Complaint Review: Universal Gas And Electric Corporation - Southfield, Mi Nationwide

I have not seen any savings since 2007 and don't expect to see any in the next three yrs, as our normal gas provider adjusts the gas price and it has not gone to 1.04 per ccf yet!! Not even close.  If anyone has a complaint, PLEASE file a complaint. For Michigan the number is below: Just explain all the lying and deceit of this company. The more complaints they get, the better the chances are that we don't have to pay their 250 dollar cancel fee, and the better the chance they will not be allowed in Michigan any longer.  They are already being sued and made to abide by Michigan laws more strictly. They can not even make people sign a five year contract, and can not charge more then 50-100 dollars to cancel. See the Michigan Pubic Service Commission website for the case against them!!!

MPSC Approves Settlement Agreement in Formal Complaint Against Universal Gas & Electric Corporation Contact: Judy Palnau (517) 241-3323

How can you defend UGE? are you paying their outrageous cost? and do you really believe the crap you are dishing out?

You are so helpful & just want to help people save money? Then why is it that everyone is begging to get out from under you and crying all over the web?

Gas prices are a funny thing. If you ask people to get their gas bill, and then ask them to tell you how much they're paying...most of the time they look at you clueless. The truth is, many people don't know how to read a gas bill, even though they have probably been paying one for several years. Needless to say, if you ask a person how much they were paying five years ago, last year, or even last month, they similarly have no clue. All people know is that their gas bills have been going up since they can remember. So, we have established that people don't know much about their gas bills, except that they feel that their bottom line prices have been going up. So, when strangers go to homeowners doors and tell them that they can protect their gas prices from future increases, the homeowners exclaim, "hallelujah!" The strangers explain the program and how it will affect the homeowners. The homeowners listen, are excited and relieved, and sign the paper. The strangers leave a copy of the agreement, a User Guide, and have their customer service call the homeowner the same day. However, within the next few days, the homeowner files the User Guide away, forgets what the agent had explained, and couldn't tell you much, if anything, about the program. A few bills go by and, all of a sudden, their gas bill has significantly increased. Instantly, thoughts race through their mind...a memory of a stranger whizzes by...they were supposed to be SAVING ME MONEY!? Their next though is, "I've been duped! What a scam?! They're gonna pay!" Of course, the stranger in the story is a Universal Gas & Electric Agent. And the company that is a scam and fraud is Universal Gas & Electric....why?....because they actually increased the bills of the homeowners. But, wait a minute...hold on...did you know that JUST BECAUSE YOUR FIRST FEW BILLS ARE HIGHER DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SAVE MONEY! GAS PRICES HAVE NEARLY TRIPLED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS and Universal Gas & Electric is going to protect your price at $1.049 per Ccf for the next five years. If you enrolled before February 2008, then, INITIALLY, your protected price is higher than your utility company's price. (Because it is a fixed rate for five years.) That means your first few bills will be higher than normal. HOWEVER, GAS PRICES RISE. It is only a matter of time before your utility company's price reaches and surpasses your protected price. Here are recent utility company rates for Michigan residents: DTE Energy/MichCon (Price per Ccf): January 2008 $0.70000 February 2008 $0.70000 March 2008 $0.84900 (14.900 cent increase = 21.3% increase) April 2008 $1.00500 (15.600 cent increase = 18.4% increase) May 2008 ??? Consumers Energy (Price per Ccf): January 2008 $0.76714 February 2008 $0.76859 March 2008 $0.76934 April 2008 $0.89547 (12.613 cent increase = 16.4% increase) May 2008 ??? Since February 2008, Universal Gas & Electric guarantees your price at $1.049 per Ccf for the next five years, with an introductory rate of $0.839 per Ccf for the first three months. What that means is that if a person signed up today, they could actually enjoy a DISCOUNT period through the summer. As of today, the most a DTE Energy/MichCon customer would pay is 4.3% more. The most a Consumer Energy customer would pay is 17.1% more. So, when making a decision to enroll with Universal, you have to ask yourself if you believe gas prices will increase 4.3% or 17.1%, respectively, over the next 5 years. Looking at historical gas prices could help aid your decision. For example, roughly five years ago, in January 2003: DTE Energy/MichCon charged $0.4140 per Ccf. Their gas price has INCREASED 243% OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. Consumers Energy charged $0.3700 per Ccf. Their gas price has INCREASED 242% OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. Consumer Energy rates are now at $0.89547 per Ccf and DTE Energy/MichCon rates are now at $1.00500 per Ccf. What do you think those rates will be five years from now? If you simply continue the trend of gas prices from the past five years, then five years from now Consumers Energy rates would be around $2.167 per Ccf and DTE Energy/MichCon rates would be around $2.442 per Ccf. Your protected rate is $1.049 per Ccf. Doesn't that rate look favorable right now? Wouldn't you want to be paying $1.049 per Ccf in the year 2013?! So, we can see that the scam accusations to the Michigan Public Service Commission and Internet websites are just knee-jerk reactions by naive homeowners who see an initial increase in their bills, not realizing that their price cannot go up over the next five years. In response to: "Appears they also need to look into an ethics program......" Universal is an ethical company. They adhere to and go above the standards set forth by the Michigan Public Service Commission. I attend daily training workshops and have logged hundreds of hours worth of training, carry a script at all times, and my customer service department follows up with a phone call to ensure that I was 1.) Professional, 2.) Wearing my credentials and identified myself properly, and 3.) Explained the program properly. AT NO TIME DID UNIVERSAL GAS & ELECTRIC INSTRUCT ME IN ANY WAY TO DECEIVE OR LIE TO CUSTOMERS. What more can you ask a company to do? Once agents go to the door, they, and only they, are responsible for what they say. If the company is falsely represented, THEN IT IS THE AGENT'S FAULT, not the company's. In response to: "# Complaints Filed with St. of Michigan : 140=Dec 2007 130= first 1/2 of Jan 2008" When do gas prices go up the most? In the winter, because Ccf usage significantly increases to heat homes. For people who enrolled with Universal, most people's gas bills were the highest they've ever been this winter. When you add to that the bogus news reports claiming that Universal Gas & Electric is a scam (http://efile.mpsc.cis.state.mi.us/efile/docs/15509/0003.pdf), with the Internet posters complaining that the company is a scam, it becomes easy to see how this negativity towards Universal gained momentum and prompted many Michigan residents to complain to the Michigan Public Service Commission. However, people are finicky and you'll see Universal's reputation do a 180 degree turn very soon, as gas prices continue to soar and people start touting the Five-Year Price-Protection Program as a savior!