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Old 02-25-2014, 12:35 PM
 
Location: West Orange, NJ
12,546 posts, read 21,366,438 times
Reputation: 3730

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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarsBeau View Post
I just wanted to come back and follow up...I called PSEG and confirmed my question twice. Basically by stopping service on the account and the following day starting it again my 3rd party supplier cannot follow me to the new account. And I have to say it was fairly easy everything on the account was kept the same and just transfered to the new account number. Both account are on the same online sign-in I just have to pick the one I want to look at.

When I called I ask specifically is my new account have the 3rd Party supplier on it and the representative said no and said it couldn't follow a new account! He confirmed the supplier for gas and electric was now PSEG.

I may have been sucked in by all the wonderful reviews and fell for all the warm fuzzy of their website but I don't appreciate the fact that they told me that the "switch" would begin in Feb and than at the end of January I got an email saying that were cancelling me because of the pricing and then I got my Feb bill to fine out that they had been my supplier since January and that it would take to March billing cycle to make the switch back to PSEG.

Lesson learned but I do think that it is price gorging when the prices are over 250% above what PSEG would have provided how is that possible I guess they didn't lock in their rate with whomever they deal with that or playing a game....warm winter prices stable and 20% lower everyone loves them....cold winter prices go up and people are pissed but oh well theymade money!

I feel particularly sad for the those on a fix income not that anyone wants to get such a high bill unexpectedly but to have to make such heart wrenching choices! We are all trying to save some money get a good deal etc but to see your bill jump so much in one month must be incredibly overwhelming! I hope that there is something that can be done for them.

I am not happy about paying the bill but I will and I will file a complaint because of the % it went up and maybe down the line I can get some money back.

Hope this helps someone
So let me get this straight:

1. You called PSEG and told them you wanted to stop service on your account. And they stopped it.
2. The next day you called and told them you wanted to start service at 123 XYZ st, and just signed up as a new customer?

that simple?
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Old 02-25-2014, 12:57 PM
 
30 posts, read 50,654 times
Reputation: 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kath149 View Post
They are scam artists and now I will be charged $1600 for TWO MONTHS of electricity. We get $1900 a month on a fixed income because my husband is a double amputee. We now will have no electricity, or food and prescriptions. My bill went up from $297 to $786 for the month of February. I am sick over this. They have ruined our lives. I trusted them, and they should pay for what they will be doing to us for many, many months, if not years, to come.
The fundamental problem here is that you have no proof that Systrum engaged in a "scam".

Tullo has a long history providing delivery services...they started with ice, took on coal, moved to heating oil, then natural gas, and finally electricity.

Maybe he is a crook...but you really have to wonder if a company this deeply rooted would sacrifice a long standing reputation just to "gouge" their customers (unless you want to buy into the idiotic arguments from posters like Ron4Sure).

You're spinning tales here. Tullo didn't make your husband a double amputee nor did he set up your fixed income of $1900. So "Cry Me a River" over your personal plight. Your personal plight has no relationship to your Systrum bill. It's totally irrelevant...unless you're looking for a "sympathy vote".

Please, spare me.

You plunged into this without doing your homework. You thought you could "beat" the rates by dealing with a third party, spot buyer...and in the end, you tossed the dice and lost.

Easy to blame Systrum and Tullo for your own consumer stupidity!

Before you start accusing people of dishonesty you need to have some proof. Perhaps an investigation is in order. Let's see what that produces before you start making unsubstantiated claims concerning a "scam" and a "rip-off".

Nevertheless, you bought into a third party spot buyer and walked away from a rate regulated utility provider. Did anyone hold gun to your head?

Amazingly, this thread is nothing more than a crying towel session for those who won't face up to the fact that they made greed-based decisions without doing their homework.
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Old 02-25-2014, 02:03 PM
 
3 posts, read 4,234 times
Reputation: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by bradykp View Post
So let me get this straight:

1. You called PSEG and told them you wanted to stop service on your account. And they stopped it.
2. The next day you called and told them you wanted to start service at 123 XYZ st, and just signed up as a new customer?

that simple?
Yes it was that simple I asked for a stop service and start service for the same address and same owners. I do have a new account number but not sure it was under new customer though since it appears they just transferred everything over to the new account number.

First I called to complain to see if there was anything I could do about my high bill and getting Systrum off my account faster then a month...the representative said there wasn't anything they could do.

I then asked what would happen if I stopped service and then asked for service to be restarted at the same house the next day. The representative said they couldn't tell me "no" and couldn't tell me what to do (but I admit she didn't see pleased with my request). So I asked them to stop the service that day....she did...no confirmation number was given since she said I was calling the next day. I then asked if this would stop Systrum from being my Supplier she said yes.

The next morning 7am (because I didn't want to be without service at all!) I called and asked them to start my service again and to give me my new account number. The woman basically "transferred" everything to the new account (I was not asked to give any information except what they already had on me) She then gave me the new account number and told me I would have to set up a new account online to pay it. It all took less then 5 mins. I asked her if PSEG was now my supplier she said yes. (BTW both account now show up on my PSEG online account I didn't have to set up a new account either.)

BUT because the PP mention that it may not have stopped the 3rd Party Supplier I called again this morning to confirm and spoke to a third Customer Service Representative who assured me that the 3rd Party Supplier couldn't "follow" me to my new account number. That I would be responsible for the days that Systrum was my "supplier" on my old account but not the entire month now which is huge relief!

So yes it was that simple....and hopefully others will be able to do the same and save themselves some money!
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Old 02-25-2014, 04:01 PM
 
24 posts, read 56,704 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenGigli View Post
The fundamental problem here is that you have no proof that Systrum engaged in a "scam".

Before you start accusing people of dishonesty you need to have some proof. Perhaps an investigation is in order. Let's see what that produces before you start making unsubstantiated claims concerning a "scam" and a "rip-off".
You can still go to the website Simply Pay Less for Energy - Systrum Energy and see the following claims:

"Simply Pay Less For Energy"
"The Same Service and Reliability. Simply Pay Less"
"They Supply the Service and We Supply The Savings".
"[Systrum Supplies] the discounted Natural Gas/Electric for your account"

But there were NO SAVINGS. NO DISCOUNTS. NO ONE PAID LESS. WE ALL PAID MORE!

So why is this not a "scam" or a "rip-off"?

Why is this not fraud?

There is NO MENTION on the website that based on weather conditions or market supply you may pay a higher price than your local utility. There is NO MENTION that Systrum is buying the energy on the spot market.

Are you friends with the Mr Tullo?
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Old 02-25-2014, 10:19 PM
 
30 posts, read 50,654 times
Reputation: 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinelands99 View Post
I really do not want to spend excessive time responding to the post by BenGigli when the real focus needs to be on Systrum Energy, helping those who have been affected, and letting the public become aware of the dangers of switching to third party suppliers. In short, like many others, I did do my homework. Unless you are someone with a true inside view of this industry the scam was not easily detectable. As far as a free lunch goes - no one was promised excessive savings. What we were promised was small, reasonable savings that for those on a budget made sense. We were promised that Systrum's rates would never exceed those of the major utilities. To recap what I have stated on previous posts: Their website indicates that they work with the Board of Public Utilities (they do not), they do not require contracts which gives their company an aura of safety. They have a good rating with the BBB. Unfortunately, we now find out after filing a complaint, that the BBB does not get involved in these kind of cases. Anyone, prior to signing up with Systrum, who checked with the BBB would have received a very false sense of security. Sytrum appears to be free of complaints on the BBB site, yet we now know that there have been many unhappy customers. Their sales department handily omits pertinent information such as their use of variable pricing. We are not greedy and we are not folks who did not do their homework. We are victims of an unscrupulous company. This is the last post I will personally write in response to those who are justifying what happened to decent people. I also question the source and affiliation of these posts.
And why would you want to respond to me. That would only cause you to face reality.

You made a poor consumer decision by dumping a regulated utility in favor of an unregulated third party spot buyer.

In the end, you just saw "savings" without thinking about the opposite side of the coin.

And I totally love your closing quote:

"I also question the source and affiliation of these posts."

Of course anyone who points out that you lacked common sense when you switched from a regulated provider to a spot buyer has to be some sort of an "agent" for Systrum.

Pretty pathetic that you can't take personal responsibility for you actions.

And this is even better:

"We are victims of an unscrupulous company."

No, you're a victim of your own consumer stupidity.

Yes, you were greedy. You looked at the rate comparison and jumped at it...without thinking that the rates could go up as well as they could go down.

I have no pity for you. Your greed blinded your common sense!
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Old 02-26-2014, 07:09 AM
 
Location: West Orange, NJ
12,546 posts, read 21,366,438 times
Reputation: 3730
dont they have to come do a final meter reading before closing the existing account?
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Old 02-26-2014, 07:12 AM
 
Location: West Orange, NJ
12,546 posts, read 21,366,438 times
Reputation: 3730
Quote:
Originally Posted by Savage228 View Post
You can still go to the website Simply Pay Less for Energy - Systrum Energy and see the following claims:

"Simply Pay Less For Energy"
"The Same Service and Reliability. Simply Pay Less"
"They Supply the Service and We Supply The Savings".
"[Systrum Supplies] the discounted Natural Gas/Electric for your account"

But there were NO SAVINGS. NO DISCOUNTS. NO ONE PAID LESS. WE ALL PAID MORE!

So why is this not a "scam" or a "rip-off"?

Why is this not fraud?

There is NO MENTION on the website that based on weather conditions or market supply you may pay a higher price than your local utility. There is NO MENTION that Systrum is buying the energy on the spot market.

Are you friends with the Mr Tullo?
under "How it works", they never indicate that you'll always pay less. even in the wording you posted, they never said that. that's why it's not a scam or a rip off. it's advertising. they didn't defraud us, they just screwed us with variable rates:

For Home
Systrum Energy provides some of the lowest rates for your personal utility needs. Whether you're a homeowner or are renting property, Systrum Energy aims to offer you a better solution for your natural gas and electric services. We achieve this with our very unique style of pricing:

•No contracts
•No sign up or cancellation fees
•No additional monthly fees
These are the principles we operate on and stand behind. We never want a customer to be misled or feel they are not in control of their account. It's simple, we strive to save you money, and we've been doing it for residents for more than six years.
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Old 02-26-2014, 10:16 AM
 
24 posts, read 56,704 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by bradykp View Post
under "How it works", they never indicate that you'll always pay less. even in the wording you posted, they never said that. that's why it's not a scam or a rip off. it's advertising. they didn't defraud us, they just screwed us with variable rates:

For Home
Systrum Energy provides some of the lowest rates for your personal utility needs. Whether you're a homeowner or are renting property, Systrum Energy aims to offer you a better solution for your natural gas and electric services. We achieve this with our very unique style of pricing:

•No contracts
•No sign up or cancellation fees
•No additional monthly fees
These are the principles we operate on and stand behind. We never want a customer to be misled or feel they are not in control of their account. It's simple, we strive to save you money, and we've been doing it for residents for more than six years.
The webpage Simply Pay Less for Energy - Systrum Energy homepage states you'll "simply pay less". What could be more clear? There are no footnotes or fine print stating you might pay more. What Systrum should have said is: "we purchase energy on the spot market and your price may be higher or lower than your utility". But they do not say this anywhere in the website. In addition, this must be on the same page of the website as the promises that were made. - So explain to me again -> WHY IS THIS NOT FRAUD?

Last edited by Savage228; 02-26-2014 at 10:25 AM..
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Old 02-26-2014, 10:30 AM
 
24 posts, read 56,704 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenGigli View Post
And why would you want to respond to me. That would only cause you to face reality.

You made a poor consumer decision by dumping a regulated utility in favor of an unregulated third party spot buyer.

In the end, you just saw "savings" without thinking about the opposite side of the coin.

And I totally love your closing quote:

"I also question the source and affiliation of these posts."

Of course anyone who points out that you lacked common sense when you switched from a regulated provider to a spot buyer has to be some sort of an "agent" for Systrum.

Pretty pathetic that you can't take personal responsibility for you actions.

And this is even better:

"We are victims of an unscrupulous company."

No, you're a victim of your own consumer stupidity.

Yes, you were greedy. You looked at the rate comparison and jumped at it...without thinking that the rates could go up as well as they could go down.

I have no pity for you. Your greed blinded your common sense!
The above post is quite bizarre. In short:

Enough with this "blaming the victim" nonsense. Of course, Bernard Madoffs' victims would have been better off keeping their money under their mattress. Of course, in retrospect it was a fraud and should have been obvious (never a negative year for three decades, refusal to disclose investment strategy etc etc) But Bernard Madoff is in jail for 150 years! Is it your position that Bernard Madoff's victims were greedy for not keeping their money under their mattress? It it your position that Bernard Madoff's victims "can't take personal responsibility for their actions"?

I am still waiting for you to answer the question that you have been ducking. What is your relationship to Mr Tullo?

If Systrum cared about their customers, they could have just spread the price increase over 12 months and would have still be able to keep their price below the local utilities. Systrum normally prices their energy $0.02 below the utility. Just change it to $0.01 and spread it over 12-14 months.
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Old 02-26-2014, 11:55 AM
 
Location: Essex County, NJ
118 posts, read 315,908 times
Reputation: 68
Quote:
Originally Posted by bradykp View Post
very few companies offer up the downsides of choosing their product. i don't know why you'd expect any different from a third party electricity provider.

The risks you are mentioning...not knowing how much rates fluctuate from month to month...can be solved with some simple questions to a company like Systrum. They provided me with their rates over the past 12 months when I signed on. With regards to future rates of energy, well...that's anyone's best guess. Which is why a variable rate energy supplier is risky. You couldn't have hired the best energy expert in the world and have them accurately predicted demand this past January, because the polar vortex was such an odd data point. even if you had every single piece of data over decades...it didn't matter this january.

Again...wayyyy overcomplicating this.
Deceptive Marketing is the primary issue here. Just because large corporations get away with it does not mean it is acceptable or legal behavior. I will concede in that I did not do diligent research before a switch to a third party supplier but forecasting is not simple. I'll move on and hope others that were deceived get monetary compensation.

bradykp, while I have enjoyed the debate and have some new perspective form your posts I think we have run out of useful dialog on the subject.

There are a few on this thread that are putting a lot effort into posting that don't have anything to gain and are pretty harsh in their responses. I hope you were entertained by verbally abusing people in financial straights.

Court not buying Coke's defense of its deceptive marketing of vitaminwater as lawsuit proceeds
Appetite for Profit: Court not buying Coke's defense of its deceptive marketing of vitaminwater as lawsuit proceeds

Last edited by ET_MTB; 02-26-2014 at 12:14 PM..
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