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Revised Draft Decision Would Allow Retail Supplier To Engage In Online Enrollments, But Otherwise Prohibit Retail Supplier From Marketing To, Enrolling New Residential Customers For Six Months

April 3, 2019

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Copyright 2010-19 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

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The Connecticut PURA today issued a revised draft decision in a proceeding investigating Direct Energy for alleged violations of Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 16-245, 16-245o, 16-245s, and 42-110b.

As exclusively first reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com in February, an initial draft decision issued would have provided that, "Direct is prohibited from accepting new residential customers for six months."

The revised draft decision modifies this provision to provide that, "Direct is prohibited from accepting new residential customers and/or marketing to residential customers via any means other than online enrollments for six months; and Direct must submit to auditing of all marketing by the Authority for one year after the end of the six-month prohibition on accepting new customers."

A proposed ordering clause states, "Direct shall be prohibited from accepting new residential customers and/or marketing to residential customers via any means other than online enrollments for six months, from May 16, 2019 through November 16, 2019."

Direct Energy had submitted numerous exceptions to the original proposed decision

Among other things, Direct in its exceptions did propose that, to the extent a prohibition on residential enrollments was adopted, any prohibition on accepting new residential customers should be limited to enrollments from door-to-door and telesales marketing – not online enrollments – because none of the violations in the proposed decision involved online enrollments.

Direct Energy issued the following statement to EnergyChoiceMatters.com: "We are pleased that this multi-year investigation which began in 2012 is coming to an end and that PURA’s revised Draft Decision reflects our request to continue on-line sales. We cooperated fully in this investigation and immediately took action to ensure any customer-specific issues were satisfactorily resolved. Direct Energy takes very seriously its responsibility to enforce compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. We care about our customers, and we work hard to protect our customers’ trust by being responsive when they have questions or concerns and by providing a positive customer experience."

The revised draft decision does not modify the proposed $1,500,000 civil penalty

See a full discussion of the allegations in the case in our prior story here

Docket 13-07-17

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