Universal Energy Corporation Survivor's Page
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Ya, there also in the news....
Feb 20, 2008
Ellen Roseman
A person comes to your door, asking to see your energy bills and offering to help you save money. You express interest and sign a form, not realizing you may be locking yourself into a long-term contract at higher prices than what you currently pay. That was the scenario I heard from dozens of people who read my Jan. 30 column, "Hazards of buying energy at the door." Most contacted me by phone, not email as usual, and many were seniors. I heard from three women in their mid-80s and a caregiver for a woman who was 93, all within an hour. If I weren't already concerned about misleading pitches by door-to-door energy sellers, I would be now after getting such an onslaught. Luckily, I've helped many people get out of their contracts after contacting the corporate head offices. So, as an expert on exiting energy deals without penalties, here's my advice. Clip and save for future reference.
You must receive a copy of the contract you've agreed to, including all terms and conditions. If the gas or electricity seller doesn't provide one within 40 days, your contract will no longer be in effect. After receiving the contract, you have a 10-day cooling off period to change your mind. If you have any doubts about enrolling, do it quickly – and in writing. Once the cooling off period has ended, the retailer will contact you by phone to see if you still want to go ahead. This call will be recorded and used as evidence against you if you change your mind later about signing a fixed-price contract. You don't have to reaffirm by phone if you contacted the retailer asking to be signed up, responded to a direct mail campaign or signed an online agreement. Once you agree (or your spouse agrees) by phone to go ahead, you probably can't get out without paying a fee. The early cancellation charge can be quite onerous – as high as $2,617.91 for one reader who has electric heating. Do your research before agreeing to an energy deal. Call your current supplier and find out the rate you're paying, so you can compare it to the contract price. You can see what the regulated utility price is in your area and the offers from unregulated sellers at www.energyshop.com. Don't wait until you get your first bill with the new rate. By then, it's probably too late to cancel without a stiff penalty. One seller I know of, Ontario Energy Savings Corp., allows customers a fee-free exit if they change their minds after getting their first bill. That's a progressive policy and relatively rare. If you're a senior, make sure to say so. Some companies will release older customers from contracts without an argument, especially if it's clear they were confused when signing. Don't be surprised if energy sellers are unsympathetic to cancellation requests once the deadline has passed. Even if you think you were deceived, you can't bring a complaint six months after signing. Never use the line, "I thought I would save money and I'm not." This is irrelevant. You're paying a large premium for a long-term fixed rate and hoping to profit in the future if regulated energy prices go up. It's a gamble, despite what the agent may say at the door about sure-fire savings. If you still have questions or complaints about energy marketers, call the Ontario Energy Board at 1-877-632-2727 or 416-314-2455 in Toronto. You can send emails to info@oeb.gov.on.ca.
Ellen Roseman's column appears Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. You can reach her by writing care of Business, the Toronto Star,
1 Yonge St., Toronto
M5E 1E6
Phone 416-945-8687
Fax at 416-865-3630
Email at eroseman@thestar.ca.
August 27, 2007
David Menzies
David Menzies tries in vain to track down the mysterious energy marketer who won't take his money back. Who is Nino C. Silvestri? And why is he cutting cheques for people he doesn't know? By all accounts, not much is known about Nino C. Silvestri, except that he has a penchant for mailing $50 cheques to complete strangers. If I were you, I wouldn't cash a cheque with Nino C. Silvestri's signature on it. Unless you're into short-term gain for long-term pain. You see, by cashing a Nino C. Silvestri cheque, you'll find yourself enrolled in a five-year electricity contract. And that means you'll likely end up paying hundreds more in hydro costs. Anyway, Nino C. Silvestri is allegedly the chief operating officer of Universal Energy Corporation (also known as Universal Power, also known by several other names in various chat rooms which I dare not repeat due to obscenity laws). Nino C. Silvestri supposedly has an office in Toronto, although he apparently has no phone extension. You'd think a COO would have a telephone as a perk, wouldn't you? Maybe Nino C. Silvestri has to cut back on certain luxuries to cover all those $50 cheques he's mailing out. He's a bit hard to pin down, this Nino C. Silvestri. He declines to respond to written correspondence-even when letters are sent via registered mail. Come out, come out, wherever you are, Nino C. Silvestri! By way of background, I first came in contact with Nino C. Silvestri in February. Not directly, mind you. He mailed me a cheque. I never meant to cash the cheque because I don't cash cheques from strangers. Nor do I respond to e-mails from Nigeria. But I accidentally cashed the cheque (I was keeping it for reference purposes). As soon as I discovered my error, I sought to rectify things. I told Universal I'd mail Nino C. Silvestri his $50 back. And I did just that. No dice. Like thousands of others, I found myself immediately locked into Universal's "Price Protection Plus Program." Granted, I hardly know anything about Nino C. Silvestri (assuming he exists... surely he's not one of those phantom names marketers put on official-looking correspondence?) But I do know a thing or two about Universal. Not Universal, the Hollywood studio. No. The Universal I speak of is a Toronto-based firm that employs those pests with clipboards and ill-fitting baseball caps. They knock at your door at dinnertime, always wanting to see your utility bills. It's seldom a good idea to comply. I also know Universal is one savvy marketer. The company spokesman is none other than ex-Leaf enforcer Tie Domi. Recently, the NHL winger found himself unemployed. Nino C. Silvestri presumably took pity on #28 and gave him a job as a shill. Thankfully, Universal never produced brochures reading, "Sign up now, puny human, or Domi will smash you." But here's the really funny part. I was informed by someone who allegedly speaks on behalf of Nino C. Silvestri that I can indeed get out of my contract. It's easy! All I have to do is pay Nino C. Silvestri precisely $852.93. I figure Nino C. Silvestri must be a gazillionaire by now. What a racket! He nets $802.93 every time some schmuck cancels a contract they never wanted. According to the fine print, it's all legal (albeit maybe not moral, or ethical). I was hoping to enlist the help of the Ontario Energy Board regarding Nino C. Silvestri. The OEB is the energy industry's "watchdog." I was hoping the OEB would be a piss-and-vinegar pit bull; what I got was a shell-shocked chihuahua. Stuff happens, I was told by the OEB's Chief Compliance Puppy. It would be "inappropriate" for the OEB to do, well, just about anything. Thanks for calling and have a nice day. So, here I am, paying big bucks for a hydro contract I never wanted. Still, the question I, and thousands of other consumers have, is this: who is Nino C. Silvestri? Actually, let me rephrase that: just who the hell does Nino C. Silvestri think he is?
DAVID MENZIES is a Toronto-based freelance writer contribuitng to several newspapers and magazine
And soon to follow, the response from our friend at Univer$al Energy [real or not]. I guess Nino had to come out from hiding under his desk as this article did raise lots of heads. I wonder what the stock-ticker said that day?
Feb 20, 2008
Ellen Roseman
A person comes to your door, asking to see your energy bills and offering to help you save money. You express interest and sign a form, not realizing you may be locking yourself into a long-term contract at higher prices than what you currently pay. That was the scenario I heard from dozens of people who read my Jan. 30 column, "Hazards of buying energy at the door." Most contacted me by phone, not email as usual, and many were seniors. I heard from three women in their mid-80s and a caregiver for a woman who was 93, all within an hour. If I weren't already concerned about misleading pitches by door-to-door energy sellers, I would be now after getting such an onslaught. Luckily, I've helped many people get out of their contracts after contacting the corporate head offices. So, as an expert on exiting energy deals without penalties, here's my advice. Clip and save for future reference.
You must receive a copy of the contract you've agreed to, including all terms and conditions. If the gas or electricity seller doesn't provide one within 40 days, your contract will no longer be in effect. After receiving the contract, you have a 10-day cooling off period to change your mind. If you have any doubts about enrolling, do it quickly – and in writing. Once the cooling off period has ended, the retailer will contact you by phone to see if you still want to go ahead. This call will be recorded and used as evidence against you if you change your mind later about signing a fixed-price contract. You don't have to reaffirm by phone if you contacted the retailer asking to be signed up, responded to a direct mail campaign or signed an online agreement. Once you agree (or your spouse agrees) by phone to go ahead, you probably can't get out without paying a fee. The early cancellation charge can be quite onerous – as high as $2,617.91 for one reader who has electric heating. Do your research before agreeing to an energy deal. Call your current supplier and find out the rate you're paying, so you can compare it to the contract price. You can see what the regulated utility price is in your area and the offers from unregulated sellers at www.energyshop.com. Don't wait until you get your first bill with the new rate. By then, it's probably too late to cancel without a stiff penalty. One seller I know of, Ontario Energy Savings Corp., allows customers a fee-free exit if they change their minds after getting their first bill. That's a progressive policy and relatively rare. If you're a senior, make sure to say so. Some companies will release older customers from contracts without an argument, especially if it's clear they were confused when signing. Don't be surprised if energy sellers are unsympathetic to cancellation requests once the deadline has passed. Even if you think you were deceived, you can't bring a complaint six months after signing. Never use the line, "I thought I would save money and I'm not." This is irrelevant. You're paying a large premium for a long-term fixed rate and hoping to profit in the future if regulated energy prices go up. It's a gamble, despite what the agent may say at the door about sure-fire savings. If you still have questions or complaints about energy marketers, call the Ontario Energy Board at 1-877-632-2727 or 416-314-2455 in Toronto. You can send emails to info@oeb.gov.on.ca.
Ellen Roseman's column appears Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. You can reach her by writing care of Business, the Toronto Star,
1 Yonge St., Toronto
M5E 1E6
Phone 416-945-8687
Fax at 416-865-3630
Email at eroseman@thestar.ca.
August 27, 2007
David Menzies
David Menzies tries in vain to track down the mysterious energy marketer who won't take his money back. Who is Nino C. Silvestri? And why is he cutting cheques for people he doesn't know? By all accounts, not much is known about Nino C. Silvestri, except that he has a penchant for mailing $50 cheques to complete strangers. If I were you, I wouldn't cash a cheque with Nino C. Silvestri's signature on it. Unless you're into short-term gain for long-term pain. You see, by cashing a Nino C. Silvestri cheque, you'll find yourself enrolled in a five-year electricity contract. And that means you'll likely end up paying hundreds more in hydro costs. Anyway, Nino C. Silvestri is allegedly the chief operating officer of Universal Energy Corporation (also known as Universal Power, also known by several other names in various chat rooms which I dare not repeat due to obscenity laws). Nino C. Silvestri supposedly has an office in Toronto, although he apparently has no phone extension. You'd think a COO would have a telephone as a perk, wouldn't you? Maybe Nino C. Silvestri has to cut back on certain luxuries to cover all those $50 cheques he's mailing out. He's a bit hard to pin down, this Nino C. Silvestri. He declines to respond to written correspondence-even when letters are sent via registered mail. Come out, come out, wherever you are, Nino C. Silvestri! By way of background, I first came in contact with Nino C. Silvestri in February. Not directly, mind you. He mailed me a cheque. I never meant to cash the cheque because I don't cash cheques from strangers. Nor do I respond to e-mails from Nigeria. But I accidentally cashed the cheque (I was keeping it for reference purposes). As soon as I discovered my error, I sought to rectify things. I told Universal I'd mail Nino C. Silvestri his $50 back. And I did just that. No dice. Like thousands of others, I found myself immediately locked into Universal's "Price Protection Plus Program." Granted, I hardly know anything about Nino C. Silvestri (assuming he exists... surely he's not one of those phantom names marketers put on official-looking correspondence?) But I do know a thing or two about Universal. Not Universal, the Hollywood studio. No. The Universal I speak of is a Toronto-based firm that employs those pests with clipboards and ill-fitting baseball caps. They knock at your door at dinnertime, always wanting to see your utility bills. It's seldom a good idea to comply. I also know Universal is one savvy marketer. The company spokesman is none other than ex-Leaf enforcer Tie Domi. Recently, the NHL winger found himself unemployed. Nino C. Silvestri presumably took pity on #28 and gave him a job as a shill. Thankfully, Universal never produced brochures reading, "Sign up now, puny human, or Domi will smash you." But here's the really funny part. I was informed by someone who allegedly speaks on behalf of Nino C. Silvestri that I can indeed get out of my contract. It's easy! All I have to do is pay Nino C. Silvestri precisely $852.93. I figure Nino C. Silvestri must be a gazillionaire by now. What a racket! He nets $802.93 every time some schmuck cancels a contract they never wanted. According to the fine print, it's all legal (albeit maybe not moral, or ethical). I was hoping to enlist the help of the Ontario Energy Board regarding Nino C. Silvestri. The OEB is the energy industry's "watchdog." I was hoping the OEB would be a piss-and-vinegar pit bull; what I got was a shell-shocked chihuahua. Stuff happens, I was told by the OEB's Chief Compliance Puppy. It would be "inappropriate" for the OEB to do, well, just about anything. Thanks for calling and have a nice day. So, here I am, paying big bucks for a hydro contract I never wanted. Still, the question I, and thousands of other consumers have, is this: who is Nino C. Silvestri? Actually, let me rephrase that: just who the hell does Nino C. Silvestri think he is?
DAVID MENZIES is a Toronto-based freelance writer contribuitng to several newspapers and magazine
And soon to follow, the response from our friend at Univer$al Energy [real or not]. I guess Nino had to come out from hiding under his desk as this article did raise lots of heads. I wonder what the stock-ticker said that day?