Are you considering switching your energy provider due to bad customer service and high electric rates? There is a classic saying in business: “the customer is always right.” With energy deregulation in various states, energy providers know it is important to keep their customers happy and to provide them with excellent electric rates.
If you’ve been disappointed with your energy services for awhile, perhaps you are thinking about switching. Everyone should have affordable electricity rates that won’t break our bank account, and responsive customer service representatives who listen to our concerns. Whether we need tech support accessing our account online or have a concern with our bill. Your energy company should be there for you. When you don’t have this relationship with them, it is understandable that you would feel like switching services.
Only you can decide if the timing and circumstances are right for you and your family to make the switch now. But here are a few helpful tips, to guide you through considering it.
Why Do You Want to Switch Energy Provider?
This is one of the most important things we hope you’ll consider. Maybe it’s a situation you’re currently going through, where your electric bill keeps increasing in the summer and other energy providers have much lower rates. Or you’ve been a customer for a very long time without receiving any loyalty rewards, and other energy providers have much better loyalty rewards programs.
Another frustrating reason some consider switching is because they are unhappy with the customer service representatives. Sometimes they feel they have not been listened to or the customer does not get the response they were hoping for. Or maybe you sit on hold, listening to that “canned” music we all do for way too long!
We recommend before you switch, get truly honest with yourself about the reasons that you want to switch energy providers.
Do You Know What Energy Company You Want to Switch To?
Sometimes when you want to make a switch, it’s because a friend, family member or neighbor has been doing business with a fantastic energy company. You know they are saving money and getting excellent service. So in this circumstance, it seems like you know exactly who you want to switch to.
But keep in mind that you may not have done enough research to determine if this specific energy company is ideal for your family and electricity needs. While they may be great for your neighbor, they could use energy at different times and in entirely different amounts!
Homework Time!
If you’re tempted to switch, we recommend you do a little homework. No, we aren’t going to turn into your 3rd grade teacher! But it’s simply time that you compare energy providers and not just one, to see if just one is perfect for you without considering others! By looking at a variety of energy companies, you’ll start to see that they offer unique benefits and perhaps there are a couple of energy companies that you can get excited about. Don’t be surprised if you wind up narrowing down your list to 2 or 3 energy companies that you really, really like – and then you have to decide. This happens a lot.
What Are Your “Must Have’s” from an Energy Provider?
Once you have narrowed down your list, consider your “must have’s” that you simply won’t do without. Maybe you have a high school student that does lots of homework every night, so you know the computer and electricity will be used frequently at night. One of your “must have’s” is going to be a plan that offers free nights electricity, and what’s terrific to see with affordable energy providers is that they are quite a few of them.
We recommend you make a list of up to 5 things that you’ve really got to have from an energy company. Perhaps you want green energy, this is important to you. Or you want a plan that you can prepay. Every family, individual and couple has different needs when it comes to both energy use and what they want from a company.
Ask Family, Friends & Neighbors Their Opinion
Once you’ve found an energy provider that you want to switch to, think about asking people you know about the company. This could help solidify your choice or may have you think about others that were originally on your list.
While people’s energy use is different, one of the things you can ask about is how dependable the company is and what the customer service is like. If people you know have waited hours on the phone waiting for someone to answer their call, this is something to pay attention to. But if you hear glowing reviews, you’ll also be even more pleased that you selected this energy company.
Look Honestly at Your “Switching Record”
With energy deregulation, you have the ability to switch your energy company whenever you want. This has been in existence for more than 15 years in almost all of Texas, and other states have also been deregulated for a while. But before you make your switch, we want you to look honestly at how frequently you switch energy providers.
If you are constantly switching energy providers to get a slightly lower rate or because you had 1 disappointing interaction with customer service, perhaps it is time to adjust your expectations. Changing your company may be quick to do, but you are putting in effort to find an energy company. If companies offer a great deal every now and then, wouldn’t you get the great deal the next time they offer it to their customers, if you stayed with the company?
There are many reasons to want to switch energy companies. Maybe your energy use has increased now that you’ve had kids that are getting older. Or you use energy at different times, because you are retired. So you want to choose a company and energy plan that offers better rates – which we highly recommend! With energy deregulation, the choice is 100% in your hands!
It’s Time to Switch Your Energy Provider!
Make the switch you want to make. If you’ve found an energy provider and electric plan you think is great, make the call and change to them. We know you’ll grin when you see your next bill and you’ll be pleased with the service too.
