American Electric Power
Utilities
34
out of 100. Number 355 of 512, counting from the worst.
Where American Electric Power does well
- No forced arbitration — the retail terms have only class-action and jury-trial waivers, and explicitly preserve your right to file an informal or formal complaint with the PUCO (Ohio's utility regulator).
- No cancellation fee at any point — cancel during the term, on renewal, or month-to-month without penalty; a 7-day rescission right comes with a confirmation number from the utility, and set-term renewals require 45 days' advance written notice.
- Price increases during a term require your affirmative consent via a written Price Revision Request (only price decreases can be applied unilaterally); prices are certified by and rules are constrained by the PUCO, and the contract discloses that it includes no guarantee of savings vs. standard offer rates and that broker fees may be baked into pricing.
- Privacy: honors data rights (access, correction, deletion, portability, opt-out, non-discrimination) for customers in every state, processes Global Privacy Control signals frictionlessly, and says it will not sell data to third parties it has no direct relationship with without explicit consent.
You cannot join a class action or get a jury trial against AEP Energy; disputes are one-on-one and judge-only.
The fine print
6 clauses and findings from the draft archive, dated 1 October 2026. The plain English comes first; the small print is the company's own words. None of these has been checked yet.
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You cannot join a class action or get a jury trial against AEP Energy; disputes are one-on-one and judge-only. Notably, there is no forced-arbitration clause — these waivers cover court actions only.
Both you and AEP Energy agree that all actions, suits and/or proceedings arising out of, related to, or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought in the plaintiff's or claimant's individual capacity and not as a plaintiff, class member, or representative class member in any purported class action, collective action, or representative action or proceeding... YOU AND AEP Energy BOTH AGREE THAT BOTH PARTIES ARE WAIVING A RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL.
AEP Energy Residential Terms & Conditions (Contract Version 09.16.19OH_ResCon)
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Your contract rolls over automatically at a new Variable rate (plus up to $0.05/kWh adder) and even under revised terms — unless you opt out in writing within 5 business days of their notice. The upside: no cancellation fee applies on renewal or month-to-month.
AEP Energy can renew this Agreement without your affirmative consent even with this change in the rate... this Agreement shall be automatically renewed for the renewal term with the revised terms and conditions by AEP Energy without your affirmative consent even with this change in the rate and other terms and conditions, unless you notify AEP Energy in writing rejecting the renewal term on such terms and conditions no later than five (5) business days after receipt of such notice.
AEP Energy Residential Terms & Conditions (Contract Version 09.16.19OH_ResCon)
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AEP hands your name, contact info, and energy usage to third-party marketers (movers' services, home warranties) and can be paid for it — which the company itself admits may count as a 'sale' of your data under state law. You can opt out via their form or phone line.
We share some of your personal information — specifically your name, contact information, and usage data — with third party vendors who provide or market additional services to you such as relocation information for those who have recently moved or energy related home warranties. If you elect to purchase their services, we may receive monetary value in those instances. Under certain state laws, this may constitute a sale. We have completed transactions such as these within the last twelve months.
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AEP Energy's total liability to you is capped at about one month of your electric bill, and all consequential or punitive damages are waived — even if AEP Energy was negligent.
ANY LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE LIMITED TO DIRECT, ACTUAL DAMAGES AS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY, AND ALL OTHER REMEDIES OR DAMAGES AT LAW OR IN EQUITY ARE WAIVED. NEITHER PARTY WILL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, TREBLE, EXEMPLARY OR INDIRECT DAMAGES... THE LIMITATIONS IMPOSED ON REMEDIES AND DAMAGE MEASUREMENT WILL BE WITHOUT REGARD TO CAUSE, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OF ANY PARTY... AEP Energy's total liability under this Agreement will not exceed an amount equal to the charges on your single largest monthly invoice for Generation Service during the TWELVE (12) months preceding the applicable Claim.
AEP Energy Residential Terms & Conditions (Contract Version 09.16.19OH_ResCon)
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You agree to defend and pay for claims against AEP — including for personal injury or death — for anything involving the electricity on your side of the meter, e.g., at your own home.
You assume full responsibility for retail electricity supplied to you at and after the Delivery Point and agree to and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless AEP Energy, its parent company and all of its affiliates... from and against all claims, losses, expenses (including attorneys' fees), damages, demands, judgments, causes of action, and suits of any kind... including Claims for personal injury, death, or damages to property occurring at and after the Delivery Point, including upon your residential premises.
AEP Energy Residential Terms & Conditions (Contract Version 09.16.19OH_ResCon)
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AEP can sell your contract to a different supplier without your consent (you can't assign yours), and late bills accrue 1.5% interest per month (~18%/year).
You shall not assign this Agreement or your rights hereunder without the prior written consent of AEP Energy. AEP Energy may, upon prior written notice but without your consent, assign this Agreement to another licensed CRES provider... Late payments, including late interest payments, are subject to interest charges at the rate of one and one half percent (1.5%) of the outstanding balance per month, or the maximum legally allowed interest rate, whichever is lower.
AEP Energy Residential Terms & Conditions (Contract Version 09.16.19OH_ResCon)
How these were found
Documents actually read in full: (1) AEP Privacy Notice at http://www.aep.com/privacy/ (undated; search index shows it crawled ~6 days ago; content is current-style, covering state privacy laws and GPC). (2) AEP Energy Residential Terms & Conditions, Contract Version 09.16.19OH_ResCon, product version AEP20.12.01_5.49_May_2022_ECO_NO_ETF (a Dec 2020-vintage Ohio residential plan document — this is what AEP Energy's enrollment API currently serves, but newer plan versions may exist). I could not locate a standalone 'Terms of Use' page for the parent aep.com corporate site via search; AEP Energy's documents incorporate an aepenergy.com Website Terms of Use by reference but that page was not read. No mirrors used — both documents fetched directly from official aep.com / aepenergy.com domains. Key limitation: AEP's core monopoly utility service (poles, wires, disconnection rules) is governed by state tariffs and public utility commissions, not these terms; the findings above cover its competitive retail arm (AEP Energy) and corporate privacy policy, so the score is deliberately modest for a regulated utility.
These notes come from the original draft and are not independent verification.