Hurricane Sandy, to allow people to choose a different electric company? If it was after, it seems rather like giving the company the shaft, after all they did to restore the power.