MAYBE THEY'VE BEEN KNOCKING ON
áYOURá DOOR.SALES PEOPLE
WANTING YOU TO BUY YOUR
NATURAL GAS FROM SOMEONE ELSE.
3
BRIAN:..THERE HAVE BEEN
COMPLAINTS ABOUT SALES TACTICS
FOR YEARS AND THEY JUST KEEP
COMING.
3
NEW TONIGHT -- TARGET 8
INVESTIGATOR HENRY ERB TELLS
US WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.
3
((RUTH OVERLY. I WAS OUTDOORS
WORKING IN MY YARD AND THIS
YOUNG MAN WALKED IN.))A
DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESMAN WAS
WORKING RUTH OVERLY'S MUSKEGON
COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD. SHE HAD
THE IMPRESSION HE WAS FROM HER
GAS SUPPLIER DTE. RUTH SAYS
SHE JUST WANTED TO GET RID OF
HIM.((HE MADE ME THINK
SOMETHING WAS GOING ON WITH
DTE AND HE HAD A PIECE OF
PAPER ON A CLIP BOARD AND HE
WANTED ME, AND HE SAID SIGN
THIS AND I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST
AN OPINION PAPER IN CASE
SOMETHING HAPPENED TO DTE.))
BUT IT WASN'T A SURVEY OR A
PETITION. THE SALESMAN WASN'T
FROM DTE. AND HE HAD JUST
GOTTEN RUTH TO SWITCH TO AN
ALTERNATIVE GAS SUPPLIER. RUTH
SAID WHAT SHE SIGNED LOOKED TO
HER LIKE A BLANK SHEET. SHE
SAID SHE DIDN'T SEE THIS
CONTRACT THE COMPANY LATER
PRODUCED.((I NEVER WOULD HAVE
SIGNED A CONTRACT))SOME OF THE
TWENTY ALTERNATIVE GAS
SUPPLIERS IN MICHIGAN SEND
SALES PEOPLE DOOR TO DOOR.
THEY WERE ALLOWED INTO THE
STATE WHEN GAS PRICES WERE
HIGH AND THE LEGISLATURE
THOUGHT A LITTLE COMPETITIION
WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE MAJOR
COMPANIES SUCH AS DTE AND
CONSUMERS. BUT ALONG WITH
THEIR GAS HAS FLOWED TROUBLE.
MORE THAN 1,900 COMPLAINTS IN
THE LAST TWO YEARS AGAINST
ALTERNATIVE GAS SUPPLIERS
ACCORDING TO THIS LIST WE GOT
FROM STATE REGULATORS. NEARLY
500 ARE ABOUT SALES. THINGS
LIKE DECEPTIVE MARKETING,
SLAMMING, UNAUTHORIZED
SWITCHING. REGULATORS SUCH AS
ANNE ARMSTRONG SAY SOME OF
THOSE COMPLAINTS TURN OUT TO
BE FALSE.
AND...((ANNE ARMSTRONG/MPSC.
THEY ARE LESS FREQUENT THAN
THEY WERE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF
THE ALTERNATIVE GAS SUPPLIERS))
BUT WE STILL HEAR PEOPLE
COMPLAINING: THEY DIDN'T
REALIZE THEY SWITCHED
SUPPLIERS. THEY THOUGHT THE
SALES PERSON WAS FROM THEIR
TRADITIONAL GAS
COMPANY.((MARIE BOSMA. IT'S
THE DECEPTION THAT WE DON'T
LIKE))MARIE BOSMA KNEW WHAT
HAPPENED TO HER FRIEND RUTH
OVERLY SO SHE WAS READY WHEN
LAST FALL GAS SALESMEN CAME TO
CALL.
3
((MARIE BOSMA. I TOLD HIM
RIGHT AWAY THAT I'M NOT
SIGNING ANYTHING.))SHE SAYS HE
CLAIMED TO BE FROM HER CURRENT
GAS SUPPLIER BUT WOULDN'T LET
HER READ HIS ID
TAG.((AS HE TURNED TO LEAVE HE
SAYS, UH, YOU'LL GET A SHUT
OFF NOTICE IN TWO OR THREE
DAYS.))THAT DIDN'T WORK ON HER
EITHER.((BUT THERE'S OTHER
PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT'S
GOING ON AND THEY MIGHT
SIGN.))((ANNE ARMSTRONG/MPSC.
THE CUSTOMER IS IN CONTROL AND
DOESN'T HAVE TO SIGN ANYTHING
UNLESS THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE))
SO THE STATE AGENCY THAT
REGULATES GAS AND ELECTRIC
POSTS CONSUMER ADVICE ON ITS
WEBSITE. ABOUT THE RULES AND
YOUR RIGHTS. AND THE HARD
QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK.IT
ALSO MAKES IT EASY FOR YOU TO
FILE COMPLAINTS.THE MICHIGAN
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION SAYS
IT INVESTIGATES EACH
ONE.((ARMSTRONG. WE WORK VERY
HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
CUSTOMERS ARE MADE WHOLE IF
INDEED A VIOLATION HAS
OCCURRED.))THE STATE WEBSITE
EVEN LETS YOU COMPARE PRICES.
THAT'S A BIG DEAL BECAUSE A
LOT OF PEOPLE COMPLAIN THAT
THE SWITCH TO AN ALTERNATIVE
SUPPLIER ACTUALLY COSTS THEM
MORE.((RUTH OVERLY. YES I'M
PAYING DOUBLE, UH, YES))RUTH
OVERLY SAYS IT WAS ONLY
BECAUSE OF HER BALLOONING GAS
BILL LAST WINTER THAT SHE
LEARNED SHE'D BEEN SWITCHED.
HERE'S THE PUBLIC SERVICE
COMMISSION PRICE COMPARISON
PAGE. YOU CAN CLICK ON YOUR
TRADITIONAL SUPPLIER AND SEE
WHAT IT CHARGES.
3
((ERB. WE PICKED DTE..NOW
SELLING AT.25 CENTS A UNIT OF
GAS, THEN YOU CAN GO DOWN THE
LIST OF ALTERANTIVE SUPPLIERS
TO SEE WHAT THEY CHARGE.... 51
CENTS. 48. 59. 29. 29. 31
CENTS AND SO ON))RUTH OVERLY
HAS SWITCHED BACK TO HER
CHEAPER TRADITIONAL SUPPLIER.
BUT SHE'S LEFT WITH A BIG GAS
BILL SHE CAN'T AFFORD. SHE
STOPPED PAYING LAST OCTOBER
AND EXPECTS A SHUT OFF
NOTICE.((RUTH. I HAVE HAD A
STOMACH ACHE SINCE THIS BEGAN.
I'D LIKE TO REALLY GET EM FOR
TURNING MY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.))
A REASON NOT TO SIGN ANYTHING
A DOOR-TO-DOOR SALESMAN WAVES
IN FRONT OF YOU BEFORE YOU
CHECK IT OUT.I'M TARGET 8
INVESTIGATOR HENRY ERB.
3
SUE:..THE COMPANY THAT
SWITCHED RUTH OVERLY, MICHIGAN
NATURAL GAS LLC DID NOT
RESPOND TO OUR QUESTIONS.
3
BUT WE DID HEAR FROM THE
NATIONAL INDUSTRY GROUP RETAIL
ENERGY SUPPLY ASSOCIATION.
3
BRIAN:..SPOKESMAN DAN
ALLEGRETTI SAYS "SOMETIMES IT
CAN BE A HANDFUL OF
INDIVIDUALS THAT BECOME VERY
AGGRESSIVE" IN THEIR SALES
TACTICS. HE SAYS HIS MEMBERS
TAKE DECEPTIVE PRACTICES VERY
SERIOUSLY AND SUPPORT
DISCIPLINARY ACTION BY STATE
REGULATORS WHEN THERE ARE
PROBLEMS.
3
BRIAN:..HE SAYS CUSTOMER
CHOICE IN THE NATURAL GAS AND
ELECTRIC INDUSTRY IS STILL
RELATIVELY NEW AND DOOR-TO-
DOOR SALES GIVES THE
COMPETITORS A CHANCE TO
EDUCATE POTENTIAL
CUSTOMERS.SUE:..WE CAN LINK
YOU TO THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
GAS CHOICE INFORMATION FROM