Vancouver Forum: Universal Energy SCAM - Vancouver Forum

hi all.  i am in the middle of my fight with universal energy.  after YEARS of turning these people away, 2 summers ago a fresh-faced college student (a young woman) came to my door.  i told her, as i'd told the others before her, that i wasnt interested.  i told her that i was moving soon anyway, so what would be the point in switching.  she said i was about the last on my street to not switch (i didnt think that was true but who knows what your neighbours are doing).  anyway, somehow i let this girl beat me down.  however, i only agreed because she said that since i was moving, obviously my 'agreement' with universal energy would end when i moved.  she said, why not enjoy lower rates while you're still here?  she said there was 'no obligation whatsoever' and i could cancel at any time.  i bought into the lies for some reason...normally i am very guarded.  i can't understand why these people are allowed to scam consumers?  why isn't this illegal?  anyway, my bills went up, not down.  so i moved.  i cancelled my gas with my ulility company.  my friend called U.E. and asked what i needed to do as i was moving. he was told to send a fax to them advising i was cancelling and moving.  i thought that was the end of it.  for about the last 8 months U.E. has been harassing me with stupid form letters (and before the letters, there were calls to my cell phone).  They aren't asking for $500 cancellation fee but rather over $900!!  are they freakin nuts?  I have sent them registered letters and they've gone ignored even though they were signed for at U.E.  the last letter i received wasn't from them but from a collection company that wants you to think that they're lawyers.  it's a collection service.  they say i've not responded in a satisfactory manner to U.E. and if i dont pay the $900 cancellation fee, they will proceed to court and i'll have to pay court costs too.  they also say that Equifax will be notified and my credit will be tarnished.  they are dreaming in technicolour if they think i'll be paying one thin dime.  i am now writing the collection company telling them to get lost, just as i did with U.E.  i said they need to provide me with proof of a 5 yr contract and proof of reaffirmation.  someone did call me about 10 days after the door to door visit but i was only asked if the person at my door  was courteous.  i said 'yes'.  it is impossible for them to have recordings of everyone saying 'yes'.  this is becoming a nuisance but i'm not stressing about it at all.  do people really submit to this kind of lame intimidation?  please don't. 
i want to know why U.E. isn't being investigated, and shut down, for improper business dealings?

to Henry
I just signed them today and then I saw this forum. So, I called them and they said that they have n't recieved the application yet and they would call me after 10 days. So, I e-mailed them to cancel the plan. I found this way reading Henry's letter. Henry, can u please inform me what happen when u get your next gas or electricity bill? Honestly, I am feeling so much helpless. I don't know why I signed that paper? 

Look at cancelling ASAP. You have the RIGHT to cancel this service as per the consumer law of Ontario states.

Bill

Univer$al Energy is one of those outfits that are around because of social/financial loopholes they can crawl in and out of. One day I will flip open the business section of a newspaper and see their name beside Conrad Black and Enron.

Sandy

It's NOT alot if you work it out, our leader said that in a bad week he can still make $800 but I worked it out and he was fudging the numbers. Only one day with him and he sold to one house after 30+ other houses were either were not at home or slammed door in his face. He made about $35 that day After car-gas costs, tax, his time lying to people, it's peanuts. There is no BASE comission so you BETTER make money and have someone buy this snake oil. I'm sure you can make a few hundred dollars in a week but most of us already have REAL jobs making MORE.

The same scam was pulled on me as well.  They conned my wife into signing yesterday.  I called first thing this morning and got the run around for about 40 minutes and 7 callbacks from me.  I finally got a supervisor on the line and everything was taken care of, including a cancellation confirmation number.  I will still keep a close eye on things to make sure I have no more dealings with these guys.  I just wanted to write on here to let everyone know you do not need to wait the 10 days like they try to make you believe, my wife signed and got the confirmation phone call late afternoon yesterday and I got cancellation confirmation this morning.  Here is the name and phone number of the supervisor I spoke to this morning who was very helpful in clearing things up.

Vanessa Anesetti - 1-877-672-5500 ext. 324

I feel a little guilty giving her info out, as she will probably be slammed with calls but then I realized that she's the one who works for the shady company and she deserves to hear from all the upset customers.
Best of luck.
Ryan

Shawn in PTBO

Hey Shawn, I know Jeff, he works for Univer$al Energy. It was really SMART of him to use his first name.

Bill

"I just mailed off a nice cheque for over $600 to buy out my contractbecause of the lies I was told, I was home with my 2 year old and newinfant daughter and a nice case of post partum, and was told not onlyat the door when I asked about paying the 9.6/kwh but on the phone 10days later as well that I would be paying the lesser of the two prices.And now 2 year and 3 months later I am biting the bullet and paying to get them out of my hair and some money back to my kids. Ican promise you that I am telling everyone that I know what a rip offthese people are and if they send any more reps to my door to try andchange my mind (2 in one day were sent to my house one week after mynot so nice fax to let them know my intentions to cancel my contract) IWILL be phone ing the police and having them charged with harassement!"

Hi ihatescammers, it's not about the truth. It's about making

Universal Energy tells their customers that %100 of people that have been on 'these' plans have saved money. Many times they have people sign contracts before these people are being made fully aware of all the terms and conditions. Furthermore, before these people are aware of the terms and conditions, another agent calls to record these people verbally agreeing to the contract they had just signed.

well, coming from the original post on castenet.net....the company listed in BC is Energy Savings BC.  www.esbc.ca.  any idea if these are crooks too?

Energy Savings BC came to my house to trying to sell 5yr fixed term are these guys a scam as well?

omgggggg i was just reading all your posts and i am in shock,,,my husband just signed on with universal energy for our gas bill ,,,,omg omg omg what do i do ,,,do i tell him to phone them asap and get out of the contract....? someone plz help me

call to cancel right away! the sooner the better.

Get out! of the contract or if you enjoy losing your money keep it. Make the right choice, all these people would not lie for no good reason and Jeff works for UEC and has something to lose by telling the truth as it was already established.

Mike 

Hi Jeff, I have an alternative to Univer$al Energy.

1. Take the contract provided by Univer$al Energy from door to door
2. Crumple it up into a little ball
3. Put it in the fireplace with all your other "agreements" for saving money

That will keep your house warm and will cost $0.00. Plus there is no cancellation fee of $800.00. Dousing the flames costs nothing.

Very well said. That actually makes a lot of sense. You could request or collect thousands of the contracts and keep your house warm for entire seasons.

just an FYI in order to conplete a contract there has to be three parts offer, acceptance and consideration.  for those of you that did NOT sign anything you cannot be held to it even if they state they have a tape of you expressing acceptance.  Contact the Consumer Protection in your area and demand that they provide a signed document by you, if not they can not prove there is a contract.

For those who live in Ontario, you can contact Consumer Protection Branch of Ministry of Government Services.  Also you can fill a formal complain at following website. http://consumerinfor...adcrumb=Ontario

You can find Consumer Protection Branch's contact info from http://www.gov.on.ca...2_045922.html.  I am sure other provincial governments must have samiliar function.

Hello to all those who are suffering through a ridiculous 5 yr contract with UEC. If you do seek help or advise please e-mail truthful.help@hotmail.com

 

Sincerely,

Mary

Unfortunately companies like these hold the cards if they have your credit information.  If for some reason they have your credit information, just not paying the bill or forcing them to take you to court to enforce the "contract" could do serious harm to your credit.  What these guys are doing is fraudulent misrepresentation, which not only voids an otherwise valid contract (verbal agreement can be a contract, even if you don't sign something).  When fraudulent misrepresentation occurs, the wronged party can go after the fraudulent party to void the contract and also get monetary damages.  See a lawyer - pronto - before your credit gets ruined.  In the meantime, send as much information to Equifax and TransUnion about your interaction with these guys so if something is posted on your credit report, other creditors have an explanation for it.

i've been working for universal energy for 5 days now and my tactics are different from the sales reps you described.

honestly I don't know if it's a scam because I don't see it as being a scam but the one thing I can say is that I can only speak for myself and not for other reps who give good people a bad name.

I never pressure people, if they say no I say it's ok and move to the next house until someone wants to hear what I gotta say and gives me an indication of readiness.

People slam companies in here all the time, I think there is enough negativity here already, nobody ever reports good news in here about the company for some odd reason.

UNIVERSAL ENERGY: DON'T GET CAUGHT!!

DON'T GET CAUGHT ENROLING WITH THEM FOR A 5 YEAR FIXED RATE AT
 $ 9.88 G/L. YOU'LL LOSE YOUR HAT WHILE THE REST OF US PAYS $ 7.33 G/L WITH TERASEN GAS.

If you look at the web-page for Terasen Gas, you will note that the average price of one G/J of Gas costs you only $ 7.33 with the highest rates at $ 9.88 in January ' 06. And that occurred only once, with gas prices going down to below $ 8.00 per G/J  for the rest of the 2006 season and into 2007.

UNIVERSAL ENERGY offers $ 9.33 per G/J and $ 9.88 per G/J for the remaining 4 years. That's at least $ 2.55 per G/J over the rate that you will pay if you stick to Terasen's rates. 

Hurricane Katrina hit on August 23, 2005.  As you can see, our gas rates climbed
a bit in climbed a bit- reaching its peak in January .. again.. $ 9.88 per G/J and stabilized
again at BELOW $ 8.00 per G/J.  What are the odds really that another hurricane of this magnitude will wipe out an entire State ?  Very slim indeed.

Even if prices were ' unregulated ' like they have been in Ontario, a customer would never pay as high a price per G/L then they would if they were to sign up with UNIVERSAL ENERGY.

You do the math. Below is the table of rates that you will find in Terasen's home page.
http://www.terasenga...andSquamish.htm

You guys honestly think that becuz you start paying more right away that you're getting scammed??

Think about this...if i had offered you say 2 years ago to get "locked in" to a gas contract at say $1.00....which was WELL MORE than the FMV of the cost of gas....Sure you would be bitched about it then...but look at now??

The price has gone UP UP UP, with the world boomin and the emergence of China as a power the costs of natural energies are certain to rise WAY past the rate that universal energy is offering at the moment.

So yes you will pay more in the short run for your energy costs but way 2 years from now when Terasen is charging up the ass for the increase in energy and we'll see who will be laughing then.

I counter anyone to argue with me who's actually got a sense or gone to legitimate school on economics. Universal Energy is NOT A SCAM. It is simply a choice, pay a little now for HUGE savings in the long run. This winter watch as the prices go higher than $10/GJ during the high demands months, and i'll bet money that it will.

So please before you go bashing companies trying to save you money, why don't you start pointing your finger at the government who taxes us higher than any other country and does little to give back to the people that matter. Or perhaps the governemnt who is the reason for our INSANE GAS PRICES AT THE PUMP

I live in Ontario and I have seen the cost of gas rise because we have been deregulated for a long time now.  I know that over the five years I saved a fair amount of money by entering into an agreement.  At the time I did not enter with Universal but I did with Direct.  

I didn’t save a huge amount of money because I am a small user, but I did save money and for a person such as myself with a limited budget, those savings were significant.  I have since re-entered into a 5 year agreement and this time with Universal. 

I know that my contracted rate is more than the current utility rate, however from my experience I believe that over the next 5 years I will once again save money.    

For those people out there who say this is a scam, I don’t know what to tell you.  From my experience I have found that over the course of a 5 year agreement, gas prices go up and as a result of being in an agreement, I have saved money.

Take it for what its worth, but I do not regret signing another agreement and I do not regret signing my previous 5 year agreement.

Got This E-mail, Read it realize it was Scam... got it from monster.ca,



Hi London


We have reviewed your resume for our registration position with one of North America's fastest growing companies and we would like to invite you to an interview on Wednesday, July 11th 2007 @ 12:00 pm.

Our Location: Universal Energy, 4170 Still Creek Ave, Suite 115, (Willingdon and Hwy 1 intersection), close to the Gilmore Station. Burnaby, BC. V5C 6C6

Great Attitude and Good English Communication skills necessary.

Please confirm attendance by email. Please bring your resume.


Regards, Doug


Dress Code: Business Casual


Job Description:

- Great pay! Fun Job!

- Instant weekly cash bonuses

- $800,00 to $1.500,00 per week

- Registration work

- Rapid advancement opportunities available in Canada and USA

I have a 28000 sq foot house......signed up with Universal......and the gas bills went up so high. Had to break the contract. Cost us $ 700.00  .  I live outside Toronto.  It just wasn't worth it !

http://www.energyshop.com/
http://www.energysho...ele/default.cfm
http://www.electricitycoalition.org/
-----------------------------------

http://www.energypro...ContentID=15200

...rates will increase even more in coming years as the government closes Ontario's coal-fired power plants – cheap power producers, but heavy polluters, critics say – in favour of cleaner but more costly natural gas plants.

Provincial governments, in the past, stepped in to subsidize rates to mitigate voter anguish over excessive hydro costs.

But McGuinty said the OEB will decide independently, without political interference, how much homeowners should pay and that governments should no longer be putting off the cost to supply electricity to future generations.

"Historically ... governments of all political stripes have shied away from ensuring that Ontarians in fact pay the actual cost of production for our electricity," McGuinty said.

"The net result was that we have saddled ourselves and our children with billions of dollars in debt accumulated because we didn't pay the actual cost of electricity," the premier said.

Higher rates are already being put in place in other areas of the continent to reflect the increasing cost of power, and Ontario faces similar pressures, McGuinty said.

Consumers who signed with an electricity retailer will continue to pay the price set out in their contracts, which aren't regulated by the OEB.

---------------------------------

If you legally have at LEAST 10 days to make a decision why not do your homework and become an educated consumer?

They have the lowest price of any of their competitors. (http://www.energyshop.com/es/general/ele/default.cfm) and there is a long history of people saving money with natural gas plans (which HALF of Ontario gas customers have, including myself).

Most people in the world would kill to pay under 10 cents per kilowatt for the next 5 years.

Sure MANY (not all) of the sales agents can be pin-heads, but if people took 5 minutes to research this for themselves rather than jump on the panic parade (with people just as uniformed as themselves), they would see that HISTORICALLY you are often better with a fixed rate than without them.
http://www.energysho...gs.cfm?area=ENB
http://www.energysho...gs.cfm?area=UNW

If you think prices will stay at 5.5-6.2 cents per kilowatt for the next 5 years, best of luck to you.

If I wasn't already saving quite a bit on my gas bill because of some guy from a different company (Ontario Energy Savings) who came to my door years ago, I would be just as skeptical. Luckily, its working out well, but when its time to renew I'll definitely check out energyshop.com to see my options.
----

I was one of the unlucky ones to get conned into going to their waste of time interview. This is how you know if the job is good or real BS

2. I found this add in the free Employment Paper in Toronto

Any employment add in the Employment Paper is dog----, the paper cost nothing because it's ads worth nothing. Only telesales, collecting, and make money over the Internet scams. These adds run forever because they can never get people to stay

3. $"800.00 to $1500.00 a week" and a "Fun Job"?

On what planet..? There is NO base comission and what bonus? you get sent out to nowhere the friendly farm communities where people won't tell you right away to ----off. with no lunch breaks. Just hustle hustle. Our team leader told us of the major profits he made already. In two days he made barley $120.00 WOW

Ryan,

"So please before you go bashing companies". Have you read what some of these people have been through. Do you think they are all bored? I think you are employed by them [UEC] and are afraid the stock price might go down. Besides what's to say energy prices will keep going up. If we the consumer need more because of population growth we will just have to find alternatives and or build more facilities to produce more power. Look at computers? 20 years ago you would have to spend $3-4000 on a computer that does not do much, the technology inside one of today's computers and it's millions of transistors you would think it's worth $10,000, yet you can get a really good computer for as little as $800 why is this so? They are JUST MAKING MORE to keep up with demand!

This stupid company is just using scare tactics. UEC and you and me can't see the future

Hey "Educate Yourself" aka Jeff and Ryan,

Why should you and UEC care? do you really think a company that charges $800.00 for a cancellation fee and is never around to Cancel or talk to it's clients cares about the concumer? Do you think a money hungry company like Universal Energy will PAY for fluctuations in rising energy costs forever. With what money idiots - Theirs?