Shopping Discussion

Ontario Consumers Home Services

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Newbie
May 8, 2012
1 posts
2 upvotes
RICHMOND HILL

Ontario Consumers Home Services

Has anyone heard of Ontario Consumer Home Services? My dad just signed a contract and I'm scared its a scam.
205 replies
Newbie
Sep 28, 2009
1 posts
Holland landing
they knocked on my door the other day as well asking to replace our furnace. i wasn't home but apparently they are going to come back to speak to me. i assume its the same as the water tank people trying to get you to rent equipment for the next 100 years. has anyone had experience with them?
Deal Fanatic
Jul 4, 2004
9473 posts
2650 upvotes
I believe there is a cooling down period and you have a limited amount of time before you can't get out of it. I'm sure if you do a search you will find the information that you need in here somewhere.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Oct 15, 2007
852 posts
75 upvotes
If you define scam as you're going to end up paying a lot more, then yes, it's a scam.

There's more info from the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services HERE.

You have 10 days "cooling off" to cancel contract. I would advise you get your dad to do that.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jul 15, 2005
8018 posts
1780 upvotes
Toronto
they basically get you to sign a 10 yr contract which cost more than if you bought it outright
Member
User avatar
Feb 2, 2003
476 posts
137 upvotes
Toronto
my husband had a guy come to our door about this. i was out grocery shopping and was surprised when i found the guy in our house when i got back.
it sounded fishy to me as the guy looked like the cat that swallowed the canary when my husband was on the phone with his supervisor.
my hubs, unsuspecting trusting soul that he is, thought a hot water heater that was 30% more energy efficient sounded great.
he's actually on the phone right now cancelling the service call and the guy is really trying to apply the pressure. glad i found this thread.
Deal Addict
User avatar
May 6, 2006
2069 posts
99 upvotes
Toronto
Just bumping this thread because a rep came by yesterday. Said some garbage about "they are inspecting all the houses in the area and upgrading all old water heaters". We just moved in a few months ago but the previous owners were renting and just got a new water heater from Direct Energy. I brought him to look at it to see what he would say thinking he'd try to scam me. I even said, we are with Direct Energy and it's a fairly new water heater. He said something like "we work with all the companies, direct, reliance, etc). He looked at it and said you don't need replacing and that was it. Didn't bother trying to up sale me. Was kind of hoping he tried some lame pressure tactic...lol

After he left, I looked up the company and saw this existing thread. I had a feeling it was a bit scammy since I never trust door to door type salesman anyways but reading that they make you sign up for a 10 year contract is crazy!
My XBL/PSN: evilenger
Newbie
Jun 18, 2012
59 posts
9 upvotes
Ottawa
Hi,

I had a salesperson at the door on Saturday regarding the heater rental. He specifically told me that he was from Enbridge and needed to check my heater as there might be required an upgrade due to company policy. At this point, I thought he was from Direct Energy homes (the company I am with). He asked to see my water heater and I showed him it. After, he told me that the heater needs to be upgraded as well as the pipes due to company policy. He asked me to show him the Enbridge form and I did. He said the company was actually charging me less than what I was supposed to be receiving. At this point, I thought for definitely he was with Direct Energy since he was saying THEIR company. So he filled out the forms and asked me to sign. I did sign, the contract was put under my dad’s name as my dad and mom is the homeowner. However, I put my signature on everything. Neither of them were present when the contract was signed. I was deceive into this contact. I did not know of the recent scams going on until a friend informed me today. But they had already came an installed the e water heater and took the old one from Direct Energy away. I called Direct Energy today and they told me of the recent scams happening.

The whole time, the person did not say the name of their company or that they were from Ontario Consumers Services. When they showed me the flyer, I thought it was a government agency.

What can I do?

I understand that I have a 10 day cooling period. I will call them tomorrow as soon as possible. But can they charge me fees for removing the heater and reinstalling the Direct Energy one? Can I even get my old heater back? I’m not sure what they did with it. I’m afraid they won’t give it back and I would owe Direct Energy money or if they damage it in anyway then I can’t use it and have to pay for repairs.
Sr. Member
Jan 24, 2008
817 posts
68 upvotes
jadedxheart wrote: Hi,

I had a salesperson at the door on Saturday regarding the heater rental. He specifically told me that he was from Enbridge and needed to check my heater as there might be required an upgrade due to company policy. At this point, I thought he was from Direct Energy homes (the company I am with). He asked to see my water heater and I showed him it. After, he told me that the heater needs to be upgraded as well as the pipes due to company policy. He asked me to show him the Enbridge form and I did. He said the company was actually charging me less than what I was supposed to be receiving. At this point, I thought for definitely he was with Direct Energy since he was saying THEIR company. So he filled out the forms and asked me to sign. I did sign, the contract was put under my dad’s name as my dad and mom is the homeowner. However, I put my signature on everything. Neither of them were present when the contract was signed. I was deceive into this contact. I did not know of the recent scams going on until a friend informed me today. But they had already came an installed the e water heater and took the old one from Direct Energy away. I called Direct Energy today and they told me of the recent scams happening.

The whole time, the person did not say the name of their company or that they were from Ontario Consumers Services. When they showed me the flyer, I thought it was a government agency.

What can I do?

I understand that I have a 10 day cooling period. I will call them tomorrow as soon as possible. But can they charge me fees for removing the heater and reinstalling the Direct Energy one? Can I even get my old heater back? I’m not sure what they did with it. I’m afraid they won’t give it back and I would owe Direct Energy money or if they damage it in anyway then I can’t use it and have to pay for repairs.
Didn't you read the contract you were signing?
Newbie
Nov 6, 2012
1 posts
Toronto
Anyone who has signed an agreement with ONTARIO CONSUMERS HOME SERVICES and feel like they've been scam should file a complaint with the Ministry of Ontario Consumers right away. The government needs to take action on this company as they are not honest. Consumers need to speak up and fight back so there will be no victims in the future. ONTARIO CONSUMERS HOME SERVICES need to be shut down immediatly.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 18, 2005
4493 posts
3897 upvotes
Markham
***** , i just let those 2 guys come in my house to check, didn't sign anything thou. am I in danger? I thought it was some kind of government program, guess not.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Mar 30, 2007
1670 posts
217 upvotes
Markham
Just want to give this another quick bump, two "Ontario Consumers" guys came by knocking my door just now (i live in MARKHAM), they said they need to inspect my water tank, i never heard of "Ontario consumers" before so I ask them if they are with enbridge / direct energy, he said "yeah, they're related to us"... sounded kinda fishy, so i just told them i was busy... they were really pushy they asked "when can we come back, we have to inspect every house here", I told them x-mas holidays is not good, come back next year. Anyways, did some research online, "Ontario Consumers" is just another door-to-door water heater sellers, and these guys will lie their way into your house and make you think you need to "upgrade" you water tank. DON'T LET THEM IN, DON'T SIGN ANYTHING !!!
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 18, 2005
4493 posts
3897 upvotes
Markham
Krakilin0405 wrote: Just want to give this another quick bump, two "Ontario Consumers" guys came by knocking my door just now (i live in MARKHAM), they said they need to inspect my water tank, i never heard of "Ontario consumers" before so I ask them if they are with enbridge / direct energy, he said "yeah, they're related to us"... sounded kinda fishy, so i just told them i was busy... they were really pushy they asked "when can we come back, we have to inspect every house here", I told them x-mas holidays is not good, come back next year. Anyways, did some research online, "Ontario Consumers" is just another door-to-door water heater sellers, and these guys will lie their way into your house and make you think you need to "upgrade" you water tank. DON'T LET THEM IN, DON'T SIGN ANYTHING !!!
I did let them in, but didn't sign anything, also show them my enbridge bill which they ask for(they did not write anything down), after my mind finally ring the bell, and kicked them out the house before they can speak another word. am I in danger? btw, just saw them again today knocking on door around my area.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Mar 30, 2007
1670 posts
217 upvotes
Markham
farfargurl wrote: I did let them in, but didn't sign anything, also show them my enbridge bill which they ask for(they did not write anything down), after my mind finally ring the bell, and kicked them out the house before they can speak another word. am I in danger? btw, just saw them again today knocking on door around my area.
If you didn't sign anything, then you're fine...
Sr. Member
User avatar
Oct 8, 2012
520 posts
131 upvotes
TORONTO
stay clear, aggressive sales team, seniors please watch yourself with any reno/repairs.
Newbie
Jan 17, 2013
1 posts
I came home thursday to find my upstairs neighbours having their hot water tank replaced. I had two inches of water on the lower level of my house. I asked the contractor who he worked for, replied reliance (even wearing their clothes and hat) I called reliance and they said they had nobody even in the neighbourhood. I confronted the guy and he said oh wait imperial oil. yeah all the way from orleans to barrhaven. Anyway when i asked the owner of the unit he said well they told me i had to replace it because it's 6 or 7 years old and not up to code! ok then i took pictures of the unmarked van and of the imposter tech. Asked him to see his gas license and recognized because my son is a licensed gas technician that his license is not valid no tssa # or certificate # no name just a little blue piece of bull****

my carpets are saturated, my insurance company has set of fans and dehumidifiers, my window are soaked, my doors are frozen not to mention my house stinks.

So of course these neighbours have been scammed and they have fix my house. Sure hope they have insurance.

Watch out for these guys! If they scam your intellectually challenged neighbours you could be on the hook!
Newbie
Jan 19, 2013
2 posts
I am a new employee at Ontario Consumer.

I heard that it used to be that the same company supplying gas and electricity are also the company that supply your appliances and that is conflict of interest because they don't want to upgrade your appliances to more efficient ones because you would use less energy and they loss money. Enbridge got sued and they gave appliance part to direct energy, and since direct energy can't deal with all the old appliances overnight, they lost monopoly in 2009. Small companies were invited by the government to supply appliances. I thought it is great to sell energy product door to door, you get to take road trips, see different part of country, earn commission, and meet and help other people. But now I am getting second thought. :facepalm:

First, commission isn't really high like some people imaged, its between $100 to 300 for each contract (depend on the item) and often you walk the whole day, receiving negative feedback (dog, shouts, laughed at, yelled at, doors slam on your face etc) and without getting one contract, the company only earns almost $1000 for each contract, before our comission. I heard that LV bag give $1000 to $2000 commission to salespeople for just one bag (the more expensive ones). My former tax employer charge $800 to fill a page of tax paper and he did a lot of paper! :|

Second, I only made 1 sale, but this person pays $35+HST maintenance fee each month to direct energy for an ancient furnace (the metal pipe one, really loud noise). No doubt the deal I gave her is better than the one she's getting, but now I think I still gave her a bad deal after I have the chance to research the market and do my own calculation.

Price were similar (about 5k) for big companies like Reliance, National Home Service, Brighter Energy and Direct Energy etc, but there are also plentiful of cheap ones in the market. E.g. furnace can sell for $2000 for smaller company and some online sites. They all say 95% efficiency with energy star symbol. What's the difference? :o I don't know so I feel uncertain. Moreover, I can tell you right now, the interest for a contract are often same or above the original cost of product for the big companies' product (I am finance major, I calculate the rate for different company on my own time). OMG. No wonder people say rental program is a scam. :lol: Funny thing is that many people I have spoken to have a bad feeling for our company (I know our sale tactic is misleading, and door to door are not welcome), but they are ok with direct energy's rental program! Our rates seems better, with $2 extra per month, you get a high efficiency new tank that save you about $17 per month if you were previously Direct Energy and Consumer Gas customer. In another word, profit that were in the original contract are shift to us, that's why we said if you are already in rental program, its no cost to you, and you get a new tank.

Anyway, if one of our guys or some other company's guys ever come to your door, here is my advice to you: Do hear what they have to say about your water heater and furnace. Sales people at least knows something about it, I myself got a very enlightening crash course. I have see many people with really old things and they just stupidly kept it because they don't trust sales people and they wanted to stay with old supplier (who had monopoly in the past and charge sky high!). Also, DON'T accept any deal of rent, just ask how much to buy one and get their number. If you like the salesperson or their product, why not consider buy one from them instead of going to shops, its same price and you help someone getting a job. If you buy from smaller company or from internet, beware that job may not be properly done, I saw one furnace replaced but the metal pipe was not replaced, its bloody burning when I touched it, so this person still waste 45cents for every dollar spent. Seriously, did the owner really think he could get the installation done freely with only paying $1000 to buy furnace. Dreams on.

Gee, I am not great at sale like my manager, new grad expo is Jan 25 again in Toronto, hope I can find a better job there. :lol: Overall, its very interesting and challenging experience with my new job.
Newbie
Jan 21, 2013
1 posts
I have joined Red flags to post my experience with Ontario Comsumers Home Services Inc. I have recently switched from Direct Energy to OCHS, a fellow from OCHS knocked on my door couple of months ago, my first instinct was to just say "No Thank you" and pretty much shut the door on his face but it was cold outside and I felt I should at least hear the guy out. He gave this story about "Green foam insulation" and how it is much better than the old water heater that I had from Direct energy, he claimed that I would at least see 6-7 % on my gas bill and also I get one month free, I got him to give me 2 months free and signed the contract. The OCHS guy also claimed that the switch from Direct Energy to OCHS will be seemless to me because the guy who come-in to install the water heater will take away my existing water heater and return it to Direct Energy. So, I switched feeling that I have made a good decision. When I got my first bill I was surprised to see Direct Energy still showing up on my bill, I called OCHS and asked why Direct energy is still showing up on my bill, they told me that I have to get Authorization code from Direct Energy and give to them before they could return the water heater back to Direct energy, I was infuriated by this, anyways I got the Authorization code for DE and gave it to OCHS and OCHS gave me another month for free. The representative from OCHS told me that I should see cheque for 3 months rebate in mail soon. Another month goes by and there is no cheque from OCHS, so I called again
this time I was told that I have already gotten 2 months free because OCHS haven't charged me for these months but I was paying DE all this time. Aside from this, ever since the new tank got installed my water mixer is not working properly and I am stuck with luke warm water, this is something that OCHS said that they won't fix since it is installed above the water heater and OCHS is not liable for it. I really regret switching from DE to OCHS, I had no idea what I was getting into, I thought I would post my story here and hopefully it will help other people to make a more informed decision.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 18, 2005
4493 posts
3897 upvotes
Markham
Krakilin0405 wrote: If you didn't sign anything, then you're fine...
my new bill came and it still says direct energy home service, now I have a peace of mind! btw, I don't see those guys at my area anymore, I guess everyone here had been notified about these scammers.

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