Rant ahead

[mrs_sweetpeach]

I hate dealing with people who work for alternative energy suppliers. Every single one I've ever spoken with, in person or by telephone, has refused to take no for an answer. Today's sales person kept apologizing for not be explaining things correctly and began shouting for her supervisor when it became clear my "we aren't interested" wasn't going to change.

I know the job situation in Michigan is dire, but I really wonder what the sales people think. Do they believe they are providing a valuable service, or are they so desperate they don't care?

I'm skeptical of all of the companies participating in Michigan's Gas Choice program. Not only are the sales people aggressive, but they usually misrepresent themselves as either employees of the gas company itself or as some sort of auditor hired to find overcharges in previously issued bills. Furthermore, I know from my own research that when the contract with an alternative supplier expires, that supplier will continue to provide gas but do so at a much higher rate. While the potential to save some money by signing with a supplier exists, I also know that I will have to terminate service with that supplier when the contractual period ends -- and that termination has to be timed just right -- not too soon, or early termination penalties are charged, and not too late or we'll end up paying too much for gas. And, regardless of what supplier we choose, Consumers Energy will continue to deliver the gas to our meter, handle billing, and perform any maintenance or emergency service needed. Taking everything into consideration, I'm making Consumers Energy my supplier of choice.

Comments

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you could cut them off at the knees by saying you use solar power. Or, you could always say you live in an apartment, or you could say you are renting the house and don't own it. Those things shut them up pretty quick.

That whole business is shady and is deliberately misleading. They're crooks.

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

I thought about lying to them and saying "our landlord pays the utility bills," but, well, lying. I try to avoid that if I can.

Alternative energy though, that's worth a shot. And it costs *more* than standard energy, so that should shut them up about "but this will save you money!" It's not about the money, it's about the ethics of the thing.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I'm also sticking with Consumers Power, on the principle of "Better the devil you know."

I'm also sticking with AT&T, if only because I don't want to give up my landline. When the power was out for three days earlier this week, I still had a working phone, y'know?

(Did you lose power after Saturday's storm? We had trees/branches down for blocks around, and lost power for three days -- I missed the new Doctor Who episode, though fortunately it will be re-aired.)

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

I have a landline too, but wouldn't a cellphone also be independent of the electric grid?

As for losing power, we lost it *very* briefly. If one of the computer systems in the house hadn't gone down when the power blipped, I don't think I'd have known about it. The digital clocks didn't even reset.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

The cellphone is independent of the electric grid for as long as the battery stays charged.