Direct Energy and Enbridge
At the end of December, we received an update on this complaint. Here’s the update:
I received a bill from Enbridge this morning. It would seem that this matter has not been resolved despite promises from both Enbridge, Direct Energy and the energy Obudsman.
In June of this year we sold our house and purchased a new home. Unfortunately our new home would not be ready until October. Due to the delay we had to rent an apartment and were unable to transfer any of the companies with which we were dealing to represent us in our new home. I contacted all of the companies (hydro, gas, banks) and explained the situation. In July I received a final bill from Enbridge. Aside from the usual charges we were charged an additional 383.53 as cancellation charges. These charges pertained to our Home heating and cooling protection plan.
I called the company and tried to speak to a representative about the charges. I was told to call Direct Energy as they handle all of the billing for Enbridge. I then called Direct Energy and spoke to a representative. I explained the situation and the rep. Elizabeth agreed that we were billed in error (the amount represented the remaining charges as we were not going to keep the heating and cooling plan for a year). The representative agreed that we had been paying the monthly fee for 10 years, and rarely used the plan. Elizabeth also agreed that we should not be committed to paying fees for a service we would not be using and that nowhere in our agreement did it state that should we cancel that we had to pay a for a year in advance. Elizabeth gave be a PR # TEMINO and told me that we would be credited the $387.53 on our next bill in August.
In August I was surprised to see that our account was not credited. I called Direct Energy, explained the situation to Amanda an executive officer. She checked our file, agreed that a mistake had been made and re-assured me that Direct Energy would contact Enbridge and that the amount would be credited to that account.
In September I received a letter from Enbridge saying that our account was passed due and that our names would be sent to a collection agency. I tried once again to explain the situation to the Enbridge rep. Pashoy employee # 660059 who in turn told me that there was nothing they could do that the information had to come from Direct Energy. I then called Direct Energy and spoke to Amanda Ross, another executive officer. I again explained our situation, was told once again that our account would be credited and that the credit would be reflected on our November account. Imagine my surprise when I opened the bill from Enbridges saying this is a final notice, and that our name would be place in collection if the bill was not paid. We now owe $411.57 because of additional interest charges for late payment.
I called and spoke to Donavan employee # 32585. I again explained the situation to Donavan. Donavan in turn told me ‘not to worry that if our name was place in collection that they -Direct Energy’ would do everything possible to help! I was not happy with his answer. Dovan assured me that he would look in to the matter and call me back within 24 hours. It has been 24 hours and I have not heard from Donovan nor any other representative from Direct Energy.
In the end I am absolutely disgusted with the treatment we have received at the hands of both Direct Energy and Enbridge. It would appear that there is no longer any such thing as ‘customer service’. It would seem that being very good customers for 10 years holds absolutely no significance to either company.
What can I do?
Where do you go from here.
Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 am
I work for Enbridge and would like to help you resolve this. Could you contact me at our Ombudsmans office. [email protected].
Eileen
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Hi,
I’m with the Direct Energy public relations team. I’m very sorry to read about your experience in trying to cancel your protection plan.
I would be more than happy to help you reach a resolution on this matter. Please contact me at the email address provided.
A quick clarification on billing for all readers – Enbrdige bills on behlaf of Direct Energy, which is why they’ve not been able to assist in resolving this matter.
Best regards,
Crystal
December 18th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I would like to thank penciltrick for looking into this for us. We received calls from both companies almost immediately, and our problems were solved within a few days, along with a lot of apologies. Thank-you penciltrick for being there for us – you were great
December 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Our pleasure John. I’m glad we could help. And great work to Enbridge and Direct Energy. Other companies could learn a lot from their quick responses.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
The narrative above reads like something out of the twilight zone for me. We moved to a new house in August, and Direct Energy / Enbridge continue to send us bills for a water heater in a home we no longer own. We have phoned numerous times and (once we manage to crack the surly and unhelpful exterior of the reps we speak with) have been told this would be corrected. The latest bill contains threats of collection action. We are at our wits’ end.
January 27th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
[...] Here’s an update from the person who sent a complaint about Enbridge a while back. The original post is here. [...]
January 28th, 2010 at 10:53 am
I have a severe complaint about Enbridge as well. In late 2008, I began receiving letters that my gas meter needed to be changed. I called in three times over the next few months to provide them with my landlord’s info since I didn’t have access to the room where the gas meter is kept. Since that date, I was also receiving estimates only on my bills, and never actual readings, even though I asked Enbridge three times to rectify the situation.
Finally, in late 2009, after a fourth call, Enbridge changed the meter. Then in January 2010, they slapped me with a $663 bill in back charges for the previous 14 months. Doesn’t seem fair or right to me. I called Enbridge, and spoke to three different people who gave three different reasons as to why my meter wasn’t being read for the past 14 months. However, all three people did agree that I was out of luck and had to pay.
This especially doesn’t seem fair to me since I wasn’t even living with the same roommates in 2008 that I am living with now, which makes me solely responsible for about 75% of the bill, unless I’m able to squeeze some money out of my old roommates.
Any suggestions??
January 30th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
received a bill from enbridge. am with direct energy for gas supply. gas supply charge i understand customer charge 16 and high cost of delivery. however why am i charged for delivery to enbridge one at .044850 and again .054600 for all those charges thats 103.00 plus gas supply charge of 249 adding my bill 387.57 a month on heat. thats crazy
February 4th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I have had a 4 year contract with Direct Energy Heating/Cooling Service.
The contract ended Dec.1. I – I called to confirm.
Dec. /09 I see they took out their payment anyways.
Another flurry of letters to them/phone calls. i rec.d a letter saying, ” Sorry you have not renewed.”
Not trusting them now, I spent $20.00 to put a stop on any further withdrawals for 6 months.
January they changed the amount slightly and withdrew the money.
(Apparently this is how companies get around stop payments , as the “stop” can only be put on a specific amount and not the company name.)
I wrote the “Home Services Ombudsman” but he said he couldn’t get involved in money.”
PS The icing on the cake: We had this service because we had a 60 year old furnace. We got a new furnace. We were told they couldn’t come out and service the new furnace as it would be on warranty. ( Understandable.) HOWEVER “your contract still stands”.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Has anyone noticed that the bills are sent out just a few days before the end of the month, not allowing for snail-mail delivery to make it to your door before month end? I usually get mine about 3-4 days after I’ve already paid the month-end bills but the due date is given as, ie: the 11th, never the 15th. I wonder how much Direct Energy sucks out of their customers in late fees with this nasty, immoral business conduct…someone should investigate THAT! No, it’s not illegal but it sure isn’t fair. Anyone have a suggestion as to the best place to call/start a complaint against this practice?
February 18th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Has anybody considered or taken a legal action against the Enbridge billing on behalf of a Direct energy scam? (Enbridge doesn’t care, they are just billing on behalf of DE, DE keeps feeding me the same fodder, we are at fault we are looking into it ….. it has been 6 months …)
I am considering it since it has cost me so much time for the last 6 months that I am not about to prepare to give them a free pass (who knows when they billing issues will be fixed …)
March 11th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Im one of the customer who have a problem with direct energy billing system.I had my water heater tank rental eversince with them. Now that green environment product is been coming up to the market. I decided to chance my Tank in too Tankless and get the new tankless with the other company. Tankless is been installed last August of last year,the old tank which belong to Direct energy is been pick up last September of last year i even pay them $75 to return back there product thats fine its there policy. And i even expect them that the rental charges will replect on my bill for the next 2 billing cycle at least. And credit back the consumer after a maximum of 3 mos. thats how it goes, so thats fine at least by December heater rental wont appear on my bill, and get credited for the last 3mos.I kept on calling them every single months Dec. to gave them the heads up,so they wont forgot. Jan. of this year Feb. and March too.I really dont know what is going on if they are ignorant or mormons, or this is the way that there going to piss off any client that has a plan in leaving there company. This people is one of the best in stealing other peoples money, dont get me wrong
but look. If your rental with them is January 1 to 31, and you return the rental propery at around January 5 or 10. They will be still charging you up to 31st of January. This is one of the best smart concept guys, There allowed to double jeopardize their client. Thats why ask of March billing my Water Heater rental is still on my bill, and every single months i called them they will always tell you adjustment will appear after 2 billing cycle.
March 23rd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Unacceptable service for hot water tank repair. this was left on the DE website:
“service#/file#139-72769 – no hot water from new 1yr old (rental) water heater
March 21 – placed service call; made a Monday morning appt [GOOD].
March 22 – tech arrived at 11am; replacement part ordered. tech said to call and he’d return that day to install it [GREAT}; husband (Kevin O'Neil) called that afternoon asking about status of deliver and was told that the delivery window was up to MIDNIGHT that night [UNACCEPTABLE]. Of course, the courier company could not be provided, nor a tracking number [UNACCEPTABLE] – we were just expected to patiently wait up all night [UNACCEPTABLE]. As well we were told that no tech’s are scheduled for evening appointments At that time he/she set up a backup appt for Tuesday afternoon[UNACCEPTABLE]; part arived at 6:16pm and I immediately called asking for the tech to return. it seems you have no idea who completes which call!My call was escalated and ‘Elaine’ said she would try to find the tech to get him to return [GOOD] With no call from ‘Elaine’ I had to call back at 9pm asking for a status. The rep (no name)said tech was scheduled to return between 7-9pm. there was no call from the tech and he did not show up. Elaine also called me shortly after 9pm to say that she was looking for the tech. She did not call me back. In all conversations I said that we would be willing to wait until midnight (in reference to horrific courier window). Not one call back![UNACCEPTABLE
Tuesday March 23 - shortly before 9am I called to get yet another escalation. After yet another BRUTAL conversation taking my name number and having the nerve to ask me to update our file I finally get through to another rep. Another Elaine - maybe it's an alias for all your reps. She could not cancel someone els's appt to push mine in for a morning app't. she could not find the name/number of the rep. [UNACCEPTABLE] aT 2:30PM I called again asking where the tech was. After 10+ minutes waiting while the call is logged, the file is read, the file is pushed forward, I speak with ‘Andrew’. he tells me that the tech is scheduled to arrive between 3:30-3:45. [UNACCEPTABLE] I was assure this morning that his work was to be COMPLETED by 4pm today – 12-4 is not an arrival window – I very specifically asked that question. My husbacnd has stayed out of the office for 2 whole days and re-scheduled board meetings because of your inept scheduling department. We have 3 young children at home who are extremely inconvenienced by this issue. I am tired of making all the calls to follow up on an issue resulting from the piece of crap that’s intalled in our house! All of this is UNACCEPTABLE. It is very likely that the issue will not be resolved by 4pm and we are at the mercy of the tech to decide if he will come back tonight after 8pm to finish it! If I re-schedule I will lose a paid day at work, my children will miss a day at school and I probably still won’t get it fixed! This has been an UNACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE and I will be passing this message on to all departments, consumer groupd, blogs and websites. You have left us at the mercy of a department that specializes in the phrase ‘I understand’, ‘I wish I could help’ – who do you think your fooling? I’m very aware of how your staff are trained in dealing with ‘situations’ and the special words to use – well let me tell you that they are UNACCEPTABLE.
Oh here’s an update – it’s 3:36 and the tech just called to day he 5min away. According to him, he only needs to show up before 4pm [UNACCEPTABLE]. the call center is a joke and your service is a joke. thank God my house isn’t on fire-the team would probably say ‘i’m sorry we can’t help you’.
And don’t bother insulting me by sending a pleasant templated email thanking me for my input and that the team/company is always looking to improve processes and experiences. “
May 6th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I responded to this thread in December, and the situation HAS STILL NOT BEEN RESOLVED. The “overdue” amounts have been credited back to us after numerous calls, emails, and much wasted time. However the company continues to issue a new bill each and every month for service in a home we haven’t owned for close to a year. We made the mistake of providing our new mailing address so now the bills arrive at our new place – showing charges for a completely different property.
This company’s billing systems are a joke. We are now considering filing a Small Claims Court action to account for the nuisance and the amount time we’ve wasted on this, with the hope that legal action will finally make somebody in that organization sit up, take notice, and properly close our account as should have been done last summer.
May 8th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Hi Direct Energy
In Apr 2009 water heaters started failing in my neighborhood. When my neighbor’s water heater burst – I called a Direct Energy technician to have my 15+ year old heater assessed and replaced. It was a know fact that most water heaters in my neighborhood were failing around the 15 – 20 year age mark – the age range of the houses.
I was told the water heater was fine.
Fast forward to Apr 2010. My water heater burst and flooded my basement. I was charged $150 to replace a plastic pipe that was apparently not to “code”. My insurance company says that you are negligent in the maintenance and replacement of water heaters an that they are suing you for what appears to me to be a lack of maintenance process and a blatant lack of integrity. The flooded basement is a HUGE hassle. I notified you in advance and you did nothing.
DR you are UNETHICAL, OPPORTUNISTIC, LAZY and should go out of business for punishing your loyal client base. I hope someone starts a class-action suit against you so that you realize you cannot hide behind the power of your self-serving corporate arrogance and play the “system” to your financial benefit. You cost clients money and frustrate them to no end, your inflate the costs of insurance companies, and give yourself a bad name in the process.
You should be horrified by this treatment of customers – instead – you seem complacent.
I hope you go bankrupt very quickly and that your Senior Executives work at Wal-Mart as greeters for a few years to learn a bit about personal integrity in business.
This process cost us a few days in salary, a $500 insur. deductable, a $150 service charge. Add it up. This could have been prevented.
Irvin Kovar
Mississauga
May 15th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
I have a fantastic story about the ‘software upgrade problem’ with Enbridge. I have been waiting for a bill from Enbridge since last year, and everytime I called, they gave me the software upgrade problem excuse, and told me to just wait for it.
About a month ago, I come home to find my gas cut off (no warning or anything). After my own investigation, it turns out that there was no software upgrade problem. Late last year, someone had called in pretending to be me and asked that my mailing address and telephone number be changed to another address. Not only this, but they had their Enbridge account changed to my name, so that I’d be responsible for their bills as well! I have no idea how that could be done without my knowledge or consent.
I’ve also learned that the only verification system Enbridge uses over the telephone is to ask the caller for the current address and current telephone number of the client. Once that’s provided, all account information of the client can be divulged and even changed.
How this company hasn’t collapsed on itself I have no idea.
May 25th, 2010 at 10:53 am
In July 2009, we moved from 1 house to another. In the old house we had put a new A/C unit in that we had bought from Direct Energy We made monthly payments on our bill for this unit. When we moved we had to pay this off in full, which we did. In August 2009 Direct energy took well over $800.00 out of our account. We went to the bank and had these charges reversed as well as putting a stop payment on them. In September and November 2009 they tried again to take this money from our account, each time increasing the amount.
I got on the phone after the first time and spoke to a customer service rep who was very rude and said if we had paid our bill we would not be having this problem. I then asked to speak to a supervisor. I was put onto a women by the name of Daniel Dawson.( the only bright spot in that company) After explaining everything again she said she would look into it. After several months of talking back and forth everything was finally settled, or so we thought. I do have everything on tape so there is no saying,I said or did not say that.
On May 19th we received a call from a collection agency (for the second time ) saying we still owed $290.00 and spoke to a guy by the name of Kahan. (the most ignorant person I have ever spoke to).
I then phoned Daniel back and she gave me the phone number of the ombudsman. On may 20th the ombudsman phoned and said someone would be in touch within 2 days. It is now the 25th of May and I am still waiting for a call back.
These are two companies that really need to get their act together.
June 8th, 2010 at 9:56 am
My Direct Energy contract for gas supply is up April 30 2011. I am paying about 41.3 cents cub m. I want the contract to run out which I have no problem with, but come April, D.E. says they will send a renewal contract with cancellation contract in it and if I want to leave them, I have to fill this cancellation contract out and send it in. I just put in a new furnace, A/C with heat pump and tankless..I want to see what my costs for energy will be on an Endbridge variable rate. Any suggestions how to get out of this contract now? without penalties etc..So far I have had no problems with D.E. since I have been with them about 12 years..but now I want out to experiment..the guy told me he can offer another plan for 5 years at 26.5 cume but I just want out..let me know…thanks..
June 22nd, 2010 at 5:35 pm
June 21 2010
Water Heater leaking called DE sent out a teck told my son i had to ripe out my ceiling from east to west side to allow for new code pipe to be put in ! fine new code and then the tech left still have water heater leaking called the next day june 22 spoke to 4 different @#!$S ONE SAID SO THEY INSTALLED THE TANK BUT DID NOT HOOK UP THE NEW PVC PIPE NO i said the tank is still leaking transfere to next #@$!s so they installed the pipe when will your tank arrive??? how am i to when your shipping me my tank and no they did not install the pipe…… WTF transfered me again and hung up on me … i had to call them back. sorry they say cant be done until the23 isaid my tank is still leaking he said shut off the water i said there is still 50 G of water in the tank that will leaK OUT he said thats right WTF im buying a water heater no more renting for this chump,
July 20th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I can’t believe that i have spent the last 3 hours online reading complaints against Direct Energy and Enbridge Gas.
I had an experience with both companies in the past 10 years. When we moved into our new home we had trouble with the water heater. When I called Enbridge they sent a technician that informed us that there was no inspection done on it since it waw installed and he did the inspection while he was repairing the unit. The last thing he told me was not to worry the cost for the inspection would be charged to the builder since it was their responsibility. Fast forward to the next three billing periods and my constant calls to them reminding them of theis error and everytime they reply ‘we’re very sorry it will be corrected next month…yeah…right! It was 6 months after the fact that they finally removed it from the bill and it was because I got very irrate with the rep and when I requested to speak to her supervisor she told me that she was too busy to talk to me!!! When I finally spoke with the supervisor I informed her of what the rep said and she came out and said to me “Oh…..I don’t think she said that….I proceeded to become even more irrate spewing threats for calling me a liar of television and a class action suit. This did the trick.
fast forward again to the present and I am currently paying DE three times the current rate to supply my gas because I didn’t know enough to read any and all correspondance from them [DE]. They informed me that since I didn’t cancel my contract it was renewed at a higher rate without my consent. I am paying a ridiculous amount of money to a company for no reason at all!! Why hasn’tanyone started a class action suit against DE?? They tell me what they are doing is perfectly legal… really!! this from the people who run our government….This should be big news!! I have never heard of a secret contract renewal hidden within a contract as being legal…..there has to be something we can do!!!
I guess it’s time for someone to stand up and shake the cage!!!! COME ON PEOPLE!!
TIME TO ACT IS NOW
September 8th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Surly, unhelpful. Worse than cabinet ministers. We have now bought out our water heater but not without much effort and the need to “call back” multiple times to convince Enbridge that we didn’t want their contract. Three months ago we were told they had received our cheque to buy out the remainder of the contract. Our bank account was billed last month for that amount and this month, the monthly rental continues to be charged. Not to worry, they tell me, it will take four or five months to correct this, just keep paying. I had asked for a call back early September but empty promises on a British Petroleum scale are common place for this company. Why must we do business with these people? How have they been able to stay in business. I have met several frustrated people who have tried to take them to small claims court but they laugh at we small mortals.
Is there a class action suit we can start? This is beyond dismally incompetent. To think I used to sing their praises when I was in Alberta. I know better now.
September 15th, 2010 at 11:05 am
I can’t stand Direct Energy!! They have called my home 18 TIMES since September 1st. They keep trying to warn me that my electricity bills are going to go way up. And the reason for there call is obvioulsy to try and lock me into one of their energy contracts. They are using scare tactics to enroll people into their 5 year energy contracts. They are doing this unethically. If Direct Energy was really upfront with people, they would be telling potential customers the truth about what it is they are trying to do. These are PROTECTION PLANS, NOT SAVINGS PLANS.
I will never do business with this company ever again and I would strongly encourage others to do the same. Even their water heater business and radio ads trying to prevent their customers from switching to a new water heater supplier is ridiculous. As soon as there was competition to Direct Energy for my water heater, I switched that as well. I kept my money in Canada!! I don’t know how many people are aware that Direct Energy is owned by Centrica, which just happens to be a British owned company. But let’s face it, when was the last time Direct Energy called to you tell you that your money is going to a foreign owned company????
GO AWAY DIRECT ENERGY!
September 26th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
My wife and I have been put through the ringer by Direct Energy. A few months ago we noticed on our Enbridge Bill that we had charges from Direct Energy for a Water Heater. We have never signed a contract with Direct Energy and already have a water heater from another company. We decided to contact Enbridge to rectify the problem but were redirected to Direct Energy. What ensued was a series of phone calls in which we were kept on hold for hours or were told that we would receive a call back but none came. Finally after 5 hours of wasted time we agreed to have one of their ‘techs’ come in to actually see that we don’t have one of their water heaters. He came to our house and verified this. We thought that it would be over after this but the next month we got another bill from Enbridge with charges from Direct Energy. We contacted Direct Energy again and after several calls and after being put on hold for several hours we were told that since the original tech forgot to put in notes that the water heater was not from Direct Energy we would have to have yet another tech come into our home (wait 4 hours for this) to verify again. At this point I realized that they were giving us the run-around. I decided to contact the Police and they told me that there have been a lot of complaints but that there was nothing they could do since this was a Civil matter. They basically said to ignore the Bills from Direct Energy and if they go into collections and they start harassing us then we could call the Police. The problem is that Enbridge has the power to turn off our gas if we don’t pay … Could you please help?
There seems to be something very wrong if a company like this is allowed to continue doing ‘business’. I think what is needed is a class action lawsuit large enough to put them completely out of business.
October 8th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
1. I have “Total home plan” insurance with Direct Energy. I booked for a Service Call for my Clothes washer more than a month ago. The technician arrived and determined that several parts need to be replaced and ordered them. It took them a full month to get the parts (BTW — my washer is not an antique piece, it’s “MayTag” and only 6 years old). After a month or so they finally scheduled for the repair. I had to take a day off work to be available for the technician. After waiting the entire day, someone called from Direct Energy to inform me that technician called in sick and they need to reschedule for another day.
I took another day off work and stayed home a few days later. Technician came and replaced a cable and motor but still could not figure out what was wrong with the washer. He then called another colleague who determined that it was the timer that was not functioning. The entire work the first tech did went in vain.
They now had to order a timer for the washer and I was told to wait 24 hours to get an ETA. I called after 24 hour, 48 hours and 72 hours (3 days) and they still could not give me an ETA — never mind the actual date for the repair.
I spoke with many people from the Direct Energy and the 3rd party vendor they use to repair appliances; it seemed like everyone read out of the same script. I got a feeling that no one really cared. I have a little kid who goes to day care everyday and we are out of laundry for almost 2 months. It will be a lot easier for me to go out and buy a brand new washer than chasing Direct Energy.
**** When the tech came to my home for 2nd time he told me a really strange thing — he said he would teach a lesson to his dispatch dept by not attending a service call that was scheduled in the afternoon. Dispatch paged him in the morning about that call and he did not like the short notice. That poor lady might have taken vacation or time off from work like me and would not get any service because that tech just decided to give a lesson to his dispatch team. I wonder what their management does. Really how do they do their business????
October 8th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Hi,
First of all, let me tell everyone that I FEEL YOUR PAIN!
CUSTOMER SERVICE IS DEAD…
We recently bought a new house in Ajax in May 21 2010.We have power, water, gas working in the home.
Oddly enough we have not received an Enbridge bill since moving in May 2010. Our first 6 calls to (completly incompetent) customer service was the the standard”you have new account set up…it may take a month or 2 to get billing set up.” Fine, I can be patient afterall…with new house-one less bill works for me. Fast forward to Sept. Still no bill in sight so we call Enbridge and are told…yes we have an account, however with their new billing system…it may take 30 more days to generate billing…(Has anyone heard of such absurdity. Just this week my wife called customer service and was told that it doesn’t appear that the meter is bieng read properly because it is not registered? The agent asked for the meter# My wife was calling from work at the time(so didn’t have access to that info of course) She left work early so she could get the info and call back customer service. When she got a hold of another rep…they told her that it still might be another 30 – 60 days before the account is set up. The rep then suggested that she make a payment in advance just so that when the first bill does arrive it won’t be such a shock!
After reading all these posts…I realize that these idiots will probably send me a bill after winter and try and suggest that I used so much gas to heat my home that its no suprise my bill is sooo high.
Let’s just say that I’m hoping I don’t screwed…but that seems to way these companies are doing business these days.
October 23rd, 2010 at 10:03 am
In June of this year I noticed that my Enbridge bill was $30 more than usual. Since we are on the BPP this caught my eye. Upon closer inspection I noticed that Direct Energy was charging me $29.99 for their Total Home Plan, a plan I never signed up for. The only contact I had with Direct Energy was when they were calling me constantly during the day while I was at work but never leaving a message. One day while out for a run they called, I answered and told them to please take me off their calling list and that I was not interested in any products right now. A month later this charge appeared on my bill.
When I noticed the charge I called Direct Energy who claimed they had no record of me or idea as to why I was being charged. I was directed to call Enbridge, which I did.
Once on the phone with Enbridge I started to feel like I was getting somewhere. The agent said they would investigate the issue and work on getting it credited.
Direct Energy did in fact credit me $88 for 3 months worth of charges for a service that I did not order, but at the same time charged me another $29 for that month. So, I was only credited $60 but also charged another $29 on my most recent bill. Basically, I was credited but the charges have continued.
I called back into Enbridge and they are trying to help me again. I want to make it clear that my complaint is about Direct Energy, not Enbridge.
On another note, my Frigidaire dishwasher that is just over a year old requires a new control board. Direct Energy was sent to fix it and I have had to wait almost a month to get it fixed and pay $160 to Direct Energy to get it fixed. Electrolux has credited me the $187 for the part so again my complaint is only with Direct Energy.
I strongly caution you to not ever do business with the shady and poorly run company.
October 23rd, 2010 at 11:09 am
Read the story in the Star today (Sat Oct 23rd, 2010)
“Get second opinion if furnace shut off” page S14.
This is exactly why you should never let anyone from Direct Energy into your home under any circumstances. Deal with a local company that you can trust. Do not get involved with Direct Energy in any way, you will regret it I’m sure. My opinion is that they use Enbridge as a sure fire collection agency to make money from their scams.
Stay away from Direct Energy!
November 10th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
My story about Enbridge is properly not differing from all of yours…..Firstly, the customer service is BAD. It’s just a call center filtering phone calls and pending on how the “customer service” rep. feels, the call will get forward to the right personnel or pass around to appear as if someone is doing their job. Another thing I may a?d is how absurb that Enbridge is tracking their employees performance through surveyings. Have they any success by following this method? A customer service rep. can be extremely nice to the customer while on the phone …. yet incompetent…. and the incompetent part is exposed after much needless time waiting or failed attempts to resolve a customer issue. So now when you call back to Enbridge, another “nice” lady or gentleman will answer the phone and appears to be solving your concern and you are supposed to provide a feedback to Enbridge on this person’s performance. Unfortunately, at this point, the incompetent person who messed you up is not answering the phone for you to accurately report his or her performance. Regardless of how many telephone calls you make to Enbridge, essentially, the same technique of customer service is deployed. Customer is put through a whole slew of data reporting, data entry and the same time wasting process as a field technician or in Enbridge’s term “Service Technician” is dispatched without authorization to fix the problem(you wonder what “service” they provide if the dispatch reason is entered incorrectly into the system as happened to me several times already).
There is a no telephone number to call back to Enbridge to follow up and report on an over-extended issue that had not been resolved. Therefore, customers are put through the same pain OVER AND OVER AGAIN. In other words, there is no method to escalate unresolved situations to higher up levels. SOMEONE gets paid a lot of money at Enbridge needs to find himself or herself some work.
November 12th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Since April 2010 Direct Energy started to double bill me on Enbridge invoice for water heater. They have also charged me for a repair to a humidifier which is under warranty. In April they credited my account and than debited in August for a maintenance plan I did not sign for. A whole mess ensued with their Client Care.
In October I called their Client Care and spoke to a Supervisor, Moe. He has asked me to send him the invoice, which I did. He promissed he would get back to me. A month later nobody from Direct Energy had contacted me. I called back in November, to find out from another Supervisor (Amoy Smith) that Moe does not work there anymore, and she had no access to his files, so we started the whole process again. I faxed her all invoices (Direct Energy Client Care staff does not have the Enbridge invoices so they can’t cross check with clients while on the phone). She promissed she would get back to me in two days. Two days have passed and I was still to hear from Amoy. I called back. Talked to another Client Care person, Rufaro, who told me, after puting me on the line and talking to Amoy, that she did not receive my 26 pages fax from their Reception. What a lame Client Care team!
I am planning to open formal complaints with Better Business Bureau and Industry Canada. Anyone went through this process?
Obviously, I will make sure only my enemies use Direct Energy.
December 13th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
We recently receives our first Direct Energy bill, for water heater rental – for a tank we don’t have. Our house is just over 2 years old, and we have been renting from Reliance, so when the bill arrived, I paid it, assuming Direct had taken over Reliance. Much to my suprise, the Reliance bill arrived as usual. I contacted Reliance, who verified that they were still in business, verified the model/serial number of the tank, etc. Called the ‘Customer Care ?????’ people at direct numerous times and was told:
- They have to send a technician to verify it’s not their tank, even though they admitted the s/n I gave them didn’t match the one they have on file, and that the water heater was supposedly only installed 6 months ago
- Could not explain how an account was set up in our name
- Was told they could only give me a 4 hour window for the tech to show up.
So..I take the morning off, no tech/no phone call
-call back, was told if tech didnt show up in the next hour, they will somehow deal with it
- no tech, I call back, same runaround, try to elevate the problem, same runaround from supervisor, operator wont stop talking over me when I’m trying to explain
- I tried to explain that all I was asking for was to be connected to someone with the authority to cancel the account and cut a refund cheque…no luck
- still waiting…was told a ‘customer care’ person would contact me within the next 72 hors
- tech never did show
Any suggestions? This is so bogus…havingto have someone come to your house to verify that you didnt get a product from them. How many people have been scammed by these guys?
January 12th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
I received my bill (Dec. 2010) from Enbridge with 3 separate Direct Energy charges for water heater, totaling $38.18. In addition to the water heater charge, the two separate charges were listed as account settlement rentals. I call the customer service line and reached a call centre in Florida. The customer service rep explained that the additional charges were outstanding from 2009, with no explanation of what the charges are for and why I I was never billed for them. The rep accepted that it was no fault of mine but was not sure how to help me. I asked for a manager, director, vp, president, anyone…to file a complaint. The rep explained that no one has complained before and that he did not have a name. He placed me on hold and came back with a suggestion that I send a complaint through directenergy.com
Are the above mentioned additional charges familiar to anyone else? Any suggestions (other that paying) on how to resolve this issue.
January 15th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Pam, I have the same charge on my Dec 2010 bill. I received a letter from Direct Energy a few weeks ago informing me I had not been charged the rental rate increases for the entire year of 2010 and to expect an adjustment on my December bill. I will be contacting Direct Energy on Monday to “discuss” this charge. I’ll update this site after I speak with them.
January 15th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
I just got the account settlement rentals charge after I live here for 6 years…no idea what’s going on….
the billing from Direct Energy is really terrible!!!!
January 15th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
I am going to share my worst customer support experience in my life which happened with Direct Energy.
Around October I noticed an unusual noise while my GE washer was doing the spin. After checking on internet I learned that Direct Energy is the only company which provides repair service for GE appliances in Ontario Canada. I called them to book an appointment and got surprised when they mentioned their working hours is only 9am to 5pm and if I want a Saturday appointment I have to wait for 3 weeks. I got more surprised when they said they can’t give me a time window and I have to stay home the whole day and wait for technician to show up [UNACCEPTABLE]. I was lucky my parents were around so I asked them to come to my place and wait for technician. Finally technician showed up and checked the washer charged me $99 dollars for visit and gave me $500 quote for labour and replacement of transmission. Since his quote was more than price of a brand new washer I decided not repair the washer with their high cost and buy a new one. Meanwhile shared the story with a friend and he reminded me that parts should be under guarantee and they should not charge me for parts. I double checking it with GE I realized Direct Energy were going to charge me for a part which was under guarantee [CUSTOMER RIPOFF]. I can’t believe they were not aware of guarantee. I called them again and had them to agree that they shouldn’t charge me for parts.
After reducing the part cost I agreed to pay the labour and have my washer fixed for $144. I booked another appointment and since my parents were not around had to take a day off and stay home again for technician to show up. I waited the whole day, nobody showed up and around 5pm someone called me and said technician is sick and can’t make it. I asked if he is sick why you guys didn’t call me earlier and kept me home for the whole day?[UNACCEPTABLE]. No answere.
They give me another day, I took another day off and finally technician came over and replaced the part. Every thing worked fine and I kind of forgot all the troubles I went to. But wait story is not over yet! After 2 months the noise came back I called them again and since repair was under guarantee they offered to check my appliance and fix it for free if it is related to same issue. So I booked another appointment, took another day off and stayed home for technician to come. Again technician didn’t show up, I called them and after keeping me on the line for a while customer support lady said they have paged the technician and can’t get hold of him. So for second time they kept me home and didn’t provide the service [UNACCEPTABLE]. Operator apologized and did their usual damage recovery task and gave me a Saturday appointment so I didn’t have to take another day off.
On Saturday morning surprisingly I got a call from technician and he said he will be in my place from 2pm to 4pm. I was kind of relieved and thought this time everything will work as they promise. I stayed home, waited till 4pm and instead of technician I got a call telling me because of snow technician can not come to my place again [UNACCEPTABLE]. Need to mention on Saturday January 8 there was a little snow but there was no snow on road and it was totally an excuse for not showing up.
I called them again replayed my story, manager promised another Saturday and finally technician came over and fixed the problem.
So for a simple washer repair I stayed home for 5 days, took 3 days off, technician visited me 3 times, I paid $275 and finally got it fixed.
If something is wrong with your appliance have a second thought about buying a new one or calling an independent technician. Never rely on Direct Energy.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
I’ve got the same account settlement rentals fee in my December bill and I am too scratching my head. Will be calling them tomorrow.
January 20th, 2011 at 8:52 am
I just rec’d my Enbridge bill and I also have these two new “Account Settlement Rentals” charges.
I was stuck with this rental tank because the previous owner had it installed, but I’ve never heard of such a ridiculous scheme in my life. Why are they charging more every year for a ten-year old depreciating asset?
I’ll be calling them today to find out what’s going on.
Has anyone else rec’d a satisfactory answer from Direct Energy/Enbridge yet?
January 21st, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Direct Energy is a scam. I had changed by furnace to a more efficient one (recommended by Govt.) and switch to a tankless water heater and yet when I received my bill this winter, it is triple the amount i used to pay when my furnace and water tank were old. Where is the savings here. The government tells you to lower your temperature which I am doing and when I told this to whoever woman that answered the phone to complain about my energy bill, the doorknob told me that my energy is working hard because I had set this at a low temperature..duh! and when I also mentioned that I was away 2 weeks in Oct and 2 weeks in Nov and still consumption is the same as when we are home and she said that the energy consumes more because there is no body heat to warm up the house. How truth is this nonsense, I don’t know. As far as I know I am saving electricity and gas and still I do not see any savings on my bill so where does the money go. Somebody should investigate Direct Energy’s practice as they are totally ripping off consumers charging 0.3698 which is triple the amount of what other gas company would charge and you can’t even get out of this as apparently “you are locked” and it will cost you another $1000 or so to get out of the contract….this is ridiculous!
January 22nd, 2011 at 10:07 am
“# Judy Says:
January 15th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Pam, I have the same charge on my Dec 2010 bill. I received a letter from Direct Energy a few weeks ago informing me I had not been charged the rental rate increases for the entire year of 2010 and to expect an adjustment on my December bill. I will be contacting Direct Energy on Monday to “discuss” this charge. I’ll update this site after I speak with them. ”
We have also received this letter and although it says this is an isolated incident, it seems as though it is not. How can a company decide at the end of the year that they didn’t charge you enough and slam you with it in the new year? There has to be something to protect us otherwise what is to stop every company from doing this. ‘oh, by the way, we forgot to update your monthly rental rate FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR, and now you have to pay. BS.
January 22nd, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Can anyone tell me if it’s legal for direct energy to leave people without any sore of heat when it’s -15 outside? It’s been the 3rd night this week without heat? Is this ok, or can I take legal action?
January 22nd, 2011 at 6:48 pm
I too have been having issues with Direct Energy. Last February we had our hot water tank replaced to be more energy efficient. We rent the hot water tank from Direct Energy so they came in to install it. Last Sunday my husband noticed the vent for the water heater was venting back into the house. We immediately called Direct Energy, who thought it was a perfect time to update file. I tried to be patient but then snapped. I’m 9 months pregnant, there are noxious fumes in the house and I wasn’t going to answer any more questions about my phone #s or emails. They patched us through to Enbridge who said they’d send an emergency person. 2 hours later the guy arrived to say that it was not safe to operate, he turned it off, gave us a red tag and told us to call Direct Energy to have them come and fix it. Monday morning Direct Energy arrive and the tech doesn’t see anything wrong with hot water tank. He said it was working fine. He said if it happened again, he’d recommend we change the water heater to one that power vents (which would cost about $175). He takes the paperwork to remove the red flag and we are good to go. Then on Friday night we noticed it was backdrafting again. We called Direct Energy back and begged them to send a technician that evening – since I’m 5 days from my due date and we were planning a home birth. After 45 minutes of being on hold and speaking to several different people, they apologize there is nothing they can do, suggest we go stay in a hotel overnight and promise a tech will be here at 9 am. At 10 am the tech shows up, it is still backdrafting and he can’t figure out why. He said the only way to fix it was to upgrade to a power vent and because I’m 9 months pregnant he’d plead my case and try to get one installed today. We told him we wanted to have someone else look at it – so he then red tags us. We call a local guy and he comes over to look at the hot water heater. It turns out that the water heater Direct Energy installed last year is taller than our previous one and they hadn’t changed the venting – so we had a negative slope. The guy fixes the venting and we are good to go. We had 2 Direct Energy technicians here and neither said anything about the venting. Both tried to sell us on a new water heater. I just can’t believe they are allowed to stay in business.
January 23rd, 2011 at 12:36 am
Direct Energy took away the water tank I was renting on Nov 5, 2010. They told me I had to wait one or two billing cycles before they’d stop billing me and I would be reimbursed. I was billed Dec and Jan so I called for an update and they said they are going to keep billing me until I send in an RMO which is a form I never heard of before then. Luckily I got the Direct Energy rep to sign something to indicate that he took the tank and I faxed that to Amoy Smith a couple weeks ago. I phone and fax them almost every day and I can’t get confirmation that they will stop billing me. A horrible experience. Every time I call someone tells me they will get Amoy to phone me but she only called once to say she got my fax but she won’t call again or give me any explanation.
January 25th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
I also received a letter from Direct Energy dated December 29, 2010 thanking me for being a ‘valued Direct Energy Water Heater customer’. The letter then states that after reviewing my account, they discovered a ‘processing error’ that resulted in my monthly rental rate not being updated to the new 2010 rental rates and that they will be billing the outstanding amount for the difference between 2009 and 2010 rental rates which would be reflected in my December gas bill.
Now my question is whose fault is that???? If they have incompetents working for them who failed to update the rates why should I be penalized after an entire year!! Are there not supervisors or quality control personnel to catch these errors earlier in the game???? I am not happy and would love to find out what is going on.
February 5th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
My own story is similar to the ones above.
I’m very surprised that this company is still in business given their fraudulent practices and the way they treat their customers; I’m even more surprised that the fines they face from regulators are so small. They continue their practices because they can.
In the past 6 months I have steered many friends and family away from the evil that s Direct Energy. I will continue to do so until they are out of business.
February 17th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Just got my first bill from the gas company without direct energy as my supplier. It is the lowest bill I have had for January in years. 11 cents a m3. You can’t sign anything for less than 20
March 4th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
When my father was living he agreed over the phone to enter into a furnace repair program with Direct Energy. After my father’s death my mother sold the home and moved to a condo. Prior to the sale, she notified Enbridge. On the final bill was a hefty charge from Direct Energy. The amount was automatically withdrawn from her bank account. When she called to subsequently complain about the additional charge she eventually received verbal confirmation that the amount would be reversed. They asked for her new address to process the reimbursement. However, instead of receiving the reimbursement she received a new bill with a newly created account number for over $200 for a new agreement! She didn’t agree to a new agreement and to make matters worse, her new home doesn’t have a furnace to service!! She called Direct Energy and after a frustrating call with a representative they agreed to reverse the billing. However she continues to receive monthly bills. We wrote a detailed letter to the company and received a voice message saying we were obligated to pay. This matter has caused my mother (a senior on a fixed income) great anxiety and while they will never receive payment for this amount, we will make it our mandate to inform as many people as possible to not deal with Direct Energy. Any help or advice would be appreciated.
March 10th, 2011 at 11:42 am
The guy enbridge sent to check the gas line for hot water tank did not even bother looking at the tank and said it needed to be repaired. I didn’t agree with him and he purposely cut the wire to the gas line (without my consent) and left. I marked down his name.
I would like to place a complaint against this person. Who can I contact to complain about him?
Can I request Enbridge to provide restitution/compensation?
March 22nd, 2011 at 3:20 pm
I have a “doosy” of a story!
I lived in unit 101 of an apartment, I moved out March 30th 2010. In August 2010 I received an invoice from Direct Energy for the month of July 2010 for services at the apartment … I HAVE NEVER HAD DIRECT ENERGY FOR ANYTHING!!!!!! HOW IN THE HECK ARE THEY BILLING ME FOR SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER HAD WITH THEM!!
August 20th, 2010
- Received an invoice from Direct Energy for $ 53.00.
Called and asked for manager (12:00pm), Lee REP # 15919 began speaking to me. I advised of the bill I had received, Lee had me on hold and off hold for approximately 1 hour or longer. Lee advised before the call was ended that there was no contract or anything indicating why I was being billed for this Water Heater. Lee asked me if the name “Melissa” meant anything to me, I replied Melissa G%%% was the tenant of unit 102 and that I was 101. Lee stated that its probably a case of identity theft and suggested I go to the police and file a report. The bill was dated July 15th, 2010. Lee said she was going to escalate this and investigate and call me back because this was clearly an error and I was not the correct person to be charged.
I went to the police station, and advised the police officer what was going on and what Lee had told me. The police officer said there wasn’t much he could do but talk to Melissa. As far as I knew, Melissa still lived in unit 102.
I contacted Melissa on facebook while I was on the phone with Direct Energy manager, Lee. Melissa responded to my facebook message at 9:33pm that night advising that she doesn’t live in that apartment anymore and that 10 months later (after moving out) she received a bill from direct energy as well.
December 24th, 2010
I received another bill in the mail and called Direct Energy. I was connected with Kelly Broughton with the customer care department. I explained the issue and she read the file on her computer. She then went onto say she apologized and that this isn’t my account or my charges.
I asked her to please email me a release letter from this debt, she said she would.
Received email at 10:44am on December 24th, 2010 stating:
“Our sincerest apologies for your recent experience with Direct Energy. I contacted back office billing and they have corrected the issue and will apply credits for rwh charges, since these are not your charges. This will take 1 – 2 billing cycles to be processed. You will not be charged anymore for rwh. This issue has been resolved.”
Kelly Broughton
Customer Care
Phone 1-866-226-1700
Fax 905-572-4441
I thought this matter was taken care of. I knew I would receive a January and February bill but to just ignore as per letter above.
March 22, 2011
Received another bill with another charge of $ 43.54 added totaling the invoice to $ 108.49.
Called and spoke with the manager Cecile who told me that I would have to call Embridge because they are the ones that do the billing for Direct Energy. There number is 1-877-362-7434.
Cecile also told me that I better pay the bill because it’s in their in-house collections and will be moving to collections soon. Cecile advised that every month the bill hasn’t been paid will be on my credit bereau.
Called Embridge and the women said “at this time we don’t have any control because its Direct Energy” The women stated I would have to call Direct Energy.
12:05pm Emailed (to email address given by Cecile) a copy of the release letter Kelly wrote. Send via email.
Called lawyer and booked an appointment to see him to pursue legal action.
Called Ontario Energy Board and spoke to Brittany who took all of my information and advised I will receive a call back in 48 hours by the person who will be handling this claim.
Checked credit online with TransUnion and paid $ 22.90.
Called @ 2:30pm to Direct Energy and spoke to Donna Miles. I asked to talk to Kelly Broughton and was advised by Donna that she is no longer employed there.
She advised that Cecile had put the notes in the file to escalate this and that it could take “a couple of weeks”. I advised this has been going on for almost a year and that I had received a RELEASE STATEMENT ON DECEMBER 24/2010, that they have had enough time.
Donna said she would escalate this higher to the VP of Direct Energy and that I should receive a call within 1-2 business days.
Knowing this is the best I was going to receive, I said fine and ended call.
April 9th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Direct Energy are the biggest scam in the world…. They are deceitful. Technician are lazy and incompetent…. Waiting for another useless technician to solve my water tank issue… 6th time…. The reps and client care are useless and stupid… Worst than the government….
April 11th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
I feel for you all. I was told that Enbridge “loaned” the money needed to start-up Direct Energy here,, securing a monopoly indeed! When the loan was “paid-back” supposedly the ties were severed(but I doubt that),, what a “crock”,,, remember, this IS another election year,, if this will do any good!
May 31st, 2011 at 10:02 am
This Is in regards to service by Enbridge or a lack of service. A serviceman replaced the gas meter and was told there is a furnace, a stove and a clothes dryer which run on gas. He said he would check the appliances and make sure they were working. He red tagged the stove as being in need of service and said everything else was working. Later my mother tried the clothes dryer and found it not working.
I called Enbridge and spoke to a woman, who said her name was Pat, and she replied they are not a service company. I informed her that it was not a question of service but of leaving the appliances in a working state as was the case prior to the meter change. the appliance was working before the meter change and not working after. Her rebuttal was if the serviceman said it would be working than everything is fine. This woman is incapable of using any intelligence, perhaps has none and I repeated the order of events stressing the assurance by the serviceman it will be working and it is not presenting the facts in an orderly and logical argument. She repeated exactly the same reply that if the serviceman said everything was working than it is. I asked to speak to a manager but it was after hours.
My mother is 88 years old on a pension and this incompetent woman is insisted she call a serviceman for a problem caused by Enbridge. I know large companies keep a lawyers service on standby as does Bell and fighting them is not for the faint of heart but this is infuriating, demoralizing and enough to make a passive man into a killer. Is there not supposed to be a set of standards or law protecting the elderly and consumer from abuse from companies?
I don’t expect to find a solution perhaps my fight will lead to justice for others who follow and ethics and law will protect the vulnerable.
June 25th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
As seems, Direct Energy Home Services invented a new kind of fraud.
In April of this year I called Direct Energy Essential Home Services
regarding problem with our rental Water Heater.
The technician visited us and made necessary repairs. No charges were apply
since service and repairs for rental water heater are free.
In May of 2011 I received Enbridge Bill, which, particularly, indicated
Service Visit charge of $158.19 from Direct Energy Home Services.
That amount looks pretty close to amount we “saved” according to
“Water Heater Service Technician’s Checklist”.
When I called Billing at 905-943-6944 on May 24, 2011, after some investigation
I was informed, that it was not a charge for Water Heater repairs, which are free
for rentals, but for maintenance of our furnace.
This looks like absolute nonsense – we installed new furnace recently
from another company, and it completely covered, so we even in
theory don’t need any service calls for furnace from Direct Energy!
After many calls and a lot of trouble, on June 03 I’ve been informed
that they will credit that charge, but can’t correct my current bill which
was due on June 06 because it’s too late.
Even more, that credit of $158.19 will be applied to my June’s or July’s bill and only to
Direct Energy Home Services part of it.
Since that part of bill includes only monthly charge for rental Water Heater – $17.49, it means
my money will be repaid only after 9 months ($158.19 / 17.49 = 9.04…)!
Why don’t mail to me the cheque with that amount instead?!..
Since Direct Energy Home Services has many thousands of customers, the charging
even some of them with such “errors” brings to company a lot of money that can be
used for months…
I think appropriate justice institutions should pay attention to this.
Valeri Lechtchev
Mississauga
July 18th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Today is July 18, 2011. Direct Energy called us to ask us to renew our contract as it expires this year. Excuse me….but OMFG…. Back in 2004 or so, a Direct Energy rep came by our home to get us to pay for their existence by fixing us with a contract. As new homeowners, my husband signed up. As an accountant, I looked at what Direct Energy was offering and decided to cancel. We called Direct Energy a few days later and cancelled. We got cancellations confirmations etc. We trusted Direct Energy to complete the cancellation as it should not, in our minds have been a big deal. And yeah, the T-word, we trusted ahem Direct Energy, fools as we come to realize we are. Hmmmm….7 years later, it seems we have been billed according to that Direct Energy contract all along. When it supposedly expired 5 years ago, they decided to kindly renew it on our behalf, err, but this time didn’t need us to help them along. Fast forward today, we called Direct Energy to find out ….err, excuse me….WTF…. And well, they will calls us back in a week, and gave us a complaint number – a nice touch. So, Direct Energy, kudos for making believers out of us. I hope for all the profits you have earned, it is worth the frustrations of everyone on this blogue.
August 7th, 2011 at 9:48 am
On July 7, 2011 I received my Enbridge gas bill which usually only has a water heater rental charge from Direct Energy. (approximately $25.00/month). I moved into my brand new home in July 2010. This month’s bill contains an “account settlement rental” charge of $128.81? I use a propane heated water tank so there is no supply from Direct Energy or Enbridge. Does anyone know what this charge is for?! Why is it just appearing now one year after I have moved in? I have dealt with Enbridge and Direct Energy previously and found errors more them once and received credits but wanted to hear from anyone else before I let loose the fury at some innocent customer service rep!!!
Thanks
August 22nd, 2011 at 7:53 pm
I got good one for you.Had my furnace in winter die on me again for about 5th time and it has been serviced and cleaned(LOL) by them.I was at work the tech came in told my wife the house could blow up,he’s red tagging it.The ducts were wrong,it was leaking carbon monoxide,the a/c coil was probably dirty and since I dropped a/c plan could cost $1,000.00 0r more.I needed everything replaced.So my wife called me and I spoke to tech.Said I would call my A/C guy and get back to him.Like a miracle from heaven,there was no gas leak,he checked coil with cam it was spotless and he replaced small part and has worked since now August.I have advise them that he will not be allowed in my house ever and they can stick their plan when comes due,bunch of crooks.So beware.I am afraid how many people been conned into new furnaces.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
I just wasted 30+ minutes on the phone with Direct Energy regarding a bill for services neither rendered nor required. The bill is for a heating protection plan which I don’t need having moved into a condo. Direct Energy were informed of my move twice, late Apr and again mid-Aug but claim not to have any record of my calls.
The first rep. I spoke with spent 10 minutes “checking my account” (puttng me on hold several times) before she decided she couldn’t help me. I was transferred to Andrew an “Account Specialist” who asked for pretty much the same info. the 1st rep requested. He too placed me on hold so he could “discuss the matter with his supervisor”. When he returned, he was “delighted” to tell me that a credit would be placed on my account within “one or two billing cycles”. Meanwhile, I had to pay the bill!! I protested, repeated that as I was in a condo & had no need for any of Direct Energy’s services. Andrew was not a happy camper. He said that DE can’t just reverse a bill. The upshot was, he’d have his supervisor speak with me.
Mr. Supervisor slurred through his name twice….sounded like Todd, or maybe Cory. Round Three ensued, same questions, same answers. Todd/Cory was surprised I’d no furnace; what about a boiler then, he asked. BTW do any of you peole know that when you move, “your” plan moves with you?? So I was informed. At this point, I expressed frustration at the amount of time spent on what to me was a very simple solution so Todd/Cory advised he’d “make an exception” in my case and cancel the billing. Yahooo!
Thank you God. But wait…I was to be transferred back to Andrew so he could give me a reference number.
Back on hold again during which time I completed a difficult Sudoku.
After Andrew gave me the number he said “A credit will appear on your bil within one or two billing cycles” (Does anyone know the old song “There’s a Hole in the Bucket”?) I reminded Andrew that as his supervisor was cancelling the bill (“Oh,is that what he said”) I would not be paying it whereupon he replied that the interest charges would mount up and Icould deal with them whatever way I saw fit.
To be continued………..
December 13th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Can someone provide me with a contact to file a formal complaints, I’ve tried to get a resolution on this matter below over the phone without success, they are quick to slam plans on your account but refuse to remove them (heating protection plan):
I’m writing to you as it doesn’t seem that I can get a resolution for my issue. I tried calling Direct Energy as suggested by your CSR however when calling them they were very confrontational and to be honest rude. I was encouraged to sign up for the Heating Protection Plan from a phone call last year and was told that I would be under contract for 1 year and after the year I can cancel it at any time. I had recently received an email suggesting that I had not taken advantage of the free maintenance call so I thought I would call and schedule it thinking it was from last year. As I tried to cancel the Heating Protection Plan today a Misty, who I must say was very rude and then a Christy who was the ‘Supervisor’ advised that I was under contract for another year and that I would have to pay the balance for the year even if I cancel the plan. I feel I was misled when they signed me up for this plan, also Misty was down right rude and confrontational through our whole conversation, the reason I would like to remove this plan is that we are trying to cut costs as we feel that it’s not necessary.
I know that the issue is with Direct Energy however as I pay for this plan under my Enbridge bill I was hoping that I can get some assistance with removing this plan.
If required I will draft a letter to Robert Comstock SVP for Direct Energy as I feel I’m being treated unfairly for a service I was misinformed about.
December 17th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Had a new hot water heater installed in May, three months free, should have received a bill in September.
NOT ! I have called and pleaded with DE and Enbridge to Please send me a bill, or give me an account so that i could set up my bank to pay something in the interium to DE getting the head out of their ass.
Enbridge says DE has to send them the paperwork, DE says we live in Wiarton, Not Chatsworth and to talk to Enbridge. This is all very frustrating.
My brother in law, did’nt get a bill for over one year, then got slapped with a pay up or else.
If anyone knows how we can get this resolved quicker than making multiple calls to multiple customer service reps that don’t care or care to know, please let me know.
[email protected]
December 30th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
I have had excellent service from DE technician. I called for my water heater issue, tech was at the door in about 2 hrs, same day. and he had the part to solve problem on the spot.
January 3rd, 2012 at 3:48 pm
I manage a rental property and came across a problem when my 50 gallon tank did not provide enough hot water for the 5 units within the building. I had extensively research the best option for my problem, even considering tankless water heater but was informed by Direct Energy employees that the best option was the 75 gallon tank. So I agreed to have my 50 gallon replaced by a 75 gallon tank. It was only until a few weeks ago that I was informed by a DE technician that the water tank THEY installed was the incorrect one for the location it was in. At this point I had at least 10 technicians come into the unit and say nothing about the problem. It was only until this one man that I was I was properly informed. I called DE to solve the issue, only to find out that they did not have access to a larger tank that was apprioate for the unit. I than decided to to cancel with DE to install my own water tank. I called to find out cancellation fees and was told that my only option was to “buy out” my tank for a cost of over $1,000, at which point I would own the tank. Frustrated at this point, they did not own to their mistake and persistently told me that there was no other options. If they properly trained their technician/customer service rep I WOULD have NOT installed the tank in the first place and wasted my time waiting for appointments, being placed on hold and throwing away money for additional costs associated with the 75 gallon tank. ED is a careless company, that does not provide the best service to Canadians. For once it would be nice if they could admit to their mistakes and fix THEIR problems.
January 3rd, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Just as “Ch ip” above, I have a complaint regarding the “Heating Protection Plan”.
Back in November of 2011 (just about month an a half ago) my old furnace stopped working.
I found out that the issue was most likely the thermocouple, so I called Direct Energy to have it replaced.
I was told that I had 2 options. One option was to enrol in the “Heating Protection Plan” before placing the service call in which case I would be charged a nominal fee regardless of what needed to be fixed (as long as it was below $500.00).
The second option was to just place the service call (without enrolling in the program) in which case I would have to pay for the full cost of the repair.
Because the furnace was over 20 years old, I agreed to enrol in the plan.
However, when the technician showed up and repaired the furnace, he told me that the plan was only good for low cost repairs. He said that if the furnace broke down again and it needed a major part replaced, the technician would most likely recommend that the furnace be replaced due to being over 20 years old and would not repair it.
This meant that being enrolled in the “Heating Protection Plan” in my case didn’t benefit me that much.
Because of this and the rebates the Canadian Government is offering at the moment, I decided to have the furnace replaced.
The new furnace is covered by a 10 year parts and labour warranty, so now I don’t really need the “Heating Protection Plan”.
I called today to cancel the coverage, but to my surprise was told that the plan is a one year contract and if I cancel before the year is over, I will have to pay for the remaining of the year (in my case 11 months).
I explained that I was not told about any contracts (at least I don’t recall being told) and because the technician actually charged me as if I was not enrolled in the contract (he told me that I had to call to get the charge corrected) I would like it cancelled without any penalties.
I was told that I should have received a package in the mail explaining the details of the plan (I don’t think I got it because I don’t remember seeing it) and that I had 10 days to cancel the contract if I didn’t want it.
Anyway, I understand that a contract is a contract, but because I was not told about it when I enrolled and because I don’t really need the coverage now that I have a new furnace (with 10 years parts and labour warranty) I was hoping that Direct Energy would agree to cancel it without charging a penalty.
But they refused. They said that all they could do was to refund the difference between what I was charged by the technician and the flat fee that I should’ve been charged under the plan.
However, the difference is only about $13.00. The service plan is costing me $21.99 per month, so the refund is minimal in comparison to the cost of the plan.
I don’t think that posting here is going to make any difference, but I just want to make my experience known, so others will be aware of what they are getting into when joining a plan offered by Direct Energy.
Tony
January 3rd, 2012 at 4:09 pm
OOps!.. Please delete my first post.
The plan cost is $21.99 as it appears in my second post, not $24.99 as in the first post.
Sorry for the trouble.
Tony