Author Topic: Change natural gas providers every year?  (Read 2595 times)

Lilburner

Change natural gas providers every year?
« on: December 11, 2018, 11:39:52 PM »
I got a thing from Gas South saying it's time to pick a new rate. I went online and their one year rate was .61/therm. That sounded high so I looked around and everyone else wad in the 40s.

I called them and told them there was something wrong. They said those were the right rates. They said "Those other companies are just promotional rates. Their real rates are higher". I asked "but I get that rate for a whole year, right?", but they didn't have much else to say.

I called GNG and asked about the logistics of switching. Don't have to have a tech come out - don't even have to call your old company.

After some quizzing, I learned that their .49 rate was really a .62 rate, discounted .13.

So why doesn't everyone just change to a new gas company every year?

Seems like if it were as easy as all that, everyone would know about it.

Wonder what I'm missing.
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

RWS

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Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2018, 06:18:33 AM »
Wait until you have made the rounds and they say as a returning customer you have to pay a penalty to switch back...

upacreek

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2018, 09:11:07 AM »
 I locked into a three-year rate for $.37 a therm with constellation gas, everybody else was over $.40. Since I’ve never had a gas line before, I didn’t realize that after the first year your rates go crazy. By my third year here, I was paying close to a $1 a therm. I was pissed when I found out you have to renegotiate at the end of every contract or they’re allowed to raise it or even nearly triple it. It’s my understanding that these aren’t promotions, they’re just contracts for a set amount of time. I only have 2 1/2 more years to worry about this. I will miss my gas though. Smore’s in the house is an awesome thing.
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Lilburner

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2018, 01:42:29 PM »
RWS you must not have natural gas. I'm pretty sure there are enough retailers for AGL to last me the rest of my life.

Upacreek, what do you think of Constellation? I'm looking at them. The reviews are horrible - like one star, but seem mostly to do with aggressive door-to-door sales of electricity in New York and that they cut people's service of if they don't pay. Didn't really see any good-paying gas customers in GA complaining.
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

RWS

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Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2018, 02:44:01 PM »
RWS you must not have natural gas. I'm pretty sure there are enough retailers for AGL to last me the rest of my life.-------------------------------------
Well, you can tell I don't use natural gas or propane.  I'm just running my mouth (fingers) Hi.  I am all electric with a wood stove & solar water heater.

upacreek

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2018, 10:04:35 PM »
Constellation has randomly stopped their autopay twice on me as they switched systems. Setting it up the third time seemed to do the trick and they never charged me for being late or shut off service. It was annoying, but I’ve saved enough that a couple minutes a couple months in a row is acceptable (Comcast and AT&T have drastically lowered my standards).
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

aces

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2018, 02:35:34 PM »
The Georgia Public Service Commission publishes this chart about the 5th of every month with all the marketer's quotes and their monthly fees (which has to be taken into account.)
Notice the "apples-to-apples" column that takes the fee into account with the per therm price.

http://www.psc.state.ga.us/content.aspx?c=/gas-marketer-pricing/


We have it set up that our contract expires late summer when the rates tend to be the cheapest before fall.
You might get a shorter contract this time to set yourself up for next year.

My husband plays them against each other.  He takes a mail piece quote and calls up who we have (GNG the last few years) and challenges them to match it or he will leave.
One year he went with some outfit offering a gift card for signing up after doing the math to make sure he wasn't paying a lot more to get it.

Anyone at risk of having to move in the contract period should look at the cancellation fees which are often hefty.

Good luck!

revckd

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2018, 10:39:05 AM »

 (Comcast and AT&T have drastically lowered my standards).

I know exactly what you mean there! ::) ;D ;D
revckd
KM4PHQ

Bellatores et Venatores in Christo
A prudent person foresees danger ahead and takes precautions. ~ Proverbs 27:12

Starlady

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #8 on: December 18, 2018, 09:04:14 AM »

" (Comcast and AT&T have drastically lowered my standards)"

Yeah, yeah, jus wait till you move to the boondocks...……..you'll WISH you had Comcast!

I do, at any rate.   But then, I never (ever!) had any trouble with them.  Satellite is slow, and subject to weather interruptions.
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein

YellowRose

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2018, 09:09:47 PM »
I found that Walton EMC allows you to re-register with the promotional rate every year.  Apparently they figured out a lot of people were switching every year, so to keep people, they made it so you can keep getting the promotional rate.  It just takes a few minutes to do so every year.
 

Lilburner

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2018, 06:29:28 PM »
Well I'm switched. .39/therm and a $75 gift card. Not bad.

But there's a considerable suck, too

TURNS OUT... and this is information everyone needs to know, and I've never seen it in my life....

If you switch before the 15th, you get switched the next 1st.
If you switch between the 15th and 19th, you have a 50/50 chance of getting switched on the next 1st or the 1st after that.
If you switch on the 20th or after, you get switched on the SECOND 1st.

So now I have to pay GasSouth .61 on a no-contract plan for January.

Won't make that mistake next time.
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

upacreek

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2018, 10:55:50 PM »
Who did you go with?
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Lilburner

Re: Change natural gas providers every year?
« Reply #12 on: December 21, 2018, 11:45:42 AM »
I used Constellation.

After I signed up, they offered me a referral link. If I'd known that beforehand, I'd have checked with you.  :(

They had the lowest rates, but Xoom was rated lower on something called "Apples-to-Apples Energy Cost", but I could never find out what that entailed. Maybe Xoom next year.
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

 

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