SCAM: Universal Energy Corp. (higher electric rates)
TO ANY READER: PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE BEEN SCAMMED BY UNIVERSAL ENERGY CORPORATON. SINCE THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT DEREGULATED UTILITY SERVICES, I WAS APPROACHED ON APRIL 12, 2006 BY A REPRESENTATIVE OF UNIVERSAL ENERGY CORPORATION.
Have you been scammed by the Universal Energy Corporation? Someone from their corporation knocked at my door on April 12, 2006. I live in a "security" apartment building in which solicitation is prohibited. The landlord has signs posted stating that fact. Before I even opened the door more than a crack with the chain on and before I could ask him, the man immediately advised me that he was not a salesman. I told him that solicitation was prohibited in the building and I would not open my door to "salespersons". He advised and repeatedly assured me that he was there to inform consumers about the deregulation of utilities by the Provincial Government, how the first increase in July would be from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh (100% increase) , and how it would increase by 2008 to 20 cents/kwh (400% increase). He further advised he was acting as a consumer advocate and stated that, if I signed up immediately for a "fixed rate", I would be protected from the bloated electricity rate increases, by having my rate frozen at 8.63 cents/kwh. While he was here, we discussed many different ways to conserve energy (not just electricity), and I told him many of the ways I personally conserve energy, for example by using all fluorescent bulbs. Several times I again asked if he was a salesman just to be sure, and he repeatedly assured me he was not, that he was a consumer advocate, going door-to-door to simply educate consumers. He certainly educated me! Like a moron, I even offered and served him a cold beverage believe it or not, while this "jerk was nailing me to the barn door".
I received my Electric bill from the local utilities company in July. The rate had increased from 5 to 5.8 cents/kwh. I had unknowingly signed a "contract" with an independent utility company for a much higher rate, without even knowing it! Of course he did not tell me that!!!!!! Someone please advise me if you think I am wrong about this. The document which allegedly fixed my electric rate at 8.63 cents/kwh is supposed to protect me and keep my electricity rates frozen at a fixed rate, subsequently saving me money immediately and forever. The Ontario Energy Board set the rate at 5.8 cents/kwh. Am I actually saving money??? Of course not. It is costing me nearly 3 cents/kwh more than that set out by the Provincial Government OEB, all profit to Universal Energy, especially since the billing is still done by the local utility company!
That was on July 14/06. Straight away, I contacted Universal Energy to file a complaint and cancel the contract immediately. They refused to cancel it. I was told that I would have to contact their Compliance Dept. When I asked to be transferred to the Dept., I was advised they have no telephone extension and, even if they did, there was no one on site to speak with at any time. I asked for an e-mail address, so I could cancel the contract immediately and was advised they have no e-mail address. I was provided with an address and told that I had to fax or send a letter by "snail mail" to cancel. I asked to speak with a manager or someone in a position of authority, but the woman to whom I was transferred was equally uncooperative about all of my above concerns.
Immediately I telephoned the Ontario Energy Board and lodged an official complaint. Jeremy at OEB advised me that the way I was treated was typical and advised me to send the letter to Vanessa Anesetti, the Manager at Universal. I did it that afternoon. As of today, Wed. Aug. 16, 2006, they are refusing to cancel the contract, even though I have repeatedly explained how their rep misrepresented himself right from the beginning. They refuse to put anything in writing and are argumentative, insolent, and uncooperative on the phone. I have spoken with others at their office, but mostly with Anesetti.
Please go to http://universalenergycorpscam.blogspot.com/ to see some of the e-mail complaints I have made, not only to Universal Energy, but also the OEB and even Premier McGuinty. This information will be posted there, followed by copies of some of my correspondences and written complaints.
I am sure that I am not the only person, not only in Kingston, but also in Ontario, who is being scammed by these people. You may file complaints with the Ontario Energy Board at www.oeb.gov.on.ca (e-mail info@oeb.gov.on.ca) if you were also scammed by Universal Energy. Perhaps if enough people file complaints, they can do something about them. I don't know if it will help, but you may try contacting McGuinty at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/home/default.asp?lang=EN. I personally have not found him (or my local MPP) to be helpful with other issues, but you never know, he may surprise me this time. He used to have an e-mail address, but there is a link on the page to contact him and you may submit your complaint directly through his site.
If anyone doubts the voracity of what I have stated, contact Universal Energy yourself. Pit Bulls were banned in Ontario, and yet these more ferocious and disreputable companies are not!
If anyone out there has any success, please let me know.
BELOW ARE SOME OF MY CORRESPONDENCS, IN MY DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO GET OUT OF THIS CONTRACT, WHICH I WAS TRICKED INTO SIGNING.:
----- Original Message -----
From: ___________________
To: complaints@oeb.gov.on.ca
Cc: customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 8:55 PM
Subject: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Dear Jeremy:
I received a telephone voice message from a "Vanessa" at Universal Energy Compliance Dept., requesting that I telephone her regarding my ongoing complaint about Universal Energy and their representative who was in my home. My telephone display registered the number 416-224-9182 at 1:47 p.m. today. She asked me to telephone her at Extension 504, 1-877-672-5500 or after 5:00 p.m. to ask for Evelyn at Extension 502.
I do not trust any verbal communication with them, since I could be misrepresented on any point at any time, in the same way their representative deliberately misrepresented himself in my home.
The crux of my complaint is initially based on the fact that from my first contact with the representative of Universal Energy, who was in my home, misrepresented himself and his organization. He specifically made a point of advising me that he was not a salesman. This was before I even opened my door more than a crack and in direct reply when I specifically asked him if he was a sales rep of any kind. I placed strong emphasis on this statement from him, and specifically advised him that under no circumstances do I ever open my door to sales persons, for any reason. He repeatedly assured me that he was not there to sell me anything, but instead to strictly advise me as a consumer about the pending increases to electricity rates. He advised me that the first increase would be a 100% increase in the rates, from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh, eventually becoming 20 cent/kwh. He told me that I was signing an agreement to simply lock in my energy rates to protect myself from energy rates that were doubling, then quadrupling from the 5 cent/kwh rate. He never represented himself as a salesperson of any kind. Instead, he presented himself as a consumer advocate. He assured me that my rates would always be lower and fixed, thereby protecting me no matter how high the energy rates increased. He employed blatant scare tactics concerning the rate increases, but never once told me he was a sales rep for Universal Energy. I always thought he was a representative from a consumer advocacy group and he never told me otherwise or even intimated that he was a sale rep..
He was in my apartment long enough, to tell me at any time that he was actually a salesperson, at which time I would have ordered him to leave immediately. We even discussed ways to conserve energy, and I told him the many methods I personally use to conserve energy, beginning with replacing my electrical bulbs with fluorescent bulbs as soon as possible after I moved here in August of 1994, further explaining how much more expensive they were in the 1990s than they are today. I also told him how infrequently I use my own car, running all of my errands together about twice a month, rather than wasting gas by running individual errands on different days. He definitely came across, to me, as a consumer advocate and not a sales person!
Hope to get rid of these parasites from Universal Energy very soon. I have to wonder how many others they scared into signing contracts under false pretenses.
S_________
____________________________________________________________________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: ___________________
To: Joseph Rosa ; customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 8:48 AM
Subject: OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23 regarding Universal Energy Corporation
Dear Joseph:
I tried to reach Vanessa Anesetti last week, reaching her voice mail and leaving a message for her, but I have heard nothing from her yet. In my message, I added that I had sent several e-mail messages to her via the Universal Energy website, of course copies of which were also sent to your office. I still and adamantly maintain that their representative entered my apartment under false pretenses, insisting even upon my direct questioning several times, that he was not a salesperson, prior to and after entering my home. This is absolutely ridiculous! I find it even more appalling that he used scare tactics, under the pretense of being a consumer advocate, advising me that the first utility rate increase would be 100% (from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh) and in due course, would actually increase to 20 cents/kwh. This is what he directly and specifically quoted to me personally, elaborating that the "alleged" contract would protect me from those huge increases, by locking in the amount I would be charged per kwh and ultimately protecting me from these huge increases.
The company, which owns my apartment building, has a very stringent policy against solicitation on all rental properties which they own, even to the point of posting "No Solicitation" signs in the lobbies and foyers of their buildings. This policy can be confirmed by contacting the landlord, Homestead Land Holdings Limited, 80 Johnson Street, Kingston, ON K7L 1X7, PH: 613-546-1146 (downtown main rental office), e-mail address: homesteadkingston@cogeco.net. You may confirm this policy by contacting them and making a general inquiry, as to their policy concerning solicitation in all of their rental units, via either method. You will find that, ultimately, this Universal Energy representative was NOT supposed to be on the premises AT ALL. To the best of my knowledge, the only solicitation which the landlord allows at their rental units, are solicitations which are required by law, which would be politicians campaigning at election times and government election/census-related matters. I reiterate that there is a "No Solicitation" sign posted at the entrance to the building. The building is also a "Security building", meaning that in order for non-residents to enter the premises at all, they must enter a security code and be "buzzed" into the building in the first place. How did this representative of Universal Energy even gain access to the tenants in the building, in the first place???
Adding insult to injury, if you review my initial e-mail contacts with your office, you will find that when I first contacted Universal Energy regarding my complaints, I was not only advised that they have no "e-mail address" which I could contact, I was also advised that they had neither an extension number nor a contact person if there was an extension number, through which I could lodge a complaint. You will also find that, the very first time I contacted your office with my complaint, I spoke with Jeremy. He immediately advised me to contact Vanessa Anesetti directly, providing me with her address at their head office. The e-mail which I sent to Jeremy, which included that information, I printed out and immediately that day sent in the mail through Canada Post Corporation, to Ms. Anesetti.
As I have previously stated, I will settle for nothing less than the total annihilation of the bogus contract, especially but not exclusively because I was contacted under false pretenses. Would your office be in a position of authority, in which you could contact all of the tenants in this building (there are 65 units, with 12 apartments numbered "#01 to #12, ie. 501 to 512, on floors 1 through 5, and 5 apartments in the basement level, which are numbered 1 to 5), to see how many tenants were actually "scared" into signing contracts with Universal Energy under false pretenses? As I already stated, their representative was not even supposed to be on the premises "soliciting" in the first place. Just for the sake of your information, the building superintendent is located in Apt. 110. Even in my capacity as a tenant, I am not allowed to solicit within the building and, if I were to contact other tenants about this matter, it would be considered by the landlord as a direct violation of their "No Solicitation" policy.
This is not intended to reflect negatively on your office, but I am also sending a copy of this correspondence to the office of Premier McGuinty, via his website. I personally feel that this matter has gone on for far too long with no resolution and a province-wide investigation, regarding the practices of Universal Energy Corporation, should be implemented. I have no doubt that you will find many other consumers, who will have similar and/or identical complaints about Universal Energy, as mine. At the very end of this correspondence, I am including a copy of the correspondence I received via e-mail from the Premier's office, as well as a copy of the webpage through which I directly submitted a copy of this correspondence to Premier McGuinty's office.
Sincerely, S____
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Rosa
To: _____________________
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 1:00 PM
Subject: RE: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Ref#2006-1945
Hello S_____
Thank you for your email to the Board dated July 27, 2006 regarding your issues with Universal Energy. Unfortunately Jeremy is no longer at the Board so I will advise you now.
Our contact at universal is Vanessa Anesetti. If she is calling you it is directly due to Jeremy contacting her on your behalf. Please call her back to resolve this issue. She will report back to us once she has spoken to you and ensured a resolution.
I do understand your concerns however she is trustworthy and I do hope she will be helpful. You may ask her to follow up your conversation by sending you a letter.
Regards,
Joe Rosa
Consumer Relations Centre
Ontario Energy Board
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ___________________
Sent: July 27, 2006 8:55 PM
To: Complaints
Cc: customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Subject: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Importance: High
Dear Jeremy:
I received a telephone voice message from a "Vanessa" at Universal Energy Compliance Dept., requesting that I telephone her regarding my ongoing complaint about Universal Energy and their representative who was in my home. My telephone display registered the number 416-224-9182 at 1:47 p.m. today. She asked me to telephone her at Extension 504, 1-877-672-5500 or after 5:00 p.m. to ask for Evelyn at Extension 502.
I do not trust any verbal communication with them, since I could be misrepresented on any point at any time, in the same way their representative deliberately misrepresented himself in my home.
The crux of my complaint is initially based on the fact that from my first contact with the representative of Universal Energy, who was in my home, misrepresented himself and his organization. He specifically made a point of advising me that he was not a salesman. This was before I even opened my door more than a crack and in direct reply when I specifically asked him if he was a sales rep of any kind. I placed strong emphasis on this statement from him, and specifically advised him that under no circumstances do I ever open my door to sales persons, for any reason. He repeatedly assured me that he was not there to sell me anything, but instead to strictly advise me as a consumer about the pending increases to electricity rates. He advised me that the first increase would be a 100% increase in the rates, from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh, eventually becoming 20 cent/kwh. He told me that I was signing an agreement to simply lock in my energy rates to protect myself from energy rates that were doubling, then quadrupling from the 5 cent/kwh rate. He never represented himself as a salesperson of any kind. Instead, he presented himself as a consumer advocate. He assured me that my rates would always be lower and fixed, thereby protecting me no matter how high the energy rates increased. He employed blatant scare tactics concerning the rate increases, but never once told me he was a sales rep for Universal Energy. I always thought he was a representative from a consumer advocacy group and he never told me otherwise or even intimated that he was a sale rep..
He was in my apartment long enough, to tell me at any time that he was actually a salesperson, at which time I would have ordered him to leave immediately. We even discussed ways to conserve energy, and I told him the many methods I personally use to conserve energy, beginning with replacing my electrical bulbs with fluorescent bulbs as soon as possible after I moved here in August of 1994, further explaining how much more expensive they were in the 1990s than they are today. I also told him how infrequently I use my own car, running all of my errands together about twice a month, rather than wasting gas by running individual errands on different days. He definitely came across, to me, as a consumer advocate and not a sales person!
Hope to get rid of these parasites from Universal Energy very soon. I have to wonder how many others they scared into signing contracts under false pretenses.
S__________
PROOF OF MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH PREMIER MCGUINTY'S OFFICE:
----- Original Message -----
From: Premier's Website
To: __________________
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 8:43 AM
Subject: Send The Premier Your Thoughts
Thanks for your online message.
I often say that Ontario works best when we work together, so hearing from you is important to me.
Every letter and message I receive is read and reviewed carefully. If your message requires an answer, we'll do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can.
Given the volume of online messages and letters I receive, and the fact that I may need to share your message with one of my cabinet ministers or the appropriate government officials for more information, a response may take several business days.
Thanks again for taking the time to write me.
Premier Dalton McGuinty
Government of Ontario
Whitney Block, Room 4620
99 Wellesley St. W.
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Fax: (416) 325-3745
Telephone: (416) 325-3777
* * *
Please note that this e-mail account is not monitored. For further inquiries, please direct your online message through http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp.
Confidentiality Warning: This e-mail contains information intended only for the use of the individual named above. If you have received this e-mail in error, we would appreciate it if you could advise us through the Premier's website at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp and destroy all copies of this message. Thank you.
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Dear Joseph:
I tried to reach Vanessa Anesetti last week, reaching her voice mail and leaving a message for her, but I have heard nothing from her yet. In my message, I added that I had sent several e-mail messages to her via the Universal Energy website, of course copies of which were also sent to your office. I still and adamantly maintain that their representative entered my apartment under false pretenses, insisting even upon my direct questioning several times, that he was not a salesperson, prior to and after entering my home. This is absolutely ridiculous! I find it even more appalling that he used scare tactics, under the pretense of being a consumer advocate, advising me that the first utility rate increase would be 100% (from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh) and in due course, would actually increase to 20 cents/kwh. This is what he directly and specifically quoted to me personally, elaborating that the "alleged" contract would protect me from those huge increases, by locking in the amount I would be charged per kwh and ultimately protecting me from these huge increases.
The company, which owns my apartment building, has a very stringent policy against solicitation on all rental properties which they own, even to the point of posting "No Solicitation" signs in the lobbies and foyers of their buildings. This policy can be confirmed by contacting the landlord, Homestead Land Holdings Limited, 80 Johnson Street, Kingston, ON K7L 1X7, PH: 613-546-1146 (downtown main rental office), e-mail address: homesteadkingston@cogeco.net. You may confirm this policy by contacting them and making a general inquiry, as to their policy concerning solicitation in all of their rental units, via either method. You will find that, ultimately, this Universal Energy representative was NOT supposed to be on the premises AT ALL. To the best of my knowledge, the only solicitation which the landlord allows at their rental units, are solicitations which are required by law, which would be politicians campaigning at election times and government election/census-related matters. I reiterate that there is a "No Solicitation" sign posted at the entrance to the building. The building is also a "Security building", meaning that in order for non-residents to enter the premises at all, they must enter a security code and be "buzzed" into the building in the first place. How did this representative of Universal Energy even gain access to the tenants in the building, in the first place???
Adding insult to injury, if you review my initial e-mail contacts with your office, you will find that when I first contacted Universal Energy regarding my complaints, I was not only advised that they have no "e-mail address" which I could contact, I was also advised that they had neither an extension number nor a contact person if there was an extension number, through which I could lodge a complaint. You will also find that, the very first time I contacted your office with my complaint, I spoke with Jeremy. He immediately advised me to contact Vanessa Anesetti directly, providing me with her address at their head office. The e-mail which I sent to Jeremy, which included that information, I printed out and immediately that day sent in the mail through Canada Post Corporation, to Ms. Anesetti.
As I have previously stated, I will settle for nothing less than the total annihilation of the bogus contract, especially but not exclusively because I was contacted under false pretenses. Would your office be in a position of authority, in which you could contact all of the tenants in this building (there are 65 units, with 12 apartments numbered "#01 to #12, ie. 501 to 512, on floors 1 through 5, and 5 apartments in the basement level, which are numbered 1 to 5), to see how many tenants were actually "scared" into signing contracts with Universal Energy under false pretenses? As I already stated, their representative was not even supposed to be on the premises "soliciting" in the first place. Just for the sake of your information, the building superintendent is located in Apt. 110. Even in my capacity as a tenant, I am not allowed to solicit within the building and, if I were to contact other tenants about this matter, it would be considered by the landlord as a direct violation of their "No Solicitation" policy.
This is not intended to reflect negatively on your office, but I am also sending a copy of this correspondence to the office of Premier McGuinty, via his website. I personally feel that this matter has gone on for far too long with no resolution and a province-wide investigation, regarding the practices of Universal Energy Corporation, should be implemented. I have no doubt that you will find many other consumers, who will have similar and/or identical complaints about Universal Energy, as mine.
Sincerely, S____
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Rosa
To: ____________________
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 1:00 PM
Subject: RE: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Ref#2006-1945
Hello S_____
Thank you for your email to the Board dated July 27, 2006 regarding your issues with Universal Energy. Unfortunately Jeremy is no longer at the Board so I will advise you now.
Our contact at universal is Vanessa Anesetti. If she is calling you it is directly due to Jeremy contacting her on your behalf. Please call her back to resolve this issue. She will report back to us once she has spoken to you and ensured a resolution.
I do understand your concerns however she is trustworthy and I do hope she will be helpful. You may ask her to follow up your conversation by sending you a letter.
Regards,
Joe Rosa
Consumer Relations Centre
Ontario Energy Board
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ____________________
Sent: July 27, 2006 8:55 PM
To: Complaints
Cc: customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Subject: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Importance: High
Dear Jeremy:
I received a telephone voice message from a "Vanessa" at Universal Energy Compliance Dept., requesting that I telephone her regarding my ongoing complaint about Universal Energy and their representative who was in my home. My telephone display registered the number 416-224-9182 at 1:47 p.m. today. She asked me to telephone her at Extension 504, 1-877-672-5500 or after 5:00 p.m. to ask for Evelyn at Extension 502.
I do not trust any verbal communication with them, since I could be misrepresented on any point at any time, in the same way their representative deliberately misrepresented himself in my home.
The crux of my complaint is initially based on the fact that from my first contact with the representative of Universal Energy, who was in my home, misrepresented himself and his organization. He specifically made a point of advising me that he was not a salesman. This was before I even opened my door more than a crack and in direct reply when I specifically asked him if he was a sales rep of any kind. I placed strong emphasis on this statement from him, and specifically advised him that under no circumstances do I ever open my door to sales persons, for any reason. He repeatedly assured me that he was not there to sell me anything, but instead to strictly advise me as a consumer about the pending increases to electricity rates. He advised me that the first increase would be a 100% increase in the rates, from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh, eventually becoming 20 cent/kwh. He told me that I was signing an agreement to simply lock in my energy rates to protect myself from energy rates that were doubling, then quadrupling from the 5 cent/kwh rate. He never represented himself as a salesperson of any kind. Instead, he presented himself as a consumer advocate. He assured me that my rates would always be lower and fixed, thereby protecting me no matter how high the energy rates increased. He employed blatant scare tactics concerning the rate increases, but never once told me he was a sales rep for Universal Energy. I always thought he was a representative from a consumer advocacy group and he never told me otherwise or even intimated that he was a sale rep..
He was in my apartment long enough, to tell me at any time that he was actually a salesperson, at which time I would have ordered him to leave immediately. We even discussed ways to conserve energy, and I told him the many methods I personally use to conserve energy, beginning with replacing my electrical bulbs with fluorescent bulbs as soon as possible after I moved here in August of 1994, further explaining how much more expensive they were in the 1990s than they are today. I also told him how infrequently I use my own car, running all of my errands together about twice a month, rather than wasting gas by running individual errands on different days. He definitely came across, to me, as a consumer advocate and not a sales person!
Hope to get rid of these parasites from Universal Energy very soon. I have to wonder how many others they scared into signing contracts under false pretenses.
S_________
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----- Original Message -----
From: ___________________
To: Joseph Rosa ; customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 1:00 AM
Subject: As of August 16, 2006, Universal Energy Still Refuses to cancel contract; Universal Energy forward immediately to Vanessa Anesetti
Subject: As of August 16, 2006, Universal Energy Still Refuses to cancel contract; Universal Energy forward immediately to Vanessa Anesetti
Dear Joseph:
Despite my many complaints, the typewritten letter I sent to Vanessa Anesetti at Universal Energy (as per Jeremy's instructions when I first contacted your office nearly a month ago), the fact that their representative directly lied to me (telling me he was not a salesman, but a consumer advocate instead), they still are refusing to cancel the contract that was obtained under false pretenses.
On Thursday, August 10th, I contacted their office. I hung up the phone when the representative in the Compliance Dept. (I believe it was Vanessa) replied to my repeated requests to cancel the contract, by saying "If we decide to cancel the contract". I immediately hung up after making a hasty reply to her.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?????? I followed their requests, to the letter, for canceling the contract, and the instructions I received from you and Jeremy at your office. Copies of all correspondence have been sent directly to Universal Energy, including my letter of complaint to Premier McGuinty.
Please consider this matter unresolved and actively pursue an investigation into their illegal practices and procedures immediately. Also please ensure that, since I was tricked into signing a contract, which I was lead to believe was an agreement to protect me from high energy prices but in fact was a contract guaranteeing Universal Energy profits and not protecting me from increasing rates at all, that the entire contract be cancelled as though it never occurred.
Please get back to me ASAP. I am also sending a copy of this correspondence to Premier McGuinty. I am copying this correspondence and submitting it through his site. Just like with the last correspondence I forwarded to the Premier's office, below, I shall copy the automatic reply that I will receive from his office, which confirms that my complaint has been received.
S____
CONFIRMATION E-MAIL THAT MY LETTER OF COMPLAINT WAS RECEIVED BY THE PREMIER'S OFFICE:
----- Original Message -----
From: Premier's Website
To: ___________________
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:58 AM
Subject: Send The Premier Your Thoughts
Thanks for your online message.
I often say that Ontario works best when we work together, so hearing from you is important to me.
Every letter and message I receive is read and reviewed carefully. If your message requires an answer, we'll do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can.
Given the volume of online messages and letters I receive, and the fact that I may need to share your message with one of my cabinet ministers or the appropriate government officials for more information, a response may take several business days.
Thanks again for taking the time to write me.
Premier Dalton McGuinty
Government of Ontario
Whitney Block, Room 4620
99 Wellesley St. W.
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Fax: (416) 325-3745
Telephone: (416) 325-3777
* * *
Please note that this e-mail account is not monitored. For further inquiries, please direct your online message through http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp.
Confidentiality Warning: This e-mail contains information intended only for the use of the individual named above. If you have received this e-mail in error, we would appreciate it if you could advise us through the Premier's website at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp and destroy all copies of this message. Thank you.
Have you been scammed by the Universal Energy Corporation? Someone from their corporation knocked at my door on April 12, 2006. I live in a "security" apartment building in which solicitation is prohibited. The landlord has signs posted stating that fact. Before I even opened the door more than a crack with the chain on and before I could ask him, the man immediately advised me that he was not a salesman. I told him that solicitation was prohibited in the building and I would not open my door to "salespersons". He advised and repeatedly assured me that he was there to inform consumers about the deregulation of utilities by the Provincial Government, how the first increase in July would be from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh (100% increase) , and how it would increase by 2008 to 20 cents/kwh (400% increase). He further advised he was acting as a consumer advocate and stated that, if I signed up immediately for a "fixed rate", I would be protected from the bloated electricity rate increases, by having my rate frozen at 8.63 cents/kwh. While he was here, we discussed many different ways to conserve energy (not just electricity), and I told him many of the ways I personally conserve energy, for example by using all fluorescent bulbs. Several times I again asked if he was a salesman just to be sure, and he repeatedly assured me he was not, that he was a consumer advocate, going door-to-door to simply educate consumers. He certainly educated me! Like a moron, I even offered and served him a cold beverage believe it or not, while this "jerk was nailing me to the barn door".
I received my Electric bill from the local utilities company in July. The rate had increased from 5 to 5.8 cents/kwh. I had unknowingly signed a "contract" with an independent utility company for a much higher rate, without even knowing it! Of course he did not tell me that!!!!!! Someone please advise me if you think I am wrong about this. The document which allegedly fixed my electric rate at 8.63 cents/kwh is supposed to protect me and keep my electricity rates frozen at a fixed rate, subsequently saving me money immediately and forever. The Ontario Energy Board set the rate at 5.8 cents/kwh. Am I actually saving money??? Of course not. It is costing me nearly 3 cents/kwh more than that set out by the Provincial Government OEB, all profit to Universal Energy, especially since the billing is still done by the local utility company!
That was on July 14/06. Straight away, I contacted Universal Energy to file a complaint and cancel the contract immediately. They refused to cancel it. I was told that I would have to contact their Compliance Dept. When I asked to be transferred to the Dept., I was advised they have no telephone extension and, even if they did, there was no one on site to speak with at any time. I asked for an e-mail address, so I could cancel the contract immediately and was advised they have no e-mail address. I was provided with an address and told that I had to fax or send a letter by "snail mail" to cancel. I asked to speak with a manager or someone in a position of authority, but the woman to whom I was transferred was equally uncooperative about all of my above concerns.
Immediately I telephoned the Ontario Energy Board and lodged an official complaint. Jeremy at OEB advised me that the way I was treated was typical and advised me to send the letter to Vanessa Anesetti, the Manager at Universal. I did it that afternoon. As of today, Wed. Aug. 16, 2006, they are refusing to cancel the contract, even though I have repeatedly explained how their rep misrepresented himself right from the beginning. They refuse to put anything in writing and are argumentative, insolent, and uncooperative on the phone. I have spoken with others at their office, but mostly with Anesetti.
Please go to http://universalenergycorpscam.blogspot.com/ to see some of the e-mail complaints I have made, not only to Universal Energy, but also the OEB and even Premier McGuinty. This information will be posted there, followed by copies of some of my correspondences and written complaints.
I am sure that I am not the only person, not only in Kingston, but also in Ontario, who is being scammed by these people. You may file complaints with the Ontario Energy Board at www.oeb.gov.on.ca (e-mail info@oeb.gov.on.ca) if you were also scammed by Universal Energy. Perhaps if enough people file complaints, they can do something about them. I don't know if it will help, but you may try contacting McGuinty at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/home/default.asp?lang=EN. I personally have not found him (or my local MPP) to be helpful with other issues, but you never know, he may surprise me this time. He used to have an e-mail address, but there is a link on the page to contact him and you may submit your complaint directly through his site.
If anyone doubts the voracity of what I have stated, contact Universal Energy yourself. Pit Bulls were banned in Ontario, and yet these more ferocious and disreputable companies are not!
If anyone out there has any success, please let me know.
BELOW ARE SOME OF MY CORRESPONDENCS, IN MY DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO GET OUT OF THIS CONTRACT, WHICH I WAS TRICKED INTO SIGNING.:
----- Original Message -----
From: ___________________
To: complaints@oeb.gov.on.ca
Cc: customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Sent: Thursday, July 27, 2006 8:55 PM
Subject: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Dear Jeremy:
I received a telephone voice message from a "Vanessa" at Universal Energy Compliance Dept., requesting that I telephone her regarding my ongoing complaint about Universal Energy and their representative who was in my home. My telephone display registered the number 416-224-9182 at 1:47 p.m. today. She asked me to telephone her at Extension 504, 1-877-672-5500 or after 5:00 p.m. to ask for Evelyn at Extension 502.
I do not trust any verbal communication with them, since I could be misrepresented on any point at any time, in the same way their representative deliberately misrepresented himself in my home.
The crux of my complaint is initially based on the fact that from my first contact with the representative of Universal Energy, who was in my home, misrepresented himself and his organization. He specifically made a point of advising me that he was not a salesman. This was before I even opened my door more than a crack and in direct reply when I specifically asked him if he was a sales rep of any kind. I placed strong emphasis on this statement from him, and specifically advised him that under no circumstances do I ever open my door to sales persons, for any reason. He repeatedly assured me that he was not there to sell me anything, but instead to strictly advise me as a consumer about the pending increases to electricity rates. He advised me that the first increase would be a 100% increase in the rates, from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh, eventually becoming 20 cent/kwh. He told me that I was signing an agreement to simply lock in my energy rates to protect myself from energy rates that were doubling, then quadrupling from the 5 cent/kwh rate. He never represented himself as a salesperson of any kind. Instead, he presented himself as a consumer advocate. He assured me that my rates would always be lower and fixed, thereby protecting me no matter how high the energy rates increased. He employed blatant scare tactics concerning the rate increases, but never once told me he was a sales rep for Universal Energy. I always thought he was a representative from a consumer advocacy group and he never told me otherwise or even intimated that he was a sale rep..
He was in my apartment long enough, to tell me at any time that he was actually a salesperson, at which time I would have ordered him to leave immediately. We even discussed ways to conserve energy, and I told him the many methods I personally use to conserve energy, beginning with replacing my electrical bulbs with fluorescent bulbs as soon as possible after I moved here in August of 1994, further explaining how much more expensive they were in the 1990s than they are today. I also told him how infrequently I use my own car, running all of my errands together about twice a month, rather than wasting gas by running individual errands on different days. He definitely came across, to me, as a consumer advocate and not a sales person!
Hope to get rid of these parasites from Universal Energy very soon. I have to wonder how many others they scared into signing contracts under false pretenses.
S_________
____________________________________________________________________________________
----- Original Message -----
From: ___________________
To: Joseph Rosa ; customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 8:48 AM
Subject: OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23 regarding Universal Energy Corporation
Dear Joseph:
I tried to reach Vanessa Anesetti last week, reaching her voice mail and leaving a message for her, but I have heard nothing from her yet. In my message, I added that I had sent several e-mail messages to her via the Universal Energy website, of course copies of which were also sent to your office. I still and adamantly maintain that their representative entered my apartment under false pretenses, insisting even upon my direct questioning several times, that he was not a salesperson, prior to and after entering my home. This is absolutely ridiculous! I find it even more appalling that he used scare tactics, under the pretense of being a consumer advocate, advising me that the first utility rate increase would be 100% (from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh) and in due course, would actually increase to 20 cents/kwh. This is what he directly and specifically quoted to me personally, elaborating that the "alleged" contract would protect me from those huge increases, by locking in the amount I would be charged per kwh and ultimately protecting me from these huge increases.
The company, which owns my apartment building, has a very stringent policy against solicitation on all rental properties which they own, even to the point of posting "No Solicitation" signs in the lobbies and foyers of their buildings. This policy can be confirmed by contacting the landlord, Homestead Land Holdings Limited, 80 Johnson Street, Kingston, ON K7L 1X7, PH: 613-546-1146 (downtown main rental office), e-mail address: homesteadkingston@cogeco.net. You may confirm this policy by contacting them and making a general inquiry, as to their policy concerning solicitation in all of their rental units, via either method. You will find that, ultimately, this Universal Energy representative was NOT supposed to be on the premises AT ALL. To the best of my knowledge, the only solicitation which the landlord allows at their rental units, are solicitations which are required by law, which would be politicians campaigning at election times and government election/census-related matters. I reiterate that there is a "No Solicitation" sign posted at the entrance to the building. The building is also a "Security building", meaning that in order for non-residents to enter the premises at all, they must enter a security code and be "buzzed" into the building in the first place. How did this representative of Universal Energy even gain access to the tenants in the building, in the first place???
Adding insult to injury, if you review my initial e-mail contacts with your office, you will find that when I first contacted Universal Energy regarding my complaints, I was not only advised that they have no "e-mail address" which I could contact, I was also advised that they had neither an extension number nor a contact person if there was an extension number, through which I could lodge a complaint. You will also find that, the very first time I contacted your office with my complaint, I spoke with Jeremy. He immediately advised me to contact Vanessa Anesetti directly, providing me with her address at their head office. The e-mail which I sent to Jeremy, which included that information, I printed out and immediately that day sent in the mail through Canada Post Corporation, to Ms. Anesetti.
As I have previously stated, I will settle for nothing less than the total annihilation of the bogus contract, especially but not exclusively because I was contacted under false pretenses. Would your office be in a position of authority, in which you could contact all of the tenants in this building (there are 65 units, with 12 apartments numbered "#01 to #12, ie. 501 to 512, on floors 1 through 5, and 5 apartments in the basement level, which are numbered 1 to 5), to see how many tenants were actually "scared" into signing contracts with Universal Energy under false pretenses? As I already stated, their representative was not even supposed to be on the premises "soliciting" in the first place. Just for the sake of your information, the building superintendent is located in Apt. 110. Even in my capacity as a tenant, I am not allowed to solicit within the building and, if I were to contact other tenants about this matter, it would be considered by the landlord as a direct violation of their "No Solicitation" policy.
This is not intended to reflect negatively on your office, but I am also sending a copy of this correspondence to the office of Premier McGuinty, via his website. I personally feel that this matter has gone on for far too long with no resolution and a province-wide investigation, regarding the practices of Universal Energy Corporation, should be implemented. I have no doubt that you will find many other consumers, who will have similar and/or identical complaints about Universal Energy, as mine. At the very end of this correspondence, I am including a copy of the correspondence I received via e-mail from the Premier's office, as well as a copy of the webpage through which I directly submitted a copy of this correspondence to Premier McGuinty's office.
Sincerely, S____
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Rosa
To: _____________________
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 1:00 PM
Subject: RE: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Ref#2006-1945
Hello S_____
Thank you for your email to the Board dated July 27, 2006 regarding your issues with Universal Energy. Unfortunately Jeremy is no longer at the Board so I will advise you now.
Our contact at universal is Vanessa Anesetti. If she is calling you it is directly due to Jeremy contacting her on your behalf. Please call her back to resolve this issue. She will report back to us once she has spoken to you and ensured a resolution.
I do understand your concerns however she is trustworthy and I do hope she will be helpful. You may ask her to follow up your conversation by sending you a letter.
Regards,
Joe Rosa
Consumer Relations Centre
Ontario Energy Board
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ___________________
Sent: July 27, 2006 8:55 PM
To: Complaints
Cc: customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Subject: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Importance: High
Dear Jeremy:
I received a telephone voice message from a "Vanessa" at Universal Energy Compliance Dept., requesting that I telephone her regarding my ongoing complaint about Universal Energy and their representative who was in my home. My telephone display registered the number 416-224-9182 at 1:47 p.m. today. She asked me to telephone her at Extension 504, 1-877-672-5500 or after 5:00 p.m. to ask for Evelyn at Extension 502.
I do not trust any verbal communication with them, since I could be misrepresented on any point at any time, in the same way their representative deliberately misrepresented himself in my home.
The crux of my complaint is initially based on the fact that from my first contact with the representative of Universal Energy, who was in my home, misrepresented himself and his organization. He specifically made a point of advising me that he was not a salesman. This was before I even opened my door more than a crack and in direct reply when I specifically asked him if he was a sales rep of any kind. I placed strong emphasis on this statement from him, and specifically advised him that under no circumstances do I ever open my door to sales persons, for any reason. He repeatedly assured me that he was not there to sell me anything, but instead to strictly advise me as a consumer about the pending increases to electricity rates. He advised me that the first increase would be a 100% increase in the rates, from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh, eventually becoming 20 cent/kwh. He told me that I was signing an agreement to simply lock in my energy rates to protect myself from energy rates that were doubling, then quadrupling from the 5 cent/kwh rate. He never represented himself as a salesperson of any kind. Instead, he presented himself as a consumer advocate. He assured me that my rates would always be lower and fixed, thereby protecting me no matter how high the energy rates increased. He employed blatant scare tactics concerning the rate increases, but never once told me he was a sales rep for Universal Energy. I always thought he was a representative from a consumer advocacy group and he never told me otherwise or even intimated that he was a sale rep..
He was in my apartment long enough, to tell me at any time that he was actually a salesperson, at which time I would have ordered him to leave immediately. We even discussed ways to conserve energy, and I told him the many methods I personally use to conserve energy, beginning with replacing my electrical bulbs with fluorescent bulbs as soon as possible after I moved here in August of 1994, further explaining how much more expensive they were in the 1990s than they are today. I also told him how infrequently I use my own car, running all of my errands together about twice a month, rather than wasting gas by running individual errands on different days. He definitely came across, to me, as a consumer advocate and not a sales person!
Hope to get rid of these parasites from Universal Energy very soon. I have to wonder how many others they scared into signing contracts under false pretenses.
S__________
PROOF OF MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH PREMIER MCGUINTY'S OFFICE:
----- Original Message -----
From: Premier's Website
To: __________________
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 8:43 AM
Subject: Send The Premier Your Thoughts
Thanks for your online message.
I often say that Ontario works best when we work together, so hearing from you is important to me.
Every letter and message I receive is read and reviewed carefully. If your message requires an answer, we'll do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can.
Given the volume of online messages and letters I receive, and the fact that I may need to share your message with one of my cabinet ministers or the appropriate government officials for more information, a response may take several business days.
Thanks again for taking the time to write me.
Premier Dalton McGuinty
Government of Ontario
Whitney Block, Room 4620
99 Wellesley St. W.
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Fax: (416) 325-3745
Telephone: (416) 325-3777
* * *
Please note that this e-mail account is not monitored. For further inquiries, please direct your online message through http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp.
Confidentiality Warning: This e-mail contains information intended only for the use of the individual named above. If you have received this e-mail in error, we would appreciate it if you could advise us through the Premier's website at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp and destroy all copies of this message. Thank you.
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My message to Dalton:
Dear Joseph:
I tried to reach Vanessa Anesetti last week, reaching her voice mail and leaving a message for her, but I have heard nothing from her yet. In my message, I added that I had sent several e-mail messages to her via the Universal Energy website, of course copies of which were also sent to your office. I still and adamantly maintain that their representative entered my apartment under false pretenses, insisting even upon my direct questioning several times, that he was not a salesperson, prior to and after entering my home. This is absolutely ridiculous! I find it even more appalling that he used scare tactics, under the pretense of being a consumer advocate, advising me that the first utility rate increase would be 100% (from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh) and in due course, would actually increase to 20 cents/kwh. This is what he directly and specifically quoted to me personally, elaborating that the "alleged" contract would protect me from those huge increases, by locking in the amount I would be charged per kwh and ultimately protecting me from these huge increases.
The company, which owns my apartment building, has a very stringent policy against solicitation on all rental properties which they own, even to the point of posting "No Solicitation" signs in the lobbies and foyers of their buildings. This policy can be confirmed by contacting the landlord, Homestead Land Holdings Limited, 80 Johnson Street, Kingston, ON K7L 1X7, PH: 613-546-1146 (downtown main rental office), e-mail address: homesteadkingston@cogeco.net. You may confirm this policy by contacting them and making a general inquiry, as to their policy concerning solicitation in all of their rental units, via either method. You will find that, ultimately, this Universal Energy representative was NOT supposed to be on the premises AT ALL. To the best of my knowledge, the only solicitation which the landlord allows at their rental units, are solicitations which are required by law, which would be politicians campaigning at election times and government election/census-related matters. I reiterate that there is a "No Solicitation" sign posted at the entrance to the building. The building is also a "Security building", meaning that in order for non-residents to enter the premises at all, they must enter a security code and be "buzzed" into the building in the first place. How did this representative of Universal Energy even gain access to the tenants in the building, in the first place???
Adding insult to injury, if you review my initial e-mail contacts with your office, you will find that when I first contacted Universal Energy regarding my complaints, I was not only advised that they have no "e-mail address" which I could contact, I was also advised that they had neither an extension number nor a contact person if there was an extension number, through which I could lodge a complaint. You will also find that, the very first time I contacted your office with my complaint, I spoke with Jeremy. He immediately advised me to contact Vanessa Anesetti directly, providing me with her address at their head office. The e-mail which I sent to Jeremy, which included that information, I printed out and immediately that day sent in the mail through Canada Post Corporation, to Ms. Anesetti.
As I have previously stated, I will settle for nothing less than the total annihilation of the bogus contract, especially but not exclusively because I was contacted under false pretenses. Would your office be in a position of authority, in which you could contact all of the tenants in this building (there are 65 units, with 12 apartments numbered "#01 to #12, ie. 501 to 512, on floors 1 through 5, and 5 apartments in the basement level, which are numbered 1 to 5), to see how many tenants were actually "scared" into signing contracts with Universal Energy under false pretenses? As I already stated, their representative was not even supposed to be on the premises "soliciting" in the first place. Just for the sake of your information, the building superintendent is located in Apt. 110. Even in my capacity as a tenant, I am not allowed to solicit within the building and, if I were to contact other tenants about this matter, it would be considered by the landlord as a direct violation of their "No Solicitation" policy.
This is not intended to reflect negatively on your office, but I am also sending a copy of this correspondence to the office of Premier McGuinty, via his website. I personally feel that this matter has gone on for far too long with no resolution and a province-wide investigation, regarding the practices of Universal Energy Corporation, should be implemented. I have no doubt that you will find many other consumers, who will have similar and/or identical complaints about Universal Energy, as mine.
Sincerely, S____
----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Rosa
To: ____________________
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 1:00 PM
Subject: RE: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Ref#2006-1945
Hello S_____
Thank you for your email to the Board dated July 27, 2006 regarding your issues with Universal Energy. Unfortunately Jeremy is no longer at the Board so I will advise you now.
Our contact at universal is Vanessa Anesetti. If she is calling you it is directly due to Jeremy contacting her on your behalf. Please call her back to resolve this issue. She will report back to us once she has spoken to you and ensured a resolution.
I do understand your concerns however she is trustworthy and I do hope she will be helpful. You may ask her to follow up your conversation by sending you a letter.
Regards,
Joe Rosa
Consumer Relations Centre
Ontario Energy Board
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ____________________
Sent: July 27, 2006 8:55 PM
To: Complaints
Cc: customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Subject: Please pass on to Jeremy re OEB Complaint File No. 2006-037-23
Importance: High
Dear Jeremy:
I received a telephone voice message from a "Vanessa" at Universal Energy Compliance Dept., requesting that I telephone her regarding my ongoing complaint about Universal Energy and their representative who was in my home. My telephone display registered the number 416-224-9182 at 1:47 p.m. today. She asked me to telephone her at Extension 504, 1-877-672-5500 or after 5:00 p.m. to ask for Evelyn at Extension 502.
I do not trust any verbal communication with them, since I could be misrepresented on any point at any time, in the same way their representative deliberately misrepresented himself in my home.
The crux of my complaint is initially based on the fact that from my first contact with the representative of Universal Energy, who was in my home, misrepresented himself and his organization. He specifically made a point of advising me that he was not a salesman. This was before I even opened my door more than a crack and in direct reply when I specifically asked him if he was a sales rep of any kind. I placed strong emphasis on this statement from him, and specifically advised him that under no circumstances do I ever open my door to sales persons, for any reason. He repeatedly assured me that he was not there to sell me anything, but instead to strictly advise me as a consumer about the pending increases to electricity rates. He advised me that the first increase would be a 100% increase in the rates, from 5 cents/kwh to 10 cents/kwh, eventually becoming 20 cent/kwh. He told me that I was signing an agreement to simply lock in my energy rates to protect myself from energy rates that were doubling, then quadrupling from the 5 cent/kwh rate. He never represented himself as a salesperson of any kind. Instead, he presented himself as a consumer advocate. He assured me that my rates would always be lower and fixed, thereby protecting me no matter how high the energy rates increased. He employed blatant scare tactics concerning the rate increases, but never once told me he was a sales rep for Universal Energy. I always thought he was a representative from a consumer advocacy group and he never told me otherwise or even intimated that he was a sale rep..
He was in my apartment long enough, to tell me at any time that he was actually a salesperson, at which time I would have ordered him to leave immediately. We even discussed ways to conserve energy, and I told him the many methods I personally use to conserve energy, beginning with replacing my electrical bulbs with fluorescent bulbs as soon as possible after I moved here in August of 1994, further explaining how much more expensive they were in the 1990s than they are today. I also told him how infrequently I use my own car, running all of my errands together about twice a month, rather than wasting gas by running individual errands on different days. He definitely came across, to me, as a consumer advocate and not a sales person!
Hope to get rid of these parasites from Universal Energy very soon. I have to wonder how many others they scared into signing contracts under false pretenses.
S_________
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----- Original Message -----
From: ___________________
To: Joseph Rosa ; customerservice@universalenergy.ca
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 1:00 AM
Subject: As of August 16, 2006, Universal Energy Still Refuses to cancel contract; Universal Energy forward immediately to Vanessa Anesetti
Subject: As of August 16, 2006, Universal Energy Still Refuses to cancel contract; Universal Energy forward immediately to Vanessa Anesetti
Dear Joseph:
Despite my many complaints, the typewritten letter I sent to Vanessa Anesetti at Universal Energy (as per Jeremy's instructions when I first contacted your office nearly a month ago), the fact that their representative directly lied to me (telling me he was not a salesman, but a consumer advocate instead), they still are refusing to cancel the contract that was obtained under false pretenses.
On Thursday, August 10th, I contacted their office. I hung up the phone when the representative in the Compliance Dept. (I believe it was Vanessa) replied to my repeated requests to cancel the contract, by saying "If we decide to cancel the contract". I immediately hung up after making a hasty reply to her.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?????? I followed their requests, to the letter, for canceling the contract, and the instructions I received from you and Jeremy at your office. Copies of all correspondence have been sent directly to Universal Energy, including my letter of complaint to Premier McGuinty.
Please consider this matter unresolved and actively pursue an investigation into their illegal practices and procedures immediately. Also please ensure that, since I was tricked into signing a contract, which I was lead to believe was an agreement to protect me from high energy prices but in fact was a contract guaranteeing Universal Energy profits and not protecting me from increasing rates at all, that the entire contract be cancelled as though it never occurred.
Please get back to me ASAP. I am also sending a copy of this correspondence to Premier McGuinty. I am copying this correspondence and submitting it through his site. Just like with the last correspondence I forwarded to the Premier's office, below, I shall copy the automatic reply that I will receive from his office, which confirms that my complaint has been received.
S____
CONFIRMATION E-MAIL THAT MY LETTER OF COMPLAINT WAS RECEIVED BY THE PREMIER'S OFFICE:
----- Original Message -----
From: Premier's Website
To: ___________________
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:58 AM
Subject: Send The Premier Your Thoughts
Thanks for your online message.
I often say that Ontario works best when we work together, so hearing from you is important to me.
Every letter and message I receive is read and reviewed carefully. If your message requires an answer, we'll do our best to get back to you as quickly as we can.
Given the volume of online messages and letters I receive, and the fact that I may need to share your message with one of my cabinet ministers or the appropriate government officials for more information, a response may take several business days.
Thanks again for taking the time to write me.
Premier Dalton McGuinty
Government of Ontario
Whitney Block, Room 4620
99 Wellesley St. W.
Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Fax: (416) 325-3745
Telephone: (416) 325-3777
* * *
Please note that this e-mail account is not monitored. For further inquiries, please direct your online message through http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp.
Confidentiality Warning: This e-mail contains information intended only for the use of the individual named above. If you have received this e-mail in error, we would appreciate it if you could advise us through the Premier's website at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/default.asp and destroy all copies of this message. Thank you.
posted by Kitten @ 10:49 PM
32 comments
