Don't Get Shocked

I just got yet another phone call from someone wanting to speak to the person in charge of the electric bill.

Being a devout Taurus who hates change, I had been brushing these people off until the call previous to today's. A nice young man waited until I got out my PSE&G bill and started to lead me through the math. Yes, I would save money. Yes, the charge would still show up on my PSE&G bill. Yes, if I quit before the year was up, I would incur a $10 per month charge.

Wait a minute, I said. You mean this is like a phone contract? With a termination fee?

Well, yes.

What if I have to move somewhere for health reasons (a hypothetical)?

Yes, I would owe $10 a month until the contract expired. Suddenly the fraction in rate savings - about two postage stamps' worth a month, maybe - didn't look so good.

So that was the sixth or seventh charming young person I had to hang up on during a pitch on electricity savings. The same for today's caller.

Guess what? Did you know New Jersey has a Ratepayer Advocate? Of course, one is always cautioned not to agree to anything over the phone, but the Ratepayer Advocate has even more good advice in the form of questions to ask before signing up for a different electricity provider. Thank you, Ratepayer Advocate!

Oldtimers will recognize the image at the top as Reddy Kilowatt, one of the icons of my childhood. I still miss my Reddy Kilowatt pin that some utility company rep handed out in grade school.

--Bernice