Complaint Review: Viridian Energy

 Viridian Energy burst upon the scene in March 2009 advertising itself as an MLM (multilevel marketing company).  It quickly attracted a large following where an Associate was asked to sell Viridian Energy to friends and family.  The premise was your customers would save money over time, with rates which were well below what the utility was charging.  In addition, while saving money you would be helping the enviroment by going green.  In return, the associate used his or her good name to attract other associates, he/she would quickly escalate up the promotional ladder by earning monthly residual income. 

You were promised a better lifestyle in which you could never be fired and were able to create more free time to spend with the family.  It truly sounded wonderful.  Many naive good people were pulled in hook, line, and sinker. Why not, as you were doing a good deed and believed the outrageous lies being told by the Viridian Partners, some of which, had checkered pasts for insurance fraud. 

What started out good quickly turned horrible.  A failed 20-20 promotion in 2012 in which customers were supposed to save 20% on their electricity.  Instead their electric rates went up 50%.  No apology. 

Calling customer service takes about 30 minutes, that is, if you are lucky.   At first customers did save on their energy.  Then Viridian went to a fixed rate.  If you did not pay attention to your bill Viridian raised your rates when the fixed rate (usually 6 months) expired doubling your bill by 100%.  They did not even notify the customer nor the associate that rates had increased.  When the customer finally looked at his bill and discovered the price gouging, Viridian did nothing. 

Viridian also claimed they supported the local community from where they bought their "so called" green energy. That turned out to be another lie as they are nothing more than commodity brokers who buy their energy on the open market. 

They then expanded their service by offering natural gas.  At first all customers saved money.  After about a year they switched to a fixed rate without notifying customers. 

If you did not switch to fixed rate they jacked the customers natural gas rate up 100% above the utility.  Is there any customer who knowingly would enroll with Viridian they were going to pay 100% greater than their current utility company? 

Of course not, but Viridian still offers "variable" rates to gouge customers hoping they are asleep at the switch by not reading their invoices from the utility company.  Viridian is not regulated by the State Utility Board so they can charge whatever they want. 

Then after Viridian became large enough on the blood, sweat and tears of their Associates, they introduced their "allegedly" new and inproved compensation plan.  The so called indicted partners voted for this program. 

As a result 85% of all Viridian associates were demoted in rank and were forced to accept a reduction in pay.   The partners had assured the associates that Viridian would never do anything to hurt the associates but that is exactly what they did.  As a result, most associates dropped out after years of getting Viridian customers which Viridian still retained. 

Complaints have been pouring in to the Better Business Bureau who reduced Viridian Energy from a previous rating of "A" to a current rating of  "F".    This is a terrible company who preys on associates being naive.  Beware of Viridian Energy.