{"id":2925,"date":"2020-03-10T18:53:50","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T18:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theenergy.coop\/blog\/clean-jobs-pa-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-08-18T10:41:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T10:41:26","slug":"slamming-could-happen-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theenergy.coop\/test\/blog\/slamming-could-happen-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Buyer Beware! Electricity Slamming Could Happen to You."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Georgia Mae Lively and Meryl Sands–3\/10\/2020<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania has a deregulated electricity market, meaning Pennsylvanians can buy their electricity from The Energy Co-op instead of their local utility.\u00a0 This means that the electricity market has become very competitive, and while choice and competition are good qualities to have in a marketplace, it can also lead to bad actors using bad practices to get ahead.\u00a0 One of those bad practices in the electricity market is known as slamming.\u00a0 Slamming is when an electricity supplier uses a customer\u2019s information to enroll them for service without the customer\u2019s knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n

How can you tell if you\u2019re being slammed?<\/em><\/p>\n

Slammers tend to misrepresent themselves to get the information they need.\u00a0 One method they often use to get your information is saying they are calling from your utility, whether it\u2019s PECO or PPL.\u00a0 They might also use vague language to make you assume they are calling from your existing supplier.\u00a0 They would say something like, \u201chave you renewed your rate recently?\u201d, allowing you to believe that you are speaking with an Energy Co-op employee and making you comfortable with giving out your utility account number.\u00a0 They might also give you the impression that they are taking your account number simply to give you more information about their services.\u00a0 This may result in you receiving a notice in the mail notifying you that your service was changed, even though you don\u2019t remember signing up for a new supplier.<\/p>\n

How can you avoid being slammed?<\/em><\/p>\n

If a supplier asks you to sign any documents, make sure to read them very carefully <\/em>before signing.\u00a0 REMINDER: The Energy Co-op does not<\/em> have contracts with its residential members and would not ask you to sign anything, especially over the phone.\u00a0 All we ask you for when you sign up with us is your PECO account number, and when it\u2019s time to renew your fixed rate we don\u2019t ask for any new personal information. \u00a0In addition, The Energy Co-op will never come to your home to ask you to sign up for anything.\u00a0 Avoid giving out your utility account number or any other personal information unless you are completely certain about signing up.<\/p>\n

What can Energy Co-op members do if they think they\u2019ve been slammed?<\/em><\/p>\n

Call us at (215) 413-2122!\u00a0 We can help you get re-enrolled with our services.\u00a0 You can also file a complaint against the company that slammed you with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Company here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why does slamming happen?<\/em><\/p>\n

Some electricity suppliers use incentive structures that reward their salespeople solely on commission.\u00a0 The more people they sign up, the more money they can make.\u00a0 This makes salespeople desperate to close sales and can lead to them resorting to bad practices.\u00a0 There are also just bad actors out there who will try to get new enrollments by any means necessary, whether or not they\u2019re working on commission.\u00a0 All of this is the result of a lack of quality control and oversight in the industry.\u00a0 Lastly, consumers tend to be unaware of slamming as an issue and just don\u2019t know what the risks are.\u00a0 Just by reading this blog post, you are way ahead many of your fellow consumers.<\/p>\n

Slamming is an unfortunate side effect of the level of energy choice we have here in Pennsylvania, so stay vigilant and make sure you don\u2019t fall victim to bad practices.\u00a0 If you have any questions about slamming or your electricity service, we are here for you! \u00a0Just give us a call at (215) 413-2122 or email us at info@theenergy.coop<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn what slamming is and how you can prevent your electricity service from being changed without your knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8636,"featured_media":1528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuyer Beware! Electricity Slamming Could Happen to You.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what slamming is and how you can prevent your electricity service from being changed without your knowledge or consent.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theenergy.coop\/test\/blog\/slamming-could-happen-to-you\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Buyer Beware! 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