Anyone have a guy come to your door asking about your BGE bill?

[jr88]

There is NO reason to ever conduct business with ANYONE who who ever approaches you for any reason. If what they are selling is interesting take info and work backwards thru legit websites or phone lines that are widely advertised.

Hmm, I don't know about that. Besides giving away the watchtower, I have had folks come to my door offering a service. Usually they are a smaller company doing work in the neighborhood and looking to drum up business. I have had tasks like tree removal and driveway seal coating done by these type of contacts with great success. While they were too small to have "Websites or 1-800 numbers" they offered local references for their work.
I must be old school because I tend to put faith in talking man to man with someone, looking in their eyes when I ask a question then judging for myself. There are a billion websites out there and most are as big a fraud as any human can be, so that doesn't mean a company is legit either.
As a society, If we don't answer our doors to the world because we are afraid or skeptical of everyone who would ever knock, we are living in fear.

 

[ThePhantomPatriot]

I had a guy come to my door just now, asking about my BGE bill. He asked for a copy of my BGE bill to see if I was eligible for protection against rate increase for the next "couple years".

I told him I didn't have a copy on hand, and then as soon as he left I called the police. Anyone else have anyone come to their door asking about this?

The guy was a black guy, maybe 5'9-5'10. Had a blue jacket, a badge of some sort around his neck and a clipboard. On the clipboard he had a few BGE bills and a spreadsheet of some sort. He seemed very nervous and would look me in the eye.

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up if it is a scam.

It's a scam or the guy is a criminal scoping out your house. BGE will never ask for stuff like this in person, it's already in the system! They would email you or call you if need be.

You should've asked him what your billing account # was, BGE would know this answer since they could look it up in the system.

The only reasons BGE will knock on your door is to read the meter (if it's in your house), notify you (courtesy knock) that they need to get in your yard to survey/check the lines whether overhead or underground, or to get you to sign a print for right of way agreement if they are running something new on your property. Also he should've identified himself as "working for BGE" and shown his badge.

I'm a surveyor, that's how I know this stuff.

 

[survivorRob]

Constellation Energy stopped by my house one day same thing a few months ago. Seemed legit, we switched, no problems so far. Cheaper bill, still comes from BGE.

Same here. They even gave me a $100 visa gift card for switching.

These people are just walking around trying to sell you electricity. They aren't there to raid your house, take your guns, or rape your wife. The guy that came to my house was maybe 20 years old, like the other poster described, a young guy working part time. He was nice and they just want to see your bill just so they can see how much you are paying and to get that BGE number they need to switch you. That's it. Please don't call the police you are just wasting everyone's time!

Now if someone says they need to check your utility pipes or something along those lines, yes, but not someone trying to switch your electricity provider.

 

[jr88]

It's a scam or the guy is a criminal scoping out your house. BGE will never ask for stuff like this in person, it's already in the system! They would email you or call you if need be.

You should've asked him what your billing account # was, BGE would know this answer since they could look it up in the system.

The only reasons BGE will knock on your door is to read the meter (if it's in your house), notify you (courtesy knock) that they need to get in your yard to survey/check the lines whether overhead or underground, or to get you to sign a print for right of way agreement if they are running something new on your property. Also he should've identified himself as "working for BGE" and shown his badge.

I'm a surveyor, that's how I know this stuff.

Once again, THEY DON"T WORK FOR BGE!, they are sub-contractors for a competitor of BGE who wants to sell you power.
All you guys with the SCAM/B&E theories either live in real bad neighborhoods or doth protest too much.

 

[ThePhantomPatriot]

Once again, THEY DON"T WORK FOR BGE!, they are sub-contractors for a competitor of BGE who wants to sell you power.
All you guys with the SCAM/B&E theories either live in real bad neighborhoods or doth protest too much.

Didn't see the 3 or 4 post down til right now after you mentioned it. Either way I wouldn't give a solicitor any info.

 

[Gladius]

Once again, THEY DON"T WORK FOR BGE!, they are sub-contractors for a competitor of BGE who wants to sell you power.
All you guys with the SCAM/B&E theories either live in real bad neighborhoods or doth protest too much.

I've actually worked with a guy who also worked with a company that does such things. I forget the name, but he would make 5 bucks a month off of everyone who he is saving $10 bucks a month on their cell phone, cable or utility bills, bill still come from BGE/Verizon.

They had some kind of deal with Verizon, so long as they brought in X new clients or got Y current clients to sign up for another year. Not sure how they swung the BGE savings.

Either way, I passed. This economy has enough middle men trying to wet their beaks.

 

[Mr H]

Well, anyone who knocks on my door who isn't family or invited gets treated tersely, because I have a pretty prominent "NO SOLICITING" on my storm door.

Terse, but polite, because I assume at that point they are illiterate because someone else failed them in their lives.

 

[DC-W]

Some are from Constellation and are legitimate. A friend of mine actually does the door to doors. Honestly, I still don't understand their business model in terms of sending out unidentifiable salesmen. He said that the cops are called on them frequently and when they are, they must leave the whatever neighborhood they're in.

A fleet of them came through my neighborhood last summer. The young salesman immediately asked to see my bill and I immediately turned him away. It was extremely suspicious and I felt it to be an invasion of privacy. There are people who are docile and naive enough to let these people in their homes. I'm not one of them.

Having said all that, I did switch to Constellation and my bills are third of what they were, but that visit had nothing to do with it.