Ramping up for the April 1 kickoff of Michigan’s voluntary choice program in its service area, Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. (MichCon), a subsidiary of DTE Energy, is warning its customers that it is common for natural gas marketers to call and request account and other personal information.

Starting April 1, 440,000 MichCon customers, on a first-come, first-served basis, can participate in the voluntary Gas Choice program and will have a number of natural gas suppliers from which to choose. Already, new suppliers are approaching customers of MichCon and asking for their account and meter numbers, which are needed to facilitate the change to a new supplier.

“It may seem like they’re requesting personal information, or possibly slamming your account, but the information is actually needed if you’re going to compare or switch suppliers,” said Steve Kurmas, senior vice president, DTE Energy Gas. “We do want our customers to be informed consumers, though, and it’s important for them to know with whom they’re doing business.”

MichCon said it will continue to buy natural gas for customers who want to remain MichCon customers, while delivering gas, reading meters, administering billing and responding to emergencies for those who choose another supplier. Customers who switch suppliers will continue to get one bill from DTE Energy, which will show the chosen supplier’s gas charge as well as a distribution charge from MichCon.

The utility said that customers who choose another supplier have a 30-day unconditional cancellation period beginning the day after a contract is signed. People can switch to another supplier when their contracts end or switch back to MichCon after one year. While there is no cost to switch suppliers once every 12 months, a $10 fee will be required for each additional switch within the same 12-month period.

For a current list of Michigan Public Service Commission approved suppliers or more information about the program, call 1-800-445-6098, or visit www.dteenergy.com.

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