I would like to submit a complaint regarding unethical practices by the Ontario Enery Savings company, in hopes that someone can assist me.
I am an air force member posted to a military base in Trenton, Ontario. In 2006, I was sent to another province on a six-month course. While I was away, my common-law spouse filed for separation, but I allowed her and our children to stay in the military housing that I rented, until I returned. During the time that we were separated, she was approached by a door-to-door marketer who led her to believe that he represented Hydro One (our electricity company). We have a "no soliciters" sign on the door, and the base doesn't allow soliciting, so she was under the impression that he was legitimate.
He pressured her into agreeing to lock the rate of electricity, guaranteeing that by locking it, the bill would decrease significantly and would always stay lower. He confirmed this several times and showed her some graphs and documents which seemed to support that he was offering much lower rates. She mentioned to him that the bill was in my name only, and that she did not have power of attorney. She wanted to wait and speak to me, but he told her that if she didn't take advantage that day, I would not be eligible for savings. He assured her that everything would stay the same, and would simply be cheaper, and that I would be billed as always by Hydro One.
She also balked at locking the rate for 5 years- she pointed out that I was in the military and could be posted anytime, on short notice. He assured her that it could be cancelled if requested. She was unsure of how to list her relationship to me, as we were separated, and was told to simply put "spouse", so that the 'savings' could start immediately.
I was never informed of the switch, as she was under the impression that nothing changed, aside from paying a better price. In retrospect, she can see that she was fooled by the same techniques used on so many others! A more ethical soluation for this company would be to ensure that they are speaking to the account holder when making these sales pitches. I have now read of housesitters, teenage children, and the elderly being duped into signing these agreements on someone else's behalf- does this not violate privacy laws?
Eventually, my spouse and I reconcilled. I am currently deployed again until November. This month, my spouse was stunned at the electricity bill, and called Hydro One to help her figure out why the bill was so high. It was $163 for one month, which seemed ridiculous, as she does not use the clothes dryer, has energy saving bulbs, and has used the air conditioner just twice this summer. We try to conserve electricity as much as possible, and the bill made no sense. She called Hydro One, thinking that something was wrong with the wiring in the house. Because of the Privacy Act, they weren't able to give her any information, although the agent did tell her that I was signed up with Ontario Energy Savings. I was very upset to learn about this- I told her that she had no authorization to make changes to any of my accounts, and if she had, she needed to rectify this. In fact, most companies I deal with will not even speak with her on my behalf when I want her to make changes, due to the Privacy laws.
In confusion, she called them, and was told that she had signed a 5 year contract on my behalf. She was appalled at the difference in rates (9.5 cents per Kw versus 5.3 cents at Hydro One), and asked them to please cancel the contract, as we cannot afford the high rates. She was told that they would only cancel it if I paid them $550 .
The supervisor told her that they had pre-purchased the electricity for me for the next five years. She wondered why they would do that, since I am military and could be posted on short notice. They obviously knew that, since they were soliciting on a military base! They refused to cancel the contract.
I have also written to the BBB, and to a reporter at the Star. I do have documents from Revenue Canada from this time period stating that she was separated at the time that she was duped into signing these papers. I'm wondering if this makes a contract in my name invalid? I've been reading up on contracts and third parties, but haven't found many answers. It makes my blood boil that this agent took advantage of my deployment in order to swindle my overwhelmed spouse. As a one-income family, we just can't afford $163 a month for electricity, nor can we afford a $550 buy-out, and we just don't know what to do. I have since learned that they have also swindled other spouses while their loved one is deployed. They seem to have a habit of targetting those in difficult situations (ie. the elderly, teenagers, military members)
I do realise that you likely hear stories like this everyday. If you have any words of advice, or can refer me to anyone, please feel free to email!
If you made it this far, thank you for reading!
Derrick
Trenton, Ontario
Canada
0 comments