Dive Summary:
- Want to disconnect your electricity? Get ready to pay $15. Want an immediate reconnect? Try $100. These are just some of the fees Ambit Energy charges customers in Texas.
- Ambit is not alone. Most Texas utility companies include extra fees on utility bills that consumer advocates say are too hefty and have little to do with electricity. For example, 29 out of 44 Texas electricity retailers charge $7 to $20 a month in “minimum usage fees” if a customer uses less than 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a month, the Texas Ratepayers’ Organization to Save Energy (Texas ROSE) reports. “These fees are money for nothing,” says Carol Biedrzycki, head of Texas ROSE.
- Another unusual fee structure can be found at Texpo Energy, which charges an extra 5 cents per kWh if a customer doesn’t use automatic bill pay. In their defense, electricity providers say these fees help offset the risks associated with procuring the power. Furthermore, all fees are mentioned in a contract customers must sign before getting service.
From the article:
“What’s important here is there’s no standardization for fees in either their presentation to customers or actual charges. It’s quite willy-nilly. Let the buyer beware.”