Ontario Energy Savings Program is a complete SCAM!
My mother, who speaks enough English to communicate but not perfect enough to ask questions and understand law language of company contacts signed up with this company back in March of 2006. These people kept coming to our door week after week and my mother decided to sign up, thinking that they were from the government and were trying to save us money on our hydro and electricity bill by locking it at a flat rate, because she was informed and almost scared into thinking that the rates would increase at a rapid rate in the upcoming months/years, she agreed.
However, this information was FALSE and finally I found out that we have been paying almost double the rate of kilowatts for energy used. (something around 5 cents compared 9.8 cents the company was offering) This was never mentioned at the time of the signing.
2 years later, we had another "agent" show up at our door to the same thing.Us, believing it was the same company, followed the same procedure and signed another "contract". This, now I find out was another company at the name of Universal Power (1866 900 2373).
Today (Nov 18, 2008) I received a letter from a collections company representing Ontario Savings Energy, informing us that we owed them $293.76 and this "outstanding account" would ultimately affect our credit rating (My DAD's, since the hydro and electricity are both under his name), immediate legal action and escalated collection activity action would be taken against us if we did not pay the balance in 7 days.
I called the collections company and spoke to a man who informed me of this, and agreed how absolutely ridiculous it was. These people, cancelled our "contract" without any valid notice because we had unknowingly signed up with another company.
I called Ontario Energy Savings and gave them a piece of my mind. This however does not change the fact that nearly $300 will come out of our pocket for a ridiculous scam that we were forced into believing. They told me to cancel with the other company and sign with them once again and the penatly fee would be cancelled.
Now the dilemma is we "owe" this company all this money for nothing, when they overcharged us nearly the double rate of what we should be paying for our hydro and electricity bills for 2 whole years. This new company, who is undoubtedly also over charging us also has a penalty fee to cancel. So it's a LOSE-LOSE situation.
I am absolutely frustrated with the fact that we were taking advantage of. We are a family of 5, who is now paying double the rates for the hydro and electricity that we use, and let me tell you, it's a LOT.
If this company is so legal, then why would they so willingly accept a signature from someone whose name isn't even on the hydro/electricity bill? Why would they cancel our so-called energy saving plan without any notice and then charge us loads of money that takes my family days to earn.
I notice that I am not the first to make a complaint about these scammers, and if anyone would like to take a group legal action against them, I am all for it.
Deniz
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Canada
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