Reliant Energy: cancellation problem
Many term plans charge an early cancellation fee, but PUCT rules forbid it when you move and give a forwarding address, or when you cancel within 14 days of a notice of changed terms.
What does this mean?
Grade C (use with care: check the source of each value before relying on it). 67% of 27 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites.
Collect
- EFL with the cancellation fee
- contract end date
- proof of move and forwarding address
- any notice of changed terms
Steps
Check the plan's contract terms for the early cancellation fee, or call Reliant to confirm whether it applies.
If you are moving, give Reliant the forwarding address and evidence of the move, and transfer or cancel service.
If an early cancellation fee is charged despite a move or a changed-terms notice, dispute it and then complain to the PUCT.
More contacts for this issue
Facts you can cite
- Policy
Under PUCT rules, no early termination fee may be charged because a customer relocates, if the customer gives a forwarding address and, if required, reasonable evidence of the move.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Deadline
Under PUCT rules, a REP must give written notice at least 14 days before changing contract terms, and no termination penalty applies for 14 days from the date the notice is sent.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Fee
Reliant says many term plans charge a cancellation fee if the contract ends early; the amount is in the contract terms.
Source: reliant.com, verified 2026-10-12
Rules in force
- Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) negative option requirements15 U.S.C. 8401-8405
A seller that charges consumers online through a negative option feature (for example an automatic renewal or a free trial that converts to paid) must clearly disclose all material terms before taking billing information, get the consumer's express informed consent before charging, and provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC enforces ROSCA.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
3 citable points
- Policy
Before obtaining the consumer's billing information, the seller must provide text that "clearly and conspicuously discloses all material terms of the transaction".
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Policy
The seller must provide "simple mechanisms for a consumer to stop recurring charges" on the consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account or other financial account.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Process
A ROSCA violation is treated as a violation of an FTC rule on unfair or deceptive acts or practices, and the FTC enforces ROSCA with its FTC Act powers and penalties. Report violations to the FTC.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Policy
Rules not in force (do not cite)
- FTC "Click-to-Cancel" amendments to the Negative Option Rule (2024) Vacated16 CFR part 425 (2024 amendments, published November 15, 2024)
Vacated in full by the Eighth Circuit on July 8, 2025 (Custom Communications, Inc. v. FTC, 142 F.4th 1060). The FTC removed the 2024 text effective February 12, 2026 and restored the pre-2024 prenotification rule. A new rulemaking is only at the ANPRM stage (March 13, 2026), with no proposed text as of 2026-10-12. What remains in force: ROSCA (rules/rosca-negative-option), Section 5 of the FTC Act, and state automatic renewal laws (for example rules/ca-automatic-renewal-law, rules/ny-automatic-renewal-law).
Not in force. Do not cite it as current law.
If that fails, escalate
Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.
Customer service
Supervisor
Ask for a supervisory review; PUCT rules require an answer within 10 business days.
Written complaint
MailReliant mailing address Reliant, P.O. Box 3765, Houston, TX 77253-3765State agency
Your state’s utility commission. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON:
states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).Public Utility Commission of Texas, after Reliant has had the complaint.
State agency
Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON:
states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).Texas Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division.
Watch out
- Payment extensions, deferred plans and online cancellation need sign-in to the Reliant account.
- Reliant's Terms of Service and Your Rights as a Customer documents could not be retrieved; plan-specific fees are in the customer's own EFL.
Let your AI agent handle this
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