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2.8 138 Reviews

Direct Energy Services Complaints Summary

61 Resolved
77 Unresolved
Our verdict: Dealing with Direct Energy Services, which has an average resolution rate, requires some diligence. Research their service in depth and read a variety of customer reviews for a balanced view. Approach any customer service interactions with detailed and well-prepared queries to facilitate a better resolution process.
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Direct Energy Services reviews & complaints 138

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8:49 pm EDT
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Direct Energy Services Sales rep lied - fraud

After having one of their door to door sales reps come to my house and PROMISED that the early exit fees would be waived from another co., I signed up. This rep sat in my house, asked to have a soda, if she could have something to eat, told me how to renovate my house, and if I could fraudulently sign up my neighbours. I had to ASK her to leave my house! I discovered that the early fess are NOT waived. I cancelled my contract! Thus far I am being charged 210.00 for administrative fees for cancelling a contract and the fed for returning a NEST thermostat; which I have NOT received as of this evening! So far having direct energy COME TO MY HOUSE UNSOLICITED has cost me: many phone call and emails, 210.00 in administrative fees and shipping and handling of a thermostat I never received. Thus far it has been a REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE!

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2:57 pm EDT
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Direct Energy Services Warranty documents

On February 14th, 2006, we contacted home.services.[protected]@directenergy.com regarding an estimate about shingle roof replacement. Their authorized renovator representative on February 23 and offered us the following warranty options:
- 25 year at a cost of $14, 706.31
- 35 years at a cost of $15, 441.65
- Life at a cost $16, 813.13
We signed the contract at a cost of $16, 813.13 (Life warranty) the same day on February 23rd, 2006. Our logic was this was a wise investment in our home for the future especially when Direct Energy was promoting a “transferable non-prorated warranty that cover labour, materials and workmanship”.
In their brochure, Direct Energy stated the following: “In order to honour its warranties, your installation company needs to have a solid business reputation. We have been offering quality home improvements for over 25 years, and have a long history of customer satisfaction”.
The work took place in May of 2006.
Around August 15, 2006, we had a water leak a leak around the old skylight. A new skylight was installed by Brad (Direct Energy Employee) at no cost to us. We incurred an expense of $1, 498.18 to fix the area inside the house. In our covering letter we requested a copy of the warranty documents. We followed up on October 12, 2006, about other issues by e-mail and again we requested copies of the warranty documents.
On October 21, 2009, Direct energy services directed our inquiry about the lifting flashing to Minard Group. We were asked about the contract number. Their service manager dropped by and inspected the roof. He nailed the flashing in question at no cost to us. In his e-mail he mentions that it is a warranty issue.
The Minard Group was contacted again on February 22, 2011 about a water stain that showed in the hallway and the lifting of the same flashing that were fixed in 2009. They responded by sending our request to their production manager. An appointment was set and their production Manager (Mark) dropped by, inspected the stain (he could not identify the source). The same flashing was nailed again at no cost to us.
Again same problem this year.
On June 6, 2014, the Minard Group informed that they no longer deal with Direct energy about these matters and to contact Direct Energy at [protected].
I have been in contact with a Direct Energy claim representative since June 2014. They refuse to acknowledge my claim about the reoccurring issue of the lifting flashing without a copy of lifetime warranty. We have not received this document despite our numerous requests in 2006 or when service was carried on to the roof in 2006, 2009 and 2011.
Direct Energy has stated the following: “We are no longer in the business nor do we use any of the contractors that did the work. Without a copy of a lifetime warranty, you will have to contact your own roofer to complete the repairs”. They even claimed that all their files were deleted.
Direct energy claims that they do not have a copy of the warranty in their files. I find this statement unrealistic especially when on June 19, 2014 I contacted the shingle provider (GAF) and without any hassle they e-mailed me their warranty document after 8 years.
* All original supporting documents, e-mails, brochures are available.

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3:56 pm EDT
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Direct Energy Services Customer service rep

I called to get my services disconnected. The first time I tried the line went dead. The. Tried again and got a customer service rep by the name of REN. We got through what we had set out to do. Then at the end of the conversation after our goodbyes...she thought I hung up. That's when we heard 'the growl" and she said something in another language . I said hello ? And once she real I realized I was still on the phone she softened her voice again and asked me to hang up the phone. I asked for her name and number and she said all she could provide me with was her name.

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11:20 am EDT
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Direct Energy Services Billing / harassing

Had direct energy protection plan in my old house, called them in April 2013 to cancel it as I purchased a brand new house in Milton. CSR asked and I explained her that brand new home already have warranty from builder, she understood and cancelled without explaining or telling me any charges expect for month of April which I paid right away.
After 5 months I got a bill showing previous balance $ 333, called them and got transferred 4 times as nobody was able to explain me where the balance coming from. Called again next week and this time a supervisor told me 'oh your protection plan was under a contract' which to me was BS as I never signed anything, it was all done over the phone so I requested transcript which I was told will be sent with in 2-3 weeks with complete account details - Never happened, got another letter instead threatening for collection so I called them again and was told there is no transcript was it was over 3 years ago so my question how I am under any contract, well you have to complete and pay for full 2013.
BTW I never even used their protection plan or called any service, basically I paid for 2.5 years for nothing and now I am being harassed as my account is being sent to collection. What should I do? I called them multiple times and they are not going to do anything to help me, my account number is [protected]
Please advice, Thanks

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OhReallyTho
Saint Catharines, CA
Mar 28, 2015 8:06 pm EDT

when signing(Verbal contract) up with direct energy for a protection plan a verification script is read and it states the contract renews automatically each year it also states that the contract is for one year meaning if you cancel(Confirming you asked for the plan because now everything is covered) you get billed out for the remaining months of the contract. granite you did not use the contract but you were under a contract. you don't get into car accidents every day but you still pay car insurance right. Yes they should have informed of the billout but either way it still would have happened. Pay the bill and move on

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Thomas W Ferguson
Sutton West, CA
Jan 30, 2015 1:13 pm EST
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DIRECT ENERGY now called EnerCare You can change the name but how they operate is the same.
I know what this person is going through, as i am in the same very similar position.
What started as a bill in November of just over $300.00 dollars is now at $603.
How do they get away with operating like this in a Democratic Country?

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1:19 pm EDT
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Direct Energy Services Billed but never signed up

We moved to a new place in 2011 renting through the company Westcorp. While we lived in this unit we paid gas bills to Just Energy and had no problems. In July 2013 we moved to a different, better unit, again through Westcorp. When we moved we asked for our gas and electric to be transferred. There was a bit of confusing, we got a bill that had an exit fee but it was taken off in August, we have that bill,

Here's where it all went down hill. Now, May 2014 we got a call from our landlord saying they have a bill for us that is $700+ from Direct energy. We explained we were with Just Energy and called them. Just energy looked over our account and said it should have been on there but for some reason it wasn't and of course we did not see this on our bill because there was no reason for change. At some point Direct Energy took over without us being aware. Now that Westcorp has this bill (after 10 months) they want us to pay. When we called Direct Energy they claimed the bills had all been sent to Westcorp. Now Westcorp is saying they never got anything until they received this last bill 2 weeks ago.

Yesterday I woke up to find out our gas had been turned off, we had no warning for this either...but apparently Westcorp did and they are denying that as well?! . So we had them turn it back on immediately and that will cost (we have a 2 year old and she needs baths and heat, its cold at night). Just Energy is looking into the issue and is going to contact us back but Direct energy wont wait 1 week. So Westcorp called me this morning saying they are paying it and billing us, which I don't think we should have to pay until its straightened out. Does any of this sound fair? We don't just have $900 to pay a bill like that right now. I thinking if Just Energy did this they should deal with it. Any thoughts would be lovely to hear, I absolutely hate Direct Energy and their lying butts! NEVER USE THEM, WORST COMPANY EVER!

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Sarina May
Wetaskiwin, CA
Aug 05, 2014 12:14 am EDT

I find that they call all the time and send collections after me when I haven't even received a bill yet! Also if I want to pay my bill I have to call them to do it, there is no option to do it online unless I set up automatic withdrawals...there is no way I'm going to do that because then I will probably never see a bill. I find their payment options ridiculous and incionvenient!

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kjf1233
Toronto, CA
Jun 10, 2014 9:03 pm EDT

What became of this? The same thing just happened to me and I am hoping to get out of it. Thanks

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kjf1233
Toronto, CA
Jun 10, 2014 9:02 pm EDT

Were you ever able to get out of this? The same thing has just happened to me and I am wondering why my options are.

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2:13 pm EDT
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Direct Energy Services Terrible customer service and service

I called Direct Energy to find out why my bill was suddenly very high. They outsource their customer service to India. I got this Indian woman who declared she had to have my husbands social security number to look at my account. I told her, you have my address, phone, email, account number and password to my account number (not sure why she needed that), and I would not give her my husbands social. She insisted she needed it. I asked to speak to her manager and she told me as soon as I gave up the social I could?! Their website never displays the correct bill so there was no way at this point to find out how much my bill really was. I did not give up the social and I ended up paying my bill the same as the month before. Now I have switched providers and Direct Energy will not give me an itemized statement from the last bill. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. They have very shady practices and overcharge every chance they get. I know, I will never find out about that bill. But I also know the customer service people in INDIA do not need my husbands social to hack his id. USE ANY COMPANY BUT THIS ONE!

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Direct Energy Services Abismal service and issue resolution

Direct energy is possibly the worst company we have ever dealt with. We had an issue with one of their water tanks and it has taken literally months to resolve it. We have been told so many different answers and then threatened with huge payments for a water heater we do not rent or own. Every other time we call they say it is resolved and then we receive a threatening phone call telling us that we have to pay or else. This is has been going on for 8 -10 months and still we are no better off than we were originally. It's appalling that a company can operate like that this day in age. They should be shut down. Do not deal with them on any level.

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Direct Energy Services Billing

Shortly after having a new hot water tank installed from Direct Energy...the nightmares started...
-Wrong monthly fees being billed
-Numerous calls to correct
-Hang ups from their customer service agents
-Many system errors with their billing department
BLAH BLAH BLAH

So we asked for a payout of Hot Water Tank, few days later bill came and was paid in full. Over $1000.00 to boot...
Then we thought was well.. WRONG we started getting new bills for monthly rental again.

Again I started the painful task of calling their office and being transferred around and around, each time giving phone number account number address etc. to see why in the world was I being charged for a PAID IN FULL TANK a monthly fee again.
They stated a system error again...woulf take 14 to 18 days to correct. What a pain in the ### DIRECT ENERGY is.
God please give me strength.

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11:38 pm EDT
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Direct Energy Services Water heater

In 2010, our furnace had problem, so, we called the service. The man came, he took a look, he said our furnace was old, we should the advantage to install a new one and get the water heater free(the programme they were running in that year). Since I was working full-time, only my parents at home, so, I thought, it would be better(for the safety reason).
The installed everything for us, and gone; after an hour, the water heater didn't work, I called them, they came, they said they fixed it O.K.., and gone. When we used it, it didn't, I called them again, they came, same thing, they said it got fixed, and gone; it didn't work again. I called them, they came, after hours of checking, they said they could fix it, they could exchange a new one for us. All those (10) days, we had no hot water, had to boil water and took them to bath in the cold, cold (-15C) morning. You can imagine how hard it was, especially for my old parents(they are 83 & 84 yrs. old). We thought all over already.
In February, I got the bill from Direct Energy, I found that they keep on charging me for the
"Water Heater" in these 3-4 yrs. already. I was busy ion work, my parents responsible for all the bills' payment, so I didn't realise that until now. I called them for this case, they promised to look into it for me, 7 days gone, I called them, the staff was in rude matter, told me to wait, if they found out we been overcharged, they would adjust it for us, no need to call them again. I kept on waiting and waiting, until the march bill came, they still charged me for the "Water Heater". I really don't know what to do. Should I
get a lawyer to deal with this for me? Or just keep on pay for it to keep the peace!

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Claire Samms
Brampton, CA
Mar 26, 2014 4:45 pm EDT

I am a senior and going through a lot of rudeness, calls not returned, they even tag my 12 years old furnace saying the pipes does not meet the 2001 standard. They have been coming once per year to do maintenance but never found a problem. This is all because the 14 year old rented water tank died after many fixes and they wanted to charge me to install an upgraded tank because no one makes the old ones anymore. I ask that they waive the installation charge since they knew this tank should be replaced three years ago they said no. I went to another got a new tank installation free. Now I am having a hard getting them to clear the warning tag on the furnace even though I am still paying the $26.99 monthly for maintenance fee. Enbridge gas has now sent a letter giving me a dead line to upgrade the pipes or they will shut my gas off. Any recommendation any one?

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9:38 am EST
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Direct Energy Services Bait-and-switch

Direct energy is a scam. I signed up for 6.8 cents per kwh on 15-feb-2014, received a confirmation, and they subsequently wrote in an email on 6-mar-2014 that there was a problem and to call [protected], at which time they then said that the rate is now 9.7 cents per kwh.

That's bait and switch and that is illegal.

Consumers should file complaints with the attorney general, the bbb, [redacted].com, complaintsboard.com, and as many other consumer alert web-sites as possible.
[protected]@summars. Us
Confirmed directenergy. Account # [protected]

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5:27 pm EST
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Direct Energy Services Contract and fees

We had a reliance home service hot water tank and were getting a new a/c unit.
So the mechanical contractor suggested a new hot water tank...same size, same monthly fee. We said perfect all new gas products along with our complete home reno.
BUT as we should have known always a catch Direct Energy has a different fee structure than Reliance Home services
We contacted Direct energy and the mechanical contractor and got the run around and numerous harassing calls for payment. Each call was from a different person who has no clue about our file and notes that are to be attached to our account.
Had we known what a hassle this would cause we would have never gone with Direct Energy Company and gone out and bought our own Hot water tank and put in in ourselves.

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9:28 pm EST
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Direct Energy Services Water heater rental

Here's my letter to Direct Energy. Since I never got a response from them, I figured I'd share as a warning to others:

I am writing to make you aware of what sort of customer service you are providing.

We noticed on October 11th that the water heater was slowly leaking. It was a holiday so we called it in and booked a technician to come in the next day. The next day no one showed. That evening the water heater let go of all the water in it and water continually came out of it because I wasn’t sure where to shut it off. I spent the entire evening sucking up water with my carpet cleaner, moving our belongings to dry areas and laying down towels. I spoke to a very nice lady in the Customer Service department who did her best to get help set up for us. The next day the installers arrived as scheduled and installed the water heater. They also were great. Damage-wise, I was not happy about how I spent my evening, considering if the appointment had been kept earlier that day it would never have happened. I had a carpet cleaner that was in new condition and used on the light beige carpets on our main floor which was now clogged, dirty and making a lot of noise. That area of the basement has our dryer and a bin for hay for our bunny and the water went into every corner and drew all that out and up into the carpet cleaner. I had a bookshelf that is now rippled on the bottom from absorbing the water. And I had a bunch of towels I had to bleach the colour out of to get clean. Probably not the worst damage you’ve seen but all of it could have been easily avoided. They had put through an email to claims and I got a call from a girl there. We spent the next several days playing phone tag, all of which was long distance for me on my cell phone. I finally got hold of her, gave her my name and after an uncomfortable silence she said she may have left a message for me but she had no idea who I was, then she had “computer trouble” and had to call me back. I never got a call back. I called again today as its been almost a week and paid for long distance charges for me to hear her say I could bring my steam cleaner into a shop, have it cleaned or repaired and then submit the bill for approval. This from the person that wouldn’t even call me back for days.

This is not the first time I’ve had a water heater replaced by Direct Energy. Several years ago when we lived in Brampton our water heater broke down and flooded that room of the basement. The first technician came and turned off the water and gas and said it had to be replaced. I had to call to schedule an appointment. They told me the earliest would be two days. I was extremely unhappy with this obviously. No matter how many calls and who I spoke to they wouldn’t budge. I spoke to a manager there and he was unhelpful and condescending. He said he “knew those townhouses”, in reference to where we lived being owned by the city and the complex having several subsidized units. Although we were paying market rent and were never on any sort of social assistance, his implication that we were lowlifes was clear. Finally after two days an installer showed up. He was very unfriendly from the start, I was cranky from having no shower for two days. He refused to bring in the new water heater because he said he didn’t have enough room to bring it in. He started pushing things around and in doing so knocked several ceramic decorations onto the floor which broke. I ran over to check on the damage and he immediately escalated his ranting, likely because he thought he would be in trouble. He had a meltdown and started swearing and saying he was leaving. As he left he screamed obscenities (the f word) at me in front of my young son who was about 5 or 6 at the time, and any neighbours that were outside watching this. I called the head office of Direct Energy and they called a supervisor to investigate. The supervisor came to my home and said there was plenty of room to bring the water heater in, he also took pictures of the path it had to take as proof. He was nice enough but he cut me right off when I said I was extremely upset that it had taken two days to get a replacement. He said in a very confident tone that two days without hot water was completely acceptable to him and Direct Energy. I didn’t even argue at that point I was so disgusted. Although I got no apology for the obscenities, I assume the installer had to admit what he did because he was made to come back and do the installation alongside the manager. And to top it all off, I got several telemarketing calls after this by Direct Energy to try to sell me a furnace or AC, I can’t remember which it was.

We own our house now and the rental water heater was already here when we moved in. Trust me when I say we were very disappointed when we learned it was a Direct Energy rental. After yet another frustrating time replacing a water heater, I think now we are sufficiently motivated to take a trip over to Home Depot and look at some new ones.

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Direct Energy Services Continued billing after move

My husband and I moved to Edmonton for work in 2010. We had Direct Energy for both our electricity and gas and while we lived there everything was fine. In September 2010 we moved so I cancelled our services by calling the only number on our bill. I was informed that both our gas and electricity was to be shut off before the end of September. We payed our final bill and went on with life as usual. Two weeks ago we applied for a loan and found out that Direct Energy had sent a $200.00 bill to collections and have had it outstanding for three years. I called to find out what happened and the lady said we didn't shut off our electricity until November 2013(by this time we had been living in BC for two months).
I told the last most certainly did cancel their services and she proceeded to explain that no I only shut off my gas. That I called Direct Energy Regulated Services and not Direct Energy De-Regulated Services and that the two business' are not the same and do not have anything to do with the other. She was able to look up all my gas bill information, the date I cancelled and everything else but somehow they are not the same company and do not have anything to do with each other.
I am very upset that we did not find out about this or three years even after giving them our mailing address in BC. I am also upset that they would use a tactic like this to make you pay more money. I asked how they could see the bills if the two businesses are not the same but she had no answer.
I will never use this company if we decide to move to Alberta again.

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Direct Energy Services Contract misrepresentation

When I tried to cancel services that no longer apply to our home situation I called the company and I was told that I would still have to pay for the services until next May. Apparantely the contract was automatically renewed in May but they don't tell you to cancel services you don't want at the time of renewal. Also the renewal is done with an e-mail confirmation and nothing is signed by me...I have been paying for quite a while and their own technician told me in July that it was useless to pay for the services because my heating and cooling systems are so old that Direct energy would not cover most of the cost anyways, I am a senior citizen on a limited budget and the 70 dollars plus that I pay monthly would save me over 700 hundred dollars a year. The customer service rep in the contract department treated me like I was a child and would not listen or bend at all.

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Direct Energy Services Refusal to stop billing for closed account

We stopped paying on the pre paid electricity service on July 24 expecting the money to cover us until the move out date of July 31st. Since July 31st, they turned off the service and keep charging us when we don't live there and will not deactivate the account. The electronic menu over the phone gives no option for customer service only to make a payment. Same goes for their website. When we called three times to complain and cancel the account we were kept on hold for several minutes each of the three time then the called was disconnected in an area with no signal issues. They keep sending us charges every single day and you literally have to select sales to speak to anyone there is no other option and of course sales says they cannot assist you. I have complained to the BBB of Houston and the PUC for East Texas. Currently, I am awaiting a response.

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Direct Energy Services Csr fired for helping over-billed customers

I have knowledge about the over-billing of electricity customers in Texas, and I believe that the problem is related to "smart meters, " the relatively new digital meters that can be read and operated remotely by utility companies.
I worked for APAC Customer Services, Inc., 1650 S. Research Loop, Suite 160, Tucson, AZ 85710, which is a call center that contracts to provide customer service for Texas customers of Direct Energy and its subsidiaries, such as CPL, WTU, First Choice Power, and the pre-paid versions of Direct Energy Power to Go and CPL Power to Go (there are other Direct Energy companies being served, such as New Leaf, etc., but I did not serve those customers).
I began employment with APAC in November of 2011, and APAC later started providing customer service for Direct Energy companies around May of 2012, and I started working as a customer service representative in that capacity a couple of months or more later, and I worked in that capacity for over six months.
Over time, I observed that there is a pattern of when Texas electricity customers get overcharged. Many of the customers call in because they have gotten an extremely high bill, often double, triple or even higher than the bill that they would have normally received for that time of year. Some of the customers knew that their bill was wrong because they had been out of town during a significant part of the reading period, or because they they knew that they had not used significantly more electricity than usual.
These overcharges occurred during periods of high usage by the general public due to weather. Although I am not an electrical or electronics engineer, I began to suspect that the smart meters were allowing too much electricity to pass through them when there is more current in the lines to meet the higher demand during extreme weather. The extra demand from all the meters around an affected meter requires more current in the lines, and that or a related condition is apparently causing more electricity to be forced through the affected meters. (For meters connected in a parallel circuit, the voltage supplied to each meter would be the same, and the current through each meter would only be what's drawn at each particular meter, and so there should be no problem unless the voltage is being increased during high usage or because the increased overall current in the lines is somehow affecting the smart meters.) Even though a smart meter may or could pass a test individually, I don't know if they have been tested hundreds or more at a time in a real network.
During the record heat in Texas last summer in 2012, and during the cold period in Texas starting around late December of 2012, a very large number of customers called in about their extremely high bills. In particular, this occurred quite frequently with the pre-paid customers starting late last December because they saw their usage and charges on a daily basis within a day or two of use. I saw daily charges as high as $26 a day (one account), or as high as $20 a day (several accounts) in what were usually small apartments where the normal charges for most customers were around or below $5 a day. Again, many of these customers were not home during the holidays, and they called because they knew that the charges were wrong.
I would explain to both pre-paid and monthly post-pay customers that I only have two tools in my tool box: I could either submit a request for (1) a meter re-read, or (2) a meter test. I would also explain that Direct Energy itself and its subsidiaries do not have the right or power to re-read or test a meter since all the lines and meters are wholly owned by a separate company in the customer's area (whether that company is Oncor, Centerpoint, American Electric Power, Texas New Mexico Power, or Sharyland). I also explained that switching to a new “retail electric provider” (REP) instead of Direct Energy or its subsidiaries would not cure the problem since the readings would still come from the same company in the customer's area that separately owns the lines and meters. (The lines-and-meters company for a given area receives a small portion of the amount charged by any REP in the same area).
I would also point out to affected customers that requesting a meter re-read or a meter test may be like asking the fox in the henhouse to count the chickens, for it may not be in the lines-and-meters company's interest to admit that there is a problem with their readings or their meters. An honest business that cares about its reputation would see it otherwise, but the more I saw this problem occur, the more I suspected that outside intervention is necessary, and I shared the crux of that opinion with affected customers.
As to a meter re-read, I eventually learned and would explain that the lines-and-meters company cannot actually re-read the meter as it was, for those numbers have since changed, and they can only 're-read' what the meter shows later when they read it again. I would explain, and essentially guess, that the lines-and-meters company could make a change in the bill if there was some gross disparity between the daily average in the full reading period as compared to the daily average from the end of that last reading up to a later reading that is very close in time. I sometimes pointed out, however, that there is no guideline for when and how the lines-and-meters company would adjust the bill (no one ever told me such a guideline to share with the customers). And, if the current reading and charges were already grossly disparate, it's hard to imagine how much more disparity would need to be shown.
Another frustrating fact is that the orders for a meter re-read that have already been submitted often get a later status update of “closed and success” without giving any explanation or price change, and I often shared that fact with affected customers. That subject came up at a meeting at APAC where I worked, and I recollect it being said that the bulk of these meter re-read orders are simply being updated to “closed and success” rather than being passed on to the lines-and-meters company because there are just too many of such requests being submitted. My memory does not extend beyond the sight of the area I was in, the standing female and her voice, and her stated position as being on the correspondence team, but I believe that this is what I heard, which means that most of the customers who request a meter re-read are being ignored. I may have some of the facts wrong, but the great bulk of the meter re-read requests that have had their status updated to “closed and success” without so much as stating the new meter reading number is a fact that speaks for itself.
Between the choices of a meter re-read or a meter test, I would point out to customers that the lines-and-meters company will charge a fee for either choice if that company decides that the reading or the meter was okay, but that the fee for the meter test would be much more expensive and might even be a source of profit for the lines-and-meters company. As such, most customers chose to risk being charged for the meter re-read, but not the meter test.
The affected customers would often ask me what else they could do, and I would explain that the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) still has regulatory power over both Direct Energy and its subsidiaries and over the lines-and-meters companies, and I would suggest to affected customers that they complain to the PUCT, and I would give them the phone number for the PUCT, and I would transfer the customer to the PUCT if the customer desired.
In fact, in response to the surge of calls complaining about high billing starting in late December of 2012, I advised at least 30 affected customers to complain to the PUCT. However, all the calls at APAC where I worked are recorded and are sometimes reviewed and graded for quality. So, sometime in January 2013, I was given a written first-and-final warning by APAC management to stop suggesting to customers that they could complain to the PUCT. (And, some weeks later, the phone number for the PUCT was removed from our contacts list.)
Conscience would not let me obey that order, and I continued to suggest to affected customers that they could complain to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). As a result, I was fired on [protected] for disobeying the order to not tell customers that they could complain to the PUCT about erroneously high electricity bills.
I was willing to be fired for caring about those customers and telling them the truth, and so I feel a responsibility to now find and share this information with anyone who can help solve the problem. Please let me know if you need an affidavit or any other information from me. Ray Donald Pratt: ([protected]@yahoo.com)

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Direct Energy Services Scam

Check your furnace warranties FIRST before agreeing to pay for any parts/labour. We just learned that we almost got scammed a third time on Direct Energy service call. Our furnance is about 11-12 yrs old but when it was 3 or 4 yrs old, we contacted Direct Energy for service. Apparently, water got into our circut board and had to be replaced. We were baffled as had no idea where water could have possibly come from. Then less than 2 yrs ago, we had to replace the blower because water had gotten into it -- again Direct Energy. On both occasions we expressed to Direct Energy that furnace was still pretty new, asked them for an explanation how water could have gotten into furnace when no water near it, but no satisfactory response. Just last week heat would come on but after few minutes, heat would turn off. Fan, blower, everything working just heat would go off too soon. Called Direct Energy who told us that heat exchanger had to be replaced and the other heat exchanger would have to also be replaced at cost of $800 for each plus labour and tax. He shut off the gas telling us too dangerous. Told us as so expensive to fix, recommended just buying new furnace and he would send someone over ... Direct Energy furnace salesman showed up very quickly. Recommended furnaces that were rated half the capacity as our house rated for, said we don't need such large furance, but my gut told me if I had to get new furance, it would be for what is recommended for my home. Thought I would get second opinion. Independant guy comes to the house, looks at furnace, says can you do without furnace until Monday? (We are lucky that have alternate emergency heat source - fireplace, baseboard and room heaters) Wants to check if parts covered under warranty first ... ! Even after we told him that beyond 10 yrs and couldn't find any paperwork. He said heat exchanger could have limited warranty or lifetime and even if not covered under warranty, new one would be NO WHERE NEAR QUOTE BY DIRECT ENERGY. He took model and serial and low and behold, don't have to pay for parts ... labour only. But the really sad part is that turns out that first service guy, as well as second, from Direct Energy should have picked up on water issue ... apparently, anytime water on circut board or blower, suggests heat exchanger issue but turns out that in both previous instances, all parts & labour would have been covered under warranty! ... Even after we told service guys fairly new furance! So Direct Energy scamed us twice before but thank goodness for the little independant guy who not only saved us a bundle, but educated us on warranties and what to look for in future.

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Direct Energy Services Add protection plan without permission

We have moved into our new home about half year by now, just received our hydron bill indcated that we have purchased a protetion plan and going to charge65.98 +HST. We think this is a ripe off. There is no one to ask us either by phone or letter or the other way to request this services. Is this the big company have the right to increase their charges without customer's concern? If we don't pay the amout due, interest rate is high in the future bill and they continue their charges again and again, what can we do? Is it fair?

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Direct Energy Services Checking installing new furnace

Had a problem with my furnace, smoke coming out of the vents called Direct Energy in Orangeville Ont . The technician came out and immediately started going on about this could cost a few thousand to correct, he installed a new control board and said the furnace needs a cleaning, which I booked a cleaning that afternoon, He did mention that if the cleaning technician ( his partner in fraud ) finds the smallest problem he will shut the gas off. So, the cleaning technician comes in on friday morning, he wasnt at the furnace more then 5 minutes comes upstairs says I have bad news your heat exchanger is defective turns off the gas and gives me a card for the Direct Energy Salesman ( partner #2 ) he says my carbon dioxide measured 37 ppm . I call an independant heating and cooling technician he comes in Sat morning, the minute I mentioned that my gas was shut off by Direct Energy, he actually named off both technicians that have this scam going . He takes my furnace apart finds nothing wrong at all carbon dioxide measured 0 ppm at all vents in the house turns the gas back on, He takes a camera and shows me the heat exchanger no cracks or anything . The inspection from him costs me $50.00 on a plan that I have from CIBC on my mortgage protection plan . He said that that this team has replaced at least 100 furnaces in Orangeville Caledon Brampton that really did not have to be replaced, The warranty on a Keeprite ( builders furnace on new homes ) is 20 years on the part, not labour
I am so pissed off canceling plans at Direct Energy first thing in the morning, also I am going to get a supervisor to explain why I need a furnace . disgusting behavior everyone gets a kick back from the installation of a Direct Energy Furnace Beware

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Tony Siduli
Mississauga, CA
Feb 23, 2013 2:56 pm EST
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I had a similar experience only a few days ago when, on the coldest night of the year the blower bearings went. I was back after a 12 hour night shift and my heart stopped when the Direct Energy tech told me there was nothing he could do. He stumbled upon a seized screw and 2 minutes into his "inspection" my fate was decided. I was left standing in my foyer with the accomplice's business card in hand and bags under my eyes. For his "expert diagnostic" I received a $99 bill plus tax ($111.87). The good "technician" had the gull to insult my intelligence saying that I was going to get this money back in form of discount upon purchasing thousands of dollars worth of new furnace.
I was too tired to fight then, but when I woke up I defeated the defective screw myself in less than 5 minutes and an independent tech changed the bearings and reinstalled the blower for less than the "diagnostic" fee. Now, what do we do about it? This site is for venting less for pre-venting. We can only prevent if firm action is taken. Weak Canadian criminal laws make it impossible to pursue corporations, so I suggest we engage anyway we can: Better Business Bureau, Small Claims Court, Consumer Protection outlets come to mind. Any other ideas?

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DirectEnergyVictim
Toronto, CA
Nov 05, 2012 8:35 am EST
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Very interesting. Check your furnace warranties FIRST before agreeing to pay for any parts/labour. We just experienced same thing. But get this, our furnance is about 11-12 yrs old but when it was 3 or 4 yrs old, we contacted Direct Energy for service. Apparently, water got into our circut board and had to be replaced. We were baffled as had no idea where water could have possibly come from. Then less than 2 yrs ago, we had to replace the blower because water had gotten into it -- again Direct Energy. On both occasions we expressed to Direct Energy that furnace was still pretty new, asked them for an explanation how water could have gotten into furnace when no water near it, but no satisfactory response. Just last week we had heat come on but after few minutes, heat would turn off. Fan, blower all working just heat would go off too soon. Called Direct Energy who told us that heat exchanger had to be replaced and the other heat exchanger would have to also be replaced at cost of $800 for each plus labour and tax. He shut off the gas telling us too dangerous, said because so expensive to fix, recommended just buying new furnace and he would send someone over ... showed up very quickly. Recommended furnaces that were half the capacity as our house rated for, said we don't need such large furance, but my gut told me if I had to get new furance, it would be for what is recommended for my home. Thought I would get second opinion. Independant guy comes to the house, looks at furnace, says can you do without until Monday? Wants to check if parts covered under warranty first ... ! Even after we told him that beyong 10 yrs and couldn't find any paperwork, he said heat exchanger could have limited warranty or lifetime and even if not covered under warranty, new one would be NO WHERE NEAR QUOTE BY DIRECT ENERGY. He took model and serial and low and behold, don't have to pay for parts ... labour only. Turns out that first service guy from Direct Energy should have picked up on water issue ... apparently, anytime water on circut board or blower, suggests heat exchanger issue but turns out that in both previous instances, all parts & labour would have been covered under warranty! So Direct Energy scamed us twice before but thank goodness for the little independant guy who not only saved us a bundle, but educated us on warranties and what to look for in future.

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Direct Energy Services Sales reps lying to sign up

Do not switch your energy supplier to Direct Energy. The door to door sales rep with the manager will mislead you to screwing you over so they can collect commission on sale. Your old energy company will charge you with breaking their contract and you will be left with a bill of $200 or more for breaking their contract. Direct Energy with lie to you and tell you that won't happen. Guess again. Direct Energy will leave you with the bill. DO NOT SWITCH TO DIRECT ENERGY. When I tried to resolve this with Direct Energy, they said that their company will not pay cancellation fee for anyone. Meaning, you're on your own.

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