Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/18/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company continues to send letters asking us to sign up for their “clean” energy. I don’t want it. For the past year they have sent us 2 letters a month. I do not want clean energy sending me mail to my address.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

  May 22, 2023
  
  Dear BBB Staff:
  
  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to the complaint filed by **** ***** of ** ***** **** **** Apt ***, Pittsburgh, PA *****. The complaint report states that *** ***** is upset with receiving offers from CleanChoice.
  
  Upon receipt of this complaint, CleanChoice Energy placed *** *****’ information on our do not contact and do not solicit lists. We ask *** ***** to allow up to 90 days for this to take effect since we plan our offers up to 90 days in advance.
  
  We believe this response brings this matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  Respectfully,
  ******** ** *******
  General Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company took it upon themselves to add my name and address to a marketing mailing list without my permission and contact me via mail. I've never done any business with this company in the past. This company is asking me for my **** information which is an invasion of privacy.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/26/2023

  May 25, 2023
  

  Dear BBB Staff:
  
  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to the complaint filed by ****** ****** of **** ******* *** Philadelphia, PA *****. The complaint report states that *** ****** is upset with receiving CleanChoice offers.
  
  Upon receipt of this complaint, CleanChoice Energy placed *** ******’ information on our do not contact and do not solicit lists. We ask that *** ****** allow up to 90 days for this to take effect since we plan our offers up to 90 days in advance.
  
  We believe this response brings this matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  Respectfully,
  ******** ** *******
  General Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  CleanChoice suckered me into buying energy from them, implying that i would only have to pay a little bit more (around 10%) to ensure my energy was sourced from renewable sources of energy. They subsequently increased their rate to 6 times (600%!) more than ********* *********'s rate (********* also sources renewable energy) and 3-4 times Eversource's standard rates. From September to December of 2023 alone, CleanChoice increased my rates by 50%, which is when i finally noticed what they were doing. This is clearly a scam, praying on people like me who are trying to do the right thing for the environment and don't scrutinize our electric bills. Obviously, if we're willing to pay 10% more for energy, we probably aren't reviewing every bill closely. I probably overpaid $1000s of dollars in electric bills because of this scam. I'm attaching 2 bills for months where my usage was almost identical. In February, under CleanChoice, my bill was $632.83. In April, after switching to the renewable energy alternative with ********* ********* my bill was $225.71. Delivery charges were about $135 in both months. Adjusting for energy usage, CleanChoice overcharged me $415 in February! In January, CC overcharged me $384. In December, CC overcharged me $268. And so on. Even before the 50% rate hike, I was paying much more than i should have been. I am asking for a $1500 refund to (partially) compensate me for all the excess charges through the several years i have been a CleanChoice customer.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/26/2023

  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energys (CleanChoice) official response to the complaint filed by ********************* of *********************Cambridge, MA **************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  CleanEnergy made a single attempt to call me. I returned the representative's call and was told he was on vacation until the following Wednesday (several days later). I never received a return call.

  The rate cited in the response (17.9) was a rate i was given for a temporary period (1-2 months) while i was transitioned back from CleanEnergy and to ********************  I was supposed to be mollified they were only charging me nearly double the CC rate during the transition period, instead of the 6X rate. This was done only after i complained about their duplicitous practices. Look at the bills i sent you!

  This CleanEnergy response is in fact further evidence of the scam they are perpetrating on people - misrepresenting everything they do!

  A class action suit is probably the only thing that will stop them.

  Regards,
  

  *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/25/2023

  This customer was signed up for a three month introductory rate at 15 cents per kilowatt, which began with the 10/25/2019 and ended with the 12/25/2019. After the introductory rate expired, the customer was on a month-to-month variable rate. Attached is a copy of the customer's original terms and conditions sent to the customer on 9/29/19 when we received the original enrollment request.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/26/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  While I may have signed a contract that allowed CleanChoice to raise my electricity rates, the implicit understanding was that they would raise them because energy became more expensive for them to source (market conditions), not to take advantage of my (and other customers') ignorance. We were motivated to doing something good for the environment - they exploited that. CleanChoice raised rates arbitrarily and egregiously, while other market providers such as ********** and ******************* (the default energy provider in *********, which sources renewable energy) didn't. They raised my rates to 6 times *******************'s rates before I noticed I was being cheated. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company continues to send me mail when I asked them to stop! I am not interested!!!! And yet they continue to send out forms to switch to these losers! I am NOT and staying with ***** bums! If you continue to send me and harass me with more mail, I will file a complaint with the  FTC

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2023

  May 21, 2023
  
  Dear BBB Staff:
  
  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to the complaint filed by ***** ********* of ***** * ********* ** Kildeer, IL *****. The complaint report states that *** ********* is upset with receiving offers from CleanChoice.
  
  Upon receipt of this complaint, CleanChoice Energy placed *** *********’s information on our do not contact and do not solicit lists. We ask *** ********* to allow up to 90 days for this to take effect since we plan our offers up to 90 days in advance.
  
  We believe this response brings this matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  
  Respectfully,
  ******** ** *******
  General Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/26/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear BBB, I am writing to file a complaint against CleanSource Energy for false advertising and unreasonably high pricing. CleanSource Energy marketed itself as a provider of affordable 100% wind and solar energy, but we recently discovered that these claims were false. Our research showed that CleanSource Energy buys and sells renewable energy certificates, or REC, contradicting their marketing which does not clearly explain this. Moreover, we were extremely dissatisfied with the pricing that CleanSource Energy charged us for their energy services. In November 2021, our rate was 11.7 ¢/kWh. However, in December 2021, CleanSource tripled our rate to 30.7 ¢/kWh, resulting in a percentage increase of 162.39%. To add insult to injury, our rate steadily increased to 57.4 ¢/kWh between January 2021 and April 2023. We were never notified of these changes or an option to "lock in a new non-variable rate" as informed by CleanSource Energy only when we called to cancel in April 2023. This pricing is unreasonably high, especially considering that during this same period, renewables were the world’s cheapest source of energy, according to the *****. In fact, renewable energy was nearly two-thirds – 62% – cheaper than the cheapest new fossil fuel. We have also reached out to the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (AGO) who verified multiple complaints of deceptive marketing practices and price gouging by state residents. We believe that CleanSource Energy's false advertising and unreasonably high pricing are deceptive and unethical practices. We demand that CleanSource Energy rectifies the situation by providing accurate information about their energy sourcing practices and refunding us for the excess charges we have incurred over 11.7 ¢/kHw between December 2021 through April 2023. Per CleanSource Energy's website, the current rate for our zipcode and supplier is 19.8 ¢/kWh, while *************** is 10.749 ¢/KWH. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2023

  May 21, 2023

  Dear
  BBB Staff:
  
  Please
  accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to
  the complaint filed by ****** ******* of  ****** ******, Walpole, MA *****. The
  complaint report states that *** ******* is upset with her experience with
  CleanChoice as her electric supplier.

  Our records indicate that on October
  23, 2019, ****** ******* logged on to our website to enroll with CleanChoice as
  her electricity supplier. The complaint report states: “Our research showed
  that CleanSource Energy buys and sells renewable energy certificates, or REC,
  contradicting their marketing which does not clearly explain this”. Under the
  FAQ section of our website where *** ******* enrolled (************************************************************************************************************************-) we have the FAQ: Where will the clean energy come from?
  The answer listed is: The energy your home uses will be paired to renewable
  energy sources through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)
  from wind and solar farms. CleanChoice Energy applies strict standards to its
  energy, sourcing our energy regionally based on where our customers live.
  
  During the time *** ******* was
  supplied by CleanChoice, market electricity prices reached all-time highs.
  After receiving this complaint, CleanChoice reached out to *** ******* by phone
  to attempt to work with her, but we were unable to reach her. We encourage *** ******* to reach out to our customer experience team at ###-###-#### to help
  resolve her concerns about pricing.
  
  We believe this response brings this
  matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is
  needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  Respectfully,
  
  General
  Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/06/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response due to the following reasons:
  
  During my review of our bills as per Clean Choice's request to determine a refund amount, I find this response unsatisfactory as it fails to address the absence of communication regarding rate increases, provide an adequate justification for the exorbitant rates, or make any effort to offer an alternative non-variable rate. Regardless of the existence or non-existence of an FAQ page at the time of our initial sign-up, the marketing practices employed by this company are profoundly deceptive and dishonest. They are essentially taking advantage of customers through deliberate omissions.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for CleanChoice Energy at a good Kwh rate. Since then they have increased this rate over time. On 5/2022 it was 16.9 kHz which was twice the normal rate for the same service. Since then it is now up to 25.3 which is far above the normal rate for the same service. Normal rate is around 9.0 I am elderly and didn't understand what they were doing. My daughter looked at my bill this month when I told her it was over $800 for one month. I live in a small home so this is far above what it should be. I canceled CleanChoice Energy today but their customer service pretty much said you are out of luck. The fixed rate turned to variable and they could charge a variable rate that they choose.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

  May 21, 2023

  Dear BBB Staff:

  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to the complaint filed by ****** ******** of *** ******* ****, Waynesburg, PA *****. The complaint report states that *** ******** is upset about receiving a CleanChoice invoice of over $800 for one month.

  According to our records, *** ******** was not issued an invoice for CleanChoice charges of $800 or more during any month he was enrolled with CleanChoice as his electric supplier. Our records indicate that his average invoice was $210.
  

  Upon receipt of this complaint, a supervisor from CleanChoice Energy reached out to *** ******** on two occasions but was not able to reach *** ********. 
  

  We encourage *** ******** to reach out to our CleanChoice Customer Experience team at ###-###-#### to help resolve his concerns with pricing.
  

  We believe this response brings this matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  Respectfully,
  General Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/17/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In July of 2020, I received a letter in the mail that had a tear off portion to return to Clean Choice Energy. There was no additional information given in regards to how much it would cost and that it would actually cost 2.5 times more per kilowatt than using electricity from *****. I thought that I was sending it back and would receive more information in the mail about how the program worked. So, I had been signed up to receive electricity from the company but, again, I did not know there was a price difference and was being charged through ***** much more each month for this electricity. I also never received any more information in the mail following this tear off sheet so I actually didn't' realize that I had been signed up. It was not reflected on my bill because we had been on a budget plan, and then after some time, I noticed my electric bill had been adjusted to $593 a month! We were originally paying between $200-$250 a month and this was within our budget. After I noticed the change in bill, I contacted ***** about how much our electricity & was told that we were using more electricity. After some more time, I called again and was told that I had been getting my electricity from Clean Choice and that the price was different- 2.5x higher than ***** electricity. I immediately switched back to ***** electricity. We now owe this company thousands of dollars. I called to complain and was told that they had sent out the billing information a while ago and I told them I never got that information. If I had seen how much more it would have cost my family for their electricity, I never would have sent back that paper. I thought it was some kind of incentive program. They offered me a git card of $161, which for me is not helpful at all. My husband and I are educators and don't make the kind of money that they want from us. I have also spoken with ***** and they have received multiple complaints about this company and suggested I file an official complaint.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/10/2023

  I learned of the issue in January 2023 once I was seeing a large bill.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/13/2023

  August 4, 2023
  
  Dear BBB Staff:
  
  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to the complaint filed by ******** ******* of ***** ******** ****, Mechanicsville, Maryland *****. The complaint report states that *** ******* thought she was sending in for more information about CleanChoice works when she mailed us a response in July of 2020.
  
  Upon receipt of this complaint, a supervisor reached out to *** ******* to attempt to resolve their concerns. The supervisor was unable to reach *** ******* even after calling the number listed on the complaint. 
  
  On March 20, 2023, CleanChoice emailed *** ******* a copy of the mail response we received from her in July of 2020. A digital copy of that mail response is also attached to this report. The mail response from *** ******* states: “I am customer of record and authorize CleanChoice Energy to enroll my address shown at left for 100% renewable energy.” The mail response form does not mention “sending more information” as noted in the complaint report.
  
  We encourage *** ******* to contact our customer experience team at ###-###-#### if she has additional questions or concerns.
  
  We believe this response brings this matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  Respectfully,
  ******** ** *******
  General Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I continue to get this renewable energy action requested mailing! I have reported them to the government already I have been fraudulently signed up for this service. I want nothing to do with this service! I received a phone call from one of the administrators promising me, I would never receive another mailing and today I got another mailing. I need this to stop! This is Harassment! I would like this company to send me a follow up letter stating that they will never send me another mailing!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/11/2023

  May 11, 2023
  
  Dear BBB Staff:
  
  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energy’s (“CleanChoice”) official response to the complaint filed by ***** ********* of ** **** ** North Caldwell, NJ *****. The complaint report states that *** ********* is upset with receiving offers from CleanChoice.
  
  Upon receipt of this complaint, CleanChoice Energy placed *** *********’s information on our do not contact and do not solicit lists. We ask that *** ********* to allow up to 90 days for this to take effect since we plan our offers up to 90 days in advance.
  
  We believe this response brings this matter to a mutually satisfactory resolution. If any additional information is needed, please contact: [email protected].
  
  Respectfully,
  ******** ** *******
  General Counsel and EVP, Corporate Affairs
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My electric supply was changed to Cleanchoice Energy in September 2022. I never authorized this change.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/11/2023

  Please accept this letter as CleanChoice Energys (CleanChoice) official response to the complaint filed by ******************* of ****************** Seekonk, MA *********.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  After originally signing with Clean Choice Energy I decided to cancel within the allotted time. I was told my agreement with them had been cancelled. A few days later I received more mail from them and called to confirm my account was terminated and I was told yes and disregard any mail I receive from them. This year I received a letter saying I agreed to a contract with them (which I did not) and they will be charging me more than the state average. I do not want my energy supplied by the this company!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/11/2023

  According to a phone call that occurred between *********************** and a supervisor from CleanChoice on 5/5/23, CleanChoice had already resolved **. ****** concerns when she contacted our customer experience team on 4/10/23.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/18/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************