Total scam. Door to door sales guy pressured me heavily and made it sound like a deal. I cancelled service within a month and now 6 months later I noticed they're still billing me. PG&E won't do anything because they need to be told I've severed the contract. Well fuck both PG&E and Spark Energy. read more

A solicitor came to my door from spark energy coerced my mother into signing up for their service. My mother does not speak English has no education and they told her lies about price reductions to get her to sign up with never asking for a bill. my mother was visiting and was not authorized to sign up for the service and they went ahead and did it anyway. My mother said the solicitor was shaking his head yes and no for her to answer. They lie to get your money and charger you way more then they say it will cost. Spark Energy is a shady company with shady business practices. If I Could I would give them no stars read more

Worst company ever. They lie straight to your face. I got signed up by a representative going door to door. She said that Spark was offering a 6 month program. The first 2 months would be at .29 cents per therm, the remaining 4 months would be at .49 cents. Well.... they charged me .29 cent the first month, then $1.45 per therm for the rest of the contract. The first time I called to try to straighten everything out, they said no problem we'll get it right and give you a refund. But... we would have to pay the remaining balance to get my refund. TOTAL BULLS**T! I called again today and the representative basically call me a liar and said "we never had a program like that". Oh and that they didnt recieve the last payment so they took my credit and paid themselves. I dont know how these people sleep. Complete p.o.s. company. If I could give zero stars I would read more

This company plays people. I was told they stand in place to ensure ones gas bill doesnt exceed $44.99 NOT that one would be bond to a new monthly bill of $44.99. LIARS!!!! They skip over the monthly part!!! Then, theres a $100 cancel fee. So, they lie and trick with words to have ppl pay more on top of what one is already paying with PGnE. read more

I have never encountered such ineptitude. I spent 5 phone calls this month alone trying to set up auto pay. Do not use them. If an energy broker chooses them, pick someone else. They have zero customer service, and billing errors abound. They promised a refund of a late fee that was caused by a data entry error, their's not mine, and I never received the credit and then called back to request the refund and was bounced between several "agents". Still unresolved. DO NOT USE read more

As soon as I saw the caller ID, red flags started waving so I asked for a name and a call back number. The rep refused to give me his name and a call back number at first which is another huge red flag. Upon me saying that it's in case if we got cut off during the call, the rep gave me an obviously fake name and a number that sent me to an insurance company in Manhattan, NY which is a second red flag...I'm thankful that I didn't give him any of my information. Upon googling this company, I've found nothing positive about them. If you can't even be honest with your name and an actual phone number for the company you work for, how are people suppose to trust you enough to even want to switch over to your company? This company is deceitful from the get-go. Consumers beware! read more

Got this back from the Houston BBB -- "Unfortunately, We do understand your concerns. However, please be advised the BBB is a reporting agency, not a regulatory agency. We are a neutral party within the consumer and business to attempt coming to resolution to your complaint issues. We cannot enforce regulation on a business. You are welcome to contact the Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov or the Public utility commission www.puc.texas.gov. to further assist with enforcement issues. Have a wonderful day." Caveat emptor, folks... read more

Avoid. Spark Energy is a legitimate company. They're grifters, but they're real. I was suckered into their scheme two years ago, and I couldn't be happier to have recently cancelled after I noticed my bill was offensively expensive. Admittedly, I forgot to renew my fixed-rate plan--but so do a lot of people--and that's how Spark Energy makes money. Here's how they got me: A charming and forceful Spark rep knocked on my door at an odd time and pressured me into showing him my utility bill. "I want to make sure your current cost per therm is cheaper than what we offer," he said, implying that he was doing me a favor. Sure enough, Spark's advertised fixed-rate price was cheaper than my cost per therm at the time. He explained that the energy market's cost per therm fluctuates, sometimes resulting in higher energy bills, and that Spark's fixed-rate plan would save me money because it does not fluctuate. As I found out, that claim is not completely true; it's a gamble. It's not guaranteed that Spark's advertised fixed-rate will be cheaper than fluctuating energy costs. This gamble swung completely in Spark's favor when my fixed-rate contract expired and they did a vague job of reminding me to renew, allowing them to charge three (3) times what People's Gas would have charged. Here's the hidden cost breakdown they don't include on bills: My house used 157 therms last month. The People's Gas cost per therm was 39 cents. Spark Energy's month-to-month cost per therm (outside of their fixed-rate) was $1.20. So instead of paying $61.23, I paid $188.40 + a $4.95 monthly fee for the egregious sum of $193.35. The headaches don't stop there: In one occurrence, Spark "forgot" to charge me for their gas delivery during three (3) billing periods. When they "fixed" the issue, they hit me with a $600+ charge with no explanation. Of course, I was concerned. When I called to see what had happened, they accused me of "not noticing" and said I should have called about it earlier. Well, the Spark Energy portion of your utility bill reads like fine print. It's designed to be vague, inconspicuous, and easy to overlook until the charges are ghastly. To summarize, using your default utility company is far less stressful and easier to maintain. Spark Energy lives like a tick beneath the skin of your main energy supplier, so they're able operate quietly to their own advantage. It's difficult to tell how much they're charging unless you call and ask. Their communications are spammy, deceptively vague, and infrequent enough to take advantage of human forgetfulness. They make their money because they know people will forget to renew their 12-month fixed-rate plans, and you'll have no way of knowing until it's too late. read more

I'm not even a customer! They call my phone for one of their customers who obviously gave the wrong number when she signed up. I have called them 9 times in the last 4 months trying to get my number removed, the call center employees are brain dead. I have finally filed a formal complaint with the FCC and BBB because I continue to get calls about their customer's past due account. A call center agent gave me the name Sharlene Hockaday as the account holder. I have no idea who this person is. Sharlene if you're reading this take my phone number off your account! Never expect to be able to contact supervisors or escalations and agents "work" from home and are no help at all. I even emailed the president of the corporation, no response. I guess when the FCC fines and TCPA suit hit they'll finally listen. If you happen to be a customer, I feel bad for you. I'm completely frustrated and I'm not even a customer of theirs. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to be a paying customer and have to deal with the IVR system or put on hold for 20 minutes at a time or better yet, transferred to a black hole. I don't know their service area, but I would NEVER consider this company, I would even pay extra to another company just to avoid them. read more

Worst Customer service ever!!!!! They never read emails in detail or look at the previous correspondence when you email them. Just replying each time with a short few word emails as it's a first time they received an email about one or another case. Contacting Spark and getting any help is just waste of time! But, worst is the fact that NONE of the senior managers are also bothered to look into the complaint matter and get back to the customer: To: customerservice@sparkenergy.co.uk ; customerrelations@sparkenergy.co.uk Cc: mark.mckenna@sparkenergy.co.uk ; rachel.oliver@sparkenergy.co.uk ; louise.burden@sparkenergy.co.uk ; chris.gauld@sparkenergy.co.uk ; As I did say in my last email to yourselves, which again was ignored - I will certainly make sure to leave Reviews with regards to the services provided by your company on all possible Social media channels! In case you will decide to look into the case, please search in your emails for one with the following in a subject line - 9301720446 read more

To add to the MANY horrible one star reviews . Like so many I was told they were pg and just needed a number off my last bill . total rip off my bill increased up to 80 dollars over time this company should be pulled they are true scam artists and running a SHADY company if someone comes to your door saying there pg an e ask for identification if you see spark or another third party service slam your door !!! read more

I had veteran energy, spark bought them and my bill went up an average of 50-100 pretty much immediately. Stay away!

Throwing one star as UNFORTUNATLY it isn't possible to submit a review without one. This company will surreptitiously charge you double or triple the $/KWH until they can. If you are paying more than you think you should to your electric company you need to find out how much they charge per unit (Kilowatt hour). When we got our bill for over $400, we found out it wasn't our electricity provider but there thieves, charging us almost three times the amount! Also, when you call to cancel, they will try to throw you a $30 gift card or some other small bone. Do not take it as they will raise your rate again as soon as within 90 days and unless you have time to keep track of their activities, just ditch them. Be aware that even after you cancel your account they will tell you they will continue to suck your blood for another few billing cycles. Best course of action, as always when dealing with unscrupulous businesses: Stay away! read more

don't do it! they are thieves! zero stars, but it won't let me, so that 1 star is inflated. read more

For those of you reading these reviews there is just one more thing you need to consider and do your due diligence about - your current energy provider. The young sales rep who visited me and explained the program was a complete gentleman; so, on a personal level, I have to disagree with my fellow Yelpers who had a tough time in this area. The problem was a sin of omission. When I received my first PG&E bill with the Spark Energy gas charge, it "appeared" that I was, in fact, saving money by using Spark. The charge for my gas usage with PG&E was around $51.00 a month. My first gas usage charge from Spark was $31.25. Looks good, yes? NO! What they didn't, or couldn't explain, was that PG&E still charges, not for the gas, but for the gas delivery. This is because these alternate gas supply companies don't own pipelines to deliver the gas to their "new" customers. Hence, my gas bill nearly doubled!! I was charged $51.09 for gas delivery by PG&E and $31.25 by Spark; my gas charge which was CRAZY!! This is not saving me money. So, like any outraged customer I called PG&E to find out why they were still charging me a delivery charge when I had switched my gas to Spark. A very patient and calm representative (I wish I could remember his name so I can compliment his supervisor on his demeanor) broke down the entire thing to me. Here's how it goes: ~ PG&E still has to supply and maintain pipelines to deliver gas to my home. ~ When I used PG&E as my supplier, the majority of my monthly bill was not the actual gas usage, but the delivery system and its maintenance, which never goes away. ~ He showed me how to compare the ACTUAL price per therm from PG&E with the price per therm from Spark: ~ PG&E's price per therm was actually $0.31/per therm (procurement costs/therm) ~ Spark's price is $0.6750/per therm (flat, non-tiered pricing). DOUBLE PG&E's price. The PG&E rep explained that they procure gas at market value to give us the best price. For example, from 8/13-8/31 the price per therm was $0.31052. Whereas from 9/1-9/13 it was $0.29631, that's less than half of Spark's price. All this to say, please check with YOUR energy service provider to get the whole story and learn to read your bill. I didn't do that ahead of time and I paid for it. Don't make the uninformed choice that I did. I should have check with PG&E first to find out what I was really going to pay. Hope this help! read more

BEWARE!!! Spark Energy Representatives came by to my door for the second year in a row and involuntarily signed me up for their overpriced services. We were not welcoming. I had to call multiple times, send emails and talk to my previous gas provider to change back. I sent a complaint to the BBB, to which Spark responded that we signed up for their services. This is my response: Spark Energy never received consent from myself or any family member to be able to change my gas services to their company. We did not welcome them in, we did not show the salesperson our energy bill, we did not agree to anything and we did not sign anything. This is the second year in a row that we have been involuntarily signed up to Spark Energy's gas services. The fact that Spark Energy is saying that we signed up for their services is evidence to the systematic failure that enables companies like Spark Energy to take advantage of the poor, elderly and uninformed. Any company that had even a semblance of integrity would never consider the standard practices that Spark Energy engages in in order to increase their profits and their marketshare. read more

AVOID. This is a scam of a company! They tell you they can lower your bills but more than likely they will double and then when you try to cancel they charge you $100 to get them out of your pockets and then they continue to show up on your bill for the next two billing cycles. In my case they double charged me on my last bill and when I tried to resolve the issue with their customer service they gave the run around for so long that it wasn't even worth it anymore. PLEASE DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!!!! read more

Why do you find it okay to charge me an extra month's "Monthly Fee" when I canceled my contract within your cancelation period, 6 whole days before its actual end date? I had a 6 month contract, billed monthly, ended it a week early (which is allowed), and yet you sent me 7 "months" of invoices with an extra month fee. The last bill was for 2 days and it was still the same month! It had a monthly $8.99 fee which I paid for on the previous invoice that I got just 2 days prior! I did everything right. I talked to CS and they said the last monthly charge was actually for January but if you trace my measly 6 months of usage back that makes no sense because I paid for that already. I decided not to waste my time calling back again and pay your little bill. When checking my history, you always made it difficult to see all my usage in one spot by using graphs with no numbers. When I decided to consider other providers it was difficult to find all the info I needed. You also manipulate users into leaving good reviews for benefits so that you have lots of great reviews and the real reviews get drowned out. They offered me a benefit for leaving a review so that's why I (and many others) left Google reviews with only a couple hours of experience with their services months ago. read more

Everyone that is saying this program is a scam is wrong. A brief online search will show that this is a COMPLETELY LEGIT COMPANY. However, Spark has found a shady way to build their business and exploit the energy market, almost like an MLM scheme. MY STORY: Late one Friday evening, a representative came to my door with an Eversource badge, telling me that I had failed to update my meter number (or something along those lines) and that he needed to see my bill. I was naive, so I pulled it up and he started to fill out a form and explain to me how this update to a fixed rate plan was going to save me money. He then asked to use my phone (?) and called in the update. Never once did he tell me he was with Spark. Never once did he tell me he was making a provider change. After this debacle I popped on Yelp and found all of these one star reviews for Spark and a handy site that compared prices of energy providers (Most states probably have one, for CT it was http://www.energizect.com) and noticed that the plan they hooked me up with will actually cause my bill to INCREASE. The very next day I called to cancel. It seems to go well and I received a confirmation number. I called a few days later to follow up and the cancellation magically did not go through. I then re-submitted the cancellation request and received yet another confirmation number. I followed up again the week after, and the Spark rep told me that they have called my provider and were waiting for a call back. Over the next two weeks I received FOUR SEPARATE CALLS requesting feedback for Spark. From the very first call I told them that I had cancelled and was no longer a customer and they all said "Sorry it takes awhile to go through, we will flag the account". I finally called Eversource (my utility company) and gave them the wrap. She took a look at my account and it said that the provider change was pending and had NOT BEEN CANCELED. I was absolutely mortified. Spark had been blatantly lying to me this entire time. My account had not been touched by Spark! Luckily I received awesome customer service from my Eversource rep and she was able to re-enroll me into my old provider account with them. I am expecting to get a cancellation bill in the mail from them, but at this point I am happy to pay it and be done with Spark. FINAL THOUGHTS: Don't touch this company with a ten foot pole. If they come around, ask them to leave and if they get pushy slam the door in their face. Don't give them your account number. Don't let them take your name or fill out a form. Spark has found a way to exploit the market by preying on naive elderly people and millennials who don't understand what's going on and charging cancellation fees when people bail after their bill goes way up. If you have already fallen into this trap, cancel immediately and follow up often. The service reps are nice but lie like crazy. It is also a good idea to check in with your utility company to make sure the cancellation has gone through. read more

One of their sales representative came to my door and I opened it half asleep. I had no idea what the young man was talking about but the moment that he said that Spark Energy will put me in a fixed rate for natural gas, I was instantly awake. So, I signed up but I just made the decision to stick with PG&E because I read the reviews on Yelp and it wasn't the 'I am saving you money' image that I had in my head. I called to cancel and the woman that I was talking to sound exactly like the character on the Martin Lawrence show "Martin" Sha Nay Nay. Her grammar was abnormal and professionalism was absent. She helped with the cancellation but it took me almost an hour to do so. I would stick with your current electric and gas provider because Spark Energy rape you financially in a year. read more

Regardless of which state you live in (they service several, and I'm disgruntled in California after about 9 months of "service"), DON'T USE SPARK. I received an unsolicited sales call from someone telling me they had lower energy rates than PG&E, which feels like the local monopoly. It also sounded too good to be true, so I listened VERY carefully to all the "fine print" before signing up. This is probably the only time in my life I'm glad I have an electric hot water heater, as I would have paid hundreds more for gas with Spark. Instead, my Spark charges seem to be only about 20% higher, representing about $100 in wasted money. I don't know how these people haven't been sued out of business in a major class action suit given the worse experiences than mine and worse lies I've read about elsewhere. Additionally, it took me 45 minutes to cancel today because of hold times and being sent to the wrong department.If you call for new service there is no hold time, but if you call to disconnect service, there is hella hold time plus elevator music. FEEL WARNED: DECEPTIVE tactics, deceptive company. read more

0 stars. Scam!!!! One of their representatives came to my mothers home in Lynwood CA and did nothing but lie, make false promises and deceptive statements. Daniel was the con artists name that came to her home. Daniel stated point blank that they were associated with the Gas company and he was enrolling people in a program to reduce their gas bill for lower income individuals. He asked to see her bill and stated he could cut the bill 1/4 to 1/2 by simply enrolling in the program. That's it. Nothing else mentioned. Unfortunately she agreed and was forced to signed paperwork. Fast forward a few weeks. She gets a gas bill and a separate bill from Spark Energy. My mother calls the Gas Company to ask what the deal was and explains the program she just enrolled in. The Gas Company employee flat out stated they were in no way associated with this company and that she was lied to. Gas employee went as far as saying this was a complete scam and they have had several individuals call in complaining because of these lying pieces of feces. Once my mother called SparkEnergy to complain she was flat out disrespected and mocked for not understanding what their company actually provided. Of course she didn't because the slime that represents this company are nothing but liars and conartist. Today she received a bill of $34.99 for god knows what. The great thing is I take great joy in going the extra mile and doing my part in exposing these scam artist. I will be reporting this company for false business practices and flat out lying about the services they provide. There is no freaking program to reduce your gas bill as they claim. I will be reporting them to the following organizations: 1. Better Business Bureau 2. The Gas Company 3. The Federal Trades Commission 4. NFIC (National Fraud Information Center) 5. FBI FBI.gov/scams-safety/fraud (why not, it won't hurt to try) 6. Local congress man 7. And try to report them to local news affiliates KCAL and KMEX as they seem to be trying to prey on low income minorities in this area. I expect a full reimbursement and cancellation of the contract that was signed based on deceptive practices. I hope you take me seriously as you should be receiving notifications from these agencies in the following weeks. read more

If you are still with the old and busted (Reliant, Bounce, TXU) you need to get with Spark and enjoy energy bills in the $50 range with me. I live in Sugar Land, work from home, run a lot of computing gear and AC all day and STILL, I can't get a bill over $50! Why? Cause Spark got my back with an awesome rate and the BEST customer service. Got an issue? Hop on Twitter, give them a shout ... they'll take care of your concerns. They are the social, no fluff, no hidden fees ... we love you lots kinda company. I'm a happy customer. Spark Energy has got my back! read more

DO NOT USE SPARK ENERGY. Short version, your bill will double. The gentleman who got us to sign up kept telling us that our monthly bill would be lower. Another big seller is they tell you the prices of gas goes up and down and spark will lock in a constant price. What spark does is charge you $5 flat a month and a rate based on usage, which both go on top of your usual pge bill. I have been renting in my California town for 4 years, house and apartments, and my pge has never been above $25. First two months with spark is $40 each. I cancelled today, paying the $100 cancellation fee. When you call ask for renewal or to open an account, as I was done in 5 minutes. Thank you to whoever suggested that below me. Wish I could give it less than 1 star. read more

Signed up with Spark Energy in June and received a welcome letter on August 17. I felt like many other scams this was too good to be true and it is. I was quoted a fixed rate of 69.90 cents/therm for 12 months but no mention of a $4.95 monthly fee well into an hour conversation at my front door!? The bill appears to be close to the same as PG&E or more but I don't feel comfortable with continuing with this service or a businesses that omitted fees in this manner. Cancelled as of 10/3/15. Spark Energy here's the definition of SCAM, I believe your company personifies every bit of the definition. As you may be a legit business, it is a terrible business that I want no part of. Your cookie cutter response solidifies the poor image you've painted for your "company." Businesses like yourself serve no purpose in society other than praying on the weak and misinformed. A dishonest scheme; a fraud. "an insurance scam" synonyms: fraud, swindle, fraudulent scheme, racket, trick; swindle. "a guy that scams the elderly out of their savings" synonyms: swindle, cheat, deceive, trick, dupe, hoodwink, double-cross, gull; More read more

This is BS that they 'take these complaints seriously." If they did, someone wouldn't have just come to my door and stayed even after I shut the door in his face. Seriously. I answered the door and told the rep, "Daniel" that I was moving out of state tomorrow (which is true!); and I told him he should contact the Hubs (whose number I gave him). Hubs likes saving money, so I figured they would set up an appointment to talk with him (like every other solicitor for home/energy services). The rep insisted on seeing my bill and then going behind our gate to look at the meter. He gets on his phone with their call center, and then they call me to "Confirm you are switching to Spark Energy for your services now provided by SDGE." WTF. I told the call center rep that I had NOT even been asked if I WANTED to switch. I shut the door on the solicitor, locked it and went into the back yard with the dog. I bitched to my mom for a good half hour, and went back inside -- I looked out the window, and he was still there, sitting at my bistro set out front. He then called me, which I sent to v.m. He text me asking what I wanted done with my SDGE bill -- I said to tuck it in the door. He then text again to say he wasn't sure if we were finished and that I "needed to sign something for me." Uh, NO. I blocked his number at that juncture, and called my neighbors to let them know these scammers were coming down the street. You better believe I'm contacting the BBB. read more

I signed up for Spark based on my conversations with the company representative who knocked on our door. I was told that there will be a $4.95 fixed charge per month & the locked in rate of 69 cents/therm. I agreed to the terms & signed up. In my next bill, the gas charges were in the name of Spark with the above said amounts based on my usage. But there was also a PGE Delivery charge for a similar amount. This was not communicated to me by the representative. I ended up paying both PGE & Spark for the same amount of gas consumption. When I called Spark, they told me PGE are not supposed to be charging me for the delivery of gas. I called PGE & they explained that the gas is still being delivered to me using their lines & they will be charging me for it. One good thing is I caught this on the first bill from PGE after changing over to Spark. Spark allows you to cancel the contract within 30 days from your first bill. Else you would be charged $100 as an early termination fee. I ended up cancelling my contract with Spark but I wish I had read these reviews earlier. I would never have signed up for Spark. read more

I wish there were Negative Stars to Give! A representative convinced my father to sign up here in Baldwin Park, California to which they don't even have Services in this area! It has been a nightmare since July 2014 to get a proper cancellation , We were charged on both my property and my fathers for a same day cancellation Which occurred in June 2014. We never received SERVICE! Our Gas Company confirmed that no discounts could be made through SPARK ENERGY and that they don't have service lines in our local area. I was charged $34.99 and later asked to pay $134.00 and each time I received Confirmation numbers which did not exist in there systems ! Each call resulted in more problems which they had no clue to my previous cancellations. 12 Calls later and now in April 2015, We are sent to collections after being fed up and after PAYING the service fee we never had. If you are a victim please submit a complaint to BBB.ORG ! read more

I live in bay area, CA. I singed up with Spake about 2 years a ago. They claimed to have lower rate than PG&E. But unfortunately the rates were the same. I decided to not go through the pain of switching again so I kept them. But after one year they increased the rate to over 100% more than PG&E. Sadly I did not realize for one year as I was auto paying. As soon as found out I asked them about it and their response was they automatically increase rate ever and it is the responsibility of the customer to call and work out a fixed rate for one year. How many client do that? It turns out that a lot of customers are upset at them. I tried to cancel and they said it will take about 45 days and till than they will continue to charge higher rate. I urge every one who has signed up with Spark Energy to review your bill and compare with your local service provider. I can not yelp enough to keep away from Spark. This is my first 1 star rating for any company. read more

I only signed up for this stupid company becuz i was told i'd be getting charged a flat rate of around $30 per month, but I'm paying twice that and my energy costs are more than double what i was paying previously. i should've known better. This is a scam. The guy who sold me on it was a slick long-haired salesman originally from NY, but lives now in San Jose. Watch out for him and this company. read more

Beware of Spark Energy, as it is a complete scam. Throughout South Los Angeles, residents have been fed the standard B.S., that your energy bill will lower, that two bills will turn into one, and that they are less expensive than So Cal gas. The reality is, that Spark provides your home with gas, but South Los Angeles Residents are still required to pay a "transportation" fee to SoCal Gas. What this does, is leave residents confused, with two bills, and without the language/cultural capacity to rectify the situation. Then, late payments turn into later payments which create a cycle of debt residents are unable to pay off. Furthermore, two bills are never consolidated into one, leaving residents confused. Even worse, if you choose to cancel your agreement early, you are required to pay a termination fee that puts further financial burden on already struggling families. Don't get it twisted: Spark preys on second language learning and poor communities because they see them as vulnerable populations primed to take advantage of. Predatory work at its worst. The final lie is that Spark will lower your rates. The reality is, that if you know your resources and are "low-income," you actually qualify for lower rates under SoCal Gas's CARE program, and other associated discounts as well. Finally, keep an eye out for "Continuum Energy," which is either a front for Spark or a subsidiary. Same scam. This is all bad. Beware and please share widely. If I could give zero stars, I would, but yelp doesn't allow for that. read more

I do blame half of this on myself. I changed services to spark energy 5 years ago with someone who came to my door. I did not realize it was a contract. I paid .07 per Kwh for one year. After that, it went up to .13 and eventually to .179. Comed is currently at .07 per Kwh as of today. This is 2.5 times higher than Comed. Ive paid $6000+ more then i should have over the last 5 years. Stupid me i just thought that was the rate for all these years. Spark stated they send a letter out about a renewal in 2013. ONE LETTER!!! Do not use them even for one year to save money!!! USE THE SUPPLIER which is comed. You will always get the lowest rate. read more

A shabby representative of this company managed to get in our LOCKED building, and knocked on doors, asking to see our electric bills. He tried to pull off that he was working in conjunction with Eversource. Told him to wait at the door; while he waited, did a quick online check : yep, scamner. Called the landlord to verify that this scammer did not their permission to be here, then reported to police. Fellow tenants: THERE IS A REASON OUR DOORS ARE LOCKED! Arrgh - just because someone is carrying a clipboard, do NOT let him in! read more

A young woman rang my doorbell holding a binder of PG&E documents claiming that we can lower our rates as a deal to PG&E customers due to the San Bruno fires from a few years ago. The woman asked for our billing information. I complied (due to my lack of judgement from a long day at work, thinking it was a PG&E employee). I signed up only to find out all these things about Spark Energy and how it's a scam that'll cost you more than your PG&E bill normally is just to save a couple bucks per month. I wasn't very educated in knowing that there's such thing as a 3rd party vendor for your utilities that'll be billed through PG&E. Here's the most disturbing part. The account holder doesn't even have to be present, anyone in your household can be authorized to make such a major change. I did call the very next day and a couple days later to request that my enrollment was canceled. I was told the enrollment hasn't been entered in their system yet and they will note to not let it through. WELL, I just received a letter from PG&E informing me of the billing change with Spark Energy as my supplier. So in an essence, Spark Energy's customer service completely lied to me over the phone and on top of that, the enrollment processed anyway. This is highly unethical and very unprofessional from Spark Energy. I'm extremely angry that I have to resolve this issue with PG&E AND Spark Energy before any erroneous charges are made to our bill. Also, I called PG&E a couple weeks ago about this concern, they told me that PG&E would never ask for your billing information because they'd already have it in their system. Also, they would never go door to door requesting home owners to sign up for anything. If there were any billing changes or rate changes, they would always mail documents to you, not walk around door to door. The reps who replies to these negative reviews are trying to tell you they are a legitimate company. Yea, on paper they are, but all they're doing here is exploiting legal regulation loopholes within the utilities industry to swindle your money. Then find a way to not be held accountable when they can't do something as simple as cancel your enrollment after contacting them multiple times until they tell you, "whoops, too late! SUCKER!" read more

Dishonest company. Reps will come out and promise a very low rate, then you will find out it was supposedly good for only one month. But wait, it wasn't, the rate you are charged is higher, don't forget the procurement charge. Next month it goes even higher - procurement charge double my gas bill. Rate not what they promised. Claim they will need to hear recording of your accepting before they can refund. Problem is, what the rep said in person and what you are actually agreeing to are two different things. When they can't get you to stay as a customer, they put up on perpetual hold and ignore you. Stay away from this company. read more

This company is a gas supplier like PG&E. They deliver your natural gas. (much like a gas truck delivering to a gas station) PG&E gets their gas from Spark Energy but, as a customer I get it directly from the supplier: Spark Energy Gas LP. I signed up because of the extra savings I'll see on my monthly bill. My family and I have always been conservatives on energy use. Before Spark Energy our bills were in the $40-$50 range. After the 1st month was $131.00. Second bill: $161.78. Now I'm going to cancel immediately. There's one catch: Cancellation fee is $25.00 within the first two years. I'll find out if I cancel and my bills return to normal. I shall return to edit my findings here. For now, Spark Energy=Higher Billing Costs. UPDATE: 9/25/09 It's been 5 months since I canceled Spark Energy. My utility cost are now back to $60-80. read more

Spark's canvassers flat out lied to me about the kind of service I was getting and then signed me up for more and costlier services than I had originally agreed to. When I found out about this only months later, I called to request that the service be cancelled, whereupon I was told that I'd have to pay an early termination fee and that I should have read the contract more carefully. They were all, "Yeah, this is 100% renewable energy"-- which apparently means something like 2% renewable energy yet the rate is higher than ComEd's typical rates? As they say, I literally can't even. Of course, there's no possibility that the canvassers could have been delivering incorrect information, it's obviously my fault? Wow. Complete scam and it's no wonder everyone else on here agrees. read more

Wow, I would normally just update my original post, but since they are charging me again I figured it's a separate purchase.... How surprised was I that in all of this turmoil to come home, check my mail, and find out they are still charging me!!!!!! Now my bill has been raised from the original $29.99 to $59.98, I am now paying for a service that was signed up in my name without my permission, that I immediately canceled, and that I AM STILL PAYING FOR THROUGH SDG&E!!!! I will be taking this as far in action as I can now... read more

Spark hires companies in Chicago (and I'm sure most other places) to canvass, who then engage in deceptive business practices. I have had two visits to date, one who asked to see my bill to make sure I was signed up, the other yesterday who not only banged *extremely* hard on my door, but then wanted to "make sure I was getting green energy". Shady as hell. You should never, ever, engage their canvassers. Certainly don' t show them your bill or let them in to your house. If you are unlucky enough to talk to one, and they use these tactics, report them to your relevant state agency. read more

Spark Energy sent their sales reps, hired through Cooper Concepts, a direct-marketing firm, to my door. We have declined their services FOUR times so far, when I asked them to never return to my door, Larissa, Elisa, and Omar said they would not personally return, but that someone else from Sparks Energy and Cooper Concepts WOULD return, whether I wanted them to or not. They are aggressive, rude, and cannot even explain their services. When I asked for the name and phone number of their supervisor, Omar said, "It's Cooper Concepts, google it." EXCUSE ME, you came to MY door trying to sell me something, and you can't even give me your employer's details? After a quick search of Spark Energy, the terms "scam, liars, fraud, and ripoff" are the leading search results. With a cool head, I called their supervisor at Cooper Concepts, Apryl Christensen, she was expecting my call and told me they would not return to my home. She had no interest in allowing me to vent my frustrations on how their reps were behaving in the field. She gave me the impression that aggressive, rude, and borderline fraudulent practices are the norm at Cooper Concepts. I tried to call Spark Energy to let them know how their company was being poorly represented in my neighborhood, after 30 mins on hold, I gave up and turned to Yelp. SHADY read more