Ambit Energy
Ambit Energy is an international multi-level marketing company that provides electricity and natural gas services in energy markets in the U.S. that have been deregulated. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas, and its operations/call center headquarters are located in Plano, Texas. Ambit Energy was founded in 2006 in Addison, Texas by Jere Thompson Jr. and Chris Chambless. Business model. Ambit Energy obtains customers through a network of independent consultants who work directly with the customers. Ambit Energy uses a direct sales marketing model and is a member of the Direct Selling Association  of America, a public relations and lobby organization that represents the interests of multilevel marketing companies in the United States. Ambit typically offers customers multiple solutions for their electricity and natural gas utilities depending on the customer's market. After the contracts expire, services may automatically switch to variable-rate plans unless customers manually renew the fixed-rate plans. In some cases, Ambit's variable-rate plans could be substantially more expensive if the customer has not properly renewed. This has prompted complaints and lawsuits from consumers, and an investigation from the New York Public Service Commission. In December 2015 , the Department of Public Service in New York announced that it had settled out of court and secured refunds for 1,566 Ambit customers, totaling nearly one million dollars. In September 2017 the New York Public Service Commission determined that at least one independent energy marketer, Ambit Energy, can save money for residential customers and be allowed to sell energy to low-income households. Ambit thus far is the only energy service company, or ESCO, to win a waiver from the PSC's ban on ESCO sales to low-income customers. Eight other ESCOs have waiver requests pending. Ambit Energy was  named 2010's Fastest Growing Privately Held Company by "Inc. Magazine". The company placed 390th in 2011, 1,996th in 2013, and 2,074th in 2014. Products and services. Ambit Energy offers electric, gas, solar services and Green-e plans, offered with a Renewable Energy Certificate. The products and services are offered through their independent consultants. Solar. Solar is offered through Sunrun in several Ambit markets: Illinois, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington DC. The service is sold through Ambit's independent consultants. Their customers are then matched with a representative from Sunrun  who completes the enrollment process. Criticism from consumer advocates. Ambit Energy has come under scrutiny from regulators and consumer advocates. A 2014 ConsumerAffairs article discusses circumstances where customers have had their rates increased by as much as 200 percent by Ambit Energy without warning. In New York, state officials and consumer groups have claimed that sales representatives, who are paid by commission, have misrepresented contracts, exaggerated financial benefits of membership, and been excessively aggressive in recruiting vulnerable groups such as the elderly and non-native English speakers. In 2014, the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) received 450 complaints about  the company, most of which are for price gouging, or unanticipated rate increases following the expiration of contracts. In May 2015, the NYPSC launched an investigation into the company. The results of the NYPSC investigation were announced in December 2015, with Ambit refunding 1,566 customers for a total of $950,700. The company has been the defendant in class-action lawsuits in Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The New Jersey lawsuit alleging that Ambit unfairly hiked up its rates was dismissed by the judge, who ruled that Ambit disclosed its rates in its terms of service. In Texas , Ambit accumulated $57,500 in fines between 2010 and 2012 for violating customer protection rules. Carol Biedrzycki, of the consumer organization Texas ROSE, has said that representatives for multi-level marketing energy companies are more focused on marketing than on providing continuing service. Biedrzycki has also criticized Ambit and some other Texas energy providers for charging excessive connection and disconnection fees. Markets. Ambit Energy provides energy in 17 areas of the United States, all of which have deregulated energy markets. Ambit operates in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode  Island, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The company began operating in Japan in May 2017, and in Canada in November 2017.