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hawkeye
Consumers Power vs. Detroit Edison in Ypsi Township Mark Unseen   Dec 23 17:38 UTC 1993

According to what I've been reading in the papers, Ypsi Townships electricity
franchise was up for grabs again.

Rather than going with the cheaper Consumers Powers, they went back to Detroit
Edison (unless there are some last minute changes).

Is this a good thing or not?  From the articles, it seems that CP is about
30% cheaper than DE, but choosing CP would make the Township an island
surrounded by DE wires and customers.

Me?  I'm always for the cheaper utility.  Is there *really* a difference
in the two companies?
10 responses total.
scg
response 1 of 10: Mark Unseen   Dec 23 18:26 UTC 1993

Would it cost a lot to set up?  That might have been a factor.
shf
response 2 of 10: Mark Unseen   Dec 23 20:33 UTC 1993

CP is cooler; more user friendly in my experience.
polygon
response 3 of 10: Mark Unseen   Dec 30 02:26 UTC 1993

The East Lansing neighborhood where I lived in 1982-88 (called "Flowerpot"
due to floral street names) was "traded" to Consumers Power in 1963 by
the Lansing Board of Water and Light.  All of Lansing, and almost all
of East Lansing (except that one neighborhood and a couple of smaller
areas) are served by the "BdWL", which has about the cheapest electric
rates in the state.  Consumers Power is vastly more expensive.  And at
the time, Consumers Power (always referenced in the media as "the troubled
Jackson-based utility") was a pariah among investor-owned utilities due to
a long history of greed, arrogance, and gross mismanagement.

Naturally, during the entire time I lived there, the Flowerpot residents
were struggling to get out of the grips of Consumers Power.  I don't think
they ever succeeded.

I wouldn't think there'd be any contest between Detroit Edison and
Consumers, unless the latter has greatly cleaned up its act while I was
out of state for a few years, and/or Edison has been taken over by crooks.
I'm EXTREMELY skeptical of the claim that Consumers Power is cheaper.
If it appears cheaper, it's probably a scam or a lie.
srw
response 4 of 10: Mark Unseen   Dec 30 07:01 UTC 1993

#3 is more like what I thought to be the case, though I have no
first-hand experience with CP.
pegasus
response 5 of 10: Mark Unseen   Jan 10 05:40 UTC 1994

On a different tack... I got a call from a company selling long distance
phone service recently. The unusual part was that they claimed to be
funded in part by the Michigan Dept. of Commerce because phone rates in
Michigan are like the highest in the country. What gives here?  Is this
true? AT&T, Sprint and MCI can all charge MI people more than say, Ohio
people? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Anyone have real info on
this?
danr
response 6 of 10: Mark Unseen   Jan 10 12:23 UTC 1994

Why don't you call the MI Dept. of Commerce?  I bet they'd be plenty
interested in someone using their name illegally.
wh
response 7 of 10: Mark Unseen   Oct 11 01:18 UTC 1994

Re #5. Sounds bogus to me.
roz
response 8 of 10: Mark Unseen   Oct 12 17:48 UTC 1994

re #5:  I got a call from a phone plan offering me flat discounts off
of whatever the cheapest rate (between ATT, MCI or Sprint) was for that
call.  No sign up charge, no surcharge.  I never heard about the Mich.
Dept. of Commerce, but it sounded so fishy I didn't even keep on with
the phone call.  I can't remember the outfit's name.  Did anyone else
get a call like that?
pegasus
response 9 of 10: Mark Unseen   Oct 14 15:31 UTC 1994

Ros,

I think I did a long time ago... I might even has posted an item about
it, when it happened.

        Pattie
wh
response 10 of 10: Mark Unseen   Nov 6 09:08 UTC 1994

Uh, Pattie, we were talking about *your* post of Jan 10.
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