ALBANY — The state of New York's 2017 settlements with two energy service companies over allegations of consumer fraud have resulted in one company paying more than $1.5 million in penalties and another company issuing more than $700,000 in customer refunds, according to the state's Attorney General's Office.
Energy Plus Holdings LLC and Energy Plus Natural Gas LLC (collectively, Energy Plus) Ambit Energy Holdings, LLC, Ambit Marketing, LLC and Ambit New York LLC (collectively, Ambit) faced allegations of "deceptive practices" that led to customers paying higher bills than normal under a false savings program among other allegations, the Attorney General's Office said.
“Thousands of New Yorkers will get their money back after they were deceived into paying for more expensive energy services,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Energy Plus and Ambit are just two of the multiple unscrupulous energy service companies that the Attorney General’s Office has challenged in our ongoing effort to protect consumers.
"We have zero tolerance for companies seeking to defraud New Yorkers out of their hard-earned money."
As part of the settlements, Energy Plus and Ambit also are required to take preventive measures such as employee training and instituting disciplinary measures in order to stop further "deceptive practices," according to James' office.