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Amigo Energy Complaints - NPC customers scammed by Amigo Energy

Review all Amigo Energy complaints

Amigo Energy

Posted: 2008-08-19 by Alan

[send email]

NPC customers scammed by Amigo Energy

Complaint Rating:

Company information:
Amigo
United States
Phone: 888-4my-amigo

If you're reading this chances are you were one of the thousands of former NPC customers switched over to Amigo energy at the end of last May. My own rate jumped from 13.9 to 24.69 in two months and from reading these blogs I'm not the only one.

I urge everyone affected to file a complaint with PUC (you can do this online) and cancel your service with Amigo and go elsewhere. Request an out of cycle meter read when switching companies otherwise you will be subjected to their rates for another 30-45 days. I have not been able to reach Amigo by phone and my account number is not valid according to their website. They love having us stuck in their high rates, why would they want to answer their phones?

My inclination is not to pay these scammers a dime until they charge me a reasonable rate. I'm writing letters to city and state representatives. Let's run these crooks out of town.

Comments

United States

Utility Services

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Comments

107 days ago by Whiz [send email]
Completely Agree. Let these crooks not run scot-free. Lets fight it out. I urge all the former NPC customers (both fixed and variable) who are taken by Amigo to make sure they file a compliant with PUC. Amigo was not a POLR and they had to respect the Terms and Conditions of NPC, atleast for the first 2 months. And everyone, SWITCH TO A DIFFERENT PROVIDER A.S.A.P. Its easy. I got my switch done is 3 days. Talk to the provider and ask for an out of cycle billing. Say that you need it in less than a week. Its possible. Gexa with not so great customer service could do it. Most other providers would be doing it too.

104 days ago by Jerry Galloway [send email]
I switched from Amigo to Reliant on or about 6/12 and was told it would take at least one billing cycle to move to Reliant. When I received my bill I too was told that my account was past due and a flyer that accompanied the bill indicated that Amigo had received bad addresses from NPC and this might have caused some statements to get lost in the mail. But I had received a letter from Amigo notifying me of the change at the time the switch occurred. I am convinced that Amigo is merely gouging acquired NPC customers who had no say in moving to Amigo. Now, the PUC has told me that all I had to do to move quicker than to wait for the next meter reading was to request an “out of cycle” meter reading in order to be immediately transferred, but I was not told, nor did I know anything about this process, just that I had to wait for the next meter reading. Not only should changed customers be notified about rates, but the acquiring company should be required to notify customers about this “out of cycle” change. What a really dumb system we have now. I have been a huge supporter of deregulation, but for ERCOT or the PUC to hand me off to Amigo without any input on my part is borderline criminal. The following is a copy of an email that was sent to Amigo Energy and was copied to the Texas Governor, Texas Lt. Governor, Texas Speaker of the House, Texas Attorney General, Texas PUC, ERCOT, my Texas State Senator and Texas State Representative. ____________________________________________ Amigo Energy: RE: Acct # 76*** I was a National Power Co customer billing at a rate of $0.135/KWh. When NPC shut down Texas operations, I was switched to you without any input or consultation with me, at all. On or about 6/15 I signed with Reliant Energy with a no contract rate of $0.139/KWh to be effective ASAP. Reliant said the changeover date would be 7/15. I have received no previous bills from Amigo Energy until yesterday. The flyer included with this bill said that you had insufficient customer data to mail some statements, yet let me remind you that you were able to mail me a letter back in June telling me you had taken over my account. Yesterday when I opened a bill for one partial month and a complete month through 7/15. When I saw the bill was for two billing cycles and was in the amount of $792.73 at a rate of $0.2419/KWh or 79% more than I was paying, I about flipped out. When I got the bill yesterday afternoon, your offices were closed so I couldn't call you. This afternoon I made three calls to your customer support number. The first time I was on hold for 5 minutes then was disconnected. For the second call I was on hold for 28 minutes then when answered your representative just went away. For the third call, I was on hold for 23 minutes and spoke with Gabriel and Alexa, neither of whom could offer any satisfaction to my dispute. Amigo Energy’s own published deep discount no contract rate for August is $0.197/KWh. So why do you bill involuntarily switched customers at a rate abnormally higher than the market? If I am forced to use an electricity provider, with no input from me, it should be billed at something closer to a market rate. I dispute the charge as you billed it and request that you please use recalculate my bill at a true market rate and re-bill me. I will immediately pay that bill when received. My credit has absolutely no negatives attached to it at all ... If you report this dispute to any credit reporting agency and my credit rating or score is in any way damaged, I will hold Amigo Energy responsible for any and all financial damages I suffer as a result. Thanks for your help and assistance. Jerry B Galloway

103 days ago by Daniela Hughes [send email]
They have done the same to all that had NPC service. We could not get a bill or a rate until we swiched service. As soon as we moved to YEP Energy we received a double cycle bill with the same pathetic flyer telling us they had insufficent data to send the previous bill and we would receive a $15 credit! We filed a complaint with the PUC and BBBHouston. The bottom line is whether Amigo are obliged to abide by the NPC contract - clearly states that rates cannot rise by more than 10% unless notified. We faxed Amigo the contract that is active on their webite - they called to offer a settlement of 0.19/kwh - This is so consistent that the PUC need to investigate and determine the outcome for all. I encourage all to file a complaint with the PUC and BBB. They cannot be allowed to get away with this - irony is that the final bill arrived today, 7 days after the final bill - the slogan is "the friendly enegy company"! "Amigo" ought to leave Texas also if they continue these practices.

101 days ago by Douglas Patton [send email]
Amigo did the same thing to me overbilled will not return phone calls. I have filed with the PUC, Ralph Hall, city of Heath and State of texas. Very bad situation!

101 days ago by Jane [send email]
Do they have a class action lawsuit that we can join? I was scammed by them about the same way. No need to repeat the story. Action is needed. Please let me know if you know one. Thanks!

100 days ago by Trezhor [send email]
Like many NPC customers, I was also autoswitched by NPC to AMIGO Energy company Now, I have the exact same overbilling, and also over meter reading problem with AMIGO ENERGY. Last May 30th NPC silently dropped my NPC account and handed over to Amigo Energy without any prior notice. About a week later they sent letter citing this handover. I called N.P.C. immediately, no one is there. Then I called AMIGO ENERGY, no one answers the phone or the line is always busy at different day times. That was big red flag so then I called TXU to switch without further delay. Apparently the switch in Texas took 2 months and 2 months later AMIGO Energy sent me a bill of $739 which is completely outrageous considering my bill for two months last year for the exact time and exact same or less usage was never more than $300.00 with NPC. That is a $439 overcharge by AMIGO Energy company, the company I never switched to in the first place. Moreover, their bill shows a initial bill for 3 days of first billing cycle as $105, just for first 3 (THREE DAYS), obviously someone at AMIGO is making up false meter reading in addition to overcharge with extremely higher rate. This is a clear case of extortion, fraud, unfair business practice, breach of contract, violation of fair trade consumer rights... Several email to AMIGO Customer Service email (LISTED IN THE BILL) went unanswered. After several days of trial, a CS rep on the phone spent hour researching and came back to say she issued a credit adjustment of $60.00 from a $739 bill for two months they were able to extort customers they took over from N.P.C. This is Amigo's Fix: Issue credit for about $60.00 and still overcharge $400.00 more for 2 months period of takeover account.

98 days ago by Suresh [send email]
Same thing has happend not just for one for all custoemrs, i have got bill for $630, just they have shown a previous balance of 169 not sure from where did they get this number, and for 33 days they have chanrged me 461 and a final bill of 630 they have sent. I switched over to another provider in june but the switch over took me around one billing cycle. I am all here to support the fraud from amigo on helpless consumers.

93 days ago by Jonathan [send email]
It is illegal to raise your rate without warning or notification. Amigo never sent me any bills. as soon as I swithced to Relaint, I got my first bill for $1500 for two months.

85 days ago by Carmen Fritz [send email]
Amigo is doing this to all of us and I believe t is illegal. I never received a welcome letter, I searched for and found my account on 06/04/2008 where I was told by the AMIGO clerk that the electric rate for the cycle was 16.5. I told them I was NOT interested in using them and I would have the account moved immediately. I hired Direct Energy at 12.9 and asked they move the account ASAP and they also told me I had to wait till the next billing cycle. I never received any bill from Amigo so on 07/31/2008 I called Amigo to see where the bill was and I was told that I had 2 past due bills for over $400.00 and that was after almost $200.00 from my deposit was applied to my bill. I said NO as I was told the rate was 16.5 on 06/04/2008 AFTER the cycle had started and their website says the adjustable rate is month to month and not DAY TO DAY. They changed the rate from 16.5 to 24.19 on 06/16/2008, after they had been notified by Ercot that I was not using their services. Since they at Amigo are not interested in fair play and are not responding with answers that relate to the questions, I have filed a formal complaint with the PUC, the Houston BBB, and with the Texas Attorney general. Lets band together as united we stand, devided we fall...some lawyer is salivating as this is a classic class actionable lawsuit.

60 days ago by Skyrose [send email]
The exact same thing happened to me. I called Amigo in early June and was told the rate was 17.5 cents kwh. When I received the bill, the rate was closer to 24 cents a kwh. Customer service at Amigo was a joke (the guy could hardly speak English), so I filed a complaint with the PUC. The PUC said they could charge what ever they wanted. Now the PUC has a whole host of charges against Amigo, and there's a possibility that my bill will be readjusted. No doubt, Amigo is a fraudulent, scamming, evil company. It's absolute abhorrent that such a company is allowed to stay in business. Hope they go under soon. Stay away from them at all costs!

10 days ago by Jason M. [send email]
AMIGO sucks! The same thing happened to me as most posters on this board. I cannot even get a customer service rep on the phone to discuss this with me, but they sure have no problem making repeated phone calls with threats to send me to collections. I almost wish they would so I could sue their a55es under the FCRA (I didn't sign an agreement to use their services and never received a single shred of correspondence from them until I moved from my previous address - the one they were supposedly now servicing at twice the previous KWh rate!). It simply isn't in my blood to let these crooks steal from me and that is what they are trying to do. I have offered to, if they would send me an adjusted bill at the rate I had signed up for with my previous provider (NPC), immediately pay the bill. They agreed to do it but so far (a week later), I have yet to receive the adjusted bill (or, actually, ANY bill ever!) and continue to receive harassing phone calls attempting to collect the higher amount. If anyone is interested in or knows of a class-action suit against this truly pathetic company, I will be more than happy to participate.

9 days ago by Kristie [send email]
I don't know about you, but I've been getting calls from Amigo's supposed collections agency called Amvensys. There were about 4 or 5 other REP's like NPC that tanked about the same time in May. One of them was Riverway Power and their customers have been having the same issues us NPC customers have. Amvensys is a partner of Riveryway Power. I am currently in the process of disputing Amigo Energy's bill which is double what the max we ever paid to NPC. I'm also contacting the Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection and filing a complaint against Amvensys for harassing me with phone calls while I am at work and not providing anything in writing saying who they are, who they are collecting for and the amount they are trying to collect. I've found out a lot of interesting things about this company, Amvensys. If you are getting phone calls from them, email me and let me know felinecat123@yahoo.com. Also, here's the Attorney General's website. Click on the heading for Consumer Protection and file your complaints. The more they receive the better off we'll all be when these companies are gone: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/

2 days ago by Bill Devitt [send email]
I'm having a similar experience to other writers. I was arbitrarily switched to Amigo from NPC. Never received a statement from Amigo until I received a collectiom letter. When I complained and got a statement I found that the NPC rate had been doubled from 12 cents to 24 cents. I'm fighting Amigo via e-mail but their response is arrogant and, in one way, stupid. For example, they're hanging their hat on having sent an Electricity Facts Label to show what they were charging. Trouble is the date they claim they sent it on was 17 days after the billing cycle had started. In my opinion Amigo embarked upon a scam in expoitinga legal loophole when they saw NPC failing. Even if only 1/2 of switched consumers pay Amigo's bills, Amigo is way ahead. My thanks to all of you who voted -in a single party legislature which is owned by the energy lobby. I believe you're called Republicans.