NEM Adopts National Marketing Standards of Conduct

Energy Marketers Compete for the Opportunity to Serve Consumers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Energy Marketers Association (NEM) is pleased to announce that it adopted National Marketing Standards of Conduct at its recent Winter Executive Committee Meeting. The National Marketing Standards of Conduct builds upon the work of NEM to develop and adopt a Consumer Bill of Rights in 2010 and a Network Marketing Code of Conduct in 2011. State Public Utility Commissions have initiated inquiries to implement or revise existing standards for marketing to consumers in the retail energy marketplace. NEM’s National Marketing Standards of Conduct were adopted to reflect its members’ commitment to consumer protection and augment the important work of the state PUCs. “NEM members are honored to serve consumers and to endorse and implement these National Marketing Standards of Conduct, as well as ethical business practices that protect the consuming public,” said Craig Goodman, President of NEM.

“NEM members are honored to serve consumers and to endorse and implement these National Marketing Standards of Conduct, as well as ethical business practices that protect the consuming public”

NEM’s National Marketing Standards of Conduct sets forth business practices to form a common basis for doing business in the energy marketplace:

• Suppliers shall not engage in false, misleading or deceptive conduct or make false, misleading or deceptive statements or representations in dealings with consumers;
• Suppliers shall be responsible for the conduct of their agents;
• Suppliers shall utilize methods appropriate to the size and type of consumer when engaged in door-to-door, telephonic, electronic and network sales and marketing;
• Consumers will be provided with accurate information about products and services they are being offered;
• A supplier’s agreement with a consumer shall include all material terms and be clear, plain and in a language understandable to the consumer;
• A consumer shall not be enrolled for competitive energy service unless s/he has expressed his/her consent to the Supplier to do so.

The full texts of NEM’s National Marketing Standards of Conduct, Network Marketing Code of Conduct and Consumer Bill of Rights are available on the NEM Website. NEM is a national, non-profit trade association representing wholesale and retail marketers of natural gas, electricity, as well as energy and financial related products, services, information and advanced technologies throughout the United States, Canada and the European Union. You may contact NEM's Washington, DC headquarters at [phone] or its Web site at www.energymarketers.com.