Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Direct Energy's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Direct Energy has 2 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Direct Energy

  Calgary, AB T2P 4K2

  
• 

  Direct Energy

  1850 10303 Jasper Ave Edmonton, AB T5J 3N6

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/03/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The BBB rating for this business must be based on replies because it clearly is not business practices. We are unfortunately one of the customers that did not receive a notice of contract expiry. Conveniently, we did not receive a December bill , but received a January bill which was exorbitant. I immediately contacted direct energy to find out why. I was told that I was being charged at flow through billing due to no response to the letter that they said was sent in September. When I called to explain that I did not receive it they said they would investigate it. The lady on the phone said it was sent to *** ******** ****. ***. This is not my address. On Feb 9 a case number was issued for resolution. I was asked if I wished to renew my contract while I was on the phone. I said that I would wait for the response first. ( bad mistake ) They did issue a revised bill. This account is in my wife's name so I was not aware of when it was received. On Feb 25 I contacted them to renew the contract. It would be effective on Feb 26. I asked the loyalty supervisor that I was speaking with if I would be also credited for the excessive charges prior to renewal. I was informed that it was in a billing cycle and could not be done at this time. I was told to contact them as soon as a new bill was issued and it would be resolved. The new bill arrived and it was even an even worse amount than the previous bill. I called immediately and was essentially given the ( Too Bad, So Sad response ) We understand your situation but unfortunately cannot do anything for you. I spoke to numerous people all with the same response. Two people at supposedly supervisory positions in *******. I informed the supervisor that I would move away from their services if I did not get any assistance. I informed him that we were seniors with only one income but that did not matter either. It seems that only money matters to them, certainly not customer loyalty. Case #s ************ and ************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/03/2023

  • Upon review of the account, we found that on February 9, 2023 **************** contacted our office disputing the high charges on their January statement. The agent advised that this is due to Mr. ******* contract being on the Open Flex Plan which had variable rates. **************** was advised that they were sent a renewal package in September, but **************** advised that they did not receive any mail from Direct Energy. 
  • The account was reviewed the agent found that on September 3, 2022, **************** was sent a renewal package to address 
  • **************** was then transferred to a supervisor for their concern. **************** was advised of the same information, and **************** advised that they will call back the next day to revisit their concern. 
  • On February 10, 2023, **************** spoke to another supervisor and was advised that a case would be created to investigate the renewal package issue. As for the high balance issue, the supervisor advised **************** of options for having a fixed rate contract. **************** declined and advised they will wait for the case resolution prior to signing up for anything.
  • On February 13, 2023, an agent working the case found that a renewal package was sent to address 
  • On February 25, 2023, **************** contacted our office asking to be changed over to fixed rates. This was done by the agent effective February 26, 2023. Before the call was ended, **************** requested for the rates to be backdated to their January bill. The agent advised that when **************** receives his next invoice, they can call us again to have their previous invoices backdated with fixed rates. This agent has been coached accordingly.
  • On ***************************************** called our office once again, disputing their high balance. **************** was advised by the agent that we are unable to backdate any charges as all these are valid. **************** asked for a case to be created to review the previous call as the agent advised that backdating the charges was a possibility. A case was created on Mr. ******* behalf.
  • On March 2, 2023, the agent working the case was able to determine that all the charges are valid and we are unable to backdate any charges. This is due to the contracts getting auto-renewed to Open Flex as **************** did not select a renewal package with fixed rates. The agent was able to contact **************** via telephone to provide this resolution. The case was then closed. 
  • Mr. ******* services have been taken over by a different provider effective March 6, 2023.
  • As **************** did not contact us to select a renewal plan with fixed rates after we have sent the renewal package, all charges are valid on the account. 
  • We attempted to contact **************** via telephone, but were unsuccessful. We ask the BBB to relay this information to *****************  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/03/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I find that it is very convenient that Direct Energy says that it coaches their people, although I have no idea how they do that with all of the people being overseas. Also, are they not responsible to some degree for consistently misinforming / lying to the customers. They revised the initial bill and reduced it, why could they not do the same with the new bill after they said that they would. I would not have moved my services. Once again, they are showing poor business practices. One only has to look at the previ0us complaints to realize this is common practice for Direct Energy. I still believe that I should be entitled to some compensation, after all, they charged me **** per kwh when the contract rate was ***** per kwh.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Billing from Dec 2022-Jan 2023 Amounting to $581 for Electricity and gas Reason for the sky rocketing bill I got my contract with direct energy ended Dec 15. The company is claiming they sent a renewal package last Sept 3. My arguement with the company is that I never did received the renewal package. I signed up with the contract of fixed rate with direct energy 2-3 years ago and I would not be able to remember when it will end. This multi million company sent only 1 time renewal package. And not even a single call or emails was sent to remind me of my contract is about to end. But mind you if you did not pay on time calls will be non stop and mails will be sent again and emails will be sent as well. I am asking the company to at least reduce give some consideration for what happened since I never got that renewal package that they sent. But this multi million company refused.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2023

  • Upon review, on September 3, 2022 a renewal package was sent to mailing address **********************************************************************************************. No returned mail was received.
  • On December 15, ********************************************************************************** the 1 Year Flex Rate plan subject to market rates. 
  • On January 31, 2023 the customer called to inquire about the high bill they received. The agent explained the account was enrolled on the 1 Year Flex rate plan since December 16, 2022 and advised the customer the renewal package was sent on September 3, 2022.
  • On February 1, 2023 the customer called regarding the higher consumption on the bill. The agent explained the billing. As the customer stated they were not able to afford the bill, the agent offered a payment arrangement and the phone number for ******* *****. The customer stated they had already spoken to ******* ***** and they did not qualify for assistance nor the current government relief being offered. The agent enrolled the account in the 5 Yr Cashback Plus Dual Fuel plan to begin as of February 2, 2023.
  • As the customer was sent the renewal package on September 3, 2022 and we did not receive a communication from the customer to renew their contract, the 1 Year Flex rate plan charges are valid from when the contract expired on December 15, 2022 to February 2, 2023 when the new fixed rate contract was applied.  A payment arrangement up to 3 months can be applied to the account for the current balance owing of $******. Current charges will also need to be paid in conjunction with the payment arrangement.
  • We contacted the customer and advised the balance of $****** can be placed in a payment arrangement for up to three months plus current charge. The customer declined the payment arrangement. 

    

• Initial Complaint

  Date:16/01/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On October 15/22 I signed a contract with Direct Energy at a booth set up in the ********************. It was for a 5 year fixed rate electricity plan set to take effect on October 30/22. I was told that even though I was a current Direct Energy customer it was acceptable as I was going from one branch of the company to the other. After this I heard nothing more and my power bills did go down. I was happy with the change until I received a bill for $477 on January 12/23. Upon contacting Direct Energy to see why my bill was so high, the previous one was $190, and was told this contract would not be honoured as I was an existing customer, and this was for new customers only. Nowhere on the contract does it say this and the agent said it was ok. On the contract there are different points for which Direct Energy can cancel the contract. None of these points were applicable for the situation. The best they offered me was a slightly better rate from this day forward and a $30 rebate. This still leaves me with an extremely high bill to pay. All I want is for this contract, which was signed by myself and an agent of their company, to be honoured and for the bill to be reconfigured using the rate that I signed up for. Direct Energy has refused to do this.

  Business Response

  Date: 19/01/2023

  Upon review of the account, we found that ********** was sent a renewal package on October 7, 2022 for the renewal of their contract expiring on December 31, 2022. 
  There are no interaction records indicating that ********** contacted our office to select a renewal plan. As per **********, they went to ******* to learn about current offers. An agent incorrectly offered them a fixed rate plan which is applicable to new customers only. 
  ********** signed up for the fixed rate plan to be effective October 30, 2022. As the contract was not a valid offer for existing customers, the contract was not applied to the account and the application was cancelled. The agent has been coached accordingly. 
  As ********** was provided incorrect information and the fixed rate plan was not applied, they remained in the Open Flex plan. 
  Due to the misinformation that ********** was given, we will honor the $30.00 credit that was offered to them. We also offer to apply a retention plan effective January 1, 2023. The plan we offer is a 3-year contract that comes with fixed rates of ***** c/kWh of electricity.  
  We attempted to contact ********** via telephone, but was unsuccessful.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 19/01/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:direct energy did not attempt to contact me by phone. As per their contract and the conditions within they violated many of the terms and conditions. There area in the contract where it says what is required on their part to end the contract they did nothing according to their guidelines. Direct energy lied to me and has also lied to the BBB when they say they were trying to contact me but were unsuccessful. I did hear from them AFTER I read this email saying they had tried to contact me. After reading reviews of this company online it appalls me that this company is still allowed to do business in this province. **** ********* ***** **** ******* ***********
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:22/12/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I change to direct energy about 2 years ago. Seem like we had a contract for 2 years. At the end of the contract they sent an email who go to the junk email because of the insane amount of spam. Because I didnt have a contract with them , they started to charge their variable rate at 0.22 instead of the regular 0.12 making invoice as high as 930$ for only 1 month of service. It look like in the ****** , ****** ****** *** ****** * *** ** ******* *** ************ I think they are doing that on purpose to take as much money as they can from their customer. There is no reason at all why people wouldnt extend their contract with them and I feel they dont try to reach their customer at all. I just resign for 5 years and they confirmed that in 2027 , before december this is my duty to call them to renew my contract or my price will double again if i don t do so. The first time I sign with them , they were at ******* and none of that was explained to us. It was just a random guy giving 25$ MC gift card for anyone that wanted to switch. I am pretty sure there is many people in alberta are facing the exact same situation. There must be a reason why Direct Energy is facing so many lawsuit all over the US.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/01/2023

  • Upon review of the account,on September 5, 2019 the customer enrolled for the 3 Year Simple Renewable Dual Plan to begin on September 16, 2019 for address ********************************************************************** with gas site ID ************* and electricity site ID *************.
  • On June 3, 2022 the renewal package was sent to the customers mailing address of **********************************************************************. No returned mail was received, indicating the renewal package was received.
  • The renewal package was not received back from the customer. No calls were received regarding renewing the customers contract.
  • On September 16, 2022 the fixed rate contract expired and was automatically renewed to the 1 Year Flex rate plan. On the statement generated on October 20, 2022 a message in the notice board advised the customer the contract was renewed at the flow through price for gas and electricity.
  • On December 12, 2022 a web enrollment request was received. The customer was enrolled in the 5 year Simple Five Fixed Dual Fuel Plan with ***** cents per kWh and $**** per GJ to begin on December 23, 2022 as requested.
  • On December 21, 2022 the customer called to inquire about their high bill. The agent explained the billing was higher due to the flex rate plan the customer was automatically renewed to on September 16, 2022. The agent explained the customer was no longer on a fixed rate and advised of the market rates applied to the billing. The agent offered the Budget Payment Plan which the customer declined stating they would call back another time.
  • On December 22, 2022 the customer called asking for a credit on their high bill. The customer advised a credit would not be applied and was offered a payment arrangement.
  • The contract provided on enrollment in 2019 advised in the terms and conditions, under Renewals, that a notification will be sent to the customer renew their fixed rate contract into a new fixed rate plan. The renewal package will contain any changes in rates. The terms also state if the current fixed rate contract is not renewed, it is automatically renewed for 1 year.
  • The renewal package also advised if the customer does not choose to renew their contract the services will automatically renew into the 1 Year Flex One Plan which is based on the market rate plus the flow through fees of $**** per GJ and **** cents per kWh.
  • As there was no notification regarding a renewal prior to the Open Flex Plan being applied to the account, all charges are valid.
  • We attempted to contact the customer via telephone, but were unsuccessful. We ask the BBB to relay this resolution to the customer.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear ******** ** name is ***************** and I want to complain Direct energy about their terrible service. I rent an apartment unit at ***************************************** Oct 26 2022 and called Directly energy on the same day told them I need the power to be connected as soon as possible because I need move in on Oct 29. When I arrived at the apartment on Oct 29 I found there was no power at all. I call direct energy immediately but was told that they couldn't find my site ID. After I found the site ID and called them again it had passed their business hour. The next day Sunday wasn't their business day, I lived in dark and can't cook food for two days. I told my wife to call them on Monday because I didn't have any time when I start working in a power construction site. When my wife called them and told them I need the power as soon as possible . She was told that I need pay 60 to 70 dollars more for the urgent fee. In that situation my wife have to agree with them. Then the power was connected On Oct 31. I received the bill form Direct energy On Nov 23 I found that I was charged 271 dollars. I called Directly energy and was told that regular reconnect fee was 125 dollars and 271 dollars for the urgent. It's the fifth business day when my wife called them. They still charge me urgent fee. What a terrible service! they need more than five business days to send an order to the distributor. They never want to care about their customers and just want to collect more money. **** ******* **** ****** ******** ****** ***** **** ** ** ****** **** *** ******* *** **** * **** ******* ** Direct energy account number is ************, The rental address is ************** *************, my cellphone number is **********.Beat wishes, *************** Dec 3

  Business Response

  Date: 07/12/2022

  The reconnection fee charged to ******** was $271.00 for a priority reconnection. Due to agent errors, we are able to offer a credit for the difference in the amount of the standard vs. priority reconnection fees. The standard reconnection fee is $125.00. Hence, a credit of $146.00 is provided to ********** account to offset the priority reconnection fee amount that has been charged. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:28/11/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Im being double charged for services from Direct Energy. I have been making monthly bili payments for gas and power- coming off my credit card automatically since the fall. I have now received 2 bills in 1 week, with the most recent bill encompassing all of my bills Ive already paid. Ive been on hold for about 20 minutes, put on hold 3 times, and then hung up on. I asked what is actually owing and they cant give me a straight answer, I did not swear- I stated I should not make payments for the same billing twice and that it was crazy they could not answer my questions. They then hung up and I have not heard back. I am about to be overcharged about $700.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2022

  • Upon review of the account, we found that **************** has had services active since August 11, 2022. The first invoice generated for **************** did not include any Electricity charges for the period of August 11, 2022 to September 7, 2022.
  • The two next subsequent invoices had Electricity charges starting from September 7, 2022 to November 4, 2022. The Electricity charges for the period of August 11, 2022 to September 7, 2022 still have not been accounted for. The statement generated on November 15, 2022 had Ms. ******* outstanding balance at $396.17.
  • A corrected invoice was generated on November 22, 2022 which finally included the meter readings/usage charges for the period of August 11, 2022 to September 7, 2022 for a total of ******* kWh that were not accounted for on the prior statements. As these corrections were made, the charges and payments for the account were all tallied and Ms. ******* outstanding balance was calculated and updated to be $702.45.
  • On November 28, 2022, **************** contacted our office. The agent attempted to explain the invoices and how the corrections were made, but **************** was adamant that she got double-billed. The call got disconnected, and there are no indications of **************** calling back. This interaction was not noted by the agent, as well as no attempts were made to call **************** back. The agent has been coached accordingly.
  • ******** are Ms. ******* invoices for your review.
  • All charges are determined to be valid as the prior unaccounted usage was just added to the corrected invoice, which had updated the balance accordingly.
  • We attempted to contact **************** via telephone but were unsuccessful. We ask the *** to relay this information to *****************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/12/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have no problem with paying what I actually owe. Im reviewing the billing, it still looks to me like I may double charged on some items. I would appreciate it being reviewed and explained. First of all, **** kWh of power that was not previously paid would be $133.37 at my rate, extra.Also, the most recent updated bill does State the gas charges, both retailer and distributor include charges from Sept9-Nov8. However, payment was made previously for Sept9-Oct7.

  Also the power distributor charges state they are for Aug10-Nov 4, but Sept7-Oct 6 was already paid.Can I please get this reviewed again and explained, how the total currently due was arrived at?

  Thanks **********;

  S
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2022

  • Upon further review of the invoices, we found that the charges for the corrected invoice generated on November 22, 2022 are valid. A breakdown of the invoices are as follows:

  • On the September 16, 2022 invoice, **************** was charged the amount of $115.76 for the natural gas service for the period of August 10, 2022 to September 10, 2022. The amount of $115.76 was paid and the balance reflected $0.00. **************** was not charged her electricity usage for the period of August 10, 2022 to September 7, 2022.

  • On the October 20, 2022 invoice, **************** was charged the amount of $126.40 for the natural gas service for the period of September 10, 2022 to October 7, 2022. **************** was also charged the amount of $106.33 for the electricity service for the period of September 7, 2022 to October 6, 2022. The total charge for this invoice was $232.73. The amount of $232.73 was paid and the balance reflected $0.00. **************** was still not charged her electricity usage for the period of August 10, 2022 to September 7, 2022.

  • On the November 15, 2022 invoice, **************** was charged the amount of $230.00 for the natural gas service for the period of October 7, 2022 to November 8, 2022. **************** was also charged the amount of $166.17 for the electricity service for the period of October 6, 2022 to November 4, 2022. The total charge for this invoice was $396.17. A payment was not received for this balance yet, thus it remained unchanged. **************** was still not charged her electricity usage for the period of August 10, 2022 to September 7, 2022. The total unaccounted charges are now $396.17 plus the electricity charges for the period of August 10, 2022 to September 7, 2022 which were yet to be calculated.

  • On the corrected invoice dated November 22, 2022, ******************** unaccounted electricity usage for the period of August 10, 2022 to September 7, 2022. was added. The usage for this period was ******* kWh. As no payments were made to the account on the prior statement, the balance of $396.17 was still included in this invoice. The two payments made by **************** were tallied on the bill and accounted for. The first payment of $115.76 was zeroed out as the natural gas charges for this balance were not added to this invoice. The second payment of $232.73 was included in this invoice as a credit. Both payments have been accounted for on this corrected statement.  

  • The proper calculations have been made for the charges since the activation of the services including ******************** payments already being accounted for, as well as all recalculations of usage and distributor charges. All charges on the corrected invoice are valid on the account.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/12/2022

  Thanks for your responses so far. Please tell me how much is the electricity charge from before, that was added to to my bill? How was this amount calculated; as when I look at the charges it seems the electricity charge would have been approx $130, not approx $300.
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been with direct energy for 15+yrs. I have always paid my bills without question. I recently moved and kept my service with direct energy at my new place.. soon as I did electrical bill went from $100 a month to $500. We didn't really notice for about 3months as it auto pays.. when I realized I called and they person said ya there something wrong..they called me back later and said nope its all right.. I said I used ****kwh. I said based on there posted rates I should have paid $126. I asked where they got there numbers from..she gave Me a site to go which was a energy regulator site which showed historical prices. So I asked her to do the math at the absolute peak. It was $200. She said she would check with ****** and get back to me . I told her I wanted to switch to there 5 yr fixed rate but only of they did something about my past bills. I then got a email later that day saying I was switched to a 5yr fixed.. I called again and they said they would look into it again. I am now talking to there supervisor. I get a email later that day and said they talked to ****** and the exact rate was. 045 kwh. So I called them again. I said ok do the math. She did the math and it comes out to $58 I said well $58 doesn't sound right and either does $500+. She then admit she didn't actually talk to ****** like she said. She was waiting on hold with them and it was taking a while do she just found it on there site.. this is the $56 number .. I then asked to speak to next level up. They said there was no other supervisor above him.. I should contact the main help email.. * ** ******* *** *** **** ** **** *** * ****** ** * ********* **** * **** **** *** **** *

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2022

  • Upon review of the account, we found that a transfer of services was done through Mr.********* Online Account Manager on June 8, 2022 requesting services at the old address *********************************************** to end on July 28, 2022, and services at the new address ******************************************************* to begin on July 6, 2022.
  • Mr. ******** has been on the Residential Open Flex plan since 2008. The final invoice was calculated for the old address *********************************************** on August 11, 2022 with the balance of $166.52. This balance carried over to the invoice generated on August 17, 2022 which included the current charges for the new address ******************************************************* in the amount of $444.84. The total amount charged to Mr. ******** was updated to $611.36 due by September 4, 2022.
  • Due to the overlap in billing dates and the increased electricity usage at the new address, this created a larger bill than has been previously generated on the account. Mr. ******** has also used an average of **** kWh at the new address, compared to an average of 300 kWh at the old address. 
  • Mr. ******** contacted us on October 11, 2022 regarding their higher than usual bills. The agent discussed the previous flex rates that Mr. ******** was charged for, as well as the current fixed rates available for them. Mr. ******** advised that he did not want to make any changes until the previous bills were lowered. Mr. ******** was transferred to a supervisor as requested.
  • The next agent incorrectly provided the rates as ***** c/kWh, and calculated the charges based on this price. The rates were actually **** c/kWh and the charges should have been calculated with this price. Mr. ********* contracts were also changed to the fixed rates, but there was no indication on the call of Mr. ******** confirming this change. This agent has been coached accordingly. We have reversed this change and put Mr. ******** back on their prior Open Flex plan.
  • The charges are valid as they were calculated with the appropriate rates that Mr. ******** had during these billing periods.
  • We attempted to reach Mr. ******** with this resolution but were unsuccessful. We ask the BBB to relay this information to Mr. *************************** ************* ******** ******* **** ******** **** ********** ******** ************ ******** *********** ****** ********** ************ ******** ************* ******** *********** ******** ************* ******** ******* **** ************ ********** 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/11/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I cancelled the Green **** product since Sept 2021, but Direct Energy continued to charge me $3.15 ($3 + $0.15 GST) every month. I've contacted Direct Energy multiple times since March 2022 via online inquiry and phone calls, and every time I was told by Direct Energy the Green **** has been removed from my account. However, Direct Energy continues to charge me the product as of today. I enclosed the communication with Direct Energy below. I also attached my Sept and Oct 2022 statements here to demonstrate the "Green ****" still shows on my bill. I've wasted a lot of time on phone and online to deal with this issue. I would like to see the following resolution: 1) REMOVE GREEN PLAN FROM MY INVOICE IMMEDIATELY, 2) REFUND THE GREEN PLAN FEES FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS, ** ***** *** *** ****** ******** *** ****** ******** **** *** ***** **** ******* ** ********** *** *** ****** ** **** * ***** ** **** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2022

  • Upon review, of the account, we found that on September 15, 2021, ************ called to remove the green plan from their account. The agent that they spoke to advised that it has been removed.
  • On ************************************ called our office again and advised that they got charged the green plan for the months of October, November, December, January, February and March. The agent advised ************ that the green plan will be removed, and ************ was promised a credit of $18.00 but it was not provided. The agent will be coached accordingly.
  • On May 3, 2022, ************ called our office once again due to the green plan still being charged as well as the $18.00 credit was not provided on the account. ************ was then advised that the green plan was removed, and the agent provided a credit of $20.00 on the account. As the agent should have submitted the continuing charges for further investigation, they have been coached accordingly.
  • On June 30, 2022, ************ again contacted Direct Energy due to the green plan still being charged. The agent again advised that the green plan was removed, and ************ was provided another credit of $25.20. As the agent should have submitted the continuing charges for further investigation, they have been coached accordingly.
  • On August 3, 2022, ************ contacted Direct Energy once again to dispute the same issue. A case was created for ************ to investigate this ongoing issue. The agent handling the case was able to verify that only the billing department is able to assist in removing the green plan.
  • The agent contacted the billing department and was advised that the green plan was still charging the customer. The agent advised the billing department that they would need assistance with this issue to have the green plan removed from Mr. ***** account. The billing department agent did not respond and the issue was not resolved. This agent will be coached accordingly.
  • We have now removed the green plan from Mr. ***** account. ************ has received credits for the green plan charges up to August 2022. As such, we have provided a credit of $20.00 for ************ for the green plan charging $3.15 every month from August until October 2022.
  • We attempted to contact the customer but were unsuccessful. We kindly ask the BBB to forward this information on our behalf. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I've been given empty promises many times. I need to see the next billing to truly verify the issue is indeed resolved this time. This means I have to wait till the end of November for the next billing, in order to give my proper response.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:15/08/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I recently canceled my services with direct energy because I moved to a new location. I accidentally overpaid my last bill by mistake and was given credit for direct energy. When I talked to one of their representatives on the phone they said I would be issued a cheque for what I'm owed, but they keep charging me for services I canceled. It looks like they are trying to use up my credit so they don't have to honour paying me back.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2022

  Resolution: 
  Upon review of the account, a credit balance of $234.86 was transferred incorrectly instead of refunded. We have corrected this issue and a refund cheque for the amount of $234.86 will be issued to ******************. The refund cheque will be mailed to Mr. ******** mailing address on ** ***.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:27/07/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 3,2022 I spoke with an operator at Direct Energy, I had asked if there was any way to reduce my ****, which when the looked they said I could be switched to the Fixed Rate plan which was drastically cheaper than the payment plan I was on. This would also remove me from the budget plan I was currently on. There was no mention of paying off the budget plan. When I questioned Direct Energy via email this month why I was still on the budget plan they responded and said that I was now removed and I would have to pay $106 plus an additional $*** on my next months ****. I just received my July **** which is over $****. I was not informed at the time that I changed my plan that I would be charged this additional amount. Also if you review my account usage I have not gone over the total budget amount. Direct Energy has over charged me for the last two years and I was tired of it. With the additional inflation costs going up how am I supposed to pay this amount that I was not informed I would be required to pay? Also last year they removed me from the budget plan and then put me back. The client should be informed before they make a change that they would be charged an outrageous amount.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2022

  • Upon review, we found that ****************** called in on June 2, 2022 to inquire about their options to lower their ****. The agent whom ****************** spoke to was able to determine that ****************** was on a budget payment plan. As per their request, the agent placed ****************** on a contract with fixed rates effective June 3, 2022. 
  • On June 3, 2022, ****************** called our office once again to make a payment for their outstanding balance of $******.
  • On July 12, 2022, we received an email from ****************** disputing the charges on her July 10, 2022 invoice. ****************** requested for the budget payment plan to be removed. The agent working the case cancelled the budget payment plan as per Ms. ******** request. ****************** was sent an email advising them that there are budget settlement amounts of $****** for their ******************* and $****** for their ************ ****************** was advised that these amounts will be charged on their next invoice.
  • On July 15, 2022, we received an email from ****************** inquiring as to why they are still on a budget payment plan when they asked to be put off. The agent that handled the request attempted to contact ****************** but was unsuccessful. The agent advised ****************** to contact our office for any additional inquiries. 
  • ****************** was sent an invoice dated July 25, 2022 containing a balance forwarded of $****** from their last statement, the budget settlement amounts of $****** for their ******************* and $****** for their ************ and their new charges. The total balance on this statement is $*******. These charges are valid and information on these charges were provided to ******************.
  • We are able to offer ****************** one of the following options:
    

  1. Payment arrangements for ****************** for their current balance of $*******. 
  2. Placing ****************** back on their budget payment plan with the settlement amounts being put in said plan, so that ****************** is not charged the settlement amounts in one lump sum.