Did you recently receive an offer for air conditioning maintenance from FPL Energy Services?
You probably thought this was a new service that Florida Power & Light (FPL), the state-regulated utility that delivers energy to your home, was offering. After all, FPL Energy Services has a similar name, it uses the FPL logo, and the offer came in your FPL bill so why would you think anything else? But FPL Energy Services is not Florida Power & Light, and it is certainly not regulated in the same way.
FPL Energy Services is a for-profit subsidiary of Florida Power & Light (FPL). FPL is taking advantage of the relationship they have with its 10 million customers across half the state to sell them services like surge protection, water heater and plumbing protections, and now air conditioning maintenance through unregulated subsidiaries and affiliates that have not earned your trust.
FPL recently purchased Jupiter-Tequesta Air Conditioning, Plumbing and Electrical and re-branded it as FPL Energy Services (FPLES), but FPLES does not have their own technicians, they use contractors from outside the area who are desperate for any work they can get to offer services to unsuspecting customers who think they are dealing with FPL.
Local contractors work hard to build relationships in their communities, their kids go to school with your kids, they support youth sports in your community, and they help clean local parks and beaches. They know their customer base and they know they have to earn your trust every day.
Florida Power & Light doesn’t have to earn your trust, they’re the only game in town. They can afford to lose money by undercutting local contractors, many of whom have achieved the highest levels in their profession, then overcharge the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a state disaster or raise your prices to recoup their losses.
Government subsidized businesses should not be allowed to operate unregulated for-profit businesses that target a captive audience. This is an unhealthy market disruption that does not bode well for local businesses or consumers who would be left with inferior service at higher prices, and fewer choices.
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