A reader writes: "Heads up neighbors, on June 21st around 2PM we had two representatives from Spark Energy come to our door telling us that they were here to switch our electric meters and needed to come inside to check the boxes. They were dressed up and had "Spark Energy" name tags...and said that our building agreed to switch over to their lower rate (from 8 cents to 6 cents). I know that nobody in our building switched to Spark Energy so I am assuming that this is a scam or a "slamming" tactic. As a friendly reminder, residents should be weary of any worker asking entrance into your home. Additionally please report any suspicious activities to the police."
While Spark Energy is a legitimate business, there have been other reports of "pushy" sales tactics around the City. This reader is correct that you are NOT obligated to let them in, and you do not need to show them your meter or your utility bill. If you feel threatened, call the police but also report the activity directly to Spark: customercare@sparkenergy.com.
3 comments:
That seems to be a new low for these people.
Spark Energy is committed to delivering professional interactions with all consumers, and we apologize that this wasn't your reader’s experience with our company. We recognize that the agents who come to your door represent our company and our image, and we take accusations of unprofessional or misleading conduct very seriously. With your safety in mind, each agent has completed an extensive background check, drug screen, and a comprehensive training program. They also and sign a code of conduct, which we strictly enforce. Please know that we are committed to quality, and to ongoing improvement to the quality of our service going forward.
Any sales representative found to be operating outside of our sales practice in any way is immediately removed from the field, and can be terminated. For instance, sales agents should only be asking for copies of bills once the customer has agreed to the sale, and they do not need access to your meter. We hold our vendors at a very high standard and have been told on a regular basis that we have the strictest quality assurance requirements of any company they represent. Our Direct Sales Manager is calling each local manager to make sure everyone completely understands that any misrepresentation needs to stop immediately, and we thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Each of our agents carries badge identification. Please do ask for badges and take down names or badge ID numbers so we can take corrective action in situations that you believe do not live up to our high standards. We find that our best customer is an educated one that understands electricity choice and all of their options, and if the agent working with you is not helping to facilitate a positive conversation about electricity choice, we need to know. If you can provide additional details of the agent that you’ve interacted with, please contact us at customercare@sparkenergy.com or at 1-877-54-SPARK
As one of the individuals who encountered this exchange I find the response from the company underwhelming and disappointing. I completely understand PES (pre employment screening) but consumers need to understand that this should be only one step in the process of guaranties to the consumer. Some facts:
-two Spark resources ring the bell dressed not in utility garb but rather in shirt/tie and blouse/skirt stating that they were here to get access to the meters to switch over to Sparrk energy saving .02 from .08 to .06 rates.
-requested access inside the home to get to the meters
-could not identify who requested the turn over to Spark
-asked to come back another time once verification was done with the building that no one requested this exchange.
-wrote our address on a sheet of paper and did not have any sort of work order.
-verified with building that there was no request for any exchange as the representatives stated and inferred that we also had not responded to the "mailings" we received.
-there was not one sort of mailing of any of this kind to any resident.
This makes me wonder what type of sales practices Spark Energy is implementing. There has also been complaints in surrounding neighborhoods with the same "response" from the company.
I think as consumers we have to be very wery of these companies.
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