Aug 16, 2016 | Bill Help
As part of our ongoing You Ask, We Answer campaign, we’re answering questions we frequently receive from customers. Here’s one that has to do with shopping for energy.
If I choose not to shop for an energy supplier, can I stay with PPL?
Yes, you may remain with us if you do not choose to shop for an energy supplier. We will buy energy on your behalf and provide it to you – without profit or markup – at a price called the price to compare.
You can see the current price to compare on our website or on your monthly bill. It is adjusted twice a year, on June 1 and Dec. 1, to reflect changes in the cost of buying energy.
Also, if you cancel a contract with a competitive supplier and do not select a new one, you will automatically return to PPL Electric Utilities.
We sometimes hear from longtime customers who say they don’t want to “hurt PPL” by shopping with another energy supplier. While we appreciate their loyalty, it doesn’t hurt us if customers shop. In fact, we encourage you to visit the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s energy shopping website at PAPowerSwitch.com to see what other offers are available.
To see prior You Ask, We Answer posts, click here.
Aug 15, 2016 | Safety and Security
Stronger poles and wires and more comprehensive tree clearing are making our power grid more resistant than ever to storms, but lines occasionally come down when the weather turns nasty.
Wires also can fall when poles are hit in traffic accidents.
The first thing to do about any downed power line is to stay away from that wire and anything touching it. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, the ground around power lines may be energized up to 35 feet away. That’s more than 10 yards on a football field.
You can’t tell if a wire is live, or energized, just by looking at it. Assume all downed lines are live, no matter how they appear. Receiving an electrical shock can be deadly.
Some other downed wire safety tips from ESFi include:
- Don’t try to move a downed power line or anything else in contact with it by using another object such as a broom or stick. Non-conductive materials like wood or cloth can conduct electricity if even slightly wet.
- Be careful not to touch or step in water near a downed power line.
- Do not drive over downed power lines.
- If your car comes in contact with a downed power line while you are inside, stay in the car. Honk your horn to summon help, but direct others to stay away from your car. If you must leave your car because it’s on fire, jump out of the vehicle with both feet together and avoid contact with both the car and the ground at the same time. Shuffle away from the car.
Aug 11, 2016 | Safety and Security
As part of our ongoing You Ask, We Answer campaign, we’re answering questions we frequently receive from customers. Here’s one we hear quite a bit:
Someone came to my door saying they could save me money on my electric bill. They wanted to talk to me about my energy use. Were they legitimate? What should I do in that situation?
Many competitive energy suppliers are licensed to operate in our service territory. We’re aware that some of them try to solicit business by going door to door.
Here’s the advice we give our customers on how to deal with door-to-door energy solicitors:
– Be aware that PPL Electric Utilities does not send employees to solicit door to door. If the solicitor claims to represent PPL or come from PPL, it’s a scam.
(We may occasionally send an employee or contractor to your door to talk with you about work taking place on or near your property. They won’t try to sell you anything.)
– If you choose to discuss your energy use with the solicitor, cover the part of the bill with your PPL Electric Utilities account number. For security, account numbers should not be posted in public places or shared with others.
– We recommend that our customers visit the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s website at PAPowerSwitch.com before signing any energy contract with a competitive supplier. You may be able to get a better offer than the one being made by the door-to-door solicitor.
Before signing any contract with a competitive energy supplier, be sure you’re familiar with all terms. Is the rate fixed or variable? Is there a cancellation fee? How long does the contract last? All of these factors can affect whether the deal is right for you.
To see prior You Ask, We Answer posts, click here.
Aug 10, 2016 | Safety and Security
(UPDATE: We’ve had several customers leave comments regarding apparent scams. Please be sure to report any scam attempts to us at 1-800-342-5775 and also to local police. Thank you.)
We’re warning our customers to be aware of a phone scam in which calls appear to come from PPL and mimic our call center.
Customers are being called and told their account is delinquent and they need to make an immediate payment or have their electricity shut off. In many cases, customers are being told to pay with prepaid debit cards. They are being instructed to call a phony call center, where they are prompted to enter their account information.
In one brazen attempt, a scammer walked into a business pretending to be from PPL and demanded money under threat of a service shut-off, but was unsuccessful.
Threatened shut-offs are a tactic used in previous scam attempts against our customers and at other utilities across the country.
The bogus number that customers are being told to call— 855-625-7634 — has been associated with other scams against utility customers in other parts of the country. Another number — 844-255-4708 — also is being used. In some cases, the bogus number has been set up to look on Caller ID like it is from PPL.
Update: We’ve heard that scammers are now using a different phone number (866-978-5151) to imitate our automated phone system and try to steal your money. No matter what number they use, our advice remains the same: We remind residential and small business customers that the only number you should be calling to discuss your account is 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775). Mid-size to large businesses can call 1-888-220-9991, option 4.
Mostly business, and some residential, customers have been targeted by the recent scams.
“We want all of our customers to be aware of this sophisticated scam activity and be prepared,” said Christopher Cardenas, customer services vice president. “We continue to work with law enforcement on these cases, and we urge any customers who receive scam calls to notify their local police.”
Here is important information to avoid scams:
- We never send anyone to demand bill payment
- We don’t call customers seeking personal information
- We never call customers threatening to shut off electric service unless immediate payment is made
- We don’t accept Green Dot or other prepaid debit cards for bill payments
We do conduct collections activities on accounts that are legitimately delinquent. Service termination always is a last resort. When we begin the service termination process, we provide a formal notification that involves a letter and phone call. At any time, a customer who is delinquent can call us to make a payment arrangement and avoid shutoff.
Be sure to report any scam attempts to us at 1-800-342-5775 and also to local police.
Aug 9, 2016 | Bill Help
As part of our ongoing You Ask, We Answer campaign, we’re answering questions we frequently receive from customers. Here’s a guide on how to shop for energy supply.
I’ve heard that shopping for energy can save me money but I don’t know where to start. How do I shop? And what am I buying?
Here’s how it works:
Most of your monthly bill is made up of two costs – the cost of the energy you use, and the cost of operating and maintaining the delivery grid that brings it to you.
You can choose the company that supplies the energy you use. Or, you can let PPL Electric Utilities buy energy for you. No matter which option you choose, we’ll deliver your energy over our delivery grid, and we’ll continue to provide safe, reliable service.
Many competitive suppliers serve our area, and some offer lower prices for energy supply than we do. You can save money by switching to another supplier that offers a lower price. Almost half of our customers have switched.
We pass on the cost of supplying energy, without any markup or profit, to the customers who choose to buy it from us. So it doesn’t hurt us financially if you choose to sign up with another supplier. In fact, we encourage you to look for better offers. Many of our own employees shop.
You can see all available offers at www.PAPowerSwitch.com, a website operated by the state Public Utility Commission. You’ll also see our current price for energy – called the price to compare – which you can use to evaluate other offers.
If you decide to shop, we urge you to look at all terms of the deal. Is the rate fixed or variable? Is there a cancellation fee? What is the length of the supply contract? All of these things can affect whether a deal is right for you.
To see prior You Ask, We Answer posts, click here.
