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Apples to Apples

PUCO Apples to Apples: What they aren't telling Ohioans

When Ohio deregulated its electric and natural gas markets in the late 1990s, Ohio residents were free to shop and choose their own Ohio electricity and natural gas suppliers. The Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) set up their Energy Choice Ohio website to help customers shop for their own electricity and natural gas suppliers and save money...or, so it seemed.

Ohio's energy customers have since discovered that there's a lot more to choosing the right energy provider than just reaching into a bushel of plans and picking the cheapest price. Unfortunately, the Energy Choice Ohio website just piles the bad energy plans and suppliers with the good ones and leaves customers to sort them out on their own.

What's Wrong with Energy Choice Ohio?

The problem with Energy Choice Ohio is that any electricity or natural gas provider in the state can put their information there regardless of their reputation, customer service complaints, PUCO violations or BBB rating. There is NO CONTROL over which companies can list their products!

Are there companies who exploit Energy Choice Ohio users?

There are suppliers whose only source of customers is the PUCO Apples to Apples website. They tempt you with a low rate knowing that their plans will jack up your bill with unfair fees and hidden charges designed to boost their profits! And if you try to talk to them, they skimp on customer service, keeping you on hold until you just hang up and pay your bill to keep your lights and heat on.

This is bad for everyone - except for the questionable companies who rely on the PUCO web site to help them pitch their 'bait and switch' scam to unsuspecting consumers just like you.

This is where Ohio Energy Ratings comes in.

Why is Ohio Energy Ratings a better comparison site than Energy Choice Ohio?

Using Energy Choice Ohio is like going to the grocery store to buy apples from a HUGE bin. There's all kinds in there and Energy Choice Ohio only provides basic links and little detail about the electricity and natural gas plans on their site. That means the customer has to compare them -- apples to apples -- all by themselves. For that reason, most consumers don't know whether they're biting into a sweet deal or a rotten one until they sign up.

Ohio Energy Ratings informs customers by providing ratings, real customer reviews, side by side comparisons, and detailed plan analysis. We help customers learn what to look out for, how to compare rates, how to shop plans, and how to pick the best plan that fits their needs.

Are the prices on Ohio Energy Choice too good to be true?

To be fair, customers really can find a great deal on electricity and natural gas at Ohio Energy Choice -- but they have to do ALL the comparison work themselves! And to compare all those plans really well, they need to read lots and lots of plans.

Most folks don't read the fine print when they shop for energy plans and that's a pity. You can tell a lot about an energy supplier from their fine print.

Let's say you see a sweet 3-month plan at Energy Choice Ohio. No other plan can touch that price so you sign up without a second thought. But did you see anything anywhere on the Energy Choice Ohio site about what could happen when your initial contract term ends? Some providers stipulate that when your initial contract term ends you'll "roll over" to a rate that is 3 to 6 times higher. That's all spelled out in their fine print.

Energy Choice Ohio doesn't flag that kind of stuff. We do.

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