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Cirro Energy, Customer Confusion Over Variable Electric Rate

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Power To Choose had Cirro Energy listed on their website with a Residential Electricity Rate for 12 months at 12.3 cents\kwh back in June of 2007. This tied with Spark Energy who also had a 12.3 cents per kwh energy rate. After looking closer I noticed that you can only qualify for the 12.3 cents\kwh rate with Cirro if you are using more then 500 kwh a month in electricity. Since then Cirro Energy was advertising only a variable 12 month rate on Power to Choose but would show it as a 12 month term. Mind you I had multiple people call me to complain about Cirro because they thought they had signed up for a 12 month fixed rate not noticing they were being locked into a rate that can change at will by Cirro Energy for any reason the energy company decides. I received enough of these calls to realize that most people who signed up with Cirro seemed to be under the impression that their electric rate was locked in for 12 months.

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Another bad aspect to the Cirro Energy residential electricity rate was the early termination penalty. Back in June of 2007 they would charge an electric customer 1 months average electricity bill if you were to cancel. This could be $200 – $500 for some residential customers who use a lot of energy. On a more positive note an apartment customer might only have to pay $50 – $75 to cancel since they do not use as much energy. Since June of 2007 Cirro’s early termination penalty is more in line with other electric providers. They now offer both a fixed rate and a variable electric rate.

In comparison to Cirro Energy, Startex Power has a competitive electric rate worth looking at. They have standard fixed rate terms without monthly service charges. Another electric rate plan that is good for those looking for a guaranteed no deposit plan is with Bounce Energy.  The electric rate is not dependent upon the amount of electricity used  unless you are using under 500 kWh a month. Most people do not use under that but if you do there is a $4.95 monthly fee.

Cirro Energy has announced as of August 2008 that they are being bought out by a large electric company named Dominion Retail with over 1.7 million residential and commercial electric service customers throughout the USA. My guess is that the churn rate of electric service customers has been increasing and electric companies like Cirro are looking to sell out. After reaching critical mass it actually does make sense to sell out. I wonder if this sell out is foreshadowing what is to come in the Texas retail electricity market?

Remember telecom long distance deregulation? AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. The market became pretty thin and volume ended up making or breaking these companies. Once the companies got too big and their customers started jumping ship to the next best provider they couldn’t justify the size of their companies infrastructure any longer. These companies began losing money and selling off and downsizing.

About Donny Eisenbach

Donny started ElectricityBid.com back in 2007 from his parents basement and has since married his wife Melody and had two sons, John Adam (4) and Noah (21 months old). He enjoys tech related things, softball, kickboxing, going to the gym, excursions and activities together with his wife Melody. Our service allows you to shop and compare commercial and residential electric rates and providers. Would you take the time today to try our service and see how you like it. Thank you! and God Bless You!


No Deposit Residential Texas Electric Company

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There are Low and No Deposit Options Available in Texas

We recommend you use the compare tool at the top right to see what prepaid options are available in your area. Once you compare the providers you can order service online.

For energy customers who have bad credit or just no established credit you may have found yourself being asked for a very large deposit to have electric service in Texas turned on in your name. This has been an issue facing many Texas energy consumers for some time as most electric providers in Texas do not offer a flexible electricity service rate plan for those with bad credit or no established credit. When an energy consumer signs up for electric service with bad credit the deposit requirement asked for by an electricity company can be anywhere from $150 – $1500 depending on the electric provider and the credit score. To avoid this type of deposit issue you can choose an energy supplier that has a low or no deposit electric plan. The provider we recommend above all other low or no deposit electric companies is Bounce Energy. Bounce Electric Company once offered a Fresh Start Plan that allowed a low credit score energy service customer to sign up with them at a slightly higher rate than their normal low cost rate. You remained on this higher rate for 3 months and proved to Bounce Energy that you could pay your electric bill on time and they would proactively lower your electric rate to their normal cheap electricity rate plan. This allowed you to quickly sign up for electric service at a home or apartment without having to worry about how you will come up with up to $1500 to pay a deposit requirement. Most people do not have this kind of extra cash on hand, especially for a deposit you will not receive back until your contract ends. Unfortunately their guaranteed no deposit plan is no longer available although they still have alternative plans that may get your lights turned on with no deposit required or at a low deposit cheaper than most electricity providers require.

Who is Bounce Energy

Bounce Energy is a new electric provider in Texas that was started by a seasoned software director and overall customer experience project leader at a large online marketing and back office electric service customer tracking company. Because of the extensive knowledge this company has on how to sign up electric customers, capital requirements needed to continue signing up energy customers, the ability to bill accurately and timely, and the overall customer satisfication points to consider when working to keep and renew current electric service customers in Texas makes this new electric provider one of the best new energy companies to work with. We are confident that you will find their electric rate, flexible energy agreements and overall abilities to make your customer experience enjoyable that we want to recommend their Guaranteed No Deposit Electric Rate plan as the preferred No Deposit option for customers in a credit crunch.

 

About Donny Eisenbach

Donny started ElectricityBid.com back in 2007 from his parents basement and has since married his wife Melody and had two sons, John Adam (4) and Noah (21 months old). He enjoys tech related things, softball, kickboxing, going to the gym, excursions and activities together with his wife Melody. Our service allows you to shop and compare commercial and residential electric rates and providers. Would you take the time today to try our service and see how you like it. Thank you! and God Bless You!

Electricity Company Rate Plans

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Electric Company Rate PlansWhen picking a rate plan for a residential home or apartment you need to understand how energy providers choose to market.

Every electric provider will have a few good deals on certain plans. It may be a 3 month rate or a 15 month rate but what you will see is a slightly cheaper price for that term than a typical contract term.

Compare Electricity Company Rates

It will not always be the 3 month and 15 month fixed rate plan that offers the best electricity price but this serves as an example so I can explain what is going on here.

Many times a standard 12 month fixed rate will offer the best deal but a provider can steer you to a different rate plan by making look better.

Even if certain things about an electricity company rate plan are bad for the customer an electricity provider will market it in such a way that you may see the bad aspects as positive.

These energy suppliers are simply featuring the bad parts of their plan and making you pay more for it. Don’t fall for these tricks as you end up losing in the end.

Below are some points to consider when choosing an electricity company and one of their rate plans.

  • Choose a standard electricity rate plan such as 6 months, 12 months, 24, or 36 months.
  • Don’t always go with the cheapest plan especially if it is a short term 1 – 3 month deal. That price will go up.
  • Lock in to a fixed rate and skip going with the cheaper variable price. Variable rates are always subject to change.
  • If a company leaves off TDSP charges, surcharges, and other hidden fees in their rate don’t trust that they have your best interests in mind. Go with a different provider.
  • Stay away from electricity rate plans that say they are fixed but also have a fuel surcharge that can adjust with the commodities market. This is a trick and it simply means your electricity company rate is not truly locked in as fixed.

About Donny Eisenbach

Donny owns Electricitybid.com and started the website back in 2007 to help energy consumers in Texas and the U.S. shop for electric rates from multiple vetted electric companies. In his spare time he enjoys wrestling with his 4 year old son and 18 month old son. He also likes softball, kickboxing, and doing fun excursions and activities with his wife Melody.





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