Unethical Electrical Supply : A Horror Story

At the beginning of the year, I say to Mark,” We got this notice in the mail about switching to an ethical electrical supplier. What do you think?” He says, “Well it’ll cost a little more. It’s up to you.” I say, “Well it seems a good idea let me just do it and be willing to pay a little more.”

How I wished my husband hadn’t been so easygoing that day. That he’d been a cheapskate and said for me to forget being ethical this time around. But he didn’t proclaim “change is bad” like any other control freaking out husband. No. He had to let me make a decision about our electricity supply coming from renewable resources. Good intentions do not always work out. And I have had a renewing sense of upset ever since.

First thing we noticed after I made the change? Our $800 electric bill. Kinda hard to not notice. See, the power company had us on budget billing. We pay $315/month for our disgusting old uninsulated house. Well we did until I decided to be ethical. The electric company and the new supplier don’t really talk to each other or to you to let you know there’s no budget billing with ethicality.

And when you freak out and start calling the electric company wanting to do anything you can to amend the mistake you just made being a liberal hippie silly-head, they try to accommodate you as well as they can and set you back on the right path. The unethical path back in their system. But there’s a debt you’ve accrued that will need to be paid. You busted your happy budget billing bubble.

Meanwhile, the ethical suppliers begin to write you letters begging you to return to what you now know to be the the dark side of the electrical supply and distribution business. It is only 2 or 3 cents more per kilowatt hour. Please? And at the exact same time I suddenly had people knocking on my door asking me to consider signing up with their ethical supplier right now. I asked, “Budget billing?” and dude started to dance. Said he couldn’t help me with that.

My husband has called the power company multiple times about the remaining balance and they assured him that we could truly not pay it until our budget billing got re-calibrated. Yeah, until today I got a yellow envelope in the mail. It’s a turnoff threat envelope from the power company. We still owe that pesky $246 to those ethical supply bozos and, even though I’ve been throwing a little extra at them, it’s not been enough.

Another call and another check later, the woman advised us to go off of budget billing for these couple months that we’re not using lot of electricity. And that done, the next bill had us with a credit on our electric bill. Sigh.

My advice to you : Do not buy this product especially if you have budget billing plan (A set amount you pay every month). Your well meaning ethics mean nothing. If it causes you any concern or query, walk away. If some kid or lady is standing on your porch trying to sell you this alternative, walk away. Hopefully they’ll be figuring this all out and making it easier soon enough. Until then I’ll still drive my gas guzzling car and live in my uber electric consuming uninsulated house and I’ll be happy in my ignorant oblivion.

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