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Universal Power Complaints - direct energy

Review all Universal Power complaints

Universal Power
Posted: 2008-02-27 by Les Kranc  [send email]
direct energy
Complaint Rating: 93 % with 14 votes
Company information:
579 Rogers St
Peterborough, Ontario
Canada
Phone: 705 7483771

A few days ago a Universal Energy seller come to my house and I foolishly gave him a copy of my gas and hydro bills when signing a contract. I am going to phone tomorrow(Feb. 28) to cancel but I have some concern about the information about our bill that he has now. Do you have any suggestions about what I can do about this?
Les Kranc
Comments Canada Utility Services
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More Universal Power complaints
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Universal Power - cancellation charge to cancel contract
Universal Power - Deceiving cost savings
Universal Power - Cancel contract

Comments

 Sort by: Date | Rating
 699 days ago by Kayla  [send email] 0 Votes
Cancel it as fast as u can!!
I too was apart of this! they came to my house i signed a contract with them in 2006 (which they are trying to say it was 2007) and my hydro bill is insanely high!! I pay at least almost $500.00 everytime i get my bill, when i contacted hydro they had told me it was because I had signed with them, when i contacted them they told me there would be a charge of $480.00 to cancel and it needed to be paid up front! I think this is a complete scam.
 697 days ago by Jonathan  [send email] 0 Votes
We are in the same boat as Kayla

It was only recently that we got an offer back with direct energy and attempted to switch, only to be threated with a contract breaking $648.92 charge, plus 'legal administrative damages' est by them at another $600. I am looking online now to see if this is a legitimate threat. If they can actually make such charges. That little slip you sign doesn't say anything on it about such charges for terminating the contract. If a company cannot be competitive and has to resort to threatening letters to their customers when they want a better deal, that spells trouble.
 697 days ago by Jonathan  [send email] 0 Votes
Sorry.. I AGREE with the complain.. my bad.
 685 days ago by Daniel  [send email] 0 Votes
I've just been reading the website (http://www.freewebs.com/uegscam/inthenews.htm) and other sites regarding this about how to get out of this ridiculous scam:

Let me give you my background to this, and hopefully it helps clarify my concerns.

I'm a student at Queen's University, and my housemates and I rented a place around Queen's Campus, with a lease from May 1st, 2007 to April 30, 2008.

Shortly after, in the summer, a Universal Power employee came to my door and absolutely convinced me that I should sign up for them. I told them that I'd only be in the house for one year, and as such, would only require a 1 year term of a contract. He said it'd be fine.

Now, almost a year later, after I tell Kingston Utilities that I'm moving (because I'm graduating), I get a stern sounding letter from Universal Energy telling me that I'd be charged their early cancellation and LEGAL fees if I didn't respond to them ASAP.

So I did, I told them that I'd be traveling in the summer and I would be out of the country.

when I return to Canada at the end of the summer, I will be working as a Residence Assistant at Queen's. Because of this, I will have both my rent and utilities paid for by the University.

I told Universal Energy all of this and they requested that I: (on March 14, 2008)

* Send them a copy of my plane ticket confirming that I'd be leaving the country for the summer
* Send them a copy of my residence accommodations saying that the university would be paying for ALL my utilities and services while living there.

I called them up today (March 26, 2008)

and asked them to:

* email me the contract with my SIGNATURE (which they said that they'd do immediately, but 1 hour after I called, I still haven't received anything from them!)
* mail me the contract with my signature and the terms of agreement that I apparently agreed to


What do I do now to get out of this?

Should I just 'play dead' and not contact them ever again? If I go 'off the grid' will they be able to track me? Chances are that I won't be living in Ontario in the future, or even Canada, but I don't want this to slap me in the face, or for them to go after my Family with these insane charges.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide,
 664 days ago by Deb Harrison  [send email] 0 Votes
I had a salesman - who claimed he wasn't a salesman but a representative of Hydro One - and foolishly after a lot of skeptisism on my part and lying and convincing on his I signed the agreement. I looked up this website after and am so upset that I let myself get conned. They say that I have to verbally agree to this and if I don't it will be cancelled but after I was lied to by the salesman I am afraid they will not be above board and will stick me with all sorts of charges. I am on disability and a very inflexible budget so any additional charges to me will be a real hardship. Any suggestions how I can get out of this mess?
 651 days ago by Rd  [send email] 0 Votes
My situation:

The original application was signed by someone who was not on my lease, not on my hydro bill, and not my spouse.

She was misled into signing this thing by someone she thought represented the government, and was told to check "spouse" on the application.

They called 10 days later, and heeding this persons advice that the deal was good, I gave my verbal consent.

Now, clearly I was wrong for trusting this person without reading the agreement. But is this even accepatable under canadian law? When agreeing over the phone, I had absolutely zero knowledge of a 5 year term or that I was even binding myself in any way (I had never even seen any paperwork before).

Now I'm stuck with these fools. I'm considering just paying the cancellation fee and making it my life's quest to tear this company down, but I'm wondering if anyone can advise on my options.

Thanks
 650 days ago by Carla  [send email] 0 Votes
I am having the same problems with Universal Power... they assured me that my rate with them would be comparable with Ontario Hydro and i learned today that i will be paying a lot more through them than i ever would have with Ontario Hydro... i feel i have been misinformed and duped into this 5 yr contract that i will have to pay crazy fees to get out of... i also called the customer service line on 2 occasions and got absolutely NO help... you cant even speak to a supervisor and you have to wait for up to 2 days for a return call... this company is a SCAM!!! DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING WITH THEM! i am so angry and hope this comment will help anyone considering this option to just KICK THEM OUT OF YOUR HOUSE WHEN THEY KNOCKING!!!
 649 days ago by Frank Adams  [send email] 0 Votes
Ok listen. I think you guys were all foolish in the first place to sign anything you were unsure about!

Do you guys understand what a FIXED RATE is?!? Yeah I hear these people complaining about how they got F*cked because they signed a fixed rate deal with an energy provider and how their bills went up. You never hear about how people who are 3 years into the deal are saving money because everyone elses rates have increased and theirs are steady.
 649 days ago by Mary  [send email] 0 Votes
It appears that Michigan has rescinded Universal Gas and Electric's licence as an alternate energy provider for Electricity.
Everyone complaining about Universal Power in Canada and Universal Gas & Electric in the US needs to pressure their government officials into action. The Ontario Energy Board, Consumer Services, Consumer Protection, etc. all have mandates to protect consumer interests. The more inundated they get with complaints, the more likely they will take action. Really press the fact that they misrepresented the service, prices, contract duration, automatic renewal without your permission, etc. Call and write your MP and MPP. Complain to the BBB. Talk to the Ombudsman. Come on people - the officials that can actually do something are not reading complaint forums!
 647 days ago by John  [send email] 0 Votes
Universal power sucks...do not sign anything...they are not concerned about giving you cheap electricity, just a fixed rate...sucks...
 647 days ago by Theresa  [send email] 0 Votes
I was completely lied to by a door to door saleswoman, she with four other people (I am assuming she was training them to rip off people too) approached me by knocking on my front door asked me what I was
paying for my natural gas. I replied and said "about $50 to $70.00 a month" then she asked "if I heard of how the price was going to sky-rocket by next fall with a 50% to 75% increase in small amounts all summer long...due to the greed of the corporations ... just like the auto gas prices ..." and I said yeah? her reply was "I can lock your rate you have right now for five years" I asked how? She said get me your current bill which I did, she then said she was from a group of people that purchased large amounts of natural gas when the prices were very low and are selling it now at the same prices your paying now." guaranteed for five years. And because we are in the process of losing our home, I thought it would be a good idea to sign this paper and hold our price where it was or would be cheaper.

The bill that came in the next month showed that my gas price has doubled plus!! Our bill for three months was 947.00.
When I contacted Consumers Energy (who bills me) they said that it was my gas supplier's cost!!! Universal Gas and Electric Corp. I said cancel that and Consumers Energy said they could not, contact Universal Gas and Electric and gave me their phone number.

When I contacted them they said I signed a contract and the gas was already purchased for me and I have to pay for it??

Or send them $250.00 cancellation fee?? If I don't pay it deal with it!! I was also told, DO THE MATH. If I am paying more than the 250.00 then pay the cancellation fee and move on with life.

Aren't these people regulated?

She also lied about where they were from, she said up-north where they get the inexpensive gas... when I called they said they were from Canada??

I won't be able to afford this very much longer is there any way to change back to Consumers Energy without paying this rip off company for ripping me off for so long!! We can barely pay our montly bills as it is, and now its just been worse.

Is there ANY help out there???? Is there ANYONE out there that can HELP!! With the way the MICHIGAN government is ripping off and yet another person / company is joining in on the rip off train.

Thanks
Theresa
 635 days ago by Erik  [send email] 0 Votes
Theresa, I had the exact same thing happen to me in Canada. I wrote a letter to Direct Energy telling them to cancel the contract immediately as their salesperson violated the Code of Conduct that our Public Utility Board has here for all natural gas marketers. I'm currently waiting for a response from the company. If I hear nothing I'll be going to our Public Utilities Board (PUB) with a formal complaint. I'm not sure what you have in the States that is similar to the PUB but you should have some entity that you can complain to. Keep records of everything and you might want to seek legal aid. Good luck. I'll let you know if anything develops with my complaint.
 598 days ago by Vincent Yang  [send email] 0 Votes
I live in Ottawa, I felt I have been scammed by the Universal Energy Corp.

I leased a condo with couple friends. The salesperson surely convinced me to sign up the "price protection" plan, so I have signed up the contract last year. That is a big mistake that i made. Later on I received a cheque from UEC for $50 or $100, which I didn't cash in, then the cheque expired.

However, I did tell the salesperson that I won't be living this place for 5 years, if i move, will I have to pay for the early cancellation fees. He said that if you move the contract is terminated without any penalties.

Later, I found out that 39.9 cents per M3 on the gas bill, which is more than if I purchase from the Enbridge directly. Even though, I didn't bother to cancel it, because we decided to stay here until we complete the school. Now, my roommates and I completed school and decide to move sometime this year.

I have called in couple days ago to ask about the early termination of the contract. The lady that answer to my request said that I have to moved out of Ontario, or sign a lease in somewhere else that states the utilities are all included in order for me the avoid the penalties. I asked her about the cancellation fees and if I move to a place that doesn't require a lease contract. She said that I will still need to pay for the cancellation fees between $500-1000. This is ridiculous, the biggest scam happened in my life so far. I don't recall on the contract that states the early termination fees to be such high price.

Does termination of lease, cancellation of Enbridge and Hydro accounts prove that I have move out from this place?

I am seeking help and suggetions on what I should do.

Thank you.
 594 days ago by Monique  [send email] 0 Votes
Hello! Shit! I didnt know any of this was for real! Im glad we bought this computer even though we couldnt afford it because we spend ALL our money on our hydro bill! Yepper, stupid me fell for the guy at the door telling me how cheap it was to sign to universal power then every hydro bill that comes makes me cry!For real! Tears! We live in Huntsville, we are 4 hours north of Toronto. We love it here but you have to like winter cause it gets some for real cold days and nights, we bought a nice new "energy efficiant " furnace to help keep the bills down. Ya right! We cant keep up with the hydro bill. I didnt realize what Id done by signing that paper! Ive been scamed! I phoned UE to get it off my bill they explained i couldnt i signed for five years I freaked! Yous are breaking me I faxed them to have it off, i got a letter today, they want 500 to shut it off im Not paying, because i feel my 4, 000 $ i paid all winter should cover their fee. I pay a mortgage they will screw my good credit anyone know how to get out for "free"!!! Id love to know ! I hate this company for rippin me off so badly. I wouldnt reccomend another sales person to darken my doostep with their lies! Im pissed!!Can anyone help me???????
 578 days ago by Moira  [send email] 0 Votes
I am in total agreement with everyone here! These peole are rip-off artists! Is there a group anywhere that is banding together to make this stop? This cannot be allowed to continue. We are more powerful as a group instead of indivdually. I read through these posts and there is a common theme, EVERYONE has had pretty much the same experience. We MUST form a group and fight for our rights. I am NOT interested in having my credit rating destroyed because of a scam. Who's with me????
 571 days ago by Ribbs  [send email] 0 Votes
they HAVE JUST CAME TO MY DOOR...
july 18 2008
 571 days ago by Ribbs  [send email] 0 Votes
i had ment agree sorry =]
 559 days ago by Monique Danielle Hooyenga  [send email] 0 Votes
So where are the answers we are all looking for here??? How do we get out of this and why in the hell are these people not being stoped, how is this legal, etc. etc. I spoke with a customer service operator the other day who was very nice and explained to me that there were many calls saying how they were decieved into signing up. I myself called Hydro one and they told me that the price has since dropped twice since I have signed up in 2006. The operator also said when I asked her how she could work for such a company she told me thatt she was currently seeking other employment. I am sick to my stomach about this I need to get these bills back to a normal rate this is just an awful feeling to be lied to in your own home and taking advantage of these people must be hel accountable.
 559 days ago by Moniques Friend  [send email] 0 Votes
https://www.errr.oeb.gov.on.ca/FeedBack/OEB_FeedBackForm.asp

I emailed this form to my friend Monique.
I urge everyone to fill it out.
 544 days ago by Alicia  [send email] 0 Votes
I'm currently going through the same thing. This is what you have to do, first, you have to have someone living with you in order to change the bill under their name. Call up your hydro company and tell them that your moving out or separating or leaving the country for a while and don't want to be responsible for the bill if it isn't paid. They will understand and go through the process of changing the account holder. What this does is change the account number and your scott free. Good luck.

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