Today my wife was at home after work and a door to door sales guy from Alberta Energy Savings came to our house. He tells her about all the money she can save and to find out more she just has to fill out this form and sign it. She asked him several times if she was signing a contract and he said “No it’s not a contract”. Well ….guess what? These people lie! (insert shocked look here) it was a contract… If you have fallen into the same trap here is the good news. You have 10 days to cancel with this “fine company”.
I might have considered going with this company, maybe they are a good company… but now after they pull something like this I’ll never see them as trust worthy.
My next question is what else were they lying about? Don’t trust people that come to your door selling things…they are never what they seem. And if they ask you to sign something tell them to get off your property.
Update: there is also a facebook group about these guys.
March 11th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Here’s what happened to me. I asked the sales rep if I can cancel at will. He said no, but if you move, the contract is null and void at your will. I thought to myself, well, there’s a strong chance we’ll be moving, so why not try them out, there’s little to lose…
I moved to a new house 1.5 years later and called Alberta Energy Savings LP to cancel. Hold your breath: they said that you need to move OUT OF ALBERTA to void the contract.
I reported them to the Better Business Bureau, resulting in a mediator calling me. We got nowhere. Basically, I lost. The mediator said that I should have read the fine print. Of course! I admit, I am the sucker here. But I sure as heck ain’t stepping in that puddle twice.
Check out their BBB record, it’s horrendous.
I still don’t know how to get out of this contract, I am stuck till 2011. Buyer beware, that company is very, very aggressive.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
i’m also having troubles with them,
we signed up for that garbage as well, we paid a lot of money every month but they say we didn’t pay them and all the money we paid is nowhere to be found, no records of ever paying them anywhere not even the bank.we paid over $$ 1500 to them in a period of 5 months….thats ridiculous
i don’t know if anyone can help me but i’m open for suggestions.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:12 am
This is a recurring theme from what I have found in my research. I have also been “duped” by this company and their contract. As NMNEWMAN posted “Hold your breath: they said that you need to move OUT OF ALBERTA to void the contract.” What I did find is that even when you DO move out of their “service area”, like I did , moving to Saskatchewan (where the utilities are Gov’t owned thankfully) they still try and hit you with the cancellation fee. I called to cancel the contract, stating where i was moving and providing proof of my new address and low and behold… 6 months later I’m hit with a call from a collection agency for close to $3000 which then got tacked on to my credit rating as an R-9 (bad news for those who don’t know). I’m in the process now of getting this rectified but they seem reluctant to do what their own contract clearly states.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Was with Direct Energy (Burlington) thought that oh maybe Alberta Energy Savings actually ment that they may save us some money,NOT. Bill was 15 – 20% higher. Now the kicker this spring gas bill shot up to over $300 Electric over $250 was not able to pay the bill due to work slow down with break up. Still have to eat right. Bill all caught up but they canceled my contract and dumped me back to Direct Energy now they are after me for $1400 contract cancelation fee. Beware they are not a Utility they are a service provider so they can pull all kinds of legal crap and as said above screw with your credit rateing.
Had hard enough time paying the energy bill now they want over half what I make in a month for them canceling the contract. Down right rude, I tell everyone that I can to avoid these people.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I was approached by Alberta Energy Savings on Greenview Drive in Calgary. They said “this is a free service”. They told me I can cancel in ten days. I could see that this was a contract. I refused to sign.
John
February 10th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
I am a reporter with CBC radio
is there anyone with any current complaints againts Alberta Energy?
tx
February 24th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I have been having HUGE issues with this company. I was approached by someone as a door to door deal. I listened to the schpeel and then informed the sales guy that I was already with Enmax and that I was not interested… he informed me that this was not the same as enmax that it was a new government regulated program that all calgary residents would soon have to sign up for. Skeptically I signed the document believing what was said…. Once I received my first bill I was IRATE… the hidden fees… the huge costs…. it was unbelievable…. I called immediately to have my contract voided and informed them I was going back to Enmax and was given the run around. I finally spoke to one of there customer reps and he informed me that if I wanted out I would have to pay the exit penalty. I explained to him what my issues were and told him that I had ZERO fees like this when I was with Enmax… the representative told me that if I could prove that I was in a contract with Enmax before I signed with Alberta Energy that this new contract with Alberta Energy would be considered void. After NUMEROUS discussions and continually acting as the go between with Alberta Energy and Enmax I was provided with ZERO assistance to have this process of cancellation completed and was given too many excuses to count on my my documentation was not enough to cancel out with Alberta Energy with regards to my proof that I was in a contract with Enmax before I was Duped.
If anyone wants to help me with this I would really appreciate it….. This company needs to be run through the ringer and I know that I am not the only one who has been screwed by this company or their unethical sales reps.
How do these people sleep at night? I would love to hear of some assistance to take this company to school….
MW
March 5th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Please, please,please help me. I am in the same boat as the others who stupidly signed this contract. I joined in October thinking I would be saving my family a little hardship unbeknownst to me I would be hurting them financially by being ripped off. My last months bill was $660.00 and this month I am sitting on a $315.00 bill. How have I owned a home for 10 years and never recieved a bill this high. To get out is $75.00 per site and per year. Electric and gas $150.00 X 4= $600.00 just to cancel or you provide proof that you are moving out of the province.How can this company knowingly rip people off every month and sleep at night especially in the middle of a recession. These bills are going to take me down and I need help.
CB
March 5th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
These people are liars.They come to your door asking to see your current bills and ask if you know the options that you have as far as payment goes. They falsely represent themselves as people from the power company looking out for you best interest. Lucky I had a gut feeling that it was bogus and wouldn’t let her verify my contract until I did some research. Boy am I glad I did. I made sure everything was canceled right away. BEWARE THE LIARS!
March 6th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Direct Energy
These people came to the door,offered 5% off the power bill no contract.This started Dec./08 and they did all the swithing with Enmax.The first bill was triple what it usually is.I called them they told me it was an estimate and that it would be fixed next bill.Well of course it was not so I called again.They say it was the city meter readers fault that they did not have the readings>So I called the city and got my own readings and tranfered back to Enmax.But my bill is $288 in an apartment with 1 person and no car to plug in .The city told me to contact the Utilities Advocate 403-310-0000. They are very nice and have a personality.But DO NOT cancel the utilities before calling them because it is more work for us .Also, call your city office and get the meter readings NOT usage amount if you can.But I hope this helps others , as for me still waiting for answer on real amount.
GOOD LUCK ALL TO ALL WHO ANSWERED THE DOOR lol
M.Millar
March 6th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Alberta Energy Savings
My husband and I are in the same boat. We signed a contract for 5 yrs and are now stuck paying an enormous amount for our gas and water.
Today, my husband called them and it seems that they have revamped their cancellation policy. He was told that if he wanted to cancel it would be $75 per year/per service. He asked them to get back to him with a full amt. and they did call him back with a couple of hours. We still have 2 yrs and a bit on the contract so our total buy out is going to be $330.00 plus what we owe for the past month.
It appears they’ve listened to their customers!!!!
We are now in the process of looking for a new energy provider.
I hope this information helps.
March 10th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
ALBERTA ENERGY SAVINGS
I am also in the same boat. I have signed my contract on November 2005 (fixed price contract) and will be end next year Nov 2011. Believe me its a real pain. I am paying $10.10 GJ for gas and 7.79 Kwhr for electricity. I hate AES. I really wanted to cancel my contract too. This post is really helps me a lot. So I have remaining aprox 19 months left to end my contract. I will contact to them to know how much they charged the contract cancelling fee. Please help me out how I can get a rid of this AES. Thank you so much in Advance.
Regards
AK
March 11th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Alberta Energy Savings.
Hi There,
Today I have called to AES and wanted to cancel my contact they calulate cancelation fee aprox. $ 253 plus what i owe past month. Now i am also searching around for new service provider. I have been looking into the internet. I found http://www.energyshop.com/ link which looks website to me and a good start for searching the new service provider. Please if you know the better service provider please do let me know.
Thanks
AK
March 13th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I too had these scammers come to my door and listened to their spiel. They really make it sound like they’re doing you a favour and mentioned that on both my Enmax and Direct Energy bills there was information about their “service” and that eventually everyone in the City was supposed to be on their plan. The reason they go door to door he claimed was so that they can get to the people who don’t read their bills carefully.
I signed the paper and spoke to the person on the phone re: cancellation (10 day period). When I asked the guy at the door about the cancellation policy, he got a bit twitchy. I told him I’d be hitting Google within minutes of him leaving and he said he was confident I’d like what I saw…..NOT. I saw this forum and several others as well as assorted news articles about their practices.
I quickly called two of the phone numbers on their paperwork and neither worked! I finally found a number that worked on their website and cancelled. The person on the other end would only provide her name. She told me to use the date and time of the call as proof and her name “Stacey” (“I’m the only Stacey in the call centre”, she says”.
I then called both Enmax and Direct Energy and they put notations on my accounts that I do NOT want to switch. They both recommended I call Alberta Energy Services several times next week to make sure I am in fact cancelled and to call both legitimate suppliers back as proof I do not want to switch.
For years these guys have been coming to my door and I’ve always blown them off because I was too busy. I was expecting someone else at my door tonight and was in a listening mood. When I pointed to the “No Soliciting” sign next to my doorbell, the guy claimed he wasn’t selling anything….but was providing a “service” to me by making it easier for me to pay my bill each month. He even went as far to claim that Alberta Energy Services is a service provider to both Enmax and Direct Energy and actually sells them their energy!
This guy’s name was “Dave Obiso”. His “IC #” is 150529. If he comes to your door, ask him to leave.
For comparison’s sake, they tried to lock me in at 5 years for $9.99 for gas and $11.99 for electricity. I asked Enmax for their 5 year rate and they’re asking $8.95 and $7.99 respectively. Their only cancellation policy is 30 days notice. No cancellation fees.
Buyer beware. All the more reason NOT to allow door to door sellers near your house!
I’ll be actively calling them next week to make sure I’m cancelled. I should have known better!
March 18th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I had those Direct Energy scam-sters at my door on March 17th, 2009. I listened for a short bit but the alarm flag was already raised “we just want to help you make the right decision and save money … most of your neighbors chose this no-brainer option..” When I said I will sign up on the internet “I wouldn’t do that, the forms are complicated, and if you get one thing wrong you’ll be cancelled out of this program… we’re only in this neighborhood today..” C’mon! If this was an honest company, they’ll be happy to take your business at your chosen time.
When he offered to come back later , I said do not – “but you won’t get another chance…” I looked at the guy right in the eye and said do NOT come back. At least they did not.
If it sounds too good to be true…..
But it was pretty high pressure, and I’m sure others less wary might see this as a good deal, especially in these economic times.
March 30th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
A man came to my door this evening saying that he was in the neighborhood ensuring that everyone had signed up for the Energy savings program that would have been mailed out with my bills.
He said they had been out 3 months earlier and had made sure everyone was on their list for the new program. He asked if I had talked with anyone, I hadn’t so he asked if I had received the mailout about the program that would have come with my energy bills, then asked to see my bills so he could show me where the information was. I refused.
I thought it was kind of fishy so I told him to come back the next night cause I was going to research the company. He said what do you mean? And I told him I was going to contact my energy companies and google Alberta Energy Savings to find out more. He simply said he’d cross me off his list and left.
After reading the issues others have had with signing up with these guys I can totally see where it is possible for people to get taken in by these guys. Alberta Energy Savings are mis-representing themselves and putting themselves out as if they are affiliated with other energy providers. Buyer beware.
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:56 am
Okay, honestly… a person that doesn’t read something before (or even shortly after) signing it, deserves whatever they get. These contracts clearly state (on the front page) the rate, the cancellation policy, and that this is a contract, not a government program. How can you blame AES for your own error? Door to door salespeople lie all the time, because there are still people out there that haven’t figured it out, protect yourself.
Also, AES has explained the buying methods and the reasons for their rates to me. They purchase “bulk” energy and arrange to supply it to their customers. They increase the price by about $1.50 per GJ or 1.5 cents /kWh. That’s all they make off of the deal., which as a company, I think they have a right to profit.
I had a 5 year contract that saved me a ton of money, but I bought in at the right time. Rates changing constantly, and AES stays constant. If the rates spike (like they have in the past) you’re safe. You just have to be smart about it.
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:46 am
Aya, the question I have is if the company is so great why do they use methods like this to get people to sign up? You are right buyer beware, but doesn’t justify the tactics these companies use.
As I stated in the post: ” I might have considered going with this company, maybe they are a good company… but now after they pull something like this I’ll never see them as trust worthy.”
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
So the Alberta Energy Savings guy was just at the door. My wife told me they were here a few days ago and asked to see her utility bills and she refused and sent them away. (She’s pretty smart)
Today, just 2 days later, either another one was here or the same guy looking for another person to talk to.
I decided to play the game and ask him a few questions like “how does HE get paid”, is he a contractor or an employee, how does it work etc and wanted to have a copy of the form to look over and consider.
He gave me all the details, the forms and contact info for having him come back.
He as well said that “HE” had to fill in the forms himself and that I could not do it.
then a googling I went and found froosh.ca YAY.
I’m quite aware it was not above board, but wanted to see what sort of other experiences people had been having.
Door to door anything is never good. Visit them at THEIR place of business
April 6th, 2009 at 11:34 am
I got suckered by Direct Energy, got stuck paying almost twice as much during last winter and then had to face a $400 cancelation fee to get out of it. From what I’ve seen, Alberta Energy Savings is just as bad, if not worse. I’m glad CBC did an expose on these con men, they really are terrible. If you want a very handy site for following the gas market and knowing the score, I found http://www.gasalberta.com/ It basically shows in black and white how much worse the locked in rates are.
Shame I didn’t find it till after Direct Energy took all my money…
April 14th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
This is a follow-up to my post on March 13. First of all, AES (Alberta Energy Services) is not Direct Energy. They are actually affiliated/owned whatever with EPCOR. This is at the bottom of any email you send to AES:
“This email contains confidential information that is proprietary to EPCOR and its subsidiary companies in all respects….”
Direct Energy is my current gas provider and Enmax is my current electricity supplier and I have no issues with either.
I did manage to pester AES to confirm that my contract was in fact cancelled. They have an online “contact us” form on their site that sends you a copy of your original message so at least your complaints and comments are documented. I not only complained about their less than honest tactics, but asked them to add me to a “Do Not Call” list which they acknowledged in a personalized reply.
Most importantly, I reported them to the Alberta Government watchdog regulating this sort of thing and they’re taking it very seriously. I’ve since heard from no less than three people at this government body and it’s apparent they’re escalating this case further. Their email address is ucahelps@gov.ab.ca Definitely report this activity to them. I read somewhere that the vast majority of complaints they get releates to AES. They can’t act upon things they don’t know about (but I did sent them a link to this thread).
To the guy who says that people who fall for this get what they deserve, I never fell for anything. I was skeptical from the start and had my contract cancelled in an hour. These snakes are very slippery and do use a variety of tactics to get you onboard and tell flat out lies to make the sale. I sympathize with those who fall for this EPCOR/AES scam because it is just that….a scam. No one should consider doing business with these snakes. EPCOR will probably try and wash their hands of all this, but one thing is very apprarent. There are patterns I’ve noticed that these salespeople use and it’s EPCOR training them to act accordingly.
Sad but true. Some companies will stop at nothing to make a buck. The world economy is in shambles because of less than honest business practices and EPCOR should be high on the list of businesses to avoid like the plague.
April 16th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
bc64: EPCOR actually just sold their contracts to AES once they got out of the residential contract business back in 2002 or so. They have nothing to do with the training of the salespeople. And the reason that you see EPCOR on the bottom of their emails is because EPCOR’s call centre also houses AES support agents. However, they have absolutely nothing to do with the salespeople. Those are purely hired and trained by AES and have no contact with EPCOR at all.
April 18th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I’m not sure I believe that. Here is the full text of the email below. I find your explanation hard to fathom. AES is a pretty controversial Company. The “subsidiary companies” explanation makes sense. I can’t see them including such a message if their wasn’t a closer explanation that you’re letting on:
Thank you for contacting Alberta Energy Savings L.P. This reply is to confirm that your email has been received.
Email requests are worked in the order they are received and we strive to action all requests within 2 business days. If you require immediate assistance please contact our Customer Service Department at 310-2372 (a local call anywhere in Alberta).
The AES Document Management team’s hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
Alberta Energy Savings L.P.
Document Management Team
________________________________________
This email contains confidential information that is proprietary to EPCOR and its subsidiary companies in all respects. This information is intended only for the person(s) named in the destination address. Unauthorized distribution, copying or disclosure is strictly prohibited. If you receive this e-mail in error please delete it immediately.
April 18th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I stand corrected. I found this:
“EEI (EPCOR sub) also provides billing
and collection services to the City of Edmonton Waste and Drainage Departments and to Alberta
Energy Savings L.P. (a non-affiliate) that acquired most of EPCOR’s competitive energy
contracts in Alberta, effective November 1, 2004.”
That being said, affiilated or not, it’s outright stupid to associate yourself in such a way with such a crooked organization.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:13 am
UPDATE:
I got a call today from “Tiffany” at Alberta Energy Services. I couldn’t make out what she was saying because she had quite the accent. That’s because she was calling from the 713 area code. That being Houston, Texas.
She offered her apologies etc and mentioned that the guy that came to my door was not following protocol and would be spoken too. I’m pretty sure they’re just paying me lip service because they did get slapped by the Alberta Government. If this guy wasn’t following protocol, then why does my story sound suspiciously like so many other complaints I’ve come across?
Anyhow, stay away from AES. They’re not reputable.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:08 am
I also have received a call from “Tiffany” from the Texas call center Alberta Energy Savings has referred my complaint to, which seems so far removed from the problem at hand. My complaint was in regards to the unethical sales tactics of this company’s door to door salesmen. They are so persistent demanding to see your current energy bill and stating that their rates are so much lower then what you are currently paying. At the time i was quite content with my energy bills and what I was paying but this salesman was relentless promising me that I would save so much money, with their lower rates. This all ended up being a huge lie seeing as my gas rate at the time was $5.309/GJ and the fixed gas rate he claimed was so much lower was $10.99/GJ for five years. Dominik is the name of the door to door crook and his Independent Contractor ID is: 531 688.
This company will con anyone given the chance, don’t open the door to them. They have no accountability for any their actions. Alberta energy savings and it’s employees most likely don’t even sue their own energy to heat their office buildings and their homes with their outrageous prices. How they can sleep at night conning people during such a hard economic time sure beats me!
April 27th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Correction to above post:
Alberta energy savings and it’s employees most likely DO NOT even *use their own energy to heat their office buildings and their homes with their outrageous prices.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I use to work for Alberta Energy Savings. For the few people I actually did sign up, I am sorry. Very.
I know this doesn’t absolve me of anything, but its a start. I was trying to make a few dollars to eat, but I won’t do it by ripping people off anymore!.
I didn’t make a very good AeS employee cause I didn’t beleive in the program at all. For some, it may work, but for the most part I think its a legal boondoggle.
May 1st, 2009 at 1:35 pm
These guys are relentless. On Wednesday night of this week I saw these crooks once again scouring my street for victims. I am on their do not call list, but I’m convinced it’s only a matter of time before one of their street urchins calls on my house in error. I almost relish it now that I know more about AES and they’re unscrupulous tactics.They were trying to con my neighbour across the street and get this…they’re knocking on his door at 9PM. I don’t think they have scruples. Needing money or not, it takes a special breed (and not so ethical) person to work for this organization. Kudos to the poster in this thread that acknowledged the error of their ways. I wonder how many can sleep at night following these practices. Hard to fathom that AES still has a license but it goes to show you just how easy it is to set up shop in Alberta. They should be shut down, but obviously they operate with the blessing of our government.
May 4th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I just received a bill from this company after cancelling our contract. I cancelled our contract because in 3 months of service, I paid more than I have in 8 months with Enmax. These guys are crooks and liars. I cannot beleive something isn’t being done about them. They outright lied to us in order to get us to sign up. Granted, we should have done more homework but I cannot fathom a business treating people like this.
May 17th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I had enough of this scam and cancel my contract last month.looking back I’m a fool for not doing this sooner.The fact that they have the balls to put the word savings in there name makes my blood boil.My new power and gas bills are both under $50 each and when you compare that to the $220 a month that i paid Alberta energy scam and you’ll see why it’s a scam.I will pay my cancellation fee of $200.00 in $1.00 monthly payments until it’s been paid of with a memo on the check that reads “Scammed in full”.This is not an exaggeration this is the truth and i will tell anyone to stay away from these greedy crooked liars.The blame for this falls directly on our own government with the privatization and deregulation of our energy system.We had at one time cheapest power and gas rates in north America.Shame on all of us for allowing these greedy people to represent us in our government.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Yes Scamaware go ahead and pay $1.00 a month to pay off your cancelation fee. Just remember don’t call the company 5 years down the road when you are trying to get a morgage or a loan to buy a car and your account has gone to a collection agency and is affecting your credit. This is not Alberta Energy Savings fault, it would be yours. Had you read your contract all the details of the agreement would have been outlined for you. Id like to pose a question for you bloggers if you go to a used car dealer and he says “cars in mint condition no accidents” do you take his word for it and buy the car site unseen or do you take it to a shop and get it checked anyway? PROBABLY you would get it checked before buying same rules apply for contracts, do your homework…
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:13 am
I have quite the story with these scammers – the guy came to my door one night and asked to look at our bills. Stupidly my fiancee and i went along with this, but we specifically said that we did not want to be locked in for any fixed time period. The saleman assured us that there was no contract, and that we would pay on a month by month basis. The second he stepped out the door, he checked off the box marked 5 years, and locked us into something we never agreed to. We called the company and they informed us that since it was checked off on the contract there was nothing we could do unless we wanted to pay the insanely high cancellation fee. These same guys came back to our door not very long ago, and when we told them the problem, they said that that salesman had been “fired”. I’ll never forget the day I paid my $800 bill down to 0(2 months worth), and the next bill was back up to $600 dollars. I am looking fro any way to get out of this – still have about 3 years left on this nightmare contract. Anyone with info or ideas for me please let me know.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I wish I could come to your houses too. I’d make a document that transfers all your belongings to me as well as your funds, savings in all bank accounts. I’d simply tell you folks that I am doing a survey and require a signature above the line that says “Sucker”. I’m pretty sure it would work because nobody that signs an AES contract actually reads it, so I figure this would work just as well.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
mickeymouse may be a bit biased:
Author : mickeymouse (IP: 146.131.120.2 , switch.epcor.ca)
Looks like you work for AES or it’s parent. No wonder you would come here and say that. Just proves what a joke this company is.
June 10th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Sadly, I too was scammed by these crooks – am paying about 30% more per month than I have in 6 years. I have 3 years left on my “contract” and was told it would cost $1000 to get out of it now. Who can afford that on top of the already inflated cost of my monthly bill? Hard to believe that with so many of us in the same boat we can’t do a thing……or can we?
June 15th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
My wife was caught out by a door to door AES salesman. He had turned up just as she was going out, so she was already in a hurry and didn’t spend enough time going over the details. While he didn’t totally lie he did mislead her into thinking that AES was a part of Enmax and that the AES contract was part of an Enmax/Government initiative to help save their customers money. Of course this wasn’t true, but we were then stuck in a 5 year contract that was costing us around $40 extra per month compared to our previous bills.
Our real problems started when we moved. Although we had informed AES of the address, they made a mistake and started suppling power to a different address. We only found this mistake when we got Enmax bills in, which totally confused us as we wasn’t with Enmax anymore. AES refused to refund us for the bills that we had paid with them (for somebody elses power) as they said it was our fault for not noticing the mistake sooner. I contacted our ombudsman and provided full details of AES’ errors and poor service, then all of a sudden AES did a complete 360 and refunded us the erroneous charges. They still didn’t apologize for their bad service though.
Now we are moving again to a location that has supplied power as part of the rent, so I contacted AES to see how I could cancell our contract. They told me that we would be charged the cancellation fees but if we can provide proof that our new address has power already supplied then they would waive the fees. Sounds very easy but we’ll see.
I wouldn’t recommend AES to anyone. They have misleading salesmen, high charges and very poor customer service.
June 16th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Hello, stop blaming those simple employees, who hand to you all the paper and information you are supposed to get and who most of the time use the leads get from the company. Simple thing if you don’t understand the contract don’t sign. AES has fix rate but Direct Energy has the plan too, and i guess AES offer less than DE. End people still sign because they want the rate to be fixed and get peace of mind when market will pick, and lets tell you something You better get the plan because in july things may change. but all depend to your level of understanding. Those who sign without understanding the agreement i am sorry for them but believe all the guys who work with AES, give you all the information. it’s up to you to get on board all cancel.
June 18th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Simple employees…riiiiiight, they must know they are deceiving people, nope. I blame them still. Need a better argument than that.
June 22nd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
i don’t blame one iota of your words if i were you i will fill the same, believe me you and me can’t do anything for this powerfull company, who works for the best of the population fixing their rate of power and gaz, the only thing i can suggest is to make sure that you understand the contract before signing and take those 10 cancelling days to understand the whole information you sign, The gouverment of Alberta understand better than we do..
Do not capitalize on your filling you get by signing this contract any fool can do that but learn from your loss. again i guess if you make calculation it,s will be less..
June 25th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
[...] we immedietly called and cancelled the contract. I was steaming, and wrote a blog article about Alberta Energy Savings. A year and a half later and the blog article is in the top 10 search results when you search for [...]
July 20th, 2009 at 10:59 am
A few years ago my sister and I were living together. A sales man had come to the door and told my sister she would be “saving” money, and made it sound really appealing to her so she signed the contract in her name. When I received the first bill it was through the roof! We were previously with Direct Energy who was a much better company. So I got on the phone to cancel my services with them. When I called I spoke with a woman who was probably one of the worst people I have ever dealt with. She had said it was my sister’s fault for not reading the contract. I told the lady that it is the person job to go over the contract with you fully so that the person understands and agrees to what they are signing, as I work for a loan company and it it my due diligence to explain to them what they are signing. She had no care and said I couldn’t cancel. After a while the bills got to high and I couldn’t keep up so I stopped paying and they put be back on Direct Energy (again much cheaper!!!)
I was telling somone with legal background my storey, and he had said that I should call AES and tell them they are not legally entitled to collect since my sister was the one who agreed to the contract and signed and the bills were in MY NAME. I called AES and of course got no where with them, they lady had asked me why I just didnt cancel with thm before, I told her I had tried and I was told I couldn’t!!! She told me I had to give her an exact date of when I talked to them, I have her within a week proximity of when I talked to someone and she said “sorry you have to know the exact date”.
Ater all this I had to submit muy bills from Direct Energry before I was switched to AES so prove that it was my name on the bills, and not my sisters. So of course I did this immediately. I waited for a few weeks to here something back, and when I did I spoke with a young lady(this one was actually understanding) and she had said they had decline me and I was still responsilble for the $2000 + something bill, (cancellation fee incl) she said there was no way should be paying this, and she had agreed with me that I never signed the contract so I should not be responsilbe!
She re-submitted my information, and finally after sometime they waived my cancellation fee…. after I had told them I would be calling my family lawyer and taking them to court. It’s really sad to see a company do this to people. No matter what I tried to do it was always my fault, and I didn’t do something right. I wish they could take some responsilbility for their actions!
My boyfriend and his room-mate are with them too, and there bill is through the roof! They only live in a condo, and every month they call AES to ask why their bill is so high (no one is home during the day, and July’s bill is is just as high as december when more bodies were living there) And when they talk to AES they say they read the meter wrong????? They read it wrong every month, and they are messed up with what month they read the meter wrong, the guy from AES was talking in circles…he couldn’t even explain the bill
July 31st, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Please read the excerpts below from the Alberta Fair Trade Act and if what you are saying is true take legal action it is the only way you can get them stopped.
The Fair Trading Act
The Fair Trading Act (FTA) protects consumers from unfair business practices
before, during or after a consumer transaction. The legislation applies if
• the consumer or supplier lives in Alberta
• the offer or acceptance is made in or sent from Alberta
• the unfair practice is made or received in Alberta and involves a supplier’s
representative.
An unfair practice may occur even if a consumer transaction was not
entered into or concluded.
DEFINITIONS
A consumer transaction is defi ned as any sale, lease or other transfer of
goods or services for payment. This includes a contest prize and goods or
services given to someone else.
A consumer is an individual who pays for those goods or services.
Goods generally refers to:
• Material items used primarily for personal, family or household purposes
• A new residential dwelling whether or not it is attached to land
• A voucher which promises goods or services in the future.
Services can include any of the following when they are used primarily for
personal, family or household purposes:
• Maintenance, improvement or repairs to goods or private homes
• Membership in a club or organization if the club or organization is in
business to make a profi t for its owners
• The right to use property under a time-share contract
A supplier is a person who receives money from a consumer transaction.
This includes a salesperson or a representative or agent who manufactures,
produces, distributes, advertises or sells goods or services.
Unfair Practices: The Fair Trading Act
The FTA does not allow you to waive your rights
under the legislation or restrict any rights under other
legislation. If a consumer contract is vague, the terms of
the contract are interpreted in favour of the consumer
EXAMPLES OF UNFAIR PRACTICES
• Subjecting a consumer to undue pressure or
infl uence to buy. Example: A salesperson spends four
hours in a consumer’s home trying to sell a vacuum
cleaner.
• Taking advantage of a consumer’s inability to
understand a consumer transaction. Example: A
seller convinces a consumer who can’t speak or read
English to sign a multi-page contract.
• Charging a price that grossly exceeds the price
of similar goods that are readily available without
informing the consumer of the difference and the
reason for the difference. Example: A contractor
doesn’t tell a homeowner that the repairs to his
roof that cost $7,500 could have been be done by a
competitor for $2,500.
• Charging a price for goods or services that is more
than 10 per cent – to a maximum of $100 – higher
than the estimate given for those goods or services
unless the consumer has specifi cally agreed to the
increase. Example: A repair shop says it will cost $150
to fi x an item, but the fi nal bill is $400.
• Representing that goods or services are of a particular
standard, quality, grade, style or model if that
representation is untrue. Example: A furniture dealer
says a coffee table is solid wood when it is really
particleboard.
• Representing that goods have or have not been used
to an extent that is different from the fact. Example:
The seller tells a consumer that a car has 100,000
kilometers on it and the true mileage is 200,000
kilometers.
• Representing that goods are new when they
are used, deteriorated, altered or reconditioned.
Example: A computer is sold as new, but the seller
has reconditioned it.
• Making an untrue statement about a good’s prior
history or use. Example: The seller tells the consumer
that a car was only driven by the owner of a
dealership when it was a lease-back from a rental
company.
• Representing that goods or services are available in
accordance with a prior representation when they are
not. Example: The seller says the goods were seized
from Canada Customs when they were actually
purchased as regular inventory.
• Representing that a voucher from one supplier can
be used for goods or services at regular or discount
price if the fi rst supplier knows (or ought to know)
that the second supplier will not honour the voucher.
Example: A company sells a coupon book knowing
that some of the businesses will not honour the
coupons.
• Representing that goods are available in a particular
quantity if they are not. Example: A store advertises it
has 35 stereos for sale when in fact it has one stereo
in stock.
• Representing that goods or services will be supplied
within a stated time if the supplier knows (or ought
to know) the goods will not be available. Example: A
hot tub company promises a tub will be installed
on Christmas Eve when it knows the installation staff
will not be available.
• Representing that a specific price benefit exists if it
does not. Example: A business advertises that an item
is on sale or the price is ‘20 per cent off’ if the item
has never been sold at the regular price.
• Representing that a part, replacement, repair
or adjustment is needed or desirable if it is not.
Example: A shop replaces a dryer motor when only
the belt needed replacing.
• Representing that the supplier is asking for
information, conducting a survey or making a
solicitation when that is not true. Example: A doorto-
door salesperson asks a consumer to fi ll out a
home-environment survey when he or she actually
wants to do a product demonstration.
• Giving an estimated price for goods or services if
they cannot be provided for that price. Example: A
renovation company tells a homeowner that it can
replace the garage door for $500 when it knows the
price for parts alone is $700.
• Representing the price of goods or services in a
manner that a consumer might reasonably believe
the price refers to a larger package of goods or
services.Example: A company advertises it will build
a complete fence for a home for $2,000 when the
fence project is for the rear of the house only. Adding
two more sides would cost $1,500 more.
• Representing that a consumer will obtain a benefi t
for fi nding other customers if it is unlikely that the
consumer will obtain such a benefi t. Example: A
multi-level marketer agrees to give you a reduced
price on your next order when you refer a friend to
the company, but it never gives you a reduction
• Representing that a product will perform, has
capability or length of life of goods or services unless
adequate and proper independent tests are done
before the representation is made.
• Testing substantiates the claim.
• The representation is accurate and fairly refl ects the
results of testing.
It is an offence for a supplier to engage in an unfair
practice.
PREVENTING PROBLEMS
• Make sure you understand what is being offered
in any advertising and what a salesperson tells you
about a product or service.
• Get answers to your questions before you buy.
• Never sign a contract unless you have read it to
make sure it includes all the terms and conditions
you agreed to. All verbal claims that a salesperson
made about the goods or services should be listed
in the contract. Never sign a blank contract that a
salesperson says will be fi lled in later.
• If a supplier makes a statement about an item that
encourages you to buy it, ask that the statement be
written into the sales agreement, e.g. the car has
never been in an accident.)
• Always keep your bills of sale, contracts, warranties,
instructions and cancelled cheques.
Make sure you
understand what is
being offered in any
advertising and what
a salesperson tells you
about a product or
service.
Unfair Practices: The Fair Trading Act
A current version of this and other consumer tipsheets are available at the
Service Alberta website http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca. Most public libraries
have Internet access if you don’t have access at home.
If you need more copies of this tipsheet, you have permission to photocopy.
RESOLVING PROBLEMS
Talk to the business or supplier. This is the fi rst step to resolving a problem.
If you are not successful in resolving the problem and have lost money
because of an unfair practice, you can start an action against the supplier
in the Court of Queen’s Bench. If the claim is less than $25,000, it can be
heard before the Provincial Court of Alberta, Civil Division. This level of
court can only award damages for losses suffered.
MOTOR VEHICLE COMPLAINTS
The Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council (AMVIC) is responsible for
investigating unfair practices when motor vehicles are repaired, leased or
sold (including consignment sales) to consumers.
Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council
Box 11, Suite 303
9945 – 50 St.
Edmonton, Alberta T6A 0L4
In Edmonton: (780) 466-1140
Toll-free in Alberta 1-877-979-8100
Fax: (780) 462-0633
http://www.amvic.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about unfair practices contact
Consumer Contact Centre
In Edmonton (780) 427-4088
Toll-free in Alberta 1-877-427-4088
http://www.servicealberta.ca
September 6th, 2009 at 10:21 am
So my question, is there any chance for a class action lawsuit against these people?
September 24th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
3 and half years ago, my wife was scammed by a door to door salesguy and locked in a five year contract with this con. from the following month on, our gas bills skyrocketed. and my wife was so scared that she tried to pay the bills every month as soon as it hit our mailbox. i learnt about this contract a year later and we had an arguement. she phoned alberta energy savings L.P. and was told there was going to be a heavy penalty if we attempted to cancel. so we decided to live with out mistake and finish the contract. this january i received a big fat bill, febuary another big one, and march still another pig fat one. i looked at my wife and she said to me: let’s admit our bad luck and mistake and pay the penalty and move on. so we paid and now we are away from this rip-off and laugh at it whenver we can.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Anyone who feels misled or lied to by an energy retailer should contact the Utilities Consumer Advocate at 310-4822 – they may be able to help you get out of the contract without penalty.
October 10th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I am curious if anyone has started a lawsuit. That will be my next step – advice would be appreciated.
October 10th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Beware all people – I have never rented or owned the house that they put this contract under, the utilites were never never in my name.
In spring of 2006 a kid came to my friends door selling lock in programs. I asked him for information, he told me I had to sign for it and 9 months later my boss’s home utilites are in my name. I complained to Utilites Advocate and they didnt do anything, at the time I was unaware of the FAIR TRADING ACT. The contract I apparently signed should be nul and void but no outside party wants to hear that. AES will not let me have a copy of the apparent contract????? Yet I should give them a $2000 cancellation fee and this is legal in Alberta. I am now in collections for this fee but I wont pay it. I wasnt told I was signing a contract, I was straight forward lied to and have two witnesses to prove it. AES cant get an honest contract because their business is a legal rip off. The Alberta government is aware of how many people are getting scamed and yet choose to do nothing. Someone in government is getting their pockets padded.
ITS VERY SAD WHEN A COMPANY CAN JUST PUT YOUR NAME ON THEIR BILL AND GET PAID FOR PROVIDING NOTHING – AES provided me with nothing and yet have me in collections for $2000. They dont have to worry about any governing body keeping their rip off practice in check they seem to have utilities advocate and BBB in their pocket. As of September 2009 BBB has given AES a A rating??????????? Apparently they had meeting with the management and AES said they are better now, so BBB said ok let misrepresent your true business history by giving you an A. Its scary that a business with fraud charges in March of 2007 can qualify for an A rating. I wonder what you have to do to get an F.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
All I know is, when I made my complaint to the Alberta Government, they took of VERY seriously. I had to give a detailed account of what happened to the investigator. I also got a call from someone in Houston, TX representing AES who apologized, but didn’t sound too sincere.
Anyhow, the clown to came to my door was sanctioned to the tune of 2 weeks without pay (this was a government mandated sanction and suspension). Central to the penalty was the fact he flat out ignored by “No Soliciting” sign and said he wasn’t soliciting anything. This lie got him into trouble.
I am on the AES permanent “Do Not Call” list now. I’ve seen these scumbags going up and down my street again and they did avoid me. I recently ditched Direct Energy for Enmax so I’d imagine they’ll be trying their “win back” processes. I understand they use the same unscrupulous “Door to Door” practices. I pity the poor Direct Energy soul who makes the mistake of knocking on my door.
January 2nd, 2010 at 1:53 pm
We are going through the same thing and may sue them. I will let you all know how this goes.
Joe
January 2nd, 2010 at 5:30 pm
People! – Wake up!
When these wolves appear at your door beware!
Corporations exist for one reason only, and that is to turn a profit for shareholders.That said they will tell you anything to convince you of their altruism. Don’t be fooled.
And our governments have failed miserably, They are nothing but a protection racket for corporations. Wolves in shepherd’s clothing, as it were.
In life we’re either on the menu or reading it – sadly the menu is becoming more limited every day.. We need to either write our own or demand better from the house.
Democracy is more than voting every few years – Lobbyists are involved 24/7/365 – and so should we.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I never signed anything, nor agreed to anything either.
Kicked a couple of very rude reps off my front porch.
They hijacked my account, then fined me for being a few days late on a bill payment. The actual fine was less than the bill amount, cause i overpaid on the bill, my usual method with utility companies.
No notices in between, however.
I explained to an Alberta Energy person over the phone that I never signed anything nor did i receive any contracts etc. That didn’t make any difference…
Then a collections agency sent me letters & i informed them i never signed any contract. That i would pay the bill IF they could show me any contract i signed, or whatver. Didn’t make any difference… the letters kept coming.
Now a lawyer is sending me letters… & I was fretting over how to handle this guy.
Now i found:
http://alberta.ca/acn/201002/27875007ED599-D1B1-EA2F-37882FE66F7FD879.html
Feb 24, 2010
“Government investigation of energy sales scam leads to charges”
Edmonton… The Alberta government has charged three former Alberta Energy Savings salespeople for impersonating consumers and signing up homeowners to energy contracts without their consent.
I’m contacting http://www.servicealberta.ca tomorrow, & adding the collections agency and lawyer to “the list”. The government can sort all this out.
If there are any class action suits, please let us know !!
February 26th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Today, I filed formal complaints against Alberta Energy (now called Just Energy) with both http://www.servicealberta.ca (1-877-427-4088) and The Utilities Consumer Advocate Office (310 4822). (7 phone digits is all that’s necessary to contact these guys)
Both were very interested in what I had to say, and asked lots of questions etc. I also gave them the names of the Collections agency and Lawyer.
(They were especially interested in the Lawyer…)
Both said they would investigate and get back to me with more questions within a few weeks.
Today I found:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2010/02/24/13016911.html
I live within the targetted area.
Hmmm… I wonder if the Canadian Bar Association would be interested in the Lawyer as well??
February 26th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Another forum with comments on Alberta Energy (Just Energy):
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alberta-energy-savings-lp-c153866.html?sort=datea&page=1
An older article about the government clamping down on Direct Energy:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/05/05/edmonton-direct-energy-alberta.html
February 27th, 2010 at 10:39 am
this happened to me in 2005. i lived with my mother and the utilities were in her name. a man came to the door selling this contract and it sounded reasonable at first. i asked quite a few times, “what about my age im only 16?” and i asked him “will the utilities still be in my moms name, its her house they need to remain in her name.” every time i asked he reassured me that yes its still in her name and no worries about my age im just sigining up for her.
after moving out and getting my own direct energy account (i was not aware there was more then one company in alberta as i just moved from ontario) and now 5 years later i recieve a call from a lawyer stating i owe them $2500 !
not sure i have any fighting ground as i did sign the contract and i am probably still on hook for the money. just felt i was very under informed and he did nothing to help assist with that!
March 17th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Wow..such similar stories from so many people…I hate them too….I am nearing the end of my 5 year contract ..however BEWARE they have a new name JustEnergy is taking over AlbertaEnergy Savings LP so they say…as I was freaking out over FOIP issues
My contract ends in June (electric) July (gas)…and already they are hounding me…I have told them to remove me and that I would not sign another contract with them ever again…yet the csuckers still send people to my door and call me to renew my contract….here is the most recent name and number of the rep:
Mike Dunn 780-934-4947
Here is my post from another board about their tactics:
Alberta Energy breached the FOIP act…gave my information to JustEnergy.com regarding my contract which is ending soon (finally)
Today a JustEnergy “Independent Contractor” is knocking on my door…actually banging like my house is burning down, but I’m not answering the door…he drops his business card in my mailbox. Says he is from JustEnergy and a note “call me regarding AB Energy renewal”…so I am wondering how he would know this.
A call to Alberta Energy about my Info being handed to more Utility contract scammers…they claim that JustEnergy is kind of a partner…going to be taking them over ect yet when questioned about FOIP she claims a letter was sent out but I must not have got it yet…I said no obviously I did not however I did get your bill…later in the phone conversation she claimed that they are not partners or an affiliate company of JustEnergy.
Just the typical runaround you can expect from Alberta Energy Savings and most likely JustEnergy too…even if they are not affiliated
The Contracts they pressure you to sign up for a a total rip off…you will pay more then you would sticking with ATCO
If you have just signed a contract with these con artists…you have 10 days to get out of it (Alberta Law) I would strongly suggest canceling it.
As I told the lady at Alberta Energy Savings (hahaha misleading) that I would never sign up for any of their BS contracts or any of their partner, sister or affiliate company and they can tell their Sales people to never come to my door again.
March 31st, 2010 at 10:15 am
Just paid my 500 bucks to get out of the contract!! Been doing calculations and that should be paid for in saving with competitor in only 6 months!!!!
May 12th, 2010 at 7:29 am
I just cant even tell you how mad I am at this stupid company!!!! I just got a call from a collection agency telling me that I have over a $1000 owing to this company!!!! I tried to figure out what he was talking about and why I was being talked to so rude. Half way into the conversation i was hung up on . I was so confused. I called back and asked to talk to a manager to figure out what the hell was going on. I head back from them this morning at 7 am, again being talked to like i was stupid and a lier. I really had no idea what they were talking about. I continued to ask them to talk to me nice and help me understand why i had this stupid bill and what i needed to do to deal with this. I told them i had sent in a cancellation letter and don’t understand why I was still owing this money, from over two years ago!! I need to find a way to prove them wrong and to take back this credit ding!!
IM PISSED!!!!
July 14th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Does anybody know how to get out of a contract with these scumbag liars. The lady that came to our house (2005) and told me that they were taking over for Energy Direct Services in our area and that we should get on board now because we would be joining them soon anyways. Just having moved out from BC, we only had one choice for utilities and not quite understanding how things worked in Alberta, I decided to run with the lying scumbags proposal and have wound up regretting it since day one. Our monthly gas and electric bills almost tripled in some cases. I was paying on average $160/mth with Energy direct and my first bill from Alberta Energy Savings was about $370 and when winter hit $400+/mth. I have tried talking them to no prevail and would just like to sue the ASSHOLES, sorry about the language, but i tend to get a little upset when i think about the severity of this situation. If anyone wants to start a class action law suit, I’m def in.
August 18th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
To everyone who’s had problem with these guys and their collection agents:
You can complain about AES service at http://www.ucahelps.gov.ab.ca/4.html (the Alberta Utilities Consumer Advocate). This is a governmnet office which can help you if you are charged penalties unjustly.
In order to get rid of credit problems caused by unjust penalties, you need to contact Equifax (the credit agency) directly. Collection agencies will not acknowledge any dispute you want to make, their only job is to collect money. You can lodge a dispute with Equifax here: http://www.equifax.com/answers/correct-credit-report-errors/en_cp
The ONLY way to get a collection agency off your back due to an unjust credit report is to contact Equifax. Neither the company billing you nor the collections agency will ever acknowledge any dispute, since doing so is basically admitting to fraud.
If you don’t discuss the matter with the Consumer Advocate or lodge a credit dispute, you will eventually get a court summons. It will be difficult to prove that you did everything in your power to dispute the bill if you haven’t done either of these things. Angry phone calls to AES will not be accepted as a legal dispute mechanism.
You have a very good chance of avoiding court altogether if you talk to the Advocate and dispute the credit blip with Equifax. This company’s reputation is atrocious.