Epcot electric going out of business (Center, Point: transfer to, licensed, bill) - Houston - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

skdsm · 07-12-2012, 07:53 PM

Yesterday a friend of mine got an email that epcot electric is going out of business and we can transfer to Yep energy by today. I did not get any email and I tried to call to verify with epcot but its going to voicemail and mailbox is full to leave any messages. Has anybody else got this email and is this true? I am not sure if it is a spam or legit email.

trbstang · 07-12-2012, 09:08 PM

I see they are not signing up anyone new in our area on their website, and someone else on another forum said the PUC told them they lost their license. Does not look good. But one thing I can say, one company we had (NPC) quit the business several years ago, and they dumped us with Reliant. Reliant charged us a 0.24 kwh rate after the switch! The did drop it to their fixed rate since we signed a new contract with them though.

They will need to send you a notice and you should be able to change to anyone else you want, not just YEP. You will just get assigned to a provider of last resort and once you find that out, you can change to anyone else if their rates are not good enough.

Good luck!

Cabot · 07-12-2012, 09:16 PM

I got an e-mail from YEP and switched to another company. I had less than two weeks left on my contract and was going to change anyway.

jwtomt2day · 07-12-2012, 10:41 PM

I got the same email...but I'm waiting for something official from Epcot. Hopefully something official will come...

skdsm · 07-12-2012, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cabot

I got an e-mail from YEP and switched to another company. I had less than two weeks left on my contract and was going to change anyway.

Did you go to Yep or some other provider? My concern is since we got the email from Yep and if it is a mistake, can Epcot charge us the early termination fee? Also, whatever happened to giving atleast 30 day notice in situations like these!! Today I got my bill from Epcot but there was no notice of going out of business and what concerns me is how they shared our contact info to Yep making it look like forcing us to go to them instead of other competitive providers.

jwtomt2day · 07-12-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skdsm

Did you go to Yep or some other provider? My concern is since we got the email from Yep and if it is a mistake, can Epcot charge us the early termination fee? Also, whatever happened to giving atleast 30 day notice in situations like these!! Today I got my bill from Epcot but there was no notice of going out of business and what concerns me is how they shared our contact info to Yep making it look like forcing us to go to them instead of other competitive providers.

Those are my exact worries...the termination fee and why are we getting pushed to YEP. That's why I'm waiting for some kind of official word from Epcot before I do something because I'll be damned if they go out of business for their mistake but want me to pay a termination fee. Probably I won't go with YEP anyway as another provider (don't remember which one) on powertochoose.com has the same deal.

wheretogo · 07-13-2012, 08:52 AM

Another epcot customer here. Frankly, they were great to me as there was no surcharge if you use less than 1000kw. I use about 700 (energy efficient home) 7 months of the year and most others will add $10 if use less than 1000.
The email YEP send had gone to the Junk folder (hotmail) for whatever reasons. so, this is news to me now. Nothing official from Epcot. It seems YEP is the only one DECLARING July 12 was the last date to switch.

Cabot · 07-13-2012, 09:47 AM

I tried several times to call Epcot and got nowhere. I called another company I found on Power to Choose and asked them about Epcot and they said they were aware of it. I am one of the lucky ones that had less than two weeks left on my contact so could switch without a fee. I wonder if there is some consumer organisation you could call about situations like these. I would have thought if the company is defaulting, the fee would not apply. Below is the e-mail for those interested.

Dear Epcot Customer,

We regret to inform you that your current Retail Electric Provider (“REP”), Epcot Electric, will likely be forced to relinquish its current Texas customer base due to a failure to maintain financial requirements imposed by the regulatory authorities.

What this means to you: Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (“PUCT”),[1] unless Epcot cures its alleged default and breach of market rules, your account will be transferred to the Provider of Last Resort (“POLR”) on or about Thursday, July 12, 2012. The POLR has the right to charge you rates up to 18.0¢ per kWh or higher.

What you can do: As a stable REP licensed by the PUCT, YEP Energy (PUCT No. 10126) has been authorized to offer you a locked-in fixed rate of 8.9¢ per kWh for 12 months for all customers in the CenterPoint service area, 7.9¢ per kWh for 12 months for all customers in the Oncor service area , 9.2¢ per kWh for 12 months for all customers in the AEP-Central service area, and 8.0¢ per kWh for 12 months for all customers in the AEP-North service area. [2] These exclusive rates are only available if you enroll online.

When You Must Act: Immediately. This may be your best chance to avoid the extremely high rates of the POLR. A special landing page has been dedicated to Epcot customers. To enroll, please visit YEP Energy IER - Home, or call one of YEP’s friendly customer care agents at 1-866-937-5937. YEP Energy cannot guaranty that you can switch in time to completely avoid the POLR, but YEP Energy will make every effort to switch your account as soon as possible.

Due to our efforts to help all Epcot customers, you may encounter longer than average wait times if you call to enroll with YEP Energy via phone. Thus you may want to enroll online at YEP Energy IER - Home. You may also email any questions to customer.care@yeptexas.com where dedicated agents are ready to answer any questions that you may have, as quickly as possible.

To avoid any further inconveniences, visit YEP Energy IER - Home as soon as you receive this notice. Enrolling online with YEP will take only take a few minutes of your time. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Customer Care

YEP Energy

mforce · 07-13-2012, 10:03 AM

I finally got through to someone at Epcot today...As of today (7/13/2012) all of Epcot's customers have been transferred to YEP Energy for the remainder of their contracts. An email should be coming soon from YEP with details. The rep said that they are not waiving cancellation fees at this time.

Regarding YEP's original email, I find it almost fraudulent that they tried to mislead customers to signing a new contract with YEP at higher rates than previously with Epcot knowing that this was on the horizon. When I spoke to the PUC yesterday, I was added to a complaint being filed against YEP for the solicitation.

wheretogo · 07-13-2012, 02:38 PM

If they are not waiving the cancellation fee, YEP must also continue to honor the rate in the EPCOT contract when all epcot customers got rolled into them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mforce

I finally got through to someone at Epcot today...As of today (7/13/2012) all of Epcot's customers have been transferred to YEP Energy for the remainder of their contracts. An email should be coming soon from YEP with details. The rep said that they are not waiving cancellation fees at this time.

Regarding YEP's original email, I find it almost fraudulent that they tried to mislead customers to signing a new contract with YEP at higher rates than previously with Epcot knowing that this was on the horizon. When I spoke to the PUC yesterday, I was added to a complaint being filed against YEP for the solicitation.