Texas Power to Choose (apartment complex, month-to-month, house)

[basketbiznis]

We are closing on our house in Flour Bluff in 3 weeks and moving in 4 weeks. We have to select our electric company before closing. THe current owners are using Nueces Electric Coop, but our realtor told us that they are on the high side. I would love to hear anyone's opinions on electric companies before we select one. Since we don't know anyone in Corpus (we're moving from Hawaii), word of mouth here is invaluable.

[basketbiznis]

Please!!! Anyone???

[CalallenMom]

We just switched to Ambit Energy last month from Reliant. We haven't gotten our first electric bill yet, but a good friend who referred us said his bill went from $400 a month (with Reliant) to $250-ish a month with Ambit.

[awecelot]

Visit this website: Compare Your Choices

[basketbiznis]

Thanks for the link. We already checked that site and I found it very confusing, although useful. I was hoping I could get actual opinions before we selected one. We'll check out Ambit and hopefully any others that get posted here before we have to select one before closing.

[awecelot]

Originally Posted by basketbiznis

Thanks for the link. We already checked that site and I found it very confusing, although useful. I was hoping I could get actual opinions before we selected one. We'll check out Ambit and hopefully any others that get posted here before we have to select one before closing.

The only thing that I would recommend is choosing a provider/plan that allows you to lock in your rates. I've known people who have had providers raise their rates by 4-5 cents per kwh on month-to-month plans.

Other than that, I would go with the cheapest rate that you can find. I haven't noticed any differences between companies that would justify me paying more for one than another.

[CalallenMom]

...Just got my Ambit bill and was pleasantly surprised -- $283 compared to $400-$450.

[ocean2026]

CPL is nasty - they kept cutting off my bill by mistake - they had messed up their direct deduct and turned it off without a call. I almost sued them - but they sent a bit of cash for the hassle.

I recommend anyone but CPL and the non -local companies.

[CalallenMom]

Originally Posted by ocean2026

CPL is nasty - they kept cutting off my bill by mistake - they had messed up their direct deduct and turned it off without a call. I almost sued them - but they sent a bit of cash for the hassle.

I recommend anyone but CPL and the non -local companies.

CPL is the devil.

Back in Jan. 2003, we moved into a brand new apartment that required CPL usage. I am not kidding -- it took them an entire YEAR to bill us, regardless of the fact that I spent countless hours on the phone with them each month asking why we hadn't received a bill and demanding that they give me the total over the phone at least. Never did. So, it took them a year to bill us and I told them that now it's going to take me a year to pay them off ($1500 to be exact) in which they complied. We started making payments and one July afternoon my electricity was unexpectedly cut off (had a 1 year old and 3 year old at the time). As my apartment suddenly turned into an oven, I called CPL and asked them to explain themselves and they said they were cutting me off for the amount that hadn't been paid yet! Furious, we packed up our kids to stay with a relative for the night until we could figure out things. It wasn't until we entered our apartment that evening to gather some things that our electricity was magically back on? Not even a month later, it was cut off AGAIN unexpectedly (mind you, there were ZERO notices in our mailbox) and I asked them why in the hell I was paying them money if they were cutting us off, in which they replied that the money I was sending them currently was going to my newest bill, not the $1500 they took a year to bill me with.

We left our apartment in December 2004, cancelled ALL of our utilities there and went on our way. Well, a few months ago I get a phone call from a bill collector telling me that I owe CPL close to 2k (even though I had paid them off). According to them, I had usage with them until September 2005, ARGH!!!!!! Friggin' idiots never turned off my power evidently, but what I'm wondering is WHY on earth would a company allow someone to use their services that long without interruption? Now I have to prove that I moved out during the time that I did, which can be proven if I go down to the apartment complex and get a copy of records, but seriously, what a pain this has been.

[basketbiznis]

CalallenMom - what a nightmare you had with CPL. This is exactly why I posted asking about opinions! That is one company we will not even consider. My husband has also been checking the power to choose site, and with the input we've gotten here, I'm thinking we're either going to go with Ambit, Green Mountain, or Nueces.