Direct Energy Services
Reviews and Complaints

I had a 5 year gas contract with Direct Energy which got completed in Aug 2009. I never consented to renew the contract with Direct Energy. Now I have received a bill with Direct Energy rate of 3 times the market rate for the gas. When I called Direct Energy they advised me that they automatically renewed the contract for 1 year at a predetermined high rate. I requested them to cancel the contract immediately, to which I was told that I will still be billed for next 2 billing cycle at such a astronomical rate. By doing a search on internet I noticed that I am not alone in getting cheated like this. Is there any consumer protection against such practices?

In March 2009, I was charged for two (2) Cooling protection plans - Double billing. I have called Direct Energy 5 times and each time I have been told it will be corrected in the next 1-2 months. I was told today that I will have to wait until the end of the contract term Mar 2010 to see if I was over charged.

Each time I have called I was told it would be corrected and that I would be credited the amount, now I'm being told I have to wait another 5 months befor I find out if it will be corrected - WRONG!

Direct Energy has said that if I did not pay they would turn it over to a collection agency after 3 months, why then must I wait 12 months? That is completely unacceptable.

As like many others, I have had several problems with Direct Energy. I felt the need to not only let consumers know, but also those running the company. I am sincerely hoping that making these key persons aware of how the company is operating, some changes will be made. I would encourage people to write kind, factually-based letters if you are looking for things to change. Here is the contact information that I have found:

Direct Energy
Attn: Chris Daugherty
5400 Frantz Rd., Suite 250
Dublin, Ohio
43016

Direct Energy
Attn: Genny Futrell
5400 Frantz Rd., Suite 250
Dublin, Ohio
43016

Direct Energy
Attn: Karen Shallcross
5400 Frantz Rd., Suite 250
Dublin, Ohio
43016

Direct Energy
Attn: Lisa Frizzell
111 5th Ave. S.W., Suite 1000
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3Y6
CANADA

Direct Energy
Attn:Bruce Andrew
25 Sheppard Avenue West, Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario M2N 6S6
CANADA

Direct Energy
Attn: Maura Clarke
12 Greenway Plaza, Suite 600
Houston, TX
77046

Last summer I had a Direct Energy canvaser come knocking on my door. He told me that if I switched to direct Energy, I would get a lower rate for gas and save money in the winter than if I stuck to Maintoba Hydro. This turned out to not be the case. I am paying a few points higher than my local energy and gas company and I am on a 5 year contract that is supposedly expensive to get out of. I called Direct Energy and they said that I shouldnt've been told that I would be paying a lower rate. Now I'm stuck in 5 year contract paying over $300 for gas a month.

On October 15, I allowed a Direct Energy sales agent by the name of Andrew Atkinson into my home to discuss Direct Energy’s Electricity Price Protection Plan. Mr. Atkinson was pleasant, polite, and seemed quite informed when he answered my many questions. I was hesitant to change from our utility, however, agreed to the contract in good faith believing that the fixed price would hedge our exposure to higher prices. I asked the sales agent what rate we were being charged by PowerStream, and I was told by the sales agent that we are currently being charged 7.9, and by us signing up at 8.9 with Direct Energy, we will only see a very nominal increase, if any, as “within the next few months our utility would be charging more than 8.9”, since energy costs were on the rise. Another important question the sales agent answered without hesitation was the fact that we have the smart meter. I asked whether our rate would fluctuate based on consumption and time of day usage, as specified by the smart meter literature. Mr. Atkinson assured me that the 8.9 rate that we were signing up for was for high consumption time and that there would be a cost break based on time of day usage. He stated that he did not have specific information, but that we would be receiving from Direct Energy should we decide to go ahead with contract. I trusted that Mr. Atkinson was providing factual information, honestly, and I was happy to see that Direct Energy was providing a green plan alternative.

In my recent conversation with Direct Energy, they state that I did confirm contract on phone, so I might have confirmed by telephone, but I am not 100% sure what I agreed to on the phone until I receive the recorded phone call from Direct Energy, which is apparently in the mail. However, at that time, I actually believed that I did not confirm the contract on the phone, and during the months of November and December, I had tried contacting Direct Energy at the number the sales agent provided me at [protected], as we had received notification from PowerStream of our supplier changing and I was concerned because I thought I did not confirm by telephone and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to change our supplier. I tried to make several calls before December 24, 2008, deadline and the said phone number (on the Direct Energy brochure ) was always busy. At the time, I did not recall confirming anything by phone. I believed the contract was null, so I did not worry about it, so I did not pursue any further, regrettably.

However, we now received our energy bill for January to March and our current bill is more than $200.00 than what we had paid with PowerStream. When we received our bill, I contacted Direct Energy to find out the rate we were being charged because under the bill description, no specific rate is provided, just Direct Energy Cost $300.00. I was told we are being charged 8.9 based on consumption amount provided by utility. I asked regarding smart meter and the representative told me she was not aware of any information on smart meter and I would have to call my utility. I contacted PowerStream to ask about smart meter rates and usage times and I was told that because we signed on with a retailer that the smart meter is void. In addition, I also learned that our rate with Powerstream is 5.6 and the highest being 6.5.

As per the above, I believe that the sales agent intentionally lied to me in order to make me believe that signing up with Direct Energy was in our best interest. And, at the time, I was not aware on how to read the energy bill, or else I would never have believed what the sales agent said, or signed up with Direct Energy.

Regardless, I was lied to firstly in order to allow the sales agent to talk to me, as I generally do not speak to any door-to-door solicitors. I was encouraged to talk to Mr. Atkinson because he mentioned “Direct Energy’s carbon credits and renewable energy”. In consequence, I was lied to in order to agree to signing up with Direct Energy. I was made to believe that Electricity costs were rising, when in fact they are going down, I was made to believe that if I didn’t sign at a fixed rate, I will be paying much higher rate with my utility, which again, was a lie, as we were and could be paying a significant lower rate. I, at the time, was regrettably an ignorant consumer and trusted the information being presented to me, both by the sales agent and Direct Energy’s marketing literature.

In my investigation of electricity rates and consumer information, I have learned that Direct Energy is charging the highest rate compared to its competitors, however, their sales people are making innocent and ignorant consumers believe that they are saving money, when in fact, Direct Energy is the “big bad wolf in sheep’s clothing”. Direct Energy is intentionally misleading consumers with bogus facts, fearfully coursing consumers into a fixed rate contract for their own financial gain. I am regretful that I believed that a large company in Canada could not falsify their marketing literature and allow their sales agents to outright lie.

On April 14, 2009, I contacted Direct Energy to cancel our contract with them for these reasons:

1. I do not recall confirmation contract by telephone

2. We were lied to and mislead in order to consider and sign contract

3. The fact that we live in an area with smart meter - we would like to conserve energy and receive a cost break for that and the contract with Direct Energy is not compatible with the smart meter decreased rate system.

I am awaiting the cancellation letter from Direct Energy with specific amount of penalty, as well as a recorded copy of the confirmation phone call. However, I was told by their customer service representative that I cannot cancel my service with them unless I pay their cancellation penalty, which will be over $400.00. I told her that I refuse to pay any penalty for canceling the contract. I believe that my consumers rights have been violated and I believe that my rights are protected under the Consumer Protection Act. I trust that since I am dissatisfied with the service provided by Direct Energy and I have advised Direct Energy within 6 months of commencement of service, I am protected against penalty.

She said a contract is a contract and they have a reaffirmation call confirming our agreement. We have no choice, either pay the penalty or keep them as a supplier.

Really, I would rather pay a lawyer for time to resolve this matter than to give Direct Energy another cent of my money. They have us consumers through their deceit by the "b*%(@*^%! And, what we have no choices, no resolution to help us!

I have placed a complaint to the Ontario Energy Board, sent a letter to my MPP, contacted the Star and our local paper, the Citizen regarding Direct Energy’s falsehoods and marketing gimmicks, in addition to the fact that all the Energy retailers are allowed to solicit door-to-door making people falsely fearful of rising energy costs. I am hopeful that these marketing tactics will be investigated and eradicated for consumer protection.

I will ensure that when our Gas contract comes up for renewal in two years, we will not renew with Direct Energy and I will have had done my homework to ensure that we sign up another gas supplier, who hopefully provides true, accurate, data that a consumer can trust.

I will also assure you that I will do my own door-to-door marketing in my neighbourhood and approach other consumers to provide them with the information that I have learned. I trust that I will help others make an informed decision whether to be a customer of Direct Energy. I am hopeful that many consumers will see the benefit of not renewing/cancelling their contracts with Direct Energy.

I am very dishearted my our choice and maybe we will be stuck paying for this hug mistake. But, I am hopeful with other consumers aware of this large companies tactics, that they will start losing customers, no matter the cost to us.

thank you.

Has anybody else been experiencing this? Direct Energy does not take a meter reading, but makes an "estimate" and bills you on that "estimate". After a period of about 6 months, it "corrects" the estimate with an actual reading, and invariably refunds you for its high estimates.

This is a neat scam by Direct Energy to sock its customers for interest-free "loans" under the guise of making "estimated" payments.

My bills are as high as $100 each month based on my actual reading versus their"estimate".

Shame on Direct Energy for bilking its customers to finance its operations interest-free.

Any class-action lawyers out there?

We received a bill from Direct Energy today for over $900. When I called to speak to a rep. she gave me my meter reading for the past 4 months. All of them were around/averaging 80, 000 except Decembers reading which was almost 800, 00 (over 100, 000 more). We did not have any extra appliances and we didnt even put up Christmas lights or have a Christmas tree. They said that the readings were accurate and put me on hold to call Ancore to verify (Ancore owns the meters). At that, we just moved into our small home in November. We had Direct Energy prior at our apartment and when we moved Direct Energy was suppose to mail us our $250 deposit. We never saw that check they owed us but instead put a credit on our account. When I paid our bill in January it was $193 with a zero balance after the payment cleared. Here I am today wondering how my new bill is over $900. They say this balance is pre-existing from the month of February, the month they credited my account, the month I never received a bill, and the month my meter read almost 800, 000. Thats over 100, 00 more than normal for us. What should I do?

I've had several problems with this company. First with the billing. They didn't send the bill the first two months or so and their explanation was the person supposed to come and read the meter was not available. Recently, they cut my service saying I didn't pay the last month bill. When I called and said it was paid but I didn't have the transaction number ( I needed to look on my bank account on line) they said I could pay on the phone to have the service reconnected, and you know it will take 24 hours to be reconnected.

The next day I had to call from work and try to get someone to help but nothing happened. My husband called me and asked what did I do because they reconnected the power very soon in the morning. They waited after my husband went out for a moment. He saw the car of the company getting out the building when he was getting back home.

No sorry calls or notes. I switch to another company just now. It's all bout costumer service, people. Also I think is ilegal to come to your house without a notice and cut your power knowing there might be children or sick people that need the power to survive or medical purposes.

There is something that concerns me regarding Direct Energy, their accounting procedures, and their unwarranted rude treatment of good standing customers. I have had the displeasure of being a Direct energy customer since August of 2007 when the building I moved into suggested them as a service provider because they have an agreed upon rate. Not having dealt with this company before, I went along with the rest of the building’s tenants.

Like many people today, I use an online bill pay service. I have for years, and not once have I ever had a problem with a payment not reaching one of my vendors in a timely manner. That is, until I started dealing with Direct Energy. The first instance, I believe happened in April of 2008—I get a phone call wanting to know where my payment was. Not once did they consider the possibility that there was a screw up on their end—it was immediately accusatory in tone and the person on the other end of the line did nothing to apologize. She immediately wanted to arrange payment of a bill I had already paid weeks prior and wanted to charge a late fee. When I finally got a chance to explain to her the payment had been sent, it had been posted to my checking account, and that she was barking up the wrong tree, the only help she offered was that I could either pay the bill again or call my bank, get them to send a copy of the cashed check and wait around for a payment trace. Fine. It’s 30 minutes out of my day, but unlike some people, I work hard to pay all of my bills early (forget on time—I plan for bad things to happen) and keep my payment history on any account I have in excellent standing. When I talk to my bank, the check had indeed been cashed—however it was applied to the wrong account, even though the correct account number had been provided.

The very next month, I get another accusatory call wanting to know where my payment was. I immediately thought she was calling about the past month’s debacle and started to explain it had been taken care of, no thanks to her company, but no. They literally did it again. Only this time, this particular employee was very rude in her approach, so I advised her it wasn’t particularly smart business tactics to accuse people with good payment histories (which she could easily see when looking at my account) that they were somehow deadbeats and terrible customers. Nothing but attitude in her retorts to my concerns about repeated poor accounting. Again I call my bank, to have the matter sorted out. And again the check had been cashed, and again, it had been applied to the wrong account.

Several months go by and things were quiet. No threatening phone calls, no need for me to take time out of my busy day to track down information so they can correct their mistakes, and I start to worry less. Until last week, when I get another phone call—this time from a poor gentleman that barely speaks English. Again, where is my payment? I paid it on January 2nd—it was due January 14th. You would think that would be plenty of time, but you would be wrong. At least this guy seemed remotely concerned that his company may have made the mistake when I frustratedly explain the prior experiences. And of course, he apologetically tells me there’s nothing he can do—that I have to once again go through the payment trace process to get this matter resolved. Again I call my bank—and again the check was cashed on January 12th, only this time my bank has all of the contact information saved and it took slightly less time on the phone. I’m now waiting to receive fax confirmation of my check being sent their way, so that after a few days, I can call Direct Energy back and make sure they find my check and actually apply it to my account instead of someone else’s, and of course, make sure the late fees get reversed on my account.

Since I am a numbers person, I did the math. I’ve had this account with Direct Energy for 17 months, where 3 of those months they’ve screwed up and skirted the line of harassing me for money. That’s a 17.65% error rate, where I and my bank have to do the leg work to fix their mistake. That’s almost a one in five chance that I will get a harassing phone call demanding money I’ve already given them. And that’s almost a one in five chance I’ll have to take time out of my already busy work day to fix a problem that isn’t mine so my account history isn’t tarnished. If the accounting department at my company had that kind of an error rate, they’d get fired. If my company’s customer service team approached our customers with the kind of attitude Direct Energy’s employees do, we’d lost those customers. So I am left in a precarious position. Fortunately for me, I am moving out of this particular building in April, so my headaches will be relieved then. However, how many other people face this same problem? How many others don’t have a choice because the building they live or work in has a contract with Direct Energy? If you play the odds I’ve been given with Direct Energy, they’re not good.
So, I plead with you to run this letter—let the rest of the DFW area know one customer’s plight with Direct Energy. Hopefully, it educates at least a few to avoid them and save the trouble. I know I’ll never do business with Direct Energy ever again. If they ever acquire a company I do business with, I’ll immediately switch. My distaste for their name will never go away. Whenever I talk to friends, customers, even complete strangers—I’ll be sure to let them know how terrible Direct Energy has been to me. I wouldn’t wish this experience on a nemesis… if I had one.

We live in a house that was built circa 1920 and have been systematically renovating. The first part was a total tear down and rebuild of a kitchen addition completed in early 2004. A year later we began to address other structural and infrastructure issues prior to tackling cosmetic upgrades. We invited Direct Energy to submit a bid for replacing our roof, gutters, and soffits. When the salesman, John Bailey, came to inspect the scope of the project and give us a bid, we told him we were also putting siding on the new addition and replacing siding on the original house. He told us they could provide a quote on that work also. We signed contracts for all of this work to be done. There were specific guidelines requested, such as how the window trim would be done.

The crew that did the roofing seemed professional, but when I was concerned that I didn't see any ice shield. The workers pretended they could not speak English (I had heard the foreman talking to John in English). Anyway, I was assured by John that the job had been done to spec. The shingles seemed to wave along the edge and he said the floor of the roof had some warping. Don't know why that was not addressed initially before the shingles were applied. And the old shingles did not wave along the edge. In addition the shingles began lifting later and he sent someone to address that problem.

Another subcontractor did the siding. The windows were not framed as requested. I complained, and all that was done was John took photos. He did get the contractor to remove soffit material he attempted to complete the job with rather than open another box of the siding material. The siding guys removed the old siding material and did not protect it overnight when they left. A rain/wind storm drove water into the house and was dripping from the light fixtures of the new addition. A late night call did summon them out to tarp the area they had not protected.

We also had contracted with Direct Energy at the same time to have insulation put into the walls and attic. We now thought we have a home that is secure from the elements. WRONG. We have lived in this house over twenty years and now for the first time we have ice dams every winter. This only started happening after the "improvements." We have called every year, and nothing gets resolved. Last year an "expert" was sent to evaluate the problem. He stood on the sidewalk and concluded we needed to purchase additional service of heaters in our gutters to the tune of approximately another $1000. He came to that conclusion by contrasting our house with another nearby similar house that also had ice dams. That house we already know is in desperate need of a new roof and gutters.

This past week the ice dams were worse than ever with huge ice cycles draping down like stalactites. No other house in the neighbourhood had these except for the same house that had been noted before that still needs a new roof and gutters. We also for two years straight have now had water dripping into the house from a window frame when the ice dams form.

We have spent a lot of money with Direct Energy, including a new Trane central air conditioner (the ONLY thing that has not had a problem). I cannot proceed with interior work until these issues are resolved.

I had my post winter maintenance last may, crack in the heat exchanger.OK, so i bought new furnace from them, heating maintenance was to be removed then and there, oops! I guess they forgot, called 3 times throughout the year to re- cancel maintenance, but the last time they finally told me i missed the cut off time to cancel.Ya know sometimes i wonder if my old furnace was really screwed or they just needed to make a sale, who knows.Our government really needs to keep an eye on these guys, I have a few more complaints but I am too mad to sit here any longer...just thought i would throw this in, I`m sure there is many many more out there alot worse.YIP theys is crooks, yes they is :)

I live in the suburbs of Dallas, TX and Direct energy (after many attempts to resolved my billing issue) turned off my services. I called them and give them my very last penny to get my service turned on. I adopted a infant that has asthma. She needs her breathing machine.

I called the company and stressed to them that my electricity needs to be turned on immediately because I have this child now. The woman immediately took my money, but decided to turn in the reconnection information to the energy provider the next day (1:00 pm and I paid them at 5:30 pm on the day before). The woman claim that she put a message on the account that the child is on the premises and a rush on the reconnection is needed. I called on-cor energy all night and early in the morning. I had to go in my car and use my car to give the infant treatment in 23 degree temperature. I was only a month late. Nice company huh?

Good afternoon

Well I am very much concerned about the way both the companies mentioned above have been treating me over the last few months. Let me explain, in July 2008 Direct energy installed a central Air unit at my home & the amount of $99.76 was to be applied to my enbridge monthly bill. On November 25th 2008 I paid Direct energy in the amount of $4528.02 representing the full amount of the Central Air unit, about 2 weeks later I called to verify that this cheque had been received & no one new where the check was but to my surprise the cheque had been cashed. Apparently the cheque had been sent to the wrong department & the department of billing had not been notified. I can understand when errors occur but I can't understand that when all this was found out & I again spoke with another agent at Direct Energy ( Josee [protected] ext 261) she stated that the matter had been rectified & that she assured me that the balance of the payment would be sent to Enbridge as credits towards my home heating bill. I said fine that sounds fair to me this was back on Dec 16, 2008 & this was all suppose to be done within 7 days of that conversation. Well Well this issue was never rectified & enbridge still haven't received the balance from Direct Energy the weird thing is enbridge shows on there database that Direct energy have asked them not to send my account to the CREDIT BUREAU because they would be sending them the outstanding amount. This still hasn't been & as of November 2008 Directenergy have still been charging me for the installment payments that have been paid for since Nov.2008. Everytime I speak with either party they tell me it is not there responsibilty & to call the other company. So as of today Direct energy owe me $462.23 + 99.76 Nov. + 99.76 Dec + all the accrued interest due to their negligence of rectifying this issue in a timely fashion. There is a total of $661.75 outstanding to this day this is without interest incurred so far & many many hours on the telephone with what I would call un qualified personel to take care of this matter. Today I contacted the MINISTRY OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES CONSUMER PROTECTION PLAN at [protected] & they advised me that this matter should have been resolved a long time ago, I have been very tolerant with this situation & am willing to give these companies a final chance to prove to me that customer service is there # 1 goal & that after they are overpaid that we are not just another file on the shelf. I am expecting a reply to this matter ASAP by Email or telephone today at the latest or I will pursue this matter through the MINISTRY OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES CONSUMER PROTECTION PLAN.

Hoping for a prompt reply

Robin Gauthier

[protected] Home

My water heater broke on Sunday and I called Direct Energy for a replacement. They told me the earlier replacement appointment I could get was for Tuesday from 2-6PM, and that if any earlier came up they would call me. I told them that the 2 phone numbers on their file had been discontinued and gave them my new cell phone number.

Early Monday morning I woke up to their call (on my cell) about an earlier appointment possibility of 10AM-2PM on the same day (the only thing they have done "right"), so I asked my step dad to stay in my house while I had gone to work. By 3 PM no one showed up and I called customer service.

After I explained the situation to the first person, she gave me a reference number for my case and told me to call another department with the reference number to check wether the technician could still be on his/her way. So I asked her to transfer me to that department instead. When someone finally picked up, and after I gave him the reference number, he claimed that I called the wrong department. So he transferred me again. After explain the situation to the third person, she told me I was again in the wrong deparment. Angry, I hung up and called again from the beginning. The fourth person heared my complaint and transferred me to the "managers' office". The manager said she'd need to check what was happening and call me back within one hour (the reason it might take an hour, according to her, was that the technician might be in a basement where the reception was bad). This was 3:30.

Five O'clock comes, I had no phone call. Furious, I called the managers' office and asked for an explaination. A different manager told me that the techinician had come at 10:30AM and called the two primary (and no-longer- existant) numbers and decided no one was home. Too tired to argue, I asked for the earlier appointment. And it was scheduled for Tuesday...

God helps us all from Direct Engery.

Direct Energy
A very pushy salesman from Direct Energy showed up at my door some months ago. He would not go away until I showed him my hydro bill. I actually thought he was from the hydro company soo i showed him my bill. Upon inspection of my hydro bill, he explained that i was paying way too much and not receiving certain benefits that i was entitled to. He actually had me believing that i was entitled to some form of rebate. He talked me into signing a contract "for my protection".
I later discovered that the contract i had signed was to allow this company to supply my electricity. Upon this discovery I promptly called the 800 number on the bottom of the paper. I requested that Direct Energy cancel the contract immediately. The rep was very polite on the phone and assured me that the contract would be cancelled and Direct Energy would not be my supplier. I cancelled the contract before it was even instated.
Every time I receive my hydro bill, I have the same unresolved conversation with a polite representative from Direct Energy. I am continuously told that the cancellation request has been submitted and the computer should have the issue resolved before my next billing cycle.
Surprise, eight months later and Direct Energy is still on my bill as my supplier.
Why would anyone in their right mind agree to paying more for the exact same service that they already have?
I was taken by a fast talking, lying salesman who represented Direct Energy. Upon realizing what had happened I tried to reverse my error, dealing directly with the offending company. Every representative from Direct Energy must be given a course in lying. Dont trust them, they are far worse than any used car salesman you have ever met.
I have been advised by the Ontario Energy Board to put Direct Energy on notice, in writing. I was not even previously aware that there was such a board.
If you need help resolving your issues with Direct Energy try giving the OEB a call, perhaps they can help you also.
Down with Direct Energy !

So these Natural Gas providing geniuses are up to no good. This is what happened a few years back:

They send a salesman over to my old address in 2005 to secure and lock my gas prices for the next five years for 'my' protection. He's wearing a direct energy uniform. And he had a badge. The salesman talked a good game and wouldn't leave until I showed him my bill. I did tell him that I was interested in what he's talking about.. who wouldn't be? Cheaper utility bills are a no brainer. So he took my name down and told me that I would get the savings anyways. So he could still 'pass on the savings without seeing my bill'. lol Seemed a little odd to me at the time.

So I moved to Brantford in 2008 and I continued my service with Direct Energy. 3 months later I got a bill for 1500$ for canceling my contract. How the hell is this possible I thought? Well according to Energy Direct the difference in the current market price of natural gas vs. the great deal that I was given in 2005 equals out to be 1500$. The reason:

For my protection they locked in my rate when natural gas prices were historically really high. That's when they had their salesman blitz all over Ontario. Great for the company. Horrible for the customers. And they sent these low lives to lie to their beloved customers in their homes. As a favor to the customer? I don't think so.. This has a lawsuit written all over it. Those arrogant lying ###s.

So I got on the phone with some more idiots and got the 1-800 number run around. A few hours later the 1500$ which had gone straight to collections (by the way) was lifted since I was still a current customer. Well wasn't that difficult for something so obvious. I was stressed out and still furious after that call.

They told me that I was charged that fee because my new phone number wasn't accessible to them. Well I am in the 411 directory. An internet rookie could easily find me. My old phone number had my new phone number recorded for 3 months by the telephone company. They didn't look too hard in my opinion. It was easier to charge me the 1500$ then to look for 1 minute on the 411 directory.

So that leaves me with 3 more years of a contract that I can't get out of with sky high gas prices. I would like to give a sarcastic thanks to Direct Energy for lying to me, sending my old bill to Collections with a 1500$ premium added, not looking for my old phone number and last but not least for locking me into an expensive gas contract for my 'own good' by a rent-a salesman. Oh yes but the 1500$ fee was waved..

I am very competitive and I hate getting screwed. This company is a scam. They will lie to your face (or over the phone). They should get sued for picking on the little guy. Thanks for reading.

My husband and I have been embroiled in a battle with Direct Energy for over a week, and I was wondering if anyone on your staff would be interested in doing some investigative journalism.

It started with our hot water tank being replaced on October 15th, which was done very quickly, but six days later the unit started to make horrible noises in our basement. We called Direct Energy right away and a technician was dispatched to fix the problem. We were told that the installers did a poor job and that the piping to our hot water tank had already cracked and that the interior insulation was soaked through because of their mistake. Since last Tuesday (October 21st) we have been without hot water and because our furnace is attached to our hot water tank, we also have been without heat. My husband took Thursday off work because he was told that the new system would be installed during the day, but the technicians did not show up until almost 9pm. When they arrived they did not have the right hot water tank.

Needless to say we have been on the phone with the very polite customer service representatives many times, but feel that since they have a monopoly that they do not care that we have not had neither heat, nor hot water since the 21st.

We were told today that new installers would be at our home by 8am, but it was not until almost 2pm when my husband phoned, that we were told that our new hot water tank was not even at their warehouse.

I think the lack of accountable and honest customer service by large companies such as Direct Energy would be a great story to cover. Not only do they hold their customers hostage since we don't have a choice as to service providers, but their lack of communication between their departments has forced us into a very cold limbo.

Let me sum this experience up real quick, besides the constant annoyances with Direct Energy, Enbridge decided to cut my gas off 2 months ago for not being able to pay my bill completely. My 3 and 6 year old and myself haven't had heat for 2 months, I've been carrying pots of boiling water up the stairs to the bath all day every day, wasting my life away. ANYWAY, just got my new Enbridge bill yesterday, keeping in mind that I've had NO SERVICE FOR 2 MONTHS. It looks like this:
New Gas charges : $33.45
Goods and Services Tax (GST): $19.98
New Direct Energy Essential Home Services Charges: $366.08

So that's what I get for hauling water up the stairs for 2 months straight. Now my bill is $943.15, I still have no service and It's almost November. Thanks alot you f****** thieves.

We recently switched to a green provider after several years as a customer of Direct Energy. In that time we paid all of our bills and were good customers. Over the weekend we received a phone call from an auto-dialer asking us to call some 800# without identifying who it was from, so we didn't call back. Yesterday we got our final bill from Direct Energy saying that we had to pay it by 09/22 or it would go to collections. So I mailed the payment. Today my husband gets a phone call threatening collections on the bill that isn't even due yet. The discussion did get heated and I won't even go into the details, but the two people he spoke to from their final billing department were rude and didn't care that we already paid. I have never been harrassed for not paying a bill before we receive it!

No matter what happens with our next provider we will never go back to Direct Energy and we will be sharing our experience with anyone that will listen. This is just outrageous that customers in good standing would be treated that way.