PUC offers safety tips for consumers amid rising in-person, door-to-door sales activity

PENNSYLVANIA (WOLF) — With the warm weather and changes in energy prices, in-person and door-to-door energy sales activity is rising, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC). As a result, the PUC released some safety tips for consumers to protect themselves from questionable pitches.

“The Commission’s rules and regulations provide a number of necessary protections to help customers avoid falling victim to unscrupulous sales agents,” stated PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank in a press release. “Nonetheless, the Commission encourages customers to be attentive and careful when shopping for retails energy products in order to better recognize deceptive sales tactics.”

The PUC is sharing five safety tips to help consumers identify legitimate energy sales offers and avoid possible scams:

Tip #1: Always #CheckForID

The state of Pennsylvania mandates energy sales agents conducting door-to-door activities or appearing at public events to display an ID badge including:

• Accurate identification of the supplier, including its trade name and logo
• A photograph of the sales agent
• The full name of the sales agent
• A customer-service phone number to contact the supplier

Tip #2: Know who you are dealing with

Upon initial contact, energy sales agents must clearly identify themselves by name, the energy supplier they represent and the purpose of their visit or phone call. Consumers should ensure that the details on the agent’s ID badge match the introductory information provided.

Tip #3: No false claims about utilities or other entities

Energy sales agents are strictly prohibited from claiming to represent the customer’s local utility, another supplier, or government agencies like the PUC. They must not wear clothing or carry items suggesting affiliation with utilities or other entities.

Tip #4: Avoid deceptive or high-pressure sales

Consumers should steer clear of sales pitches pressuring them to act immediately. Agents must respect a customer's request to leave the premises and honor requests to be exempted from future door-to-door sales activities. Suspected scams should be reported to the PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services.

Tip #5: Shop Around and compare prices

Consumers are encouraged to explore alternatives through neutral, independent websites such as the PUC’s official PAPowerSwitch.com and PAGasSwitch.com shopping sites, which provide access to supplier offerings, educational materials, and information on energy efficiency and conservation. The PUC’s PAPowerSwitch shopping site has been recently updated to make shopping for electric supply offers and comparing those offers even easier.