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103
Ridiculousposter 103 points ago +111 / -8

There is no way that'll stand.

88
JimmyJam 88 points ago +92 / -4

looks like they signed a customer agreement to pay spot utility prices, that usually save them money, but in this environment the spot prices are crazy high. Why would the bill not stand?

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TheMAGAdontStop 113 points ago +121 / -8

Because we have laws preventing price gouging during an emergency. Hopefully that's not just for gasoline, tho

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Darkheartisland 83 points ago +88 / -5

When prices are too high that's gouging, when they are too low it's undercutting. Can we just admit we don't have a free market?

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Jeffersonian_Man 72 points ago +72 / -0

Lot of people don't realize America's economy is so fucked because we are barely a capitalist country as is.

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I_Hate_Wet_Socks 9 points ago +9 / -0

this!

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PraiseBeToScience -1 points ago +1 / -2

Of course we don't because we don't want to live in an AnCap retard "utopia".

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GlobalUnity 35 points ago +43 / -8

I don't think you are understanding. They likely deliberately chose not to pay the fixed price that most people pay and that are always higher due to a premium to cover things like protection against "price gouging", and now that their trade went sideways they and you want to cry crocodile tears?

Do you realize that the usual cost per month mentioned in the article means that they were at least using like two and a half times the electricity of a normal household, especially in January.

What you are trying to whine about is that you want them to now be saved when they were profiting and paying less than you for years.

"bill we just can't afford" but he either clearly lives in a huge home that is probably about 3000 square feet based on his usage or he has some grow operation going on.

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kd5ywa 18 points ago +18 / -0

Exactly. If that usual January bill of close to $400 is JUST electricity, meaning no water/sewage/trash, that's damn near 8 times what I pay.

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deleted 12 points ago +12 / -0
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bigleaguetrump 9 points ago +9 / -0

This, similar programs exist in other states. They send flyers in the mail and try to sell you on the program by making wholesale power pricing seem like its a way of cutting out the middle man to save money. What they fail to tell you is that wholesale electricity prices can be highly volatile based on supply/demand on the grid. The situation in Texas is an extreme example, but not out of the ordinary for wholesale electricity pricing. If they don't like it they shouldn't have taken the gamble in the first place and stuck with fixed pricing.

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deleted 1 point ago +1 / -0
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TheMAGAdontStop 0 points ago +1 / -1

In what way am I whining? I simply stated what I believed, but I'm not a lawyer. Maybe it is perfectly legal

6
ShitOfPeace 6 points ago +9 / -3

How is it price gouging if that's what the energy costs now that there's a shortage?

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GEoP 4 points ago +9 / -5

It's the market price.

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Toughsky_Shitsky -1 points ago +2 / -3

A "market price" implies competition to set that price.

Utilities have no competition .. by law.

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MegoThor 2 points ago +2 / -0

“Laws.”

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

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Darkheartisland 13 points ago +13 / -0

Kinda like the variable rate mortgage crisis.

4
sentient-potato 4 points ago +4 / -0

Variable mortgage rates are bananas.

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Richard_Dangler 9 points ago +10 / -1

I would think that there would have to be something to hang their hat on though, like at least give a notification to them saying "Motherfucker. The cost is going to go up by X $ per kW." An $8,000.00 residential utility bill in a single month is not something that a reasonable person would agree to.

7
Spez_BTFO_v2 7 points ago +9 / -2

The power company sent out notices to customers begging them to cancel their plans before the storm came. He ignored the notice.

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Richard_Dangler 7 points ago +7 / -0

What I responded to the other user with:

We made the unprecedented decision to tell our customers—whom we worked really hard to get—that they are better off in the near term with another provider,

I mean if they gave them a range on what the price hike would be I could understand, but that statement would not lead me to expect a utility bill that's normally $350ish a month to jump over 20X for less usage than normal.

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JimmyJam 6 points ago +6 / -0

the article said they did, they told customers to change providers or not use electricity

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Richard_Dangler 2 points ago +2 / -0

We made the unprecedented decision to tell our customers—whom we worked really hard to get—that they are better off in the near term with another provider,

I mean if they gave them a range on what the price hike would be I could understand, but that statement would not lead me to expect a utility bill that's normally $350ish a month to jump over 20X for less usage than normal.

1
Gotanidea 1 point ago +1 / -0

Who’s not going to use electricity? You’re supposed to cancel your electricity before a big storm? This is nuts. We used to make it through big storms because we had reliable cheap consistent power. Whoever changed that to make money should be held accountable.

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deleted -1 points ago +1 / -2
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deleted 9 points ago +9 / -0
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Datamancer 7 points ago +7 / -0

Actually, the opposite. Socialists, socialize the gains and privatize the loss. See IRS rules regarding profit vs loss. The government taxes 100% of your gain, but only allows you to deduct a fraction of the loss.

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deleted 2 points ago +2 / -0
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deleted 1 point ago +1 / -0
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Ridiculousposter -3 points ago +3 / -6

I've had a doubled bill, but 10x the most possible? Nope. Fuck that noise. Sue them for price gouging in a crisis.

1
DeportAntifa 1 point ago +1 / -0

It will stand, but Griddy is going to be out of business by months end, so