Another Unhappy Universal Energy Gas Marketer Customer

Gas marketers a scam, says resident
Local wants restrictions on door-to-door marketers

By Reporter Margreet Dietz Special to The Chief

Brad Kitchen is angry and he’s fighting back. He’s asking District of Squamish council to make it more difficult for door-to-door marketers to operate in Squamish after he says his wife was pressured into signing a five-year contract to buy natural gas from Universal Energy. ”I was amazed to find that Universal Energy was given a business licence in Squamish to conduct door-to-door sales,” wrote Kitchen in a letter to council.

“Did anyone Google ‘Universal Energy Scam’ before issuing that licence? Is anyone supposed to?” Universal was one of several independent gas marketers fined in August by the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) after customer complaints about aggressive sales tactics and misrepresentation. It has also been the subject of hundreds of customer complaints to the BCUC since it started marketing in B.C. last year, according to the provincial regulator. In addition to seeking an amendment to the local bylaw governing solicitation, Kitchen has filed his own complaint with the BCUC.

The regulator is investigating before it rules on the validity of the contract signed by Kitchen. “I really think this is simple common sense to protect residents from companies like this and predatory sales tactics,” wrote Kitchen. Last weekend other gas marketing companies, such as Superior Energy, had sales representatives in Squamish pitching similar supply contracts. Superior Energy this weekend offered consumers the chance to lock into a rate of $9.99/GJ, comparing it to Terasen’s old rate of $9.78/GJ instead of the Terasen’s new rate of $7.54/GJ. These types of contracts have only been offered in B.C. since 2007, even though they have been in use longer in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba.

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