106 Constellation Reviews with

“  Star Tex Power raised my rates without any notice; my bill went from my fixed rate of 11 cents to over 20 cents per kilowatt! I didn't even notice for two months; when we called to ask why they didn't contact us about our contract expiring, the customer service rep said "we got too many complaints for calling, so we quit doing that..." Up until my contract expired, I was fairly happy with Star Tex... now I would not recommend them based on my experience. ”

“  First bill came in LESS than 2 weeks of service
Tried to sign up online and their system is down
Tried to call their customer service ...and no one answers ( during hours 0
First impression is this is a slockey outfit and not recommended ”

“  I chose Startex due to low cost. Order experience and initial contact was fine. Like some others here thought I failed to renew their contract one month and was hit with a massive bill. Started calling customer service and found them EXTREMELY UNHELPFUL and RUDE. I canceled my account. They still make daily collection calls even after payment arrangements have been made. ”

“  I had no problem with StarTex when I was a Customer. The problem came when I moved and had to cancel service. They charged a $150 early termination fee that they do very kindly offer to refund when you show proof that you moved. That was good news! The bad news is it's now been 7 months since I cancelled service and I STILL haven't received my full refund. It's been 7 months of back and forth emails and phone calls to get it resolved. I will say each person I've talked to has been very kind and professional, but the problem is they don't follow up when they say they will and haven't resolved the situation for an extraordinarily long amount of time. I have wasted so much time having to email and call to get this handled. They were a fine provider, rates were good, and the people are nice--but this experience has been so so frustrating. ”

“  I have been with Star Tex Power 3 years. Probably will switch. 12 month rates are too high.
Supervisors lied to me. Let a Manager try to get through. Good luck Constellation on your stock sales.
The mule kicks you once its the mules fault. Twice its your own.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ”

“  I have been a startex power customer for more than 3 years now. It's time for me to renew but was shocked to see the min charge increased from $4.99 to $9.95 and criteria changed from <500kwh to <1000kwh. I am a student and never use more than 1000kwh in a month. This is clearly a way to extract extra money from the customers as I will end up paying $120 a year just because I don't waste electricity! Outrageous!!
Highly disappointed by this move from Startex. ”

“  I have been with Startex for about 3 years now, they used to be awesome. Starting in late 2013/Early 2014, they cannot seem to send monthly bills and now in April it is worse. I cannot even log into my account and SEE invoices. Since they seem to have problems sending invoices on a consistent basis, I have to remember to go login to see what I am being billed for. For whatever reason, now I can only see the total due, not the itemized bill. That is just NOT acceptable! Waiting a response as to why I cannot see my bill and when will I be able to!
Whatever their problems are, just seem to be getting worse ”

“  If you ever have anything out of the ordinary happen on your account, there is no way to get any help or answers without RIDICULOUS wait times on the phone. They don't have an estimate for the wait time, and the hold music is the most frustrating short loop that repeatedly gets your hopes up. I relocated recently, and my husband called to arrange power. Apparently, he wasn't primary on the old address so he couldn't cancel the old account but they let him set up the new one. I cancelled the old one a couple of days later. Now, they are trying to collect an early termination fee for the first account even though it was a relocation. I have sent them documentation multiple times by email, but they continue calling to pester me to collect the money. When I return the call, I can never wait long enough to get a person on the line. They answer the phone immediately, but that initial person can only take payments or sign up new accounts, not provide customer service. Never been more irritated with a company before. I hate them. But now under a new 3 year contract fml. ”

“  I been with Star Tex for 4 years.Never had any problems until now. I was told that I would not pay for service charge and then they decided they wanted to disconnect me. They had on recoed from anthor company that the service charge was droped cause I didn't have anybody come.Now they want me to pay for something that was droped. I would not recmind thid company at all.Customer service is so bad. ”

“  But still bad enough to move companies, oursourced work- its hard to understand the people talking and them you and thats if the comm is working... poor setup, quick to cancel and bill you, but not as bad a cirro at least. ”

“  I switched over to Constellation from Reliant on a 6 month contract. The kw/h rate was lower, however, there a fee structure hidden in the fact sheets that I did not notice even I looked several times. My fault and I take accountability for that but I wanted to share after my recent experience. My monthly bill actually rose from the switch by a few dollars.

I had 7 months left in my Apartment and I signed a 6 month contract. Without notice of my contract expiring or rates changing, Constellation electric dropped me a bill that had more than double from the previous month even though I had used virtually the same energy as in the previous billing cycle.

Constellation has no phone support and only offers 'Live Chat'. The website is utilitarian and it is not user-friendly.

The live chat rep, Wendy, Informed me that a notice was sent approx 1.5 months before contract expiration, although, there is no record of this in either of my email accounts. I was offered no assistance and Constellation's stance was basically 'pay it or else.'

Avoid friends! ”

“  I was very disappointed in their giving me the details of their plan. they did not reveal in the rates given to me the cost of Oncor which is 95.00 this month. i was looking for a lower rate than i was paying and because of the way the plan was presented, i now pay more for electricity monthly. Very disturbed to say the least. ”

“  For the 3rd and last time since being a Constellation customer for many years, I received a disconnect notice in the mail. The first two times, I panicked and immediately went to pay a bill again. However, then realized that I am on auto-draft and that the funds had already been withdrawn from my account by Constellation. Today, I received a disconnect notice again. I confirmed the funds had been withdrawn by Constellation and gave them a call. The customer service representative did not immediately admit that this happened. But finally she did admit that this happened with "ALL" auto pay customers after I explained my problem and told her that this was the 3rd time I had experienced this with their company and I knew they had issues. She finally admitted that there was a delay on their side posting the payments to autopay customer accounts and that they sent out nice pink disconnect notices to all their customers. This is terrible customer service. I wonder how many customers panic and mail in a check to ensure that service is not disrupted in the middle of winter. They should be aware that this is an error on their side and take action immediately to make sure Disconnect and immediate payment notices do not go out to customers. However, the worst thing that can happen is that they will receive double payments. So there is no negative impact to them. I will file a Consumer Complaint with the state attorney General's office and choose another provider. ”

“  Watch out when you are comparing rates. Star Tex currently advertises 8.5/kWh for their month to month plan, one of the lowest labeling it a "promotional rate". You have to assemble information from two separate places on their web site find out what "promotional" means. If you are a NEW customer, you only get this deceptive teaser rate for one month. After a new customer's first month, or if you are a Star Tex customer and your contract ends, the current month to month rate is really 12.6, which is about 25% higher and one of the highest month to month rates. ”

“  I have been with them since 2007. When in a contract there are not many issues. I have 2 accounts with them on auto debit. One time they debited one account, but not the other and sent me disconnection notice and fees demand. Notice, both accounts use the same CC. Took the fees off, but not off my record. Hmm. I have been off the contract for who knows how long. My month to month rate right now is 14 and 17 cents. Quite a high rate compare with 8 cents you can find somewhere else. I called several months ago and they offered like 12 cents which is way higher than others. My son got a much cheaper promotional rate at his apartment as a new customer. I guess they don't care about loyal customers! Very dissapointing. On the other hand I like they offer auto debit by CC and more organized than some other outfits around. I lost a lot of money being month to month for a couple of years and ready to move my business somewhere else. ”

“  Being a loyal customer with Startex for years, I recommend the company to my friends when they ask for suggestions, as I got the impression that their customer service was excellent.

Not when I got a $220+ bill which is twice as much as I have ever received. The reason? They changed the way to renew your policy when contract expires. Instead of variable (or flexible) rate they used to put your account on after contract expiration, they now have something called "transition" rate. Guess what? The rate is $20 cents/kwh. The only thing I'm glad about? My normal electricity bill is only about $100. I could have got a heart attack if I got a $400 bill.

Run away from the company! That's my suggestion now if anybody ask for opinion. ”

“  I had been with StarTex for several years and have several homes (all StarTex). If the payments are not sent in at least 10 days early to StarTex office in Dallas, StarTex will start sending out "Late Notices". Called StarTex up, they insist that they process ALL received Bills the same day. BS!! I am tired trying to get my payments mailed in 2 weeks early, seeing how StarTex (now Constellation) can not get their act together or at least acknowledge that they have a problem, I have decided to take all my business to Champion. So long suckers! ”

“  I waited on the phone for 25mins, to be told I needed to talk to budget billing dept, waited for 15mins and hung up. Their reps are clueless, the co. needs to hire more staff. ”

“  I am facing the same minimum usage fee issue too!

StarTex paid no effort in retaining their current customers - and raise the minimum usage bar and penalty! They used to only charge $4.99 for usage below 500 kWh per month, but increased the fee to $9.33 for a minimum usage fee for 1000 kWh! Customer service rep is not helpful either and said there's nothing else she can do.

I hope Startex will keep their old policy to service users with lower usage (without penalizing them!)- or else they are just gonna drive their loyal customers away! ”

“  Switched from Startex with their minimum usage fee to another company that does not have one. Startex owes me several hundred dollars from a balanced billing account. Four months later, I am still waiting for my refund. Calls and emails to their so called top notch Customer Service go nowhere. ”

“  We recently moved and have had the worst experience with cancelling this power company. We filled out the online request to cancel service and completed all requested steps, but still got a bill for the electricity for our home for the month following our move-out date. We have called customer service on three occasions and forwarded our email showing that we have cancelled our service yet they still won't fix this bill. I have called three times to fix this issue and have waited over an hour on hold each time. I would never recommend this service to anyone. ”

“  After 1 month from final meter read, I had not received my deposit refund. I called, and was informed that is because I had not requested the deposit to be refunded. After my request, the refunded deposit was received 2 months after the final meter reading date. Unacceptable. ”

“  After I moved, they continued to bill me at my old address. I transferred service to my new residence and disconnected at the house I sold. Somehow a new account number was created in my name that I could no see when I logged into my account. They billed me for 3 months of power usage for the house I sold. Called them and they will not come off wanting to be paid. Goodbye Startex - was a customer for 9 years. Thieves they are ”

“  Give yourself a good 5-7 business days prior to the due date if you
bank on-line, since they refuse to set up an electronic relationship
with anyone but Wells Fargo. 3 times I've gone through this. If you
send your payment through another bank along with your other
monthly bills, leave lots of lead time, otherwise you'll get a nice pink
greeting from them in the mail along with a late fee charged to their
next bill. Then, when you call to see what happened and ensure that
your service is still on, they make you feel like you, as the customer,
have done something wrong by banking on-line, and not going to one
of their preferred payment systems (mail, call their payment number
over the phone, or wells fargo). Excuse me for not wanting to jack
around with 20 different service providers and desiring to handle and
manage my bill payments through my own bank on-line. As soon as
my current contract expires, I will be leaving this provider. ”

“  Got Startex on their low price on the
powertochoose site. I didn't read the fine print,
and the price went from about 6 kwh to 16
kwh...why even have those bait and switch prices?
Just put your price up their and quit trying to
screw the people. ”

“  Website account management is problematic. I called customer service last month and had to wait for 22 minutes. I'm on the phone again, its over 28 minutes and no luck yet. Startex Power, where customers see stars. Service charges have doubled. ”

“  here is Our experience
DEREG's : (not one co. explains the convoluted plans, very very bad for NOOBS)
what that means ,is vast complexity !
we moved Texas July 26,2011
some how the company changed hands , last month.
and we got no bills for July. (we keep reserves for when we travel out of country.
I got no warning that my rate would go from 9 to 13 cents/kw ! ouch (floating bla bla's)
I called and asked why no bill. Lost or USPS?
I owed a tiny extra amount and CC it, now.
and then was told our contract expired.!
ok ,been here 1yr +15 days,. so signed back up.
(but odd how contract ended in june?)(not told)
but at the end of the week , i get a huge bill.
NOT HAPPY, with StarTEX power.
I will switch and pay the $150 if they dont
agree to correct my billing.
No email was sent to warn us.
not resolved.
NOOBS,nail the contract end date to the wall.
or get burnt. In Texas.
Set stat to 79F. (works great in summer)

avoid Teaser rates ! dont eat the worm.... ”

“  I've been with this company for over 3 years. I used to really happy with the rate they have to offer until this year. I did not receive any contract expire like I used to. The price went up and I did not know because they did not send me the bill in the mail any more. I called in to ask why I was not notified this year. The representative said it was sent out both in the mail and e-mail.. I checked many times from all the mails I had but not found. The new rate for renew changed from $4.99 for min 499 kWh to$9.45.. I told him I was offered from Reliant Energy with lower rate plus $150 credit, he said he cannot do anything about. Okay then.. time to say bye.. ”

“  I have been with Star Tex a few years and let contract expire, they go straight to the highest rate they can give you in my case from .9 to .14 increasing my bill by more than a third. They do not care about retaining there customers, I would not suggest them to any one, they give you the excuse of sorry that what it is, when just about every other company out there has month to month for about .10 average. THATS bad business policy and that's how you loose customers. Thanks Ken ”

“  I have never been so mistreated by a company in my life. They ran my payment through 7-10 days before it was authorized. They did reverse it however it took several days to correct on my end. During that time i acquired $280 in over drafts fees. They were credited to my account. They did the same thing a month later only they didn't correct it and only gave me 50% reimbursement of the fees. I had letters from my bank, bank statements and even allowed them to contact my local branch to get it resolved once and for all.

I want to say that StarTex WAS a wonderful company and we never had a single issue. Until CONSTELLATION bought them. ”

“  Contract came to an end....they raised their rates (not a biggie) but when you try to renew....it's MORE! compared to what's in their mailings. You call and speak to someone, they play the tag game and send you to another operator in which you are on hold for a Loooooonnnnnnngggggg time! Finally gave up as it seems they don't care about my account so I left.....see ya StarTex! ”

“  I've been a Star Tex customer for 4 years now. Customer Service Rates right up there with Charter Cable. If you enjoy being on hold for 30 minutes to 1 hour plus, then Star Tex is the Company for you. Since the billing change over in January they have consistently sent e-mails stating that my account is past due, even though I spent an hour on hold re-authorizingt my automatic draft account. They really need to get their act together or they will soon be hated as much as Charter Cable/TXU and the Rest of the MONOPOLYS. ”

“  During the past few months they went through some type of overhaul with their payments systems and it has caused a lot of issues. I even received a letter in the mail in the beginning of Feb. saying that I would receive a $25 credit to my account because they acknowledged the issues. It is now March 26th and I have yet to receive any type of credit to my account. I have never waited on their customer service line for less than an hour. ”

“  I signed up for electricity with Star Tex Power for the price of 4.7 cents per kwh for every monthly usage over 1000 kwh. If I go over 2000 kwh then its 5.4 cents. EVERY MONTH without exception they have OVER CHARGED me. I have addressed this matter and sought a resoluion EVERY MONTH. Even the mangers can't /won't fix it. Their response to me is that the rate is based off of the usage. Are they deaf ??/ My usage is in line with the price. I AM SICK OF THEIR EXCUSES, and refusal to honor the terms of the agreement. This company is corrupt, under handed, and deceitful. I will NEVER again use them.
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY !!! ”

“  I was with StarTex for eight years and was happy until Constellation acquired them, but I just ditched them. Before Constellation, the phone got answered faster and they were willing to negotiate renewal rates to be competitive. Now you're likely to get stuck on hold when you call and they flatly refused to come off a rate that was 13% higher than a rate from a reputable competitor. Odd way to run a commodity business. ”

“  I switched to StarTex after Texas Power began raising our rates into the $.22 range without notice that our plan had expired. StarTex was great at first, bills stayed low then found out they had been estimating for months. Long story short, ended up paying over $700 in one month ON TIME and they still disconnected us the day after I came home from the hospital after major surgery. It took hours and numerous threats to "supervisors" for them to admit I had payed my bills on time &amp; they never should have disconnected our service in the first place. Even the Oncor employee that came to disconnect us said that he has heard lots of complaints on StarTex. They claim to have great customer service but it is among the worst I have ever seen right behind TexasPower. Swithched to Champion and hoping for a better experience. ”

“  Received a rediculousely high bill. Obviouse meter read error. Customer service representative was rude. Said probably high because of electric heat (I heat house with fireplace).

Startex power has been a nightmare, and once again, I am having a terrible time with customer service trying to get them to correct the meter misread.

CUSTOMER BEWARE . . . STAY AWAY! ”

“  Was a 6 year loyal customer, no longer. Their rates are no longer competitive and now they are charging an additional $9.95 because I don't use ENOUGH electricity. Really. Called and stated I would not be renewing and customer service could have cared less. Bye bye. ”

“  I've been a StarTex power customer for 2 years and my renewal is approaching. To my surprise StarTex has decided to increase the penalty for conserving electricity from $4.99 to $9.95 per month and raised the usage from <500kwh to <1000kwh. Use LESS pay MORE. What a deal! I called Customer Service and was basically told 'too bad, so sad'. It's time to start shopping again and I suggest you do the same. ”

“  1)Hidden charges like additional charges in bill
2)Live chat doesn't work
3)Every month two bills
4)Auto pay doesn't work and we end up in paying more times ”

“  Watch out if your contract runs out. I did and my bill doubled in price. I will not be jobbed by them anymore. This after 5 years, they are no help with it either. ”

“  I have been with Startex for over 3 years and had nothing but praise until Constellation took over. When renewing the new offered rates charged 9.95 for low use. I called to cancel and was offered to stay at same rate I previously had. When my contract was not updated and my bill was late I spent more then 20 hours on phone trying to get my bill and to get Startex to honor agreed on bill. It is now 7 months later and my bills are still messed up and I cannot get a straight answer from Customer Service or a promised call back from a supervisor. Something is seriously wrong with this company as they don't have the ability to bill correctly and customer service does not have the ability to resolve or correct any issue. In the past 7 months my bills have twice skipped months and I still don't believe they are charging me the correct rate. The really sad part is a call to this companies customer service will not resolve any issue. ”

“  StarTex was once independent and they were great. Then they were bought by Constellation Energy and it's been a nightmare ever since. They screwed up almost everyone's bills at one point and were impossible to reach during the fiasco. Further, they sent out delinquent notices due to their screw up. I asked for and received a letter stating so, just to cover my rear. Their plans are difficult to understand, which is saying something given how hard all of them are. Additionally, when my contract was up, I called them to see what they had available. I asked for the best price based on my service. They quoted me a plan based on at least 2000 kWh per month. Well, my average is only 1037 and I only hit 2000 or more four times in the last 28 months. But, wait, there's more. This first plan included (at no extra charge, just a higher rate!) Air Conditioning "insurance." Be very careful of such insurance plans. At best, they're simply prepaid inspections and at a very high price. So, I asked for a cheaper rate and after about 15 more minutes, I finally got to what their cheapest plan is. Why should one have to go through such nonsense to find the best rate?
So, given lousy customer service, rates that are on the high side, and statements that are a pain to retrieve, who needs StarTex/Constellation Power? ”

“  Was a loyal customer for years, but recently their decline in customer service and care has made me reconsider. They were always so great about letting me know when my contract was about to expire (a huge perk in my opinion) and providing me different renewal plans with incentives based on length of service I could sign up for. This must be a thing of the past. I did not get a renewal notice this time (via email or postal mail) what I got was a big fat bill with outrageously charges once my contract had lapsed. I called customer services and they were anything but helpful - all they tried to do was push me into another contract. When I was on hold for nearly 10 minutes I had time to explore other much, much more reasonable options and told the customer service agent I'd be taking my business elsewhere. They couldn't care less. After over 5 years of customer loyalty, I feel that this company has gone downhill. I would not recommend them at all! ”

“  I MOVED AND ITS BEEN MORE THAN A MONTH AND THEY TOLD ME I WOUKD RECIVE MY WELCOME PACKET IN 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS AND WITH ALL THE INFORMATION I NEED. I HAVE CALLED THEM 3 TIMES IS TILL HAVENT RECIVED NOTHING AND THEY SENT ME A EMAIL THAT MU BILL.IS READY TO VIEW ONLINE AND I CREATED AN ACCOUNT SND IT JUST SHOWS ERROR I AM SOO MAD IM ON THE PHONE WAITIBG FOR THEM TO ANDWER ME THE WAIT TIME IS RIDICULES OMG. I HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH A BAD EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS SMH!!!! ”

“  I was moving into a new home, scheduled my power to start, and a week into my new home, power off. Friday, 4:58PM. I call immediately, they tell me they have no record of my account or name, and there is nothing they can do until tomorrow, I'm given fake numbers to call back, fake operator names, and no power for 4 days.

The kicker is, the only reason my power came on, is because I gave up on Startex and switched to stream, who had my power on in less than 5 minutes after account creation. ”

“  I called to get my service temporarily disconnected for six hours to make repairs in my breaker box. The gentleman I spoke with was polite but could barely speak English and this reminded me of speaking to someone at a call center in India. Communication was painfully slow. He told me there are better rate plans than I currently have and that I need to move to a new rate plan. I explained that all I need is to have my electrical service turned off for six hours which he said was not possible, and that it had to be off at least until the next day. He said it would be easier to get my power turned back on the same day if I signed up for a new rate plan. I said no. Then he said he saw my wife's cell number listed on our account and asked if he could call her about the new plan. I told him we would not consider a new plan and to simply get my power turned off for six hours as requested. A simple request turned into a lengthy and nonsensical sales promotion, and I'm not confident the order was taken correctly. I'll find out next week... ”

“  I was approved for service and even got the welcome packet in the mail advising I would get my 1st bill with in 45 day. But to my surprise my old provider had billed me and when I called my old provider they stated my services had never been switch. I called Constellation and they said my request for service was denied and they could not tell me why, even after I got my welcome packet. They could have made a courtesy call to advising that they could not switch me. So I was stuck with a huge bill with my old service provider due my contract ended with them and was on a monthly plan at 17c a klwh ”

“  I ordered a package on line and realized when the confirmation came, that I had misunderstood the plan and it was not what I wanted. I called immediately, and after a very long wait on hold spoke to a salesperson that told me he could not change my plan, but he would transfer me to customer service and they could do it. Another very long time on hold and was told that she could not change the plan until it had activated. She said that they would personally call me to change it on the activation day. I did not received a call by late afternoon when I called again. Difficulty explaining problem and told them I just wanted to cancel. Further runaround, I demanded my right to cancel and was then told that I had to get a new program in place before they could cancel.I stated that I would do that immediately, but would not accept any billing for the partial day of service as it was their requirement that I wait until service started to make any changes. I went back to Cirro and then received a bill for the full minimum charge of 1000 KWH from Constellation. Another call, another hold, another explanation, agreed to reduce the charges to one day. I refuse to pay the one day. They cost me much more in time and energy than that. ”

“  I applied on-line to switch to this electric company. And it said that I had to pay a $350 deposit. I HAVE NEVER HAD TO PAY AN ELECTRIC DEPOSIT IN MY LIFE....I will just stick with Reliant. As I am happy with them. But living in So. TX, I was just looking for better rates...... ”

“  I called at add a rental property to an existing account. I was told service would be in 4th. 11th workers show up and no electricity. Was online with customer service for hour and gave up. I called spark and was signed up in 10 minutes. They arent capable of doing more than one account and following a script. ”

“  I was trying to switch from Champion to Constellation. My credit score is in the 700s and when I tried to sign up, was told had to pay 350 dollar deposit. I have had electric service in Texas for over 38yrs and never paid a deposit. Guess Constellation doesn't want new customers. ”

“  last month i signed for 3 months plan thru powertochoose website. they sent me confirmation email. i couldn't download pdf documents. now i see without my permission they changed my plan to 12 months plan. when i called them back regarding this matter first thing they put me on hold for long time second they their computers are on maintenance third they will call back after 4 days ”

“  Was given a rate by Choose Texas Power, but when I get written confirmation an hour later was completely different. Called Constellation immediately to cancel my application. 2 days later received an email from Constellation confirming cancellation. Two weeks latter I received notice I was going to be switched. Immediately called Constellation who said a different department sent the notice, but I should disregard as my application was cancelled and I would not be switched from my existing company. A few days before the date of the switch my existing electric provider said I was scheduled to be switched to Constellation and Center Point confirmed this. So for all Constellations assurances I had to do a lot of scrambling to stop a switch that should never have taken place. Two concluding issues; 1. don't trust the rates you get from Choose Texas Power, 2. Don't trust any telephone conversations with Consellation. ”

“  These scammers took my payment but refuse to credit my account. They want me to jump thru hoops to prove I paid them instead of doing any investigating on their own. Absolutely horrific experience that I would highly recommend everyone stay away from. This company is the worst!! ”

“  The bill came to another address not the one I requested. Could never reach a person to discuss my problem ”

“  My bill has went from approx. $189 a month, to $250 a month to this month of $424 Of course once they have angered you , then they want to offer better rates, and discounts. By this time the you are fed up... Call Texas Energy Choice, I phone call, and they find you the best rates, no $ out of pocket and they take care of everything Sorry Constellation You loose ”

“  I've used multiple provider for power in Texas over the last 5 years since deregulation kicked in. I've always gone to powertochoose to get the best deal when my previous contract expires. I did this recently and have learned that StarTex is now considering anyone who has used their service within the last 36 months to not be eligible for their best NEW CUSTOMER plans. In the past, the process was that if u were not an existing customer you were considered a NEW CUSTOMER.

Now StarTex has changed the rules to scam us. StarTex will publish a loss leader on powertochoose, but say you are not allowed to have that. They'll gladly sell you a plan that is more expensive so it's not that they think you are a risk. They just want to bait and switch users.

I've contacted my local congressman and he has had the PUC file a complaint about this bait and switch practice. Hopefully, this will be resolved to help the little guy. ”

“  Purchase from Startex ever again? _ _ _ _ No.
I ordered a variable rate plan that started at a wonderful rate- about $0.072 per kw. They do mention that they can raise the price at their own discretion at any time. What they never mention in the terms is that yes, they are about to raise your rate after only one month of the promotional rate and yes, you will be shocked at how cavalier they are about dinging you once you have been roped in.
The idea that anyone would agree to have their rates raised by 64% after only one month (from 7.2 cents to 11.8) is so ludicrous that it won't enter into your thinking as a reasonable prospect, unless someone tells you in plain language that it will happen and that this is apparently routine business to Startex- hence my review here. Don't take a promotional rate unless you have done an exhaustive study of how your account will be handled after the first short period of service. They leave all mention of that out except by inference in "legalese".
”

“  I was on a rate plan until this July and was very happy. I did not enter another because I knew I would be buying a home and was worried about breaking a contract. Even though I have been going month to month my bill has been good. Unfortunately I am forced to shop for another company because the new rate plans are very high. I have not had any issues, I love that I can go online and pay, and my bills were decent. They no longer offer any rate plans that are priced decent. I did try to call customer service to see if I could get a lower rate as a loyal customer but no luck.....so I will shop and read reviews until I find another company
”

“  As many have noted, this company will sneakily jack up your rates if
you're not paying attention. They'll lure you in with a low introductory
rate, induce you to autopay your bills, then double your rate immediately
at the end of your term and hope it takes you a while to notice.
Exceptionally sketchy business model. I've used several providers and this
company is by far the worst. ”

“  I had been with StarTex for several years and was happy with them until I received my bill yesterday. My variable rate excluding TDU surcharged increased 46%, from $.0879 to $.1286, from the June 2012 to July 2012 bill. I don't see how "market fluctuations" could account for such a huge increase. I checked their 12 month contract rate and StarTex is not offering competitive rates like they used to. Their current 12 month rate is $.108 kwh. For comparison I just signed a 12 month contract with Cirro for $.09 per kwh. Both quoted rates include fixed charges and are based on 1,000 kwh of usage. On the Power to Choose website about 70% of the competing 12 month plans are cheaper than StarTex. If your renewal is coming up with StarTex it is definitely time to shop. ”

“  In Dec. of 2011 I signed a 3 yr. contract expecting to be operating my business for another 10 yrs.
Unfortunetly, my parents in Vietnam (my homeland) have been sick and decided to sell my business
and move back home. The new owners and I have signed a Bill of Sale with no transferable debts,
contracts, liabilities, etc. They have other cleaners and have the same REP they have had for over 20 yrs. and will not transfer the contract with StarTex, Because of that I will have to pay thousands of
$7,000 in penalties. I am shocked, disheartened, because it will cost me to make this move and I cannot
afford that kind of cost. I asked the new owner to consider transferring,but his rate with his preferred
REP is .001 less. I cant blame them. Ive been told to file a complaint with PUC. Can anybody else help me? Should I hire and attorney? At this point the cost of an attorney may be less, if you can believe it.
I;ve told my story over and over and everyone tells me that it cannot be. But, the new owner does not have to enroll new move in with StarTex, not necessarily good for me. Please help me!!

”

“  Beware of this company, I have been with them for five years, and I re-uped for 12 months each time. This last time they "lost" my sign up sheet, and when I noticed they were charging me .145 per klw vs .087 which is what they should have been charging me, they refused to do anything about it, except offer me twenty dollars off, if I would sign up again, no thanks, I moved on to Champion, who is by far the highest rated electrical co by JD Power, and this site as well. The best part is an even lower rate than this crooked co would offer me (.084) and don't bother with your phony offer to contact me from Startex which I see with ever complaint here, after three phone calls to even reach a supervisor, at Startex, I don't won't any more. ”

“  They changed their billing system without notifying their customers. Exceedingly long hold times and no response to emails. Double billing, unexplained charges/credits, uninformed customer service reps, increased rates. Stay away folks. ”

“  We've had StarTex for a couple of years now. We pay our bill on time.

Went on vacation, and Mrs paid the bill before we left. Get home, no power. Apparently she sent $119 and the bill was for $190. 10 days late with a "past due balance" and they see fit to turn out our power. Lost everything in the fridge and freezer because of it.

Customer service was not very sympathetic, and treat Mrs like we're some sort of trouble case. Now we have "reconnect fees" on top of our bill and lost groceries.

Helpful customer service my ass. What kind of company shuts off power that quickly, and with such a trivial reason? ”

“  BAD-BAD-BAD
I was told when I renewed my contract that there will b no monthly charge even if I didn't use the minimum monthly KW, but they did charge me $9.95 & after I requested to investigate what the rep told me on the ph, they said that I agreed to that, but when I told them to let me listen to the recorded conversation, they said no! They also didn't want to give me the address to their legal dept so I can send them a letter from my Atty.
DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THIS CO!!!
BAD-BAD-BAD ”

“  Have a commercial building in McAllen Texas. I had ordered STARTEX to stop service due to a new tenant coming into the building. Low and behold STARTEX failed to stop service and tenant ran up a bill under my name. Then had a bill collector hounding me for the bill and was extremely rude and offensive. Having to clear up a problem created by STARTEX that should have been avoided by them. Definitely would not recommend and will never consider them due to bad service, ignoring my requests, and extremely rude unprofessional behavior. ”

“  When I first signed on with them my bill was never more than 115. Now my bill is never less than 135. I've been having family tragedies and have been in and out of the city for the past 2 mths. The bill completely slipped my mind. So I figured it would roll over to the next and I would just pay it all one lump sum like most companies. HELL NO two weeks later I'm back in town and come home to no lights. They give you no lee way. I have 3yr old twin daughters this was an outrage for me and them. I call. And ask them can they reconnect and I could pay it the next morning when I get paid and the response I got was unfortunately our system is automatic and we can not restore power until the balance is paid in full and even then there is a reconnect fee. Miss me with the bs startex there is always a way. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. THEY DO NOT CARE FOR THE CUSTOMER. I'm switching to txu. I'd. Rather pay more and be service satisfied than deal with this scrappy company ”

“  I had trouble with receiving my bills throughout by contract with this company. They sent me my last month bill but not my final bill, never sent me any notice of owing them money and then turned me over to a collection company for $43.50. Never, Never,Never do business with this company! You will regret it in the end. ”

“  After several years service and my contract ending, ST sent me a offer for renewed service. After filing the new service request I was under the impression of getting a new contract. After checking my last bill, I noticed my rate ($0.133) was not moved to the newer rate..!
What's the point of wasting the energy to contract for an additional period of time? So much for customer service. Bye, Bye Star Tex, you have a problem and I choose not to continue your service. ”

“  Avoid these guys at all cost. Downhill since
acquired! ”

“  THE CONTRACT EXPIRED. THE RATE JUMPED FROM 8.5 TO 14.4 KWH. A PRICE THAT WAS NOT CONSISTENT WITH ANY OTHER RATES -- DEFINITELY A RIPOFF ! I OVERLOOKED THE EXPIRATION OF THE CONTRACT DUE TO A DEATH IN THE FAMILY AND NEVER GOT A NOTICE FROM STARTEX. I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION WITH THE SUPERVISOR. THE SUPERVISOR/COMPANY WOULD NOT GIVE ME A BREAK. ”

“  I've been with Startex for a few years, and I have learned that they lack the competence to process 2 invoices (for 2 accounts I have) that I mailed them in their own envelope. They cashed the check but refused to apply the money to my accounts. Then they threatened to cut off my service if I didn't pay the amount due (of which the money had already been received, accepted and cashed!). I had to give them a credit card over the phone to stop my power from being cut off. I sent then a copy of the front and back of the cancelled check along with emails AND THEY STILL DIDN'T ALLOCATE THE FUNDS TO MY ACCOUNT PROPERLY.

Customer service is a joke as these folks dont even know how StarTex does the billing, how they apply funds received and then they tell me the computer allocates the money a certain way when its received. Well, if that's the case, why the heck do they have a line below the amount due on the invoice where we the customer are asked to fill in how we want the check allocated ??????? This alone is mis-representation and another scam to squeeze WRONGFUL late charges out of you.

Anyone out there know of a good lawyer to sue this company? I'm confident in a suit we can get their records of 1,000's of people they do this to all the time to add as additional plaintiffs. ”

“  I renewed with StarTex after my original contract ended and received a confirmation that my order was received. Three months later I figured out that my renewal had NOT gone through in spite of the confirmation I had received and that StarTex had been charging me much higher non contract rates. I had been overcharged several hundred dollars! It was an act of congress to get a refund! I will never do business with them again.
”

“  After the switch, this company is worth a flip! ”

“  Star Tex Piwer has claimed good customer service in the past. Now I would say that is in the past. They have over charged me. Representative's are rude and unhelpful. Forget about speaking to management. Be prepared to be labeled if you have problems with them. Labeled unfairly financially and with service. ”

“  I have been with your business for years and I recently talked to your representative before April 10th for locking in low rates. Your rep said it would be 8.6 per kwH. She told me I could not lock in this rate. My contract will end May 24th, 2013. I am only able to lock in the rates after April 10th. She also told me the rates go up and down. It sounds like I have to call in every day to find low rates. I called again after April 10th and the rep told me it is now 8.9. Four days ago I called again and now it is 9.3. They transferred me to another department and they would give me it at 9.0. I said I have to think about it. Sounds like I can never get it back at 8.6 when I first called in. Your rates looks like it always goes up, never down. I think this is a game trap. I don't appreciate your customer service. I spent a lot of time calling in and it's not going low just high. ”

“  After 6 years with Startex I to stopped getting bills after changing my contract. I spoke with customer unservice 6 times no help. They promised they would not send a past due or turn off my service and now they are doing both. I'm running as far as I can. If they try to hit me with a termination fee I will pay it the same way they send there bills, never. Stick it where the sun don't shine Startex. ”

“  I always had difficulty paying my bills due to lack of accessibility. My account was not accessible online to allow me to pay my bill more efficiently, despite my attempts to get this resolved, but it never was. The automated payment system would not recognize my account either, therefore I resorted to having to "hold for the next available customer service specialist" for at least half an hour "due to extremely high call volumes" to make my payments with a customer service representative each month. This was such a terrible experience! "At StarTex Power, customer service is our number one priority." ?? I would highly NOT recommend this company. ”

“  A StarTex representative came knocking on my door with a story about a rate adjustment from Oncor to which I was entitled - I think that is what he meant. He spoke quickly and what he did say was not clear. As I asked him who and what StarTex was he replied "I'm not selling you anything." Clearly untrue. At that point I closed the door. ”

“  I have been a long time startex customer. Their rates for renewals are higher than for new customers. SSDD, This company was great when it first started, now it's just doing what every other business does. Gets customers, treats them right for a while and then and then raises the bills and the plans.... not worth it anymore... ”

“  Customer since 2011. GREAT COMPANY UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO.

My monthly bill(s) have more than TRIPLED (from$ 80.00 - $ 350.00) with NO ADDITIONAL ELECTRICITY USED! Have made SEVERAL calls. NO ONE HAS ANSWERS. Suggested we are turning all the lights on at one time....power surge.

LOCATION IS AN EMPTY NON RENTED LOCATION.

WAIT time for phone calls averaged well OVER the 30 minutes they project!! Today, I spent almost an hour waiting to speak to a representative. Several times I have been disconnected while they put me on hold to research this. Another 30 plus minutes on hold.... TOTALLY NOT ACCEPTABLE!

In their favor, once you speak to a representative, they are pleasant and try to be helpful. Unfortunately, their answers are generalized. Since December, I have asked to speak to a supervisor. 16 calls later, someone actually did call me back. They were going to look into the problem. Never heard back re: solution. So NOTHING HAS CHANGED. SO VERY UNHAPPY!!! BEWARE!!!!

SHOPPING FOR ANOTHER COMPANY!!!! STARTEK HAS LOST MY RESPECT!!! ”

“  Their variable rate plan was great the first month, then the price per kwh doubled the second and subsequent months. They lure you with attractive rates. A bait and switch scheme for sure.. ”

“  Didn't receive my March bill when I was expecting it. Finally, it showed up on line. I was billed for 832 kwh. The cost for electricity was about $90. They added an additional $1900.00 to the bill. It was itemized as a "check refund". When calling, the wait is usually over 45 minutes. I got ahold of a guy in another department who said he would e-mail my concerns to the appropriate department. The next day someone called and left me a voice mail saying they were working on it and would call me back. They didn't. They don't respond to e-mails. Finally spoke to another rep who couldn't explain the added charge. It's been almost a week and they still haven't corrected the bill. My contract expires this August. I'll be looking elsewhere. I have been with StarTex for about 4 years. I have never received such horrible customer service from anyone like this. Called Constellation....they don't seem to care. It's time for a PUC complaint. ”

“  Was a great company for 6 years, but they have now sold out to another comapany. Now they have too many hidden fees. Will not sign with them again. ”

“  A note of advise: you need to read your monthly bill statement, and also be careful when you switch even after the contract expires. Additional charge is adding to your account every so often. Hate to call in every time to argue, but you can try to get over charged money back. ”

“  I signed up with StarTex last year because of the fabulous reviews. But I have been mightily disappointed. The difficulties with the website "upgrade" were bad enough, but now I received the notice that my renewal will be month-to-month at a much higher price, of course. No information given on the rate to renew for a year or any other period of time. I checked Power-to-Choose and found only a 3-month plan. I called customer twice because I didn't believe that, and the wait to speak to someone is 30 minutes!!! Who has time to be on hold for hour? What are they thinking? I emailed last week, got an automated response that it would be answered, and still no answer. So how on earth are you supposed to get a hold of these people in order to get information about renewal? I have no choice but to switch companies. ”

“  I was forced to use StarTex Power after a recent move. I have never dealt with a more incompetent company in all my life. Honestly. I have had numerous problems and tried every avenue they provide to resolve them. Wait time is always at least 30 minutes. Nobody ever calls me back. Nobody responds to complaint email or any email for that matter. Trust me, stay away. ”

“  Some people are just simply too stupid to run a company of any kind. I sincerely doubt these idiots could operate a Lemonade stand much less an electric company. Service is a complete zero and their website looks like a Kindergarten class project gone wrong. It's not worth the trouble to save some money. ”

“  We moved from one house to new one. Both had Startex Power, they charge us more than $800 for early termination fee. We faxed them the lease for tho old house as they ask then they said it was separate account
Worst company ever deal with ”

“  This was a great company. I got many friends to switch to them over the years. Now they are terrible. I gave them every chance to keep me as a customer. But customer service was terrible, rate plan options to renew were inflexible and expensive, and their recent billing changeover did not go well. Nice going Constellation... ”

“  I had very bad experience with the billing of Star Tex Power. It has automatic bill payment through checking account and I have provided all the details and setup for automatic payments. After 2 weeks when I checked the Star Tex Power account online, I could still see the amount due and the bill was not processed trough my automatic payments. I provided my account details again for automatic payments and though this time it would process the billing. Later when I checked my Star Tex Power account online I could still see the online payment was not processed. I thought there is some issue with there billing system through bank account payments and I paid my bill through credit card. The payment was made on time and in the next month bill I could see Other charges as 40 $ I was not sure about that and called the customer care representative. He explained it was fees for not processing payment for my checking account, I explained him the all the effort I made to pay the bill, if the online payment system through checking account is not working from their end why should I pay for that. He said its their policy and he can't help. I don't understand if they are having issues with their bill payment system why customer has to pay for it. It ridiculous for no reason I had paid 40$. I understand there is not perfect world and every system has its own faults but it can be solved through analyzing the problem and make proper decision. If they are not ready to do, what is the use of customer care service. I am very much disappointed with the experience I had and I will never have this services again and never recommend to anyone. Very poor and disappointing experience. ”

“  real problems with online access can't sign on. In one instance it could not find my account when I did get on there was nothing there ”

“  I was contacted by a rep by the name of Grant, to renew my commercial service contract. The best deal he quoted me was for a 4 year term at .04 something cents per kw. I signed a contract online but when I got my bill, it was for .05 something cents per kw. I have tried for over a month to contact this person, only to be put on hold for 10 minutes at a time, at which time I leave a message & they are SUPPOSED to call me back the 'next business day!' I have yet to receive a call back. Once I did get to talk to a live person but was told 'Grant' was on vacation & to call back Monday, which I did, only to be put on hold AGAIN! This company started out being a great company to do business with, back in 2011, but now, I would not recommend them to anyone!!! ”

“  It all went down the toilet quick once Constellation completely took them over (2013). First they changed the website, which changed the bill payment system. Autopay doesn't work one month. It charges my card 5 times the next. Customer service is clueless after being on hold 75+ minutes.
Before the sale, I was never on hold longer than 5 minutes, and customer service was knowledgeable and could fix mistakes! Not anymore.
The rate I signed my contract changed - due to a "PUCT approved rate adjustment." They passed the charge on to me. It's their right - it says so in the contract.
It's also my right to leave them after my contract is up.
Marcie Zlotnik - you are deeply missed. She is no longer running things as of 2014.
What a shame. ”

“  I have had about a dozen (12) rental properties with StarTex for 5 years. StarTex USED to have pretty good customer service. But since StarTex got bought by Constellation, the service at StarTex has gone downhill fast. I have elected to vote with my feet, I am renewing ALL of my previous StarTex accounts with another provider (Champion). Things may not work out to be perfect with the new provider, but I am sure that things cannot be as screwed up as things have gotten with StarTex. ”

“  We had been Star Tex customers for some time. We renewed at a reasonable rate but the company slammed us on to a much higher month to month rate. When we finally caught it, they did nothing to to rectify it. Just another company trying to get and keep people on high month to month rates. PUC should shut these high complaint companies down. ”