Below is my experience with the Superior Energy's service in British Columbia.
Rick Kaselj
The Superior Energy Scam
Do not sign up for any services offered by Superior Energy or any other gas marketer that have popped up because of the commodity unbundling of services relating to natural gas.
A representative from Superior Energy came to my home on May 15, 2007 and scammed me for $579. A representative from Superior Energy knocked on my door and informed me that Terasen was not going to be delivering natural gas to my home and that Superior Energy would be providing that service. He let me know that in order for me to be transferred over to Superior Energy and have my natural gas service continued, I would have to provide him with my Terasen gas statement. I was resistant at first but he convinced me to provide it. He filled out a form and got me to sign it. He said a letter from Terasen would come in the mail informing me that Superior Energy would be delivering natural gas to my home.
I received a letter dated May 16, 2007 on May 28, 2007 from Terasen gas. After reviewing the letter, and realizing that I was not interested in having Superior Energy provide me with gas, I explored my cancellation options. I noticed that that I had 10 days with which to cancel however; I received the letter past my 10 day cooling off period. According to Superior Energy weekends and holidays are calculated in the 10 day cooling off period. I contacted Superior Energy and was informed that I could only cancel my contract if I paid a $310 service charge. In addition the rate I was originally quoted on my contract was $9.14 per GJ and the letter stated the rate was $9.74. When outlining this mistake to Superior Energy they said I was wrong and refused to make the change.
I have tried to communicate diplomatically with Superior Energy but they have refused to be understanding. What I have decided is to inform my friends, family, city, politicians and media of the tactics of Superior Energy.
Do not make the same mistake as me. Do not sign up for the Superior Energy Scam!
What You Need to Know about the Superior Energy Scam:
- If you sign up with them, you are locked into a contract for 5 years.
- Your gas fee will go from $7.663 per GJ to $9.74 per GJ. This is 27% increase or $116 a year.
- Signing up will cost you almost $579 (over 5 years) compared to today’s rate from Terasen
- Experts expect natural gas to stay at between $7 - $8 per GJ
- You have 10 calendar days to cancel the contract, not business days. Holidays and weekends are included in the count.
Educate Yourself:
- Visit Terasen Gas website ( www.bcgas.com ) for more information.
- Visit British Columbia Utilities Commission which regulates British Columbia's natural gas and electricity utilities ( www.bcuc.com )
- Read the Code of Conduct for Gas Marketers at http://www.bcuc.com/Documents/GasMarketers/CodeofConduct-04-24-07.pdf
- How to file a Complaint - http://www.bcuc.com/Complaint.aspx
- Superior Energy - http://www.superiorenergy.ca/
If Superior Energy does end up scamming you, feel free to call Rick at (604) 530-0103 or e-mail at rkaselj@hotmail.com and he can share his experience and let you know what actions he has taken.
Rick Kaselj
Victim of the Superior Energy Scam
About Me
- Rick Kaselj - Healing Through Movement
- Rick Kaselj is a Registered Kinesiologist and ACE Certified Personal Trainer with a passion for health, fitness, rehabilitation and sport. Rick designs effective exercise programs that safely and rapidly help reach their health, fitness, rehabilitation and sport goals. Rick presents across Canada on exercise, rehabilitation and adventure travel. Rick publishes a monthly FITNESS & REHAB newsletter for health and fitness professionals looking for the latest information on improving health, fitness, rehabilitation and sport. To reach Rick or to subscribe to his monthly newsletter, call (888) 291-2430 or visit http://www.HealingThroughMovement.com .
11 comments:
You were not scammed. Although terasens price right now is 7.67 GJ its only a short term rate. In the summers the rate is alot cheaper, and last winter reached a high of 9.89 per GJ. 10 years ago you were paying only 2 somthing Gj for your gas. Gas prices have gone up an average of 14% a year, and intend to do a minimum of 14% for the next 10 years. When terasens prices increase in the winter, you will still pay your fixed rate, which will probly be cheaper than the winter rate.
That is not true. It is the most expensive time of the year right now and Terason is offering gas for just 6.9 per GJ. My mother got scammed and we are paying almost 10.GJ right now from Super Energy. They totally scammed my mom the same way this article talks about. The comment made by Jason above mine is most likely a rep from Superior Energy. Their dirty way of doing business sickens me. I have filled a complaint to BC Utility Commission to resolve this issue.javascript:void(0)
Publish Your Comment
Rick: All gas marketing companies under the Customer Choice Program have the 10 day cooling off period - it is required by the BC Utilities Commission. The fact that your letter came late from Terasen is regrettable, but ultimately that is Terasen's fault, not Superior. Did you follow up with Terasen regarding them sending the letter more than 10 days later? I find it strange as - usually the letter takes a couple of days to be received. What was the date on the postal stamp? I also find it odd that you were given a rate of $9.14 /GJ or even $9.74/GJ as according to Terasen's historical rates, Superior was offering $9.94/GJ in May 2007 - http://www.terasengas.com/Homes/CustomerChoiceApply/RateGuide/GasMarketersRates/HistoricalRates/May2007Rates.htm
Henry: Gas has now jumped up to $8.3/GJ, almost a 20% increase. But that is to be expected as gas has increased almost 300% in the last 10 years. Natural gas and gasoline are both non-renewable resourses and everyone expects the prices to go up. What people are not aware of is that the protection programs out there are mostly short-term pain (you pay more for the first year or so) with long-term gain. In Ontario they've had deregulation for years and they have saved hundreds of dollars doing it.
"Your gas fee will go from $7.663 per GJ to $9.74 per GJ. This is 27% increase or $116 a year."
In 2007, one of the 4 rate adustments did drop, like you said, to approximately $7.50 per GJ. During all other adjustments, it was an INCREASE (In Summer, around 42%) And in the past five years, it has increased 250%. Let me put it more accurately for you: "In the past, my gas fee did drop to $7.663 per GJ during a short period. But in the past five years, it has gone up 250%. I cannot predict if it will go down again, but I can look at the general trend"
"- Signing up will cost you almost $579 (over 5 years) compared to today’s rate from Terasen"
Signing up does not cost anything. It ~may~ cost something ONLY if gas prices go down. But that is a big IF. In any case, if you were honest, you can NOT predict the future or future gas prices, so your figure of %579 is at best inaccurate, and that's *IF* prices from Terasen go down.
I too am in the same boat as Rick. Only the Superior Energy rep. outright lied to me. I specifically asked him to clarify what a fixed rate is - He told me that if Terasen's price was cheaper - we would pay that and if Superior's was cheaper we would pay theirs. I confirmed this with him in person and also with the person who I spoke to on the cell phone (at the door).
I also received the Terasen letter past the 10 day cooling off period so was unable to cancel my contract when I discovered that I had been lied too. The so-called customer service rep for Superior told me that Capped & Fix rates were the same thing. Completely different from what the salesman had told me.
I don't know if there is anything I can do about this situation - but I have been hoping to see the Terasen gas rates soar!
What a scam - we signed up with Superior Energy in 2006 and we are now paying almost 100% more than the price of natural gas from our previous supplier. We are going to cancel the contract, pay the penalty fee of .5 per cubic meter for the remainder of our contract ($239)and learn our lesson. Don't sign anything over the phone, don't sign anything at the door. Don't sign with Superior Energy!
I'm with Sarah. I was also scammed and told I would pay the lesser rate between Terasen and Superior. I signed up in July 2008 and am paying double the rate Terasen is charging. It will cost me approx$780 to get out of the deal. DON"T SIGN UP.
Tonight in South Surrey a young girl appeared at the door, and asked my wife for her Terasen bill. She then started copying the information from our Terasen bill onto a form 'Natural Gas Protection Plan Customer Agreement'. My wife, confused, called me, but after she had signed the paper..
Over the next five minutes of my questioning, the girl repeatedly was evasive. At one point she had me fairly convinced that she was a 'trainee' sent out by the BC Energy Plan - but when I looked at the Agreement, I saw that the two pages were marginally different - the back ones were an "Notice of Appointment of Superior Energy" as my proxy in all matters dealing with Terasen, and obtaining the records, etc.. I was stunned.
The girl, meanwhile, had told me that she had to call it in, and the person on the other end of the line would want to ask me a few questions, to 'make sure she had done her job right".
The person on the line tried to put me at ease, then started asking 'Did I understand that..." questions obviously aimed at getting me on record...I said, No way, and hung up.
The girl turned, and left. It was only as she left the driveway did I realize she still had her copies of the contract. I ran up behind her, and she said 'Oh, I am sorry' - and handed me our Terasen bill back.
I said 'No, I want that', pointing to the contract. She said 'I am sorry, I can't give you that'. I said 'Yes I Can', and grabbed the papers and took them back.
When I looked back down the road, there was a similar dressed girl getting into a van, a block away; so they were working my neighborhood.
I was lied to, deliberately misled, even bait-n-switched, in this single encounter. I have all the paperwork, so no harm done. But still - they truly operated as scam artists, using these young people to deceitfully lock the unwary into 5 year energy deals - at $8.49/GJ !!!
This is run like a confidence game. These people should be jailed.
Anyway, my s
It's all about choice, this is not a scam but an approved option for delivery. Tactics may be in question but to call this a scam is a bit misleading.
Get educated and make your own decisions - http://www.terasengas.com/gas/assets/flash/choice/homes/index.html
I was just SCAMMED as well.
well - thank you for having this blog - I was just visited by a salesman - and I signed up - then immediately came inside and googled this company... felt uneasy...
that being said - I called the company to cancel, she said my application has not even came in, but that I would be on the cancellation list and gave me a cancellation number - I asked also for her name and agent number. I will call them again after the weekend to make sure I am cancelled.
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