Energy Choice
                            

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State Proposes Prohibiting Suppliers from Soliciting In Elderly Housing Complexes, Other New Marketing Rules

November 18, 2014

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Copyright 2010-14 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Karen Abbott • kabbott@energychoicematters.com

The Connecticut PURA has proposed that electric suppliers be prohibited from conducting door-to-door solicitations in elderly housing complexes under proposed new marketing standards.

The proposed standards provide that all door-to-door representatives must use a written script.

"A copy of the written script is to be provided to the customer. It shall include a section the customer shall sign which attests that the script was followed by the sales agent. The script shall include the name of Licensed Electric Supplier being marketed, if the person at the door is an individual other than an employee of the Supplier, the broker/agent's name/company name and contact info. The script shall also state that the door-to-door salesperson did not represent themselves as an employee or member of the customer's electric distribution company. It is the responsibility of the Supplier to review and approve the script and insure that the agent/representative has knowledge of the product," the proposal provides.

For telemarketing sales, the proposed standards provide that all suppliers, brokers or vendors conducting telemarketing must clearly identify their official company name in the Caller ID information area and must also clearly identify within that Caller ID a telephone number that a customer can use to contact the supplier, broker or vendor making the call. "Suppliers, Brokers/Vendors are prohibited from using a company name within its Caller ID that includes generic or misleading phrases such as 'Customer Service' 'Electric Choice'", the proposal states.

"Each telemarketing call must begin with the sales agent stating his/her name, their company name/broker name and the licensed electric supplier they are soliciting for. They must declare that they are not associated with and do not represent the customer's electric distribution company," the proposal states.

For third party verification, the proposal provides that, "At any time during a third party verification the customer cannot answer a question, the verification process must end and the call must be returned to the original solicitor/telemarketer. At any time a customer does not understand a question, the verification process must end and the call must be returned to the original solicitor/telemarketer."

"Verification calls must include an opportunity for non-English speaking customers to have a verifier in their own language. The offer and request for a non-English speaking verifier must be part of the recorded verification," the proposal provides.

Under the proposal, a disclosure statement informing the customer of where they can see the supplier's variable rate history shall appear on, all promotional materials and all communications between the Supplier and the customer, including but are not limited to:

• The supplier's website;

• All notifications required by statutes;

• All renewal notices or correspondence relating to a customer's service;

• Direct mail;

• Newspaper ads;

• Radio ads;

• Magazine ads;

• Email ads and information;

• Any material used in door-to-door solicitation; and

• Billboards

The font, color and placement of the Disclosure Statement must be consistent with the font and color of, and in close proximity to, the rates information to adequately serve the purpose of keeping the customers fully informed, the proposal states.

Under the proposal, a supplier is required to return customer's calls within 24 hours and must provide requested documents within 3 business days. A supplier is required to effectuate the drop of a customer within 3 business days of the customer's request to terminate service with the supplier.

Related Story Today: State Proposes to Prohibit Assignment of Customer Contracts to Another Supplier "Without The Customer's Consent"

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