Universal Gas & Electric i was scammed and face utility shut off Southfield Michigan

In response to Isis's comment, "there are thousands of complaints on at least 20 websites. 3 newspaper expos. and at least 2 local TV news reports exposing this fraud. yet still after months nothing is done! NO HOPE IS OFFERED. NO LAWSUITS. NO STATE OR FEDERAL INTERVENTION."

There is a reason why Universal Gas & Electric (UGE) continues to operate in the state of Michigan...because they ARE A LEGITIMATE COMPANY!

Here is the side of the story you probably didn't hear...

At the Michigan Public Service Commission's (MPSC) website you can research electronically filed documents. Recently, Fox 2 Detroit News did an "expose" on Universal Gas & Electric. It aired on the show "Problem Solvers" and attacked UGE's gas program and marketing tactics. However, the investigating performed by the news media show was less than shoddy. In fact, it was biased and a brazen attempt to slander Universal. On the MPSC's website, Case No. U-15509 investigates Universal Gas & Electric's marketing practices.

Here is a synopsis of the inaccuracies of the reporting:

1.) The report stated that UGE: 'Wever tells (customers) that the locked-in rate could be almost double what they are paying now" and that the customers' UGE rate is "almost double" compared to their old rate.

BLATANTLY FALSE. In fact, in a worse-case scenario, a customer could see
a 48 percent increase; however, even a 48 percent increase would be less than the
average increase for all gas prices (measured in 100 cubic feet) in metro Detroit over the last five years.

2.) Nowhere does it say nor does the sales person tell you that your $175 gas bill could turn into $300.

BLATANTLY FALSE. An increase of $175 to $300 would be a 71% increase - far more than what any customer would pay based on the same amount of gas used from one billing period to the next - even assuming that natural gas charges made up 100 percent of the bill, which they do not.

3.) Dwayne Richards (an employee interviewed on camera) worked for UGE for several months.

BLATANTLY FALSE. Dwayne worked for UGE for only three weeks. Moreover, FOX 2 NEVER CALLED UGE TO VERIFY HIS LENGTH OF EMPLOYMENT - a fact which shows Fox engaged in less than shoddy reporting.

4.) Dwayne said he and his fellow employees were trained to scare people and sidestep questions.

BLATANTLY FALSE. UGE trains its sales staff at or above industry standards. Further, FOX NEVER CALLED UGE TO ASK WHETHER STAFF WERE TRAINED TO SCARE PEOPLE OR AVOID GIVING DIRECT ANSWERS.

5.) UGE's spokesman, Ray Samuels, according to Fox, stated that customers should have "read the fine print" in their contracts.

Hyperbole is allowed in reporting -but not blatantly false statements like this one. 1.) There is NO FINE PRINT in any contract, i.e., text made smaller so as to deceive a buyer or in any way confuse him or her. In fact, ALL text is in MINIMUM 12-point type. 2.) Mr. Samuels NEVER STATED THAT CUSTOMERS SHOULD "READ THE FINE PRINT."

6.) This is a statement from an ex-sales agent at UGE. (It shows the true "investigative" motives and professionalism at work.) At approximately 2:30 am on February 21, 2008, I received a call from a representative for Fox 2 News, problem solvers. They were asking if I had worked for Universal Gas & Electric, Corporation. I said yes. They offered me $1,000.00 to do an extensive interview and tell them what we did at Universal Gas & Electric, Corp. I said no, and started to cuss them out for waking me up. They told me to call them and set up a time to do the interview that "I could stop the scamming of the innocent people." This is where I hung up after more vulgarity. The conversation was about three minutes long and the representative was very persistent and adamant about me providing more information. (What ex-employee would not talk bad about their former employer for $1,000...why the adamant badgering for info...and what rep calls at 2 am...?!)

7.) Statement: "What did Universal do when the Commission asked them to prove their customers were happy? The company said no way and backed out."

First, the MPSC did not ask Universal to prove their customers were happy. The MPSC required Universal to report every six months regarding customer issues, something that Universal already does on a real-time basis. Universal opted to rescind its [electricity] application because the license was only for TWO YEARS, and Universal could not offer a FIVE-YEAR contract with a two year license. Universal has determined that five-year contracts are necessary to protect customers from short term market fluctuations.

8.)Anchor: "What about the employees? Are they being paid?" Reporter: "Well you heard the employee, the former employee in our story saying he has not been paid, that he has still not been paid. We have heard from several other former employees today, saying they have not been paid.

Universal is current in its commission obligations.

9.) Anchor: "There are a lot of alternative gas companies out there, are there any good deals?" Reporter: "There absolutely are good deals. What you are doing when you are doing this is banking that prices will go up dramatically...because you are paying a steady rate...There are some good deals out there, but you have to be careful."

The implication is that Universal is not one of the good companies and does not offer good deals. However, the arrangement described is EXACTLY the one offered by Universal. Further, Universal's rates are competitive with other alternative gas suppliers.

10.)...11.)...12.)...etc. It goes on and on...

Unfortunately, this segment will never air again and you cannot find the video on the Internet. Shortly after the "expose" piece aired, it was retracted by Fox 2 News because of the slanderous inaccuracies.

But don't take my word for it. Go see for yourself. Here is the link:
http://efile.mpsc.cis.state.mi.us/efile/viewcase.php?casenum=15509&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
(Click on the Document No. 0003 hyperlink to open in PDF format.)

Again, Universal Gas & Electric IS A LEGITIMATE COMPANY. The proof is in the bills. Here are recent utility company rates for Michigan residents:

DTE Energy/MichCon (Price per Ccf):
January 2008 $0.70000
February 2008 $0.70000
March 2008 $0.84900 (14.900 increase = 21.3% increase)
April 2008 Pending MPSC approval

Consumers Energy (Price per Ccf):
January 2008 $0.76714
February 2008 $0.76859
March 2008 $0.76934
April 2008 $0.89547 (12.613 increase = 16.4% increase)

As of February 2008, Universal Gas & Electric guarantees your price at $1.049 for the next five years, with an introductory rate of $0.839 for the first three months. What that means is that if a person signed up today, they could actually enjoy a DISCOUNT period through the summer.

As of today, the most a DTE Energy/MichCon customer would pay is 23.5% more.
The most a Consumer Energy customer would pay is 17.1% more.

So, when making a decision to enroll with Universal, you have to ask yourself if you believe gas prices will increase 23.5% or 17.1%, respectively, over the next 5 years. Looking at historical gas prices could help aid your decision.

For example, roughly five years ago, in January 2003:
DTE Energy/MichCon charged $0.4140 per Ccf. Their gas price has INCREASED 205% OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
Consumers Energy charged $0.3700 per Ccf. Their gas price has INCREASED 242% OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

Finally, Universal Gas and Electric IS A LEGITIMATE COMPANY. I attend daily training workshops and have logged hundreds of hours worth of training, carry a script at all times, and my customer service department follows up with a phone call to ensure that I was 1.) Professional, 2.) Wearing my credentials and identified myself properly, and 3.) Explained the program properly.

I have been to thousands of doors and always explain everything by the book to the customer. But, for some reason, it never fails that there are people who hear incorrectly or twist my words around in their head.

For example, I will be talking to the husband and complete my script by telling him to get the gas bill so that he can receive the "Price Protection" on his natural gas. The husband will go inside and talk/yell to his wife something along the lines of, "There's a person here who wants to SAVE US MONEY on our bill...or...there's a person here who wants to FREEZE OUR RATES AT WHAT THEY ARE NOW for five years...or...there's a person here who wants to LOCK OUR CURRENT GAS PRICES in for the next five years"

I never say any of those things [only price protection] but, nevertheless, sometimes words are interpreted into their own meaning by customers. Inevitably, it turns into a he said / she said thing. We [agents] try our best and our customer service follows up in an attempt to avoid any confusions of any kind. Yet, some people still complain.

THERE IS ALWAYS A PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION THAT COMPLAINS. The Internet now gives their voice merit, no matter how unfair that may be. A lot of the people complaining about Universal Gas & Electric are the same ones that complained years ago about the monopoly utility companies (Consumers Energy, DTE Energy/MichCon) overcharging customers on their gas bills. Now, people have a choice on their gas pricing and they are still complaining. Look, there are OVER 150,000 HAPPY MICHIGAN RESIDENTS who signed up with the program because they understand that over the course of five years gas prices will go up significantly...but theirs won't!

I called them.

they just kept repeating that i signed a contract.

wasn't interested in hearing how they lied to me.

this scam goes higher up than this little canadian company.

there are thousands of complaints on at least 20 websites. 3 newspaper expos.
and at least 2 local TV news reports exposing this fraud.

yet still after months nothing is done!
NO HOPE IS OFFERED.
NO LAWSUITS.
NO STATE OR FEDERAL INTERVENTION.

MICHIGAN IS GETTING A PIECE OF THIS PIE SOMEWHERE HIGH UP IN THE FOOD CHAIN, OTHERWISE AFTER ALL THE MEDIA STORIES OF THIS CON GAME WOULD HAVE GARNERED RESULTS!

At the very least universal gas should allow all unhappy customers to opt out without the 250 fee.
but even tv smear stories haven't made them offer a single appology or fair buiness practices.

what does that tell you?
someone is protecting them and helping collect our grocery money.

Search the web for contact information.

They are your state's regulatory agency that oversees companies that provide utility service. There are certain stautes and regulations regarding billing and service shut offs in your state they must follow.

They should be able to either help you directly or direct you to someone who can.

Call them today.