Just Energy Canada nasty business practices.
Posted by peeterjoot on December 23, 2010
I’ve just had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the Just-Energy company. Years ago, after turning down the endless stream of pushy door to door energy salespeople, I had on the advise of my father in law I signed up with one of these fixed price gas distributors, specifically, Just Energy. I was never comfortable with that decision after the fact since I expected some sort of minimal exposition of the rates that I was paying vs. the utility rates, to validate that I was paying less on average, or if I wasn’t, at least inform me of the fact so that I could make an informed decision about renewal.
Because of the opacity of this company’s dealings I had no intention of renewing. I didn’t know that my (now) ex-wife had submitted to one of the same pushy door to door sales people, and had signed on for renewal. I am guilty of not looking at my gas bills closely enough and didn’t even notice the fact that the gas distributor on the Enbridge bill had not reverted to just plain old Enbridge at floating rates.
That renewal was in 2007, and obligated us to a fixed rate contract until 2013. One thing that the pushy door to door salespeople never tell you is that they impose humongous exit fees for their contract, and that the fine print in the contract also requires the contract to migrate with you if you move. In our case, both of us moved, and we were never contacted about any sort of continuance obligation. Mail forwarding for both of us was working fine, but there was never any attempt for Just Energy to contact us. Instead what they do is try to intimidate you into the continuance by immediately sending collections agency’s after you. That is a very underhanded, almost mobster, approach in my opinion. They claim to have sent a letter before the collections agency, but I don’t actually believe them. It would be interesting to talk confidentially to one of their employees to see what their internal policies actually are. I’d not be surprised at all, if collections agency before contact, is part of their standard operating procedure.
So it was a rather rude surprise when my ex-wife called me rather perturbed saying that their was a collections agency after her for a just energy bill and threatened court action on non-payment for a sum of about $450! This is the way that this company appears to work to force you into contract continuance on move. Calling in about this I got nothing but a runaround, over and over again. They claimed to have my ex-wife’s signature on file for the renewal, and it took over a month and a half of calling to try to get a verification that this was in fact the case. I’d asked them to email me and my ex a copy of this document, and they said they could only surface mail it. I never did receive anything from them, but my ex did. She also received more collections notices. They are very fast sending those and have absolutely no trouble doing so.
Eventually, they admitted that they could email this, perhaps after I’d been on the phone with them for at least an hour and a half over all the various repeated attempts to see if I really did have some sort of contractual obligation to continue dealing with them. For some reason it took them over two weeks to produce this email. In that interval, they had no problem sending their collections arm after my ex once again.
I had no intention of dealing with their fixed term contract business if they did provide a copy of a valid contract, and my ex and I decided to split the cost of the contract termination fee. That exorbitant $450 split two ways would probably have been cheaper than continuing to deal with them further. One of the phone support people (perhaps the third one I had I talked to) let it slip that I could get out of the fixed term contract by assuming the contract at a variable rate. The variable rate that he quoted was what was on my gas bill, so I’m hoping that they do not inflate that too. They did verify in the end that I’d paid more with them, than I would have had I not been on a fixed term contract, something that is in sync with other information that you can easily find about others experiences with this company.
- deceptive-just-energy-salespeople-cruising-brooklyn.html
- just-energy-why-you-should-not-do-business-with-this-company/
- just-energy-vs-local-utility-what-energy-retailers-dont-want-you-to-know/
- Energy sellers face total of $305,000 in fines
Because of the gouging prices they impose for contract termination, and the availability of the unadvertised variable rate, I did end up assuming this last bit of old marital baggage without a fixed price. Once this contract expires I’ll never ever ever have anything to do with this company again and will not hesitate in supplying the same advice to anybody. Their logo should probably be beside unethical in the dictionary.
peeterjoot said
Thanks for the tips (I can’t take advantage of the non-proximity tip since I still live close to my old house and continue to be serviced by Enbridge gas).
I will definitely send a complaint letter to the Ontario Energy Board. I’ve informed just energy that I intend to do so.
Imagine an honest version of the Just Energy door to door salesman:
”
- Sign up with us, and you’ll never receive any information letting you know if you are actually saving money, or even breaking even.
- Should you move, despite your old gas bill being paid in full, and the account closed, we will then send collection agencies after you for exorbitant contract breaking fees.
- We won’t attempt to supply you with any information saying that there is a contractual obligation to continue using our company as a distributor. We prefer to send collection agencies first.
- Our company is inept. Should you have a contract dispute, we will take a month and a half to mail you a copy of the contract so that you can verify that there was in fact a legally binding agreement.
- We also cannot email documents in less than two weeks, and have to be called repeatedly to attempt to get us to do so. We will also initially deny that we can even email documentation. We will loose requests to surface mail it, so you’ll have to call us many times, and spend hours on the phone with us.
- Should you separate with your spouse, we will add to your grief. We don’t know anything about compassion, and at a time when you already have enough stress, we consider it our job to add to it. Instead of cancelling a contract associated with a pre-marital home we require one of the former spousal partners to assume contract associated with a house that neither party even lives in anymore.
- Should you actually insist on terminating the distribution agreement, we will then let you know that a variable rate agreement is possible. Of course we prefer to price gouge at inflated fixed rates, so this will not be advertised or made known, except as a last resort to keep collecting money from you.
“
peeterjoot said
Changing names quickly is another form of misdirection. The company probably builds up negative feedback and routinely changes names to help minimize the damage.
I wouldn’t say that I hate them, but I do hate having been dumb enough to have been exploited by them. Having had that happen, I’ll not hesitate to make my story available. Perhaps I can help at least one other person avoid the same thing.
As you pointed out my single rogue post on this company along with the rest of my math and physics and computer programming obscurity will likely go unnoticed.
Peeter Joot's Blog. said
[...] Just Energy Canada nasty business practices. [...]
Jackie said
I feel for you. I too was rooked into this company by a door-to-door where I signed what they said was a petition to keep gas prices down, and this was back in 2008. My friend has told me my gas prices are extreme (even in the summer months) so finally last week I contacted NIPSCO to see if maybe they’d made a mistake in the billing department. It was then that they informed me I was with JUST ENERGY. How did that happen??? After watching a video on YouTube it came back to me — that petition. So now I’m fighting with this company and have my finacial advisors associate and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on my side. When contacting Just Energy the second time, I requested they send me the ‘contract’ which I ‘signed’ via FAX, and could they have that to me within the hour. She said it shouldn’t be a problem. My final call to them that day I talked with a male who informed me it could take 5-7 days for them to send that fax. What??? Yesterday afternoon this scam of a company called me to ask if I’d received the FAX sent on Wednesday at 2:?? pm. I said I certainly did not. At this point I told them to go ahead and just send it through the mail. Again, that could take 7-10 days. FINE, I just want to see this contract!! In order for me to get out of the contract, the first time I called they said it would take $225.00. Yesterday I was informed that they charge $75.00 per year of what’s left on the contract.
People, if you feel as though you have been rooked into this by false intentions on their part, contact your State and see if you can get them to back you up. This company is bogus!!!!
Donna said
they got those petition signature s to deregulate utilities so they could swoop in and compete
Just Energy. Attempts to silence bloggers with legal action. « Peeter Joot's Blog. said
[...] by peeterjoot on June 15, 2011 I’d posted some of my thoughts about Just Energy Canada, after being thoroughly unimpressed with what seemed to me extremely unethical and coercive [...]
Mike said
Well I am in Alberta and am also fighting with Just Energy. Back in May 2011 this young guy came to my door and was very nice and as I asked him questions and he seemed to be very knowledgeable and honest.
So I thought I like the quarantee price they were quoting me so I signed a contract. One of the ?’s that I asked was about the budget. And he gave me the answer that I needed to feel confortable with the contract.
Well I get a letter from them telling me what my monthly budget was. So I called their customer service to verify that it was both my gas & electricity. The women I spike to said yes.
So I get my 1st bill and it is what my letter said it would be.
Then I get my 2nd bill and it has jumped $57 a month.
So I started calling them on Aug 9, 2011 and they tell me that it is b/c they adjust their bills on a monthly basis.
I said that is not what a budget is.
So I told them that I needed to talk to a manager. The guy “Jeremy” that I spoke to told me that one would call me within 24-48 hours
Well Aug 15, no calls, so I call them back and they put me through to a manager “Shawn”.
He tells me the same story that they adjust it monthly if your bill goes up by 25%
Well guesse what, mine didn’t go up 25% so tell me about that
Then when I started ?ing him about the budget he said taht he agreed with me and would get back to me the next day
Aug 18, 2011: well surprize, surprize “THEY DIDN’T CALL ME BACK”
So tried to call this “Shawn” suppose to be a manager and he is not in. So “Shelly” said that she e-mailed him so taht when he comes in he will call me back
Aug 28, 2011: Spoke to a “Georgia” and she said that she could see my notes on my account and she would see if there was a manager there.
Well she put me through a “Apil” also have his employee # .
He told me to pay the 1st amount and that he would credit the interest charge.
Well he said to give him till the end of Aug and he would get back to me
After talking to him, I realized that I was not getting anywhere and I felt that they were just giving me the run around So I decided to call the Utility Advacote
Spoke to a really nice girl there and she said she would get back to me once she contacted “Just Energy”.
Aug 29, 2011: Utility Advocate called me back and said that Just Energy told her the same story as what they told me
I told her that it was all lies and that is not what they tell their customers when they sign them up.
So she said she would get back to me
Well I have left 3 voice messages and have not heard back from anybody.
I highly recommend that u don’t end up getting hooked by this company like I did. For me the worse of it is that I have 2 residents and I am dealing with this for both places.
Donna said
I”m from Alberta also…I have property with service to it in Eastern Alberta..no product ever get used.with Epcor my bill was $47 ..I was basicly told if I signed up I would get point for signing up in Momentis and if have in utilities gas and power.and the website…points monthly and $100.00 bucks…it was $350.oo to sign up as a distributor..then the person I signed under would put people under me and i would money…no money at all..My power bill is $135.oo for the service to the property with nothing used…i keep it just so if i decide to sell it has a selling feature….I now pay 3 times the amount…then the same person who sign me up put my name on other properties another person owed as so I found out she could not have it her name as she owned to other companies outstanding bills…so this person put in put 3 more properties in my name…..I have had to make 3 calls and i still don’t know if they have handled it as they say someone will call back..anyone who is a distributor can sign you up and put your name in any property they want with no signature from you and its all done via internet..
PS….BE VERY CAUTIOUS WITH THIS COMPANY…AS THEY ARE NOT HONEST, THEY RUN THE COMPANY BY U.S. LAWS NOT CANADIAN LAWS….THEY CAN’T TRADE ANYMORE ON THE TX, WE NEED TO SHUT THEM DOWN
Donna said
HEADQUARTERS NUMBER IS1-866-587-8674
LETS KICK ASS AND GET RIDE OF THEM…WE BAND TOGETHER AND WE HAVE POWER
Maurice Morgado said
A salesperson came to my door from Just Energy Ontario, seemed pleasant.
Told me about great savings I would get for Just Energy Plan. Told him I didn’t want to pay any “extra” money that I’m not already paying.
He told me that there would be no extra cost, perhaps a dollar or two at most.
Seemed good, until my first bill, seems it’s $25.00 per month for this voluntary carbon tax crap that is going around.
I get a kick at this, that there is a company that is collecting money from people that voluntarily pay a carbon fee that has not even taken effect
in Ontario. Some sources say it will never happen, so I ask you, what do they do with the money?
How much of this money actually goes towards greener energy? AND why would I agree to pay more than I have to on an already outrageous natural gas prices?
I called to cancel and I requested an email to confirm this cancellation. Buyers beware of friendly sales people that are just door to door snake oil salesmen.
As far as I’m concerned Just Energy is a scam to take money that people work hard for.
Christine Dinner said
I signed a five year contract in 2007 for 5 yrs for what I thought was going to save me money with Ontario Energy Savings, which now is Ontario Just Energy. It turns out that I have paid more for hydro through them than what I would have from our supplier. I never thought of figuring out the difference had I just stuck with our supplier because the sales rep made it sound so good by saying we would be saving. What I didn’t know at the time was the extra charges per kw from the provincial benefit- which is in the fine print but it didn’t state the cost, now called the global adjustment. It cost me almost $800 more over the past year than what I would have been charged by the supplier. I don’t know if I might have saved over the previous years or not because I never thought of checking it out but going by what has happened over the last year it really ticks me off. Hopefully anyone considering any electricity program will check it out in detail before signing the contract.
peeterjoot said
I think it is very illuminating, should you attempt to cancel, they no longer portray themselves as a way to save money on your energy bills, but as an insurance product. Because you’ve figured out that you are not saving money, and that the chances of actually saving money are too low to justify keeping them as a distributor, they become desperate. Its at this point that you’ll see an attempt to capitalize on fear: “What if your gas bills tripled next year?”, “would you be able to afford your groceries”, “will you have enough to pay for clothes for your kids”, … “if you buy our product you won’t have to worry about the unknown”. One of the interviews with the US executives of the company showed exactly this. They were basically caught with their pants down, where it was demonstrated by the district attorneys that their product costed more to anybody who subscribed than the floating rate, they had to officially change their pitch from “We are going to save you money”, to “we provide you peace of mind”.
The setup is very much like a casino, and is loaded in their favor. It is an excellent business model to charge a fixed rate inflated significantly from whatever the floating rate is at the time, and lock in the customer to that rate, charging massive fees should you wish to return to a floating rate. Doing this continuously, they’ve got dollar cost averaging working for them. Like a casino, this business model makes it very improbable for them to lose. But you will.
dave said
I just recieved a letter from a collections agency for over 300.00 owing to Just Energy. I moved, did a change of address and kept the same phone number for the next 2.5 years after. So did they make absolutely no effort to track me down? They couldn’t call me? They end up sending my bill to collections and that’s how I find out I owe money to them? SCAM SCAM SCAM
peeterjoot said
I’d guess they use the collections letters as an intimidation tactic. They said they’d tried to contact me repeatedly (both by mail when both my ex and I had mail forwarding active), and by phone. After many calls I found out that their attempt to contact me by phone meant that they repeatedly tried calling the out of service phone number (believe it was something like 25 times, each time noting in their file that it was out of service). They apparently never tried to look up a new phone number, as well as some sort of expectation that a phone number that’s been out of service would then be activated again by the original phone company customer.
For me, a few actions were key in resolving this:
1) Contacting a reporter who I’d found previously reported on the many complaints people had about the company.
2) Making the formal complaint to the OEB (Ontario Energy Board), an organization that appears to have had to dedicate significant resources to complaints about this company. The OEB has now made new regulations to help avoid new customers (but not necessarily existing ones) from falling into the traps this company (and others like it) set.
If you do make a complaint with the OEB, make sure to followup according to their protocol. I found out when I did followup after expecting an answer, that Just Energy contacted the OEB after I had, misinforming the OEB that we’d come to an agreement that was acceptable to me. The OEB case was closed after that point until I asked about the status. What actually happened was that I’d calculated that their inflated floating rate was going to be slightly cheaper than paying the exit fees, after they contacted me with that as an option instead of the exit fee. I had told them outright that I considered being forced to accept their inflated floating rate just as unacceptable, but would take that option instead of the exit fee or court followup. I would never have expected that they would have secretly tried to have the complaint I’d registered with the OEB closed in response to taking their slightly less painful payment option.
stun said
i would like to talk to confidentially
Mark said
id talk too, theyre ridiculous- such fucking snakes like seriously they promised the world and lied lied lied lied lied
MM said
I had the unfortunate experience of having a 15 minute interview with Just Energy. They asked a few questions, and signed me up for orientation. After doing some digging and research on the company, I came across this blog. I am glad that I didn’t sign anything with the company. I did not end up going to the orientation because of the information that I found, and reading all the negative experiences people have had with this company. I don’t understand how this company has survived and is still doing business.
Jacqueline said
I’m very paranoid now. I joined momentis 3 weeks ago but after reading all this info on just energy and momentis I feel let down . Before I started converting people I grilled the reps and had others grill them too. I thought the marketing and finance guy was honest as he said he investigated everyone too. I’m concerned now that they lied to me and don’t know who to trust. What should I do? I changed my phone, gas electricity and wtr heater and bought the money saving ems. I was promised $100 for each sign up but after signing up 8 I got a chi for $97…Jlahay@gmail.com
MM said
I was promised $60/registration. On the ad for the position it was a base pay of $18-20/hr. They are flooding Kijiji with ads for workers. I have made a complaint to kijiji about them. How as an honest trying to get work person, can I properly go through the customer service ads if they are flooding/spamming the customer service area. Not using kijiji any longer.
Gale said
i was with Just energy in Alberta, the dude that came to my door was very Dark skinned and could barely speak english, but I confirmed with him 4 times what I would be paying, So I was paying what I was told, next thing I get home only to find my gas and my electricity was changed back to Epcor and Direct and if I did not pay then so much they were cutting off my stuff. Never new Just energy just cancelled my contract and I have a bill with them of $1600.
which was sent to a CA. contacted the CA, stating that I do not have business with them because my contract was not with them. I told them that I would pay a certain amount but I would only pay Just Energy. So one would assume that if you did not hear from them and Just energy has been cashing the checks that I sent that they accepted the terms of the agreement. But apparently they have sent the file to another CA. I feel for all you people. I guess needs to not jump into anything anymore with out doing some CSI-ing before signing
GRS
Heidi said
Well I just sent one “Just Energy” employee away after he would not say what company he was from. He wanted to look at my utility bill to see something. I became suspicious at this point and asked him what company he was from. He avoided the question and went back to his line of needing to see my utility bill and that I was the last house they had not checked off yet. I kept asking what company he was from and what was he trying to sell me, then he would say he wasn’t selling anything just needed to see my bill. After 10 minutes of a stale mate he gave in and said the company he worked for. I told i wasnt going to show him my bill unless he got a little more specific with what he was trying to accomplish with me. He ended up walking away shaking his head at me. 10 minutes later I have 3 Just energy employees at my door. I let each one of them know that I was not going to show them my bill. Nor would I sign anything in terms of a contract. They each tried their pitch with me. Finally I told them they should google what people are saying about their company. I know I had and found this forum inbetween house calls from their sales associates. LOL
milena said
This company is a bunch of crooks. I was getting my regular hydro bill from horizon utilities and all of a sudden one month my bill said “just energy”. I was confused!!! i though that horizon went bankrupt or something and that this new company just energy was taking over. so another month goes by and then a sales person comes to my door. i was confused and ended up signing that 5 year contract. i will be calling them soon and cancelling. they can have their cancellation fee, they wont be getting any more out of my pocket thereafter.
Rachel said
me and my hubbie did do the same 3 years back but after our 1st bill we cancelled due to it going from 250 every two months to 450. and we just noticed they where still on our hyro bill. didint notice befor because we had e-bill. and just switched to letter and mail due to not haveing a printer. our bill has been over 500 since two years ago and we have had to cut back on alot of things trying to save on hydro but everytime we did just put the rates up. i am hopeing to get all my lost money back as i have four small kids and this is why we have been so broke. really sad
Abby said
I am so upset with my husband. He just signed a contract with Just Energy without consulting me!! I can’t believe he did this!
Syed said
No matter how much lower rate they give you, it end up paying more. They never tell you about the provincial benefit, which is extra when you sign up with this Just Energy or Planet Energy. I had very bad experience with Planet Energy, I fought with them after number of phone calls and faxes, they cancelled my 5 year contract only after 1 year.
Then, tonight, Just Energy sales person knocked my door. The sales person was trying to show me the saving and asked to bring my bill. I simply said, I don’t want your services. He repeatedly saying ” You don’t want to save money..”, I replied repeatedly ” I don’t want to save money”….. then this guy left. It took me 3 minutes to send them back.
ivor said
Politicians make false promises to win your vote but it is rather strange that just energy will promise you a $50.00 voucher to get you to switch over to them and do not honour that promise.Jokers.