this post was submitted on 30 Mar 2024
34 points (97.2% liked)

Boston, MA

1079 readers
24 users here now

Welcome to c/boston,

A community for all things related to Boston, Massachusetts. Whether you're a local, a visitor, or just interested in the city, this is the place to discuss, share, and connect with fellow Bostonians.

Greater Boston area discussion is welcome here.

Rules:

Be respectful: Treat others with respect and courtesy. Personal attacks, trolling, and harassment will not be tolerated.

Stay on topic: Keep discussions relevant to Boston and its surrounding areas.

Official City of Boston Website

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] LPThinker 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

There is one notable exception here, which is community suppliers. Lots of cities/towns in MA (more every year) and initiating programs that are basically group buys for the whole town. These plans never claim to guarantee savings but because they have much greater bargaining power they have so far saved everyone lots of money. The two key differences from these shady af private suppliers are that the community programs communicate really transparently (they are required to notify everyone when the plan is starting and also BEFORE any rate changes) and that you can leave at anytime without consequence.

Edit to add: because these are community programs and not private, profit-focused companies, they are obligated to pass along savings directly to the consumer, rather than adding bogus fees to make up the difference and skim off the top.