AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) – Days after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) shutdown Griddy in Texas, the state attorney general’s office has filed suit against the wholesale electricity provider. AG Ken Paxton filed suit against Griddy, LLC for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act “through false, misleading, and deceptive advertising and marketing practices.” READ MORE: Mesquite Man Wins Big On Texas Lottery 'Weekly Grand' Scratch Ticket, Takes Home Nearly $900K During the winter storms that started on Valentine’s Day, Texas power companies failed and left millions Texans without power and heat while record-low temperatures froze the state. The AGs office says Griddy passed skyrocketing energy costs to customers with little to no warning, resulting in consumers paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars each day for electricity. “As Texans struggled to survive this winter storm, Griddy made the suffering even worse as it debited outrageous amounts … [Read more...] about Texas Attorney General Files Suit Against Power Provider Griddy
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Texas utility customer files $1B lawsuit against Griddy after electric bill tops $9,000
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for Feb. 24 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com. A Texas utility customer impacted by the state's devastating winter storms this month filed a $1 billion class-action lawsuit against wholesale electricity retailer Griddy Energy LLC on Monday, accusing the company of " unlawful price gouging." The plaintiff, Lisa Khoury of Mont Belvieu, alleges in the suit that while her monthly electricity bills from Griddy were around $200 to $250, the company automatically withdrew $1,200 from Feb. 13-18 and her entire bill was $9,546 from Feb. 1-19. TEXAS RESIDENT HAS NEARLY $17,000 DEDUCTED FROM BANK ACCOUNT BY ENERGY COMPANY FOLLOWING WINTER STORM Khoury claimed she expressed concern over the withdrawals and bouncing checks to Griddy, but never heard back from the company and ultimately placed a stop payment order with her bank on Feb. 18. The suit, … [Read more...] about Texas utility customer files $1B lawsuit against Griddy after electric bill tops $9,000
Texas sues power provider Griddy, alleging deceptive advertising and marketing
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Monday sued Griddy LLC, arguing the energy provider violated the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by hiking customers’ bills to cover its own failure to prepare for extreme winter weather. “During times of stability and low demand on the grid, Griddy was able to purchase electricity cheaply and pass those savings to consumers. But instability in the market can expose its customers to enormous risk, resulting in massive losses to consumers,” the lawsuit states. “Despite that very real risk, Griddy’s marketing persistently misled its customers about the nature and extent of this risk and the costs consumers could expect when utilizing Griddy’s services.” The complaint alleges Griddy, which purchases power on an open market instead of generating it, has a history of such behavior, saying it similarly increased rates amid an August 2019 heat wave to as much as $9 per kilowatt hour, the same rate it charged during the February winter … [Read more...] about Texas sues power provider Griddy, alleging deceptive advertising and marketing
Dallas Resident Says He Received Nearly $7,000 Energy Bill As Effects Of Winter Storms Continue
(CBSDFW.COM/CNN) — Dallas resident DeAndre Upshaw said it was “very shocking” when he opened his latest electricity bill. “While I’m trying to get gas and groceries and make sure that my pipes don’t explode, the last thing I’m thinking about is a $7,000 bill from my utility company,” Upshaw told CNN’s Fredricka Whitfield via Skype Saturday. READ MORE: North Texas Residents Grateful For FEMA Aid: 'Damages To My House Are About $180K' As Texas struggles to recover from a deep freeze that has killed dozens, some customers in Texas like Upshaw are facing unprecedented price hikes in their energy bills as a result of the recent snow storm. Texas officials say they are investigating. Texas’ utility regulator, Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), said Saturday that it is investigating “the factors that combined with the devastating winter weather to disrupt the flow of power to millions of Texas homes.” It’s also giving customers a way to use an emergency provider in the … [Read more...] about Dallas Resident Says He Received Nearly $7,000 Energy Bill As Effects Of Winter Storms Continue
Texas power retailer accused of price gouging in $1B class action suit
A Texas power retailer was hit with a more than $1 billion lawsuit on Monday filed by Texas residents who accused the company of price gouging in the face of a deadly winter storm that knocked many of the state's power supply facilities offline. The Dallas Morning News reported that a class action lawsuit filed in Houston district court accuses Griddy, a Texas company that is one of several providing power to state residents in the state's unique energy grid, of sharply raising prices for thousands of users in the face of the storm. Texas residents reported sky-high bills in the days following last week's storm as frozen natural gas plants and other facilities meant the supply of available power was sharply reduced. ADVERTISEMENT The Hill has reached out to Griddy for comment. Part of the company's website advertised on the homepage addresses sharp bill increases some customers experienced, explaining: "At Griddy, transparency has always been our goal. We know you are … [Read more...] about Texas power retailer accused of price gouging in $1B class action suit
