PECO Seeing 300 Rescissions Per Week

About 300 customers per week ask PECO to rescind a supplier switch submitted for the customer, PECO reported during a Pennsylvania PUC hearing on retail markets.

The data point was discussed in connection with eliminating, or adjusting the timeline for or content of, the confirmation letter sent by the EDCs to customers concerning a switch request (see 11/10 story on proposed changes)

PECO said that it is unclear whether these 300 customers represent slamming, or customers who have simply decided they no longer wish to pursue their originally selected switch (such as due to a reminder about a termination fee from their current supplier).

About one-third of the rescinds each week relate to switches between suppliers, PECO said.

PECO did say that its call center is not seeing evidence of slamming in its contacts from customers.

The Office of Consumer Advocate agreed that it is also not seeing many formal slamming complaints; however, OCA noted that this may be, in part, because the current confirmation letter process stops actual slamming from occurring by informing customers of a slam before the enrollment actually takes effect.

Commissioner James Cawley said that the PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services has found slamming to be "minimal to none." Cawley said that this is expected given that suppliers know that they will be severely punished for any slamming, and thus will not engage in such activity in order to protect their investment made in entering the Pennsylvania market.

Commissioner Wayne Gardner, while open to shortening the timeline for the confirmation letter, said that he would be hard pressed to eliminate any consumer protections encompassed in the current process.