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SFE Energy California


Country United States
State California
City Oakland
Address 7700 Edgewater Dr #106
Phone 888-659-2994
Website http://www.sfeenergy.com/
Most Useful Comment
  • Sep 29, 2016

SFE Energy California, Inc is a very slick, door to door approach to alternative natural gas for home heating, etc. Their sales rep came to my door, invited himself in ("I need to sit down in order to write your order"), and then proceeded to start filling out an order form. They told me that I would be trading in my PG&E metered gas plan for their flat rate natural gas plan. PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) would still bill me, but instead of my gas being metered and charged accordingly, I would pay a mere $29.99/month. Since I work for a water utility, I really questioned the guy about how it was possible for them to deliver on such a promise. He assured me that it was because the industry had been deregulated.

I signed up because it was easier to do so and cancel within California's 3 day remorse period than it was to argue with their sales guy. I subsequently faxed my cancellation to them and received confirmation that it was indeed cancelled. I also received confirmation from PG&E that it was cancelled.

The real deal with these guys, and the part they don't tell you, is that your regular provider is still entitled to bill you for generation and delivery charges. SFE Energy is billing for the gas only. When I called PG&E, I was told that generation and delivery is the majority of what I pay for gas. Additionally, since I only use any volume of gas during December and January, paying $29.99 throughout the year would actually cost me roughly $200/yr more than what I currently pay.

This is not a rip-off, per se, but it is a withholding of information that is pertinent to the sale. Remember, they are billing for gas only. Your regular provider will still be entitled to bill you for generation and delivery of the gas.

Mark as Useful [7 votes]

SFE Energy California Reviews

Most Useful Comment
  • Oct 21, 2016

Sfe is a gimmick and a horrible company. A man came to my door and stated to me that my bill would be cheaper if i used a third party gas line. Which was completely false and my bill has increased by 40 dollars each month. I called to cancel and now they are charging me a 240 dollar cancellation fee. I wanted to file a complaint with the company and nobody has contacted me yet regarding my issue. Please do not do business with this company.

Mark as Useful [7 votes]
  • Aug 15, 2018

Fake Saving Energy

If you a dealing with hardships, you can cancel. Write and stern complaint letter and state you are reporting them as a scam to Department of Energy. It’s utterly ridiculous how they try to make it as if PG&E or the gas company you’re with won’t charge you too. My bill was $130, I am one human & on medical baseline. It’s a disgrace. People work too hard for their money these days.

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Dec 2, 2016

Cancel fee

If u have the care discount applied 2 ur bill u cancel free of the cancellation fees

Mark as Useful [6 votes]
Most Useful Comment
  • Sep 29, 2016

SFE Energy California, Inc is a very slick, door to door approach to alternative natural gas for home heating, etc. Their sales rep came to my door, invited himself in ("I need to sit down in order to write your order"), and then proceeded to start filling out an order form. They told me that I would be trading in my PG&E metered gas plan for their flat rate natural gas plan. PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) would still bill me, but instead of my gas being metered and charged accordingly, I would pay a mere $29.99/month. Since I work for a water utility, I really questioned the guy about how it was possible for them to deliver on such a promise. He assured me that it was because the industry had been deregulated.

I signed up because it was easier to do so and cancel within California's 3 day remorse period than it was to argue with their sales guy. I subsequently faxed my cancellation to them and received confirmation that it was indeed cancelled. I also received confirmation from PG&E that it was cancelled.

The real deal with these guys, and the part they don't tell you, is that your regular provider is still entitled to bill you for generation and delivery charges. SFE Energy is billing for the gas only. When I called PG&E, I was told that generation and delivery is the majority of what I pay for gas. Additionally, since I only use any volume of gas during December and January, paying $29.99 throughout the year would actually cost me roughly $200/yr more than what I currently pay.

This is not a rip-off, per se, but it is a withholding of information that is pertinent to the sale. Remember, they are billing for gas only. Your regular provider will still be entitled to bill you for generation and delivery of the gas.

Mark as Useful [7 votes]
  • Feb 22, 2018

February 21 2018

Agents of this company just quickly fills out application without explaining clearly. Told agent i was not the account holder and still pushed through filling out the form and asked me to call PG& E and get my name added to the account for enrollment. Eventually, PG&E said account holder ( who's my father) needs to authorize me to get my name added into the account My father was out of the country so i disregard the enrollment form. A week later , i received a letter from PG& E confirming that my Dad was enrolled to third party gas supplier , SFE. It says CTA requested for the billing arrangement effective March 2. Called PG&E to verify enrollment and said My Dad was not enrolled. First of all, the CTA should have known in the first place that i was not the account holder, should not pushed through To have me even call PG&E to authorize them. These agents are too eager to close a sale and too smart. Called their customer service number that takes long before you get answered and the representative was rude and arrogant. Beware of these company. They are out knocking door to door duriing winter to close deals with their tricky approach!!

Mark as Useful [2 votes]
  • Feb 12, 2019

I called the POLICE instead of being threatened and filmed incident with SFE Energy / RPM LLC.

I answer the door expecting a package for my husband and instead I'm met by a weird man in all dark clothing with a hood hat gloves ( burglar outfit) poking around looking at my backyard gate and under my garbage can in the front of my porch.

I ask him who he is. The lies come pouring out he claimed he's "PG&E and I need your bill to check your tier allowance and your charge per month". I ask him again who are you? Badge? Id number? Anything? He starts counting " Hey I need you to get your PGE bill right now I need it to continue your service for gas and services...1.....2....or .....3" Now first off the guy was bizarre and incoherent turning his head left and right muttering then loudly saying clearly words such as PGE...your service.... 1....2.....3.....

I ask him again who he was because he seemed really nervous of someone watching him or seeing

him looking over his shoulder and getting more and more aggressive about giving him my PGE act # and bill. I told him to identify himself and that I would not be handing him my legal information such as anything with my social security number attached to it. He points to his hat that reads SFE not PGE.

He shoves his clip board in my face and shows me a badge covering his picture and name that says he's a " independent contractor in bold letters for RPM LLC. And service for SFE "

I asked him to remove his hand off his picture and name from the badge. He started getting really angry. I asked him to again verify whom I'm speaking to. He told me to take a picture of his badge with the company name on it but he would not remove his hand blocking his name or picture.

I said no worries. I apologized that I cannot do any business with him and go to shut the door.

He then says "all black people look alike so good luck"

I pull out my cell camera and ask him again what his name was and why he was actually trying to get private information off my bills? He sees the camera and starts freaking out yelling that I'm harassing him and stopping him from doing his job for PGE!

He's start covering his face and finally steps off of my doorway and then backs down the 3 steps then finally further to the sidewalk then down the path still yelling at the top of his lungs.

I keep telling him to stop breaking the law by trying to obtain my and my neighbors private information. To leave off the property. He's been warned to cease and desist all further harassment of the whole complex. He's still screaming now from the carport .

I call the police. Explained I felt scared. I gave them a description.

And literally 3 mins later they where at my flat. Showed them the video of the end of our conversation. And they already had him in custody.

Never ever let anyone bully and act aggressive towards you while you are in your own home/property. Always keep your phone handy for when you say no. And call your local police station immediately. I made it clear that praying on the elderly and disable by bullying, lieing and intimidating them they will get utilities turned off is illegal. Shame on SFE Energy and RPM LLC. For practicing such disgusting practices. BTW the services are fake as well. Unless you tell them you are calling the police they will continue holding you hostage and not let you close the door. And yes they will return.

Stay safe. Blessings.

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Jan 15, 2019

How P. G.c E is letting this company screw its customers knowing that they

are using P.G.E to help them to extortion money from your customers

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Feb 16, 2019

Bill Double

I agree with you. They are just as culpable as SFE Energy California. Wish there was a way to cancel SFE.

  • Apr 12, 2018

April 11,2018

Agreed, I fell for them as well, I thought I was going green and saving money, but after the fact I learned I was not so called and cancelled within the 3 days, However I am scared they didn't cancel and continue with the process, I have a cancel confirmation number but idk. I will never again believe anyone knocking at my door ever!!!

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Apr 25, 2019

SFE Energy scam

This company is scammy. Did your cancellation go through as expected?? Did you have any adverse results?

  • Feb 23, 2018

Poor customer servuce

This company is no good. Customer service rep are arrogant and impolite. Their agents are trained to be slick, monopolizes conversation. Fills out firms themselves and reqyest fir billing arrangement without authorization.

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Oct 11, 2017

A young man knocked on my door today in a chipper manner, which is odd because we get no visitors in our retirement community. Upon opining the door, he immediately launched into a slick scripted narrative, trying to convince me that SFE Energy was providing my gas to PG&E, and saying that he was just trying to make sure that my meter is working correctly.

I knew instantly that he was a salesman, and told him that I wasn't interested. He ignored me, and went right on talking (very rapidly), and saying that I'm already one of their customers, and he was just trying to help me. I said that I didn't believe him, and told him to leave. I locked my door, and waited. He stood on my porch, still talking and saying that I could call PG&E to verify his identity.

I told him to leave or I would call the police, and he then got mean and began chiding me, saying that he "ain't afraid" and that I could "go ahead and call the police then!" I told him to leave, and warned him that I have a gun in the house (not sure whether he'd try to get in or not...it was that frightening!). He finally left, but yelled out homophobic comments on his way down the driveway.

I now see that there are numerous complaints about this company online, and that my suspicions that they're a scam are being verified by others.

Mark as Useful [1 vote]
  • Aug 18, 2020

Last fall (November) they contacted me over my phone promising that for a monthly charge of $29.95, they would be taking over my natural gas delivery, meaning that my prices per foot would not go up and that all I would be paying PG&E was the local taxes and so forth. I have waited 8 months now to see a change in my prices, however; all I have seen is the increase of their added $29.95 a month added to my standard charges for Gas every month. What was supposed to save me money has actually cost me that additional charge since December of 2019 without a dime saved. As a disabled and income limited individual, I can't afford this constand drain on my income, and I have had it with them.

My personal opinion at this time is that although they are licensed by the State of CA, they are simply a SCAM designed to drain as much income as possible from as many as they can. Terms are YEAR to YEAR, attempting to drop out after the 3 day period incures an additional approx. $8.00 a month on top of the continued payment of the $29.95 until the service contract has expired. Sadly some of this information is NOT on the contract.

Needles to say, I WILL be canceling my contract, at the end of this month, effective as of December of this year (2020).

Note - - (with their extra charges we are paying almost $80.00 dollars a month in the SUMMER for hot water and cooking. Can you say EXORBITANT? I only hope that this note and others like it will prevent anyone else from making the same mistake. What really burns me up, is that last year, I researched this company and everything seemed to be on the up and up, or I would have never agreed to them in the first place. At the time, even PG&E said they were good.

  • Mar 19, 2019

Customer Service vs. Door to Door Sales

They advertised on craigslist for Customer Service Representatives for RPM, LLC, answering customer calls and assisting with service issues. I answered and was hired as an independent contractor. "Orientation" was a 45 minute description of the $29.99 natural gas package deal, and what to do and what not to do when signing up a customer. "Training" is on the job shadowing a crew team leader. You may be driving to Fresno - to Suisun - or anywhere in the PG&E Northern California service area, to switch PG&E customers' natural gas provider to SFE. So the customer service representative job is really a sales job. "Full-time" means twelve to thirteen hour shifts, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The team convenes at the office at 9 a.m. and before 10 the crew is in the van with a map and instructions. They work until after 8 p.m. and are back at the Sacramento office by 10 p.m. This is 6 to 7 days a week. It's sales. It's commission, your first paycheck will be four weeks out! Customer Service. Hiring Now!

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