Following some suspicious activity in Brooklyn where a gas company sent employees to knock on the doors of Chinese residents, asking them to change their service, the same activity was reported in Bayside, Queens. Gas employees claimed they could help residents save on their gas bills, requested them to sign documents, providing their gas account information.
Mr. Shen said that someone who claimed to work for Con Edison knocked on his door offering some gas saving plans. Asked to show his gas bills and when he did, Mr. Shen’s name and the account number were recorded. The “gas man” then produced a document for Shen to sign to indicate his intention to join the gas saving program.
Shen, suspicious when the man refused to let him go through the document in detail, declined to sign the form, which was then torn by the purported “gas man.” When Shen called Con Edison, he was told that this was a trick used by smaller gas companies.
A Con Edison representative said that since the 1990s, Con Edison no longer supplied gas and electricity, but simply acts as the conveyor. Many suppliers now compete fiercely among themselves.
Due to the fierce competition, Con Edison has received many complaints about tricks used by suppliers to get people to switch.
Chris Olert, a spokesperson for Con Edison, said that they only send workers to people’s homes when they get emergency calls, have to take down meters or collect past bills.
He said that all Con Edison staff wear photo IDs that show the wearer’s name and identification numbers and are printed in grey or blue.
Olert reminds costumers to always call the police or Con Edison to check IDs if they suspect the people are not who they claim to be. He urges costumers not to give out personal information.
He also said that costumers are entitled to price shopping and should select the best deal. But they should not sign anything before checking out the company they are signing with. Without agreement from the costumers, a company can not switch gas services.
If a company obtained personal information and switched their supplier without a customer’s consent, the customer can call the New York State Public Service Commission at 518-474-7080 to complain, or call Con Edison directly at 1-800-75-CON
