I received very high electricity bill, compared a person whose house is 3 times of mine, our heating cost was about the same (hers by gas), this is insane. I called the electricity supplier asking what they could help. The staff first suggested house insulation, which I did already; second, put heavy curtain over the windows. This seemed a big project of change and investment and wouldn’t work for the summer. I persisted and the staff finally suggested me to check with the town, they may have community energy-saving program.
I don’t know what department to contact so I started with the general service line. I was given a number so I called and left a voicemail. Nothing came back in a few days, I tried again and left a second voicemail. Still nothing. I called the third time, left another voicemail and sent an email. This is insane. This time I got a response. The staff apologized that she was out-of-office and just came back. She gave me the website where I can apply to switch the energy source. The rates are much lower and with options of using renewable energy. I applied for the switch and fortunately I got approval then it took 3 payment cycles for the new rate to be effective, by then, the winter was almost over.
You could say it’s insane that customers need to jump through the hoops like this, worse, many may never know. On the other hand, it’s a privilege to be able to complain because customer service or choice of energy isn’t available everywhere. Also, people complain as they’re unhappy yet it’s different from people who feel hopeless or worried (unable to pay, for example). What’s more important is to go beyond complaining to finding a solution – it takes courage to question the status quo, curiosity to explore, and belief of a better way. What a privilege!