Is the Comission For Energy Regulation a real thing?? NEED HELP!

MilanPan!c

I have a MAJOR ISSUE... and I've discovered that a BIG Energy Supplier (ES) has an ongoing scam... which is probably illegal.

Yeh, I can back that up.

At this point, the ES has all but refused to stop talking to me, and I've been lied to dozens of times by the ES.

I've tried to contact the CFER. Their phone line claims they have staff, but all you ever get is voice mail.

I've asked them to call me back (with a generic, "My name is x, my phone # is y, please call me back asap" message) and have never received a call.

IF they aren't real, and there is a scam, in which I was caught, who regulates the energy industry? Do I just call the Garda?

Frynge

yep it real, a mate just started working they in january.

but he isint getting paid so it unlikely someone get paid just to answer a fone.

if it is a major scam contact national media and it could get sorted.

dont suppose you want to let on what the scam is

DoesNotCompute

Talk to Joe.

Either that, or get onto your local FF TD - I'm sure they'll be willing to help, considering they're all about parish pump politics.

MilanPan!c

Frynge wrote: »

yep it real, a mate just started working they in january.

but he isint getting paid so it unlikely someone get paid just to answer a fone.

if it is a major scam contact national media and it could get sorted.

dont suppose you want to let on what the scam is

Don't know anyone in national media and I doubt they care too much about me anyway.

Here's what happened to me:

I kept having an Airtricty sales guy call to my door, trying to get us to go "dual fuel" with them, claiming 20% savings.

Actually, both my wife and I talked to this guy.

Anyway, after a few times, we queried the deal, it sounded reasonable, even if we knew the savings might be temporary, and so we signed up.

A month later, I got a BILL in the mail from Airtricity for 500 euro.

I called them and said, "hey, what's up?"

They said that, when I switched I agreed to pay off the remainder of my contract with them... which of course was never mentioned by the sales guy.

I said, "OK, you never said that, I wanna cancel," they said grand, fine...

But I'd need to switch my gas back to BG and then they'd sort me out...

During this process, I discover that, through a few of their employees, that it's not a few isolated indents, but that "DOZENS and DOZENS" of customers were scammed by this!

What's the scam? This is an old one, but a good one. A company can make OODLES of dough, by putting a big lump sum in a bank and getting even a month or two interest. Happens ALL the time. If they got 500 euro from dozens and dozens of people, nationwide, the interest alone would probably be substantial. Add to that all the people that just pay it and accept the hit, as they can't be arsed to get their money back.

IF you go onto the airtricity website, and look at the term and conditions of the dual fuel switch them is NO mention ANYWHERE of paying off balances. NONE.

This is top down. IMO.

BTW: 4 months pass and I'm still not sorted out with them.

Here's a great example: I talked to this guy there, and he said, last Monday, that he would call me on Friday.

He didn't (they never do), but he did leave me an aggressive voice mail, 5 days AFTER he said he'd call, "because we need to sort this out ASAP".

Literally, literally, I've left 10-12 messages asking for a member of management to call me back, over the months. No calls.

They've threatened to cut of my electricity, they've lied and said, repeatedly, that they COULDN'T FIND MY ACCOUNT.

On TOP of all of this, when I switched to "dual fuel" they stopped debiting my account. I didn't notice at the time, and they didn't tell me. However, Now on top of all of this I owe them hundreds in back payments, because they scammed me and because they stopped taking my money. They admit it was their fault, but the best they will offer is to RAISE my electric bill by 100 euro a month, until I pay them off?? So I get to pay them 100/month, for their mistake.

I sound like a crazy person, but go look at my other posts.... I don't really rant, I'm not a paranoid psychotic, and google will show you other examples of people caught in the same scam.

RAWR.

Whew.

So yeah, I accuse Airtriciy of running a scam. A judge, or even a media person with an insider, could find someone that would back this up... then all of those folks that are in the same boat could stop having a DAILY stress (been on the phone with them 6 times in 24 hours).

If you wanna know more just ask. I have a lot more.




--

Oh and BTW: When I switch my gas to Bord Gais, they, without ANYONE'S permission, changed the name on my account and sent my bank details to the OWNER of the house (I let the house).

MilanPan!c

Contacted Joe, thanks for the advice.

MilanPan!c

Soooo... basically, Airtricity has just rescinded their initial offer, of "putting back things the way they were"... and doesn't want my business any more...

ha!

I wonder if it was related to my phone call with the CFER (they did finally get back to me btw).

They changed their tune from one phone call to the next.

Amazing stuff.

[head explodes]

91011

And that's why I and many other people would never ever contemplate even for one second switching to Airtricity.

Their sales opearation is the dodgiest team you will ever come across. - They even make del-boy look good!:D

MilanPan!c

91011 wrote: »

And that's why I and many other people would never ever contemplate even for one second switching to Airtricity.

Their sales opearation is the dodgiest team you will ever come across. - They even make del-boy look good!:D

Amen.

Just found out they've been legally forbidden to now sell the product they sold me initially, the so called, "budget plan".

Unbelievable. And had a hugely aggressive phone call from their "Complaints Department". Yelling down the phone at me. And, in the last 2 weeks I've had 3 of their employees hang up on me.

Really, the regulator should be involved with the cowboys in a more active way.

Eastwoods Rant

How many days where you waiting for the regulator to get back onto you and what did they say ? Thread title is kinda mis-leading as it appear Airtricity gave you alot of hassle.

wyndham

MilanPan!c wrote: »

On TOP of all of this, when I switched to "dual fuel" they stopped debiting my account. I didn't notice at the time, and they didn't tell me. However, Now on top of all of this I owe them hundreds in back payments, because they scammed me and because they stopped taking my money. They admit it was their fault, but the best they will offer is to RAISE my electric bill by 100 euro a month, until I pay them off?? So I get to pay them 100/month, for their mistake.

Sounds quite reasonable. You used it, you pay for it tbh. You get to pay them €100 a month for the utilities you used, not for their mistake. What do you expect? Your usage to be written off because of a billing error?

And I don't understand the rest of your issue at all. Is the €500 a deposit? Or is it arrears that were outstanding from your existing account? Or is it something else?

Nody

So allow me to sum up this "great" scam in value.

Lets say 100 customers pay the 500 EUR deposit and get it back 1 month late as per OPs claims. Now we'll give them 10% return on investment to be nice (actual bank interest would be far lower).

This gives the company 50.000 EUR with 10% return on interest giving 5.000 EUR interest. But keep in mind they only have it for 1 month so the 5.000 EUR interest needs to be split with 12 to account for one month interest only for a whopping 417 EUR return in a year.

Yea OP, that is one heck of a profitable scam (I'll give you a hint if you want a real scam, it is called bank transfer times)...

MilanPan!c

Nody wrote: »

So allow me to sum up this "great" scam in value.

Lets say 100 customers pay the 500 EUR deposit and get it back 1 month late as per OPs claims. Now we'll give them 10% return on investment to be nice (actual bank interest would be far lower).

This gives the company 50.000 EUR with 10% return on interest giving 5.000 EUR interest. But keep in mind they only have it for 1 month so the 5.000 EUR interest needs to be split with 12 to account for one month interest only for a whopping 417 EUR return in a year.

Yea OP, that is one heck of a profitable scam (I'll give you a hint if you want a real scam, it is called bank transfer times)...

Nobody said anything about a month and no one said 100 people.

These companies retain some of the clients they're ripping off and the others they make money off of with interest.

Sorry if you don't get it, but it's a real scam... they busted companies for doing this **** in the US...

And BTW the regulator has already called their old "budget plan" a scam and forced them to stop selling it.

So, it's a company that's been busted int he past for running scams.

TechFreak

I just checked out the regulators website and to make complaints about energy companies it says you have to submit it in writing or by email. From what you've said here you didnt even do that.

I dealt with them once over a seperate issue and I had to got through the whole complaints process with an UNAMED ELEC COMPANY before they'd even touch it. And if then they did all communications in writing or email.

I seriously doubt you got someone on the phone saying it was a scam......

Also the other poster had a point. Title of thread doesnt really clearly explain your issue with Airtricity, i picked it up as one you had with the regulator.