Grass Roots Energy Company, a buyer’s agent for Georgia’sresidential energy consumers looking to switch from Atlanta GasLight Company (AGL), selected Shell Energy Services as the bestvalue in the market, the two companies announced Friday. Shellgained access to the 35,000 Grass Roots customers by beating out 18other marketers competing in the newly deregulated market. Clientswho signed up with Grass Roots by Nov. 4 will start new gas servicewith Shell Dec. 1, 1998.

Shell has said that they will contact every Grass Roots memberbefore then and offer choices of service, payment plans, and otherbenefits. The terms of the transaction between the two companieswere not disclosed.

“As part of our commitment to reduce monthly natural gas bills,Grass Roots Energy has chosen Shell as the best choice today forour members’ natural gas needs,” said Grass Roots President DaveRich.

Shell was the right choice, according to Rich, because of thecompany’s commitment to customers and their capability to take careof them, “We have 35,000 clients who want more than just a gas billevery month. Shell has the phone centers and overall capability tocontact each of our clients individually. Nobody else could dothat.” Shell also persuaded the buyers’ agent by offering toprovide choices of service to each customer, allow payment optionssuch as over-the-phone transactions with a credit card (which,according to Rich, no other marketer offered), and did not requirethe customer to enter any kind of contract.

Georgia’s official unbundling began Nov. 1, when 16,000consumers switched from AGL to five different marketers. ScanaEnergy, Infinite Energy, Georgia Natural Gas Services, e primeInc., and Peachtree Natural Gas all attracted consumers. Accordingto Rich, Grass Roots withheld from signing with a marketer in thefirst month because they had not heard from all the marketers,”Ideally, we wanted our customers to have new service Nov. 1, but alot of marketers were not ready to deal.” The total number ofswitching customers for the second month of unbundling will not beavailable until late November.

John Norris

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