The Similkameen News Leader
Editorial
WILL GAS INCREASE/DECREASE NATURALLY?
June 19, 2007
We have to admit maybe we jumped too soon.
It happened weeks ago over the backyard fence and into the alley.
A young man stopped by to speak to the person responsible for the gas bill at our address. Once identified, he proceeded to identify himself as being from Company X and explained the evils of the rising gas prices and the benefits of signing up to Company X's plan that would lock in our rate for five years.
It sounded pretty good and we signed up.
Which proves we don't always get all the facts.
At least, not in this case.
We didn't know at the time, but there are a whole lot of these companies now in BC and they all have different rates.
Very different rates.
In comparison, a few are marginally cheaper than the one we signed up for. Some are a little more expensive but the difference either way is pennies.
Eventually someone from Company Y came around, but they left us alone after we explained we had already signed up for a plan.
Then we started getting residents in our office asking if we'd fax their cancellation papers to Company Q or Company V to get out of their specific five-year plan.
Our personal ten-day window breezed by and we're okay with it, but it made us wonder why people were opting out of what seemed like a pretty good offer. Who wouldn't want to have a deal of a set price locked in for five-years?
So we asked some of those canceling and the best answer we could get was that they didn't want to make a five-year commitment.
That's a reasonable reason. But what if it were the gas companies we use to fill our vehicles offering a set price for five years? Would you sign up for such a plan?
Based on how the price at the pumps has continued to climb with the odd step back, maybe a locked in five-year price per litre would be a pretty good idea.
As for natural gas, knowing our luck two years into our five year plan the prices will drop so far below what our set rate is that we'll be kicking ourselves for talking over the fence to the young man from Company X in the first place.
How we hope that doesn't happen.
