Enbridge Gas customer service
My husband and I purchased a model home in February 2009. We moved in to our home in April 2009. At that time the home was 1.5 years old and had been receiving heat. After we unpacked and settled into our home in a week, I began the task of calling all the utility companies and giving my name and address. Including Enbridge Gas. I spoke to a customer representative that took all the information and said that I would receive a bill in 6-8 weeks. Near the end of June 2009, I had noticed that I had not received a bill from Enbridge Gas. I was at work this time and called the company to inquire as to way I haven’t received anything. I was jumped around to 2-3 customer service agents till I was sent to an agent by the name of Sonia. She took the time to look at my account and said that she noticed the previous agent had not finished the account properly and that she assured me she would take care of it and that I would receive a bill in 4-6 weeks.
End of august 2009 beginning of September 2009 rolls around and I still have not received a bill!! I call Enbridge Gas back and surprisingly had received the same customer service agent Sonia. I explained my situation again for the 4th time and she said that I had spoken to her previously. I expressed my sincere frustrations and that lack of service that has been provided so far. Sonia apologized and said that she will look into it right away. So I waited on hold and she returned after 20minutes or so to tell me that she is having a hard time figure out why my account is not set up. Sonia also said that my meter inspection had just taken place back in June 2009 so maybe that could be the reason for the back log. I told her that I need this rectified right now as i’m trying to be a good consumer and pay my bills. I was put on hold again for another 30 minutes and I hung up the phone in frustration and said that I wouldn’t be calling back.
The summer rolls by and the fall and no bill arrives in my mail box. Out of complete and udder frustration and disgusted at the lack of urgency this company has, I called them back on January 29th 2010. I spoke to a customer service agent and asked to speak to the supervisor. They told me I had to leave my information and that the supervisor would return my phone call. Lisa the supervisor for that day called me back and left a message stating that they were working on fixing the problem and I would receive a bill somewhere around April 2010!!! I called her back and again expressed my frustrations and that receiving a bill 12 months after I moved into my new residence was unacceptable. She advised me that Enbridge Gas had went through a system upgrade in December 2009 and that most of the accounts had to be put in manually. I told her again that I had not received a bill from Enbridge Gas since I have lived at my new residence in April 2009, So what was the issue then? Why was it that every time I spoke to a customer service agent they were blaming another agent for not completing the right procedures? She had no answer for me and kept talking about some system upgrade. I than asked her what can she do for me since by the time I would receive my bill it would be roughly $3000.00? She replied that she could credit me $50, not charge me interests or late payment and allow me to make payment arrangements. I told her that wasn’t good enough and that such a huge company such as themselves should be trying to regain my faith back into their company. Lisa told me that’s all she can do. I kept trying to make her understand that this was completely unacceptable to me as a customer. During the conversation she began to raise her voice and I asked who was above her that I could speak to as she was becoming rude and none helpful. Lisa than said she could forward my complaint to the customer advocacy department and they would return my phone call in 48 hours.
On February 3rd 2010 I received a phone call from Kristal who was very nice and understanding. She gave me another explanation that included the system upgrade they had back in December 2009. I told her again that I have been at this home now since April 2009. Kristal starting saying that since I had switched to natural gas with Enbridge, I stopped her and told her that this home was built in August 2007 and that since this was the model home for the new neighbourhood it has been receiving gas since then. Kristal responded with “Oh” as to indicate this company had no idea about the gas they were supplying. I also asked her what can be done for me to help offset the cost of my bill that I have not received since I moved in and the countless hours spent on the phone trying to get someone to care enough to have a sense of urgency to fix this problem. All she could offer me was another $50 credit to make it a $100 credit in total. I replied sorry but that’s not good enough and who could I talk to that was higher than her. She said the ombudsman office. I told her that I already placed the call and was waiting to hear back from them.
February 11th Jesse from the ombudsman office calls and leaves me a message that I will be receiving a bill in 2 weeks and that she will keep in contact with me over this issue. I was away so I could not return her phone call till February 22 2010. As of today February 24th 2010 I have finally received my bill and it’s still not right!!!!!! I have a bill that dates from October 2009 to February 5 2010 with only one actual meter reading for the month of January and a balance owing of $2077.33. Saying that between the dates of December 9 2009 and February 5 2010 I used $1331.96 worth of gas! When I have a energy efficient home that’s 2.5 years old and a furnace that the builder installed runs at 98% efficient. Out of the entire bill Enbridge Gas is trying to charge me usage based on estimated readings and 1 month of an actually reading. How can a company make you feel so unimportant and give you a bill solely based on ESTIMATED readings, when they had 10months to take meter readings. I have put a second call into the ombudsman office for Jesse tonight to return my call. How does a honest, long term customer get any sort of help or fairness from such a large company that obviously does not care about the family’s they serve????
Still an ongoing issue as of February 24th 2010
Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.
May 18th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I am still waiting for a bill from Enbridge since October! (8 months) and guess what, they sent my landlord to collections and he now has a bad credit rating because of these morons. I have been calling every month and they assure me the account has been on hold and I will get a bill (next month, next month)My first bill came in the DECEASED previous owner of the house, second bill came in the NEW owner of the house, the next bill came in the DECEASED previous owner of the house, and every bill after that in the owners name. I am the TENANT and want to pay my bill. Insane in Ottawa
May 20th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
i have the exact same problem, mine is going on to 11-months…
June 17th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Short quick out line to my story. Purchased a house in Feb 2010, got my first bill from Enbridge in March…checked out the bill as it was astronimical, so went a checked the meter reading (it says they did a reading on the meter on this bill.) Ironically enough it was far less than what I was billed for so I called and they opened a case. Gave them the meter reading, and they said they would send someone out right away to ensure I had given the proper reading (ok to second guess my reading, but its just 5 simple numbers on my meter)
So jump to April, May and June…still getting bills on all 3 months, all with estimates and each time I call to correct the issue because they are charging me for over 300 cubic meters each month, and I used less than 100. I get every excuse given to me about why its still not correct nor has my case been resolved. I’ve been told the meter reader could not open the gate, I’ve been told there is a dog in the back yard, I’ve been told they were once told they were not allowed on my property, I’ve been told that its hard to use the new computer / web based system and now today get told that it could take another 3 months to resolve. All the meanwhile my account billing has been suspended till this is resolved (because I refuse to pay 600 dollars for gas that I have never even used) I have been proactive in trying to rectify the issue, as well as not get dinged with a $600 bill. I’ve giving them actual meter readings each month since I got my first bill and still no answers. The case is still pending.
So four months and still no resolution, I know I would get fired for not doing something for over 3 months at my work…how the hell do they get away with this?
July 3rd, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I am running into the same issue. Started in February 2010. Is there an officail Ombudsman that we can contact to rectify this? NOt an Enbridge Ombudsman…I think they use that name to divert complaints back to them. I know Enbridge is a private company however this is getting ridiculous. Maybe the press??
July 3rd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Ontario Energy Board’s Customer Service Centre at 416-314-2455
This is where complaints go from what I can tell.
August 23rd, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I moved into my new home december 2009. In november I contacted enbridge to let them know I was taking possession of my new home december 1, they took all my information. In april I received a letter from Enbridge that said they had no idea who the owner of the home was and that if I did not contact them right away my gas would be shut off. I called them and 6 weeks later I received 5 bill’s totaling around $750, plus they wanted a $250 deposit. I have not had any future problems.
September 24th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Try dealing with this company who says my friends owes $9755.88 for the last three years of no payment! He has a son with cerebral palsy, and now has no heat because they came and removed the meter, and shut off the main line from the front of the house saying it was the last resort. Now they say they want almot $2000.00 to re install all equipment! They did not try to come to the property in the last three years, and if hey had, they would not have to remove their eqipment! Yet another way to make money from people! I spoke to the obmensman, and she was ignorant, just like everyone else in their dept!I have resolted to getting my Mayor involved, next will be taking this public!!
October 7th, 2010 at 10:33 am
Enbridge has outsourced it’s accounting, customer service, and meter reading. So when you call Enbridge customer service, you’re probably talking to somebody at Accenture. And the meter reader contractor: I get letters saying they can’t find or read my meter, even though it’s in plain sight of anyone on the street, and I call and explain where the meter is, and even after all that, they still can’t find it!
October 15th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Enbridge is riding on lack of competition. It makes one sick that a customer can be at the mercy of a company like enbridge whose service is that indispensable especially in the cold months – and this they know, unfortunately, they have become tin gods, unruly and without any sense of accountability or business ethics. Shame on the CEO of Enbridge! Shame on all the customer service reps. Shame, shame on Enbridge
November 9th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
I started a new business 2 and a half years ago and was burried alive with huge gas bills. I called Enbridge over and over stating that something was wrong. I own a tanning salon and turn the heat off every day due to the heat generated by the beds. They refused repeatedly to come and check out the situation and actually told me to hire a contractor to come and check the meter! As if I could afford that while trying to pay for the huge heating bills. Finally, after paying for 2 and a half years it was discovered that after my meter the pipes split and I supply gas to my shop as well as my neighbours! Since my neighbour has two furnaces and one meter running off of one no one knew about it. Now Enbridge has refused to refund me and has stated that it is not their problem. So now what? They were the ones that should have checked the meter when I signed up initially! Now I am left holding the bag and having to figure out who should pay. If I did that to my customers, I wouldn’t have a business! It is a shame that a company like that is our only gas supplier in my area. I agree, shame on Enbridge!
November 10th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
My story is such a lengthy one it is hard to condense it. Bottom line, I thought I was going to have to get a lawyer involved. I took possession of my home on Nov.2/09 and it is kind of getting resolved now in Nov/10. Everything was based on estimated readings and Enbridge never took an actual reading on my possession date, which I thought was illegal. I found out after 2 months of living here, that my meter wasn’t moving and apparently hadn’t for close to a year (which the prior owner didn’t know about). I insisted they install a new meter, which they did on Apr. 7/10, so I thought finally everything would then be corrected. They took 6 months to get the info in their system that the new meter was now installed which began at a reading of 0.
Between the dates of Nov.2/09 and Apr.7/10 Enbridge is now trying to charge me for the m3 the prior owners used for the same period of goodness knows what year. The problem is, there were more people living in the house, so therefore more hot water usage and so on.
Now I have to keep track of my usage from Nov.2/10 to Apr.7/11 to see if I was charged too much. So far, it already looks that way. After next April I am going to ask for a credit back for overcharges and hopefully I will get it. I don’t see how they can charge a customer this way, when it was their meter that wasn’t moving and not my error. They should hire more meter readers and if they consistently read it every month or even every other month, this problem would never have occurred in the first place.
They are lucky I informed them of this problem, because they wouldn’t have a clue what I used in m3 ever.
They appear to be the worst company I have ever dealt, with any move I have ever made. They should be hiring, when so many people are out of work, just so they can get caught up on their backlog, which appears to be about a year. It takes that long to get your problem resolved.
If I could switch companies, I likely would, but they seem to have the monopoly in this area, so we are all at their mercy.
Good luck everyone!
November 27th, 2010 at 8:11 am
We just recieved a gas bill for $800.00. Back in May we recieved a credit for $500.00. I called them that month to find out why we had a credit and they said we overpayed over the winter. I told them I didn’t want to get stuck with a thousand dollar bill in 6 months. I called them again the next month to make sure and they said the same thing. Now six months later they send me a bill bill for $800. I have called them twice and now I need to call the Obumsden and I called to Ontario Energy Board to file a complaint. Enbridge should be absorbing the cost of there errors not the consumer. Why as comsumers are we not going as high as we can to stop Enbridge from doing this to so many people? This has just begun for me.
December 1st, 2010 at 1:35 pm
back in July I was late with my billing for 2 months due to a family issues/being away and being careless when they were serious issues with sickness I was treated in a disgusting manner by their collections agents charged penalties and deposits. Its funny how now they are asking me to have patience with the errors on their billing issues which have been a nightmare !! something has to be done with this irresponsible entity and their 1 way for profit and irresponsible management and we the consumers pay… and if we dont do anything it will continue and get worse.
December 14th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Hello,
Well After 10 months I spoke with a supervisor today. They set me up like I was a brand new client…..Started billing me in April/10 when I moved in February/10…I have no idea how this is going to work out. I was told the same story by a “supervisor” who had the customer service skills of a sociopath. I swear I heard him smoking….I think I am going to sue. If anybody wants to log some names for a class action email me at [email protected]. This has to stop. Almost everybody needs gas for heating and hot water and to support their families this incompetent company is holding us hostage.
December 17th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
The ongoing and never ending billing problems by ENBRIDGE
Management needs to fix their long overdue internal procedural methods for billing accuracy together with assurances to be given to the public that gas meters are accurate
Countless Enbridge customers had problems with the billing of their gas supply that was often only discovered at seasonal year-end in July when Enbridge makes a “billing adjustment” to the “estimated gas usage”.
A close examination of my situation turned out to be a shocker! According to the Enbridge records I had attained a 515 cu.m saving of gas usage in 2010 vs. the previous year in 2009 and as billings for the new season are always based on the usage of the previous season, I should have received a credit adjustment instead of a huge extra billing. I am a 75 year old senior that aims to manage the money in a prudent way and in doing so I would like to pay my bills, but the bills must be correct which I feel they are not and at this time I am still waiting for an explanation from Enbridge.
My monthly equal billings for the 2009-2010 season if based on Enbridge policy should have been $280.00 and with diminished usage this should have resulted in a small credit at the end of the 2010 season and not $1,422.59, this also reflecting on correct gas meter accuracy. Now this is the unresolved situation at the close of the old year in 2010 and continues at this time in the new season.
With the first month of the new billing season starting July 15, 2010 I was billed for 637 cu.m. of gas usage when the house was never heated in this summer month. This billing was tenfold of gas usage billed when compared to a similar size home that used only 62 cu.m.of gas. How can the gas meter be correct? This to me was a bad start in the new 2011 season and in response to this I contacted the Ombudsman of Enbridge,only being told that I can hire a contractor that can check the accuracy of the gas meter and do so on condition that when the gas meter with its measurements turns out to be faulty that Enbridge will reimburse me for the cost for hiring the contractor. I feel that Enbridge must give all its customers the assurance that gas supply is correctly billed.
I would like to pay the disputed amount of the gas bill and in doing so I have requested Enbridge to provide me – through several urgings with the ombudsman – the reasons as to why my billing has been grossly misstated and my concerns that assurance is given that gas supplied is indeed accurate. Instead of these explanations I have now received a collection letter for the disputed amount.
December 31st, 2010 at 1:10 pm
GOVERNMENT SHOULD BRING MORE COMPETITION FOR THE GAS DISTRIBUTION BUSINESE AS THAT THE CUSTOMER HAS A CHOICE….ENBRIDGE’S CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A PIECE OF SH*T…..
January 15th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
My bill this month is almost triple the amount of what it was last month. This month’s bill is based on Enbridge’s estimate reading, which from their website is based on previous gas usage, weather changes, and equipment in the home. Our house is energy efficient, we have energy efficient appliances/furnace and I have not increased usage or changed activities which would warrant a ridonculous increase in my gas bill.
I have requested a detail account of how this estimate is reach and if there would be a way of correcting this issue.
I just don’t get it!
January 24th, 2011 at 2:56 am
Don’t rent or buy from Enbridge. Ask people you know if they are renting and encourage them to stop. Why.. The economics are terrible and you will receive poor customer service.
My water heater started leaking and stopped heating so I called Enbridge they agreed to send someone the next day. Then I did the math and realized that a) Enbridge had hiked my rates, and b) that it was costing me over $4000 over the life of the heater to rent. The heater only costs about $500 to buy from Home Depot. So I called back and asked them to just take the heater our rather than replace it. They refused. To take the heater out I had to have a different appointment that could not occur for 10 days. So I said, OK replace the heater then and then schedule the appointment to take out the new heater. They refused again. Mind you all this took over an hour on the phone to occur.
So, the moral of the story is don’t rent or buy from Enbridge. You’ll get ripped off and you will get poor service. Tell everyone you know. Ask people if they are renting and encourage them to stop. They offer no peace of mind in reality.
January 30th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
I just realised that I have not received an Enbridge bill since August 2010! When I signed up for online access to my account it says my last payment was in August and I have no outstanding charges. How can this be??
April 5th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
• From November 2002 – September 15, 2010 – lived in a condominium where main heating system was electric however I had a gas fireplace.
• In August 2010, acknowledged receipt of Enbridge invoice and questioned their invoice so I contacted them which led to identifying a major problem. For 7 and 10 months I was overcharged. I should have been charged residential rate and instead was charged commercial rate. I asked for a complete review of my account from November 2002 to mid-September 2010.
• Once this problem was noticed the customer agent scheduled a visit to confirm the set up and to ascertain that indeed it was a residential set up and not commercial. This was done and changes were brought for the new owner who took possession of the condominium in September 2010 much faster for him than for me.
• I was told by Enbridge that the review of my account would take “a couple of months”. What’s a couple of months 2? 3?, 4? 5?
• It has now been 7 long months and I have received payment only for the period of August 2009-September 2010. The balance remains to be received, for the period covering November 2002-July 2010.
• On November 8, I wrote to the Ombudsman Office of Enbridge seeking their assistance.
“From November 2002 to September 2010, I was billed the commercial rate for a residential condominium for a gaz fireplace which was not my main heating system. This was brought to my attention in August of this year, resulting from a telephone conversation with an agent from Enbridge. Further to my conversation, I requested a full review of my account dated back from Nov. 2002 to date (September 2010) seeking reimbursement for the difference that I had been overcharged during the 8 yrs I resided in my condominium. The mistake of the overcharged fees was impossible for me to have noticed earlier as Enbridge invoices’ release little information if not any pertaining to the rates charge to consumers (i.e. legend of the rates etc Rate 1=residential; Rate 6=commercial etc). I was advised by Enbridge that it would take some 2 months to respond to my request and I have made follow-ups in attempt to get confirmation that my request was being processed. Two months have now passed and to date I still have not heard from Enbridge neither received nothing, not even an apology on their behalf. Since September 2010, I have made the acquisition of a single dwelling house and keep on receiving invoices from Enbridge which I duly pay and therefore have no outstanding balance.
I am only seeking justice in getting my reimbursement for the difference + tax that I was imposed to pay. I am furthermore (because of the wait and the unreasonableness in processing the request) seeking interest.”
• Acknowledge of my email was sent by Katrina Pilon, and dated November 10, 2010 with the following response:
…. I have forwarded your email to our Mass Market Billing department to see if I can get this expedited. This is a big job to work. Not only are the customer charges adjusted but also the gas costs from commercial to residential. I will keep you posted and as soon as it is complete, I will notify you.
• Follow-ups were done by email on February 10th, 2011 and April 4th, 2011 and no miracle. I was advised that my file was transferred to a Mr. Colin Millien who would get things moving.
May 18th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
We moved in to our new house july 16th 2010 got out gas hooked in august because that is how long it took them to do it waited for a bill for 4-6 weeks and still nothing called in gave us a run around and waited and waited and there was still no bill and then 8 months later our bill came and how are we going to pay for this all at once so anyway then we called to make payments of $200.00 till august and then they came and shut it off we called in again they said we didn’t make the $200.00 payments we have the reciept to prove it and we told them that we made this plan and you people are the ones who didn’t send the bills when you are suppous to and why did it take you song to send it and they had no answer for us so now we are going to go without for a while what are people suppous to do
September 9th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Enbrige is a money grabbing company. Please avoid disconnections as it is outrageous the additional costs they add to your bill…plus they want it all in one lump sum. Thank god it’s summer and I can take cold showers. Enbridge robs people and we are all stupid enough to stand by and take it. Something has to be done so that they are NOT the only gas company.
September 16th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
I was disconnected for outstanding bill payment. They disconnected my service and required that I pay the full amount all at once. I could not afford the full amount so I had to pay one payment of 300.00 and the next payment of 395.12. I just called and now have to wait until tomorrow to get my gas reconnected.
They also want in addition to what I just paid another 450.00 as a security deposit. What next plus my new monthly payments are in the amount of 120.00 a month. These costs are outrageous. I don’t think they provide any service as we are paying through our noses. Customer Service is rude and I really dislike the service they provide. Nothing but a blood sucking company, especially in these times.
We as paying customes should have more say as to our gas companies and it shouldn’t be so monoploized, which is a bunch of bullshit as far as I am concerned
September 26th, 2011 at 11:31 am
I hate Enbridge. For years I have had a furnace protection plan. Since we are getting a new furnace installed I called and asked to have the plan cancelled. I was told that was not possible since I had paid up front and it was a contract. I explained that I still had 8 months remaining. Greg said that he could transfer the remaining amount to a plumbing protection plan. I didn’t need this, but rather than just give up the money, I said fine. I asked if this plan would then be cancelled in May when my contract was up. He said no, it would be one year from today as this was now a new contract. So, I said you are not really transfering, but creating a new contract which I don’t want. I have been an Enbridge customer for 35 years and I hate them more than I hate Cogeco, if that is possible. Customer loyalty means nothing to large corporations.
February 4th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Bought a Trane from Enbridge with 5 year warranty. First 5 years covered, now broke (suspects heat exchangers) technician waiting for 2nd opinion, coming again tomorrow.
Agreed to contract saving $50 on 250 visit at 15/mo. with taxes but can not cancel contract after technician arrives.
Initially blew 5 years ago because water tank blew, they didn’t want the responsibility so they changed furnace, then water tank 2 days later under separate issue.
A rip off… gouging consumers, my last furnace went 35 years without a dozen visits only to break 6 years later and duped into a contract I don’t need at $25 /mo on top. How is this legal?!
February 20th, 2012 at 10:45 pm
I just looked at my Enbridge bills. There is a “Customer Charge” each month on my Enbridge bill for the cost of Customer Service and Meter Reading.
From July 2005 to July 2008 this “Customer Charge” increased from $11.25 per month to $12 per month an increase of about 6.6% or 2.2% per year. This increase seems to be in line with inflation.
From July 2008 to January 2012 this “Customer Charge” increased from $12 per month to $20 per month an increase of 66% or about 19% per year. It is difficult to understand how Enbridge can have so many problems with customer service and meter reading yet justify these incredible increases. Most people are lucky if their wages increase by 2.5% per year. Why should Enbridge be different? We have to pay 13% HST on the $20 per month that Enbridge bills us for Customer Service and Meter Reading so the government are receiving their cut. Could this be the reason why monopolies like Enbridge do not seem to be regulated? Whatever the reason we should be writing to Enbridge to complain about this large increase in “Customer Charge” and send a copy to our MP and ask him what can be done abou it.
March 3rd, 2012 at 10:26 pm
I can’t believe this is OK!!! They are awful! They have NOT read my meter the entire time I’ve lived in my home…since June 2010…. and send me a bill for an extra $450 plus dollars because they estimate that they estimated their estimate wrong since they have no reading. I’ve complained MANY times to get it read since we use VERY LITTLE…we are freezing!
I think we should all write Lowell Green at CFRA and get something done about their poor customer service. We need someone to police Enbridge! This is the letter I wrote:
Enbridge….are you already laughing? So, they send me a bill (I attached) basically stating that they would like to “re-estimate” their previous estimate because they estimate they may not have estimated enough…. hahahaha. But seriously! They expect a new mom with a common-law partner immigrating to Canada from the US (which is a whole other rant) to just pay them another $450 or so because they estimate their estimate was not enough.
We just bought the home in June 2010 and after speaking to the kind folk at Enbridge they told me they are estimating off of the estimates from 2007-2009 when an elderly woman and her son (who was running a business out of the basement) lived here. We are gone in the winter (for over a month), gone a good part of the months to visit family in the States, have removed the OLD not-energy-efficient fireplace from the once “not insulated at all basement” and closed off rooms to make the home more efficient. We have also re-insulated and installed an electric fireplace to heat the space we do use occasionally. We also keep the house cold and wear sweaters to keep life within our budget. I know you can see the contrast in lifestyle here. How can they jusify basing our bills off of the previous homeowners?
Now, they will reduce the $450 by 10%, but insist we pay the unfounded bill. I will not go down that easy. I know many people of our generation just throw money away, but we drink our coffee at home and make everything we eat. We have 4 people to feed and i will not take food out of their mouths to feed a monopoly!
Lowell, what do you suggest? They said “lots of people get these notices and understand they have to pay”. Why aren’t people speaking up?! Are we all so rich?
LETS PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE!!!!
March 5th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Received a form letter from Enbridge (first time in February 2012) threating credit rating challenges, and going to a collection agency, stating several attempts had been made to collect arrears, relating to an account that was closed, when we moved in 2009. After being bumped around customer service requesting some detail to the amount requested to pay, was e-mailed a series of paid bills, going back to 2008, nothing identifying the amount in question, and including private information of another customer! If Enbridge felt this was a legitimate request, rightly or wrongly, where have they been sending our private information for the past 3 years!
March 6th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
After paying the gas bill at my residence since March 2009 I suddenly received a bill titled occupant with a new account number and a $250 charge. My ex moved out last February and it seems as it they suddenly decided I did not exist even though the bill has been in both our names, but all account payments have come through my bank. Enbridge says this is how all separated couples are penalized, even the one that doesn’t move and remains in the same residence. They automatically create a new account rather than changing the name. I have paid enbridge this $250 deposit three times in ten years and never received it back because not every single bill payment in the entire account history was received on time (even the bill is issued late). This is a simply money grab to pay for Enbridge’s incompetence in the market. In all of Canada, there are no more corrupt and highly costly charges for heating and hydro. Who cares about this? To me it is a violation of my human rights because I am being penalized due to the end of a relationship – now that I am single I pay a deposit.
March 9th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
I left a $250 deposit with Enbridge, over two years ago. I moved and asked for my deposit back (I now have a wood stove and electric heat), it has been a year since I asked for the money back and I have received $0. With about 30 emails and 20 phone calls and them continuously saying the check is in the mail, and then they cancel the check and put a new check in the mail….I am at the point that I am going to alert the media and sue them. I agree, they collect all of these deposits, earn interest on them and never pay a dime in interest to the consumer, now they don’t even pay the deposit back.
March 26th, 2012 at 8:40 am
Yes, Enbridge does really SUCK! I just got a bill for 980 Canadian dollars from Enbridge which they took directly out of my bank account. Big mistake on my part. I am now going to cancel my direct withdrawl with Enbridge and hold them accountable for every penny they charge me. If that means, spending hours and hours on the phone with their phone reps, so be it! They said the meter reading was correct, but I been receiving on average 270-280 bill every month previously and during much colder months with the furnace was on more often. Enbridge, please explain? Yes, they do have a monopoly and are riding the wave! Blood suckers!
March 28th, 2012 at 12:29 am
Enbridge Gas Distribution
PO Box 650
Scarborough ON
M1K 5E3
March 27, 2012
Dear Sir/Madam:
I talked to your customer service 3 times on the phone I have not got any answer why I owe you on this account.
Here is what happen with this unit 2, tenant moved out as of March 31st 2011. He has given proper notice to have Enbridge to close the account for this unit as of Apr.1, 2011. The unit was empty until December 1st, 2011. During this time I as owner called the Enbridge to get information about the account they did not tell me any thing about it as they mention as confidential.
Since April first to December first 2011 there was no need for gas supply to this unit since there is no gas hot water heater and no need for heating.
Tenant moved in Enbridge sent a bill for the period April 1st –Now.30th 2011 and they inform me about this bill I contacted your customer service twice told them to give me explanation regarding to this bill as of today I have not got any explanation.
How come all that time no body send the bill, if we were aware of the bill we would immediately contacted you and ask for information and would have acted accordingly.
All we knew meter was sealed no gas was available and we told to tenant to contact to open the account and to get gas turned on which they did after that date they got this unexpected bill they did not know and they informed us we called and explained to your customer service twice still no explanations.
We would be glad to look after our obligation if you can prove you are right by showing how much gas used during that time and why we were not informed until December 2011.
Yours truly,
Ray D.
April 11th, 2012 at 10:41 am
April 10, 2012
Office of the Ombudsman
500 Consumers Road
North York, ON, M2J 1P8
416-753-6835
Dear (I will let it be anonymous for this post),
I am writing this letter in response to our recent correspondence concerning the consumption for my above address. I am concerned with Enbridge’s attempt to pursue an adjustment to increase my consumption records for months passed.
Since Enbridge had not read the meter at the above address during my ownership of the home from July 2010- February 2012 I do not see how they can justify the adjustment simply based on records of years passed when the property was occupied by the previous owners. The previous consumers were an elderly woman (93 years old in 2010) and her son (who was running a business out of the basement). They used the old not-energy-efficient fireplace that was in the non-insulated basement at that time as it was the only heat source for the 400 square foot area. Since moving in in August 2010 we have taken out the fireplace (as in the home-inspection a gas leak was noted) and insulated the basement As well as closing off the area to make it a smaller room to heat- which we heat with a new electric fireplace and a new electric baseboard. Our hydro costs have increased as we would have expected, in the same respect we would expect our gas bills to be much lower than that of the previous occupants. Furthermore, since our move to Ottawa we are gone in the winter (for over a month) and gone a good part of the remaining months to visit family in the United States. When we are gone for those long periods of time we turn the water heater all the way down and keep our heat at 50 degrees to save on gas. We also keep the house moderately warm at 66 degrees when we are at home and wear sweaters to keep life within our budget. I do hope that one can see the contrast in lifestyle here. How can Enbridge justify basing our bills off of the previous homeowners?
When I spoke with a supervisor with Enbridge she stated that the meter reader could not get to the meter in our back yard. This is a weak claim since we met a meter reader back there one day and they have often left our gate wide open allowing our dogs to run into the road on those days. I never heard from Enbridge stating that there was a problem with the meter reading until they notified me the meter was not working in November 2011. Once I received that notice I tried for 3 months (leaving 8 voicemails) to have a technician come out the correct the issue. I have done my due diligence.
All things considered, I strongly feel that if Enbridge had been reading our meter we would be owed money rather than owe an additional penny. I do not feel the additional amounts billed have been justified and I will take this issue through the courts if necessary. I request that Enbridge recant this attempted adjustment.
Sincerely,
(I will let it be anonymous for this post)
June 22nd, 2012 at 8:50 pm
To all of the commenters who are complainint about Enbridge’s water heaters, protection plans, etc – Enbridge is the gas company and only supplies your gas, not your gas appliances. Look at your bills, people.
August 1st, 2012 at 11:52 am
i moved into a new shop with it a new energy effeceint furnace , well to start we are a neon glass bending shop. we will build premium quality energy effeceint corporate logos and personalised displays, well after 4 years enbridge decided to change our meter, to the new B.S. METER,WELL APPARENTLEY!!! for 4 years they were not charging us enough, our meter was notworking properly so they say ,?? it was checked evbery six months by there employes, they now are demanding 1800. dollars, heres where it gets funnyare bill is less then our neighbors by 30 to 40 dollars ,they do not have the energy effeceint furnaces, most of all they do not have 5 to 6 sets of gas burners which heat our shop big time, they put off 450 degrees everyday weekends included, it gets hot the shop is 1600 sq foot, we actually turn the heat off or very low as it rarley comes on while working obviousley also we use PROPANE FOR HIGHER HEAT NEEDED IN BENDING GLASS, there own employies have told us not to pay numerous times the ombusman “”SCAM””” SAID they would knock off 600 dollars ,not good enough, this is socialism at its best!!! again the contracter and outdoor employies told us not to pay, imagine being able to reinvoice 4 year old customers after you have checked the invoices ? I MEAN METERS. NOW THEY HAVE LOCKED THE GAS WHICH I WILL BE UNLOCKING , IF I HAVE TO GO TO COURT SO BE IT AND I WILL SUE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO MY BUSINESS !!! IF ANYONE CAN GIVE US INFO ON HOW WE CAN PROCEED IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, I AM GOING TO MAKE A APPOINTMENT WITH A LAWYER SOON , THIS IS A EVIL COMPANY LARRY COSMAN !!! THANK YOU FOR READING
November 8th, 2012 at 11:12 am
My 88 year old mother is being hounded by a collection agency Collect.com hired by Enbridge Consumers Gas for a bill my mother has paid and has proven she’s paid. She’s getting sick over this and is living in a home now and yet they call her constantly. She’s in tears and has never not paid a bill in her life. They are causing her pain and anxiety over a bill she’s paid. What is the World coming to when they feel justified they can harrass an old woman over a bill that’s been paid. It’s sick and I’m just about to get my lawyers on it too. I signed up for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer next year and am thinking of boycotting it based on how they are treating my mother. They are absolute monsters!
January 13th, 2013 at 11:41 am
Had similar problem with Enbridge. I always pre-pay my bills on receipt to make sure arrive on time. I’m a senior trying to make ends meet and its no fun. Back in 2010 I too didn’t get a gas bill for about 4-5 months even though I kept calling for one to which hey replied “don’t worry we are reassessing the history of your billings and a readjustment would come in due time…probably in my favour. On arrival they said I was in arrears $1,000 over and above my regular bill as they went back to 2009. I had to pay it they said and could do it over time if I made arrangements and they would not charge a late/penalty fee…I guess Not! Many time the supposedly “actual” readings were no actual as I started to log actual readings on my calendar on a regular almost daily basis..How do you fight city hall? and these large corporations? Is there a firm who can look into these billings to see if accurate for residentials homes. I know there was one for large corporations, & in most cases they found the utility companies at fault. The firm who hired the compamy to investigate got large refunds back & they were charged a portion of the refunds..If no refund. no bill…thats really fair,, Does anyone know name of company as I would like to go this route.if so please e mail [email protected]
January 17th, 2015 at 11:33 am
Embridge gas has to be stopped.
Gas heat we are told better and cheaper.
But we have three shops on the same block and two are beside each other.
Our heating bill for gas is greater at the one shop then out all our p.u.c. bills for the other two combined (that is heat, power and water).
One shop is the exact same size as the gas one. The other is a third of the size and in the basement (doesn’t get much sun).
Embridge charges $70 a month no matter if your using heat or not. Calls it customer care. This their fee to come out and read meters (which they never do) and for emergency repairs to lines. Which i havent heard of a issue and issues i have heard of they tell you to get a contactor in and get it fix (your problem, not theirs). This they say is for our line going in. Well we have other shops here (another $70 each)and who knows how many apartments upstairs (each of those at $20 each). So one line in and all us paying for it.
End of our next billing we are having the gas turned off. Electric heat is way cheaper and controllable. Instead of heating everywhere and the crawl space above, we can focus the heat where needed. And say a min $840 a year. That just on the one fee. Let alone all the other mark ups they do on storing, delivering to them and to us and for them buying gas without know how much they need or knowing the price.
If it was any other business they would have lost all clients and closed down due to being rude and stupid.
We get a gas bill that is almost the same as our rent for our one small shop. Just plain wrong.
Again we have another shop the same size and on electric. That place the heat is turn up a lot and we use a lot of hot water. At our shop with gas, we have it turned down or off most of the time and dont use hot water really at all (we use the bathroom at the other shop downstairs besides this). Still the bill for gas (not water or anything else) is more then the other two shops for all their utilities combined.
So please can anyone tell me how gas is cheaper then electric.
Government gave away all our rights to proper human care as well with this company. There are so many cases of them not billing for years and then nailing people all at once or never reading the meters and just guessing what your using. By doing this, they can take all that extra money (they stole) and make interest off it.
Know this isn’t going to do anything and our government doesnt really care. But hope some of you when building a home clue in that maybe a couple wood stoves or energy electric heaters are more pratcial solutions. I know that i would want a home with solar and heaters hooked up to that.
Well thanks all for listening to my rant.
March 5th, 2016 at 5:32 pm
To whom this may concern:
I just wanted to share the experience I had dealing with Enbridge. I moved into my new home in Spring 2015, and my first bill after 2 months shocked me. It was around $600 for my tiny townhouse. I called Enbridge and tried explaining to them that it was a mistake, that it was impossible for me to use that much gas in such a small townhouse and especially in the summer. Enbridge agreed that it wasn’t possible and promised to investige this problem for me and report back. That investigation took a month, and they still sent me a bill for the previous month for $60 of gas usage plus the $600 remaining balance from the previous bill. I called Enbridge again and tried to explain to the billing department customer service representative that it wasn’t possible to use $600 of natural gas for two months when my usual usage is between $60-90 a month max; which I proved with the previous month’s usage especially when my home is outfitted with high efficiency equipment.
Enbridge again placed my case under investigation and this repeated 2 more times until in the middle of January I called and again tried to prove these ridiculous charges wrong. The customer service representative officially and without compromise told me that Enbridge would cease all investigations into my case and that I would be liable to pay the amount of $600 because nothing was wrong with their calculations. They also said thath the only one thing that may have caused this dilemma was that because it was a brand new home, that the builder may have used the gas before we had moved in and put that amount on our shoulders.
Enbridge gave my a month to try and fix this problem with the builder. If not, I would be liable to pay the amount and late payment charges. I called the builder and let them know my problem. They asked me to forward them all the documents in order to investigate the situation; which I did. It took them more than 3 weeks, and with my reminder, they basically told me that they had nothing to do with the outstanding bill and that they didn’t understand what I was talking about. It was not possible!
At first, I didn’t know what to do. Soon, with the support of my family and kind people from the internet, I started to act. I sent letters to different organisations. Everyone told me, ‘Sorry we can’t help you!’ Everyone, but the Enbridge Ombudsman Riina Pearson (416) 495-5484. She fixed this problem within 24 hours!
She PROVED that the builders DID indeed use my gas and that they tried to push me to pay for that! Thank God we have people like Riina Pearson to help small people like us to deal with big companies. I hope, by writing this letter, that my story helps to reach out to someone in a similar situation.
Regards,
Zee
August 10th, 2016 at 10:33 pm
I HATE THIS COMPANY! They are the worst company I have ever dealt with. Including their Ombudsman team which does absolutely nothing for you. All they care about is money. They don’t listen to customer’s, they don’t care about people at all. They are extremely unfair and rude.!
They shut off my gas after I had paid my bill and charged me a whole bunch of money for reconnecting my service. Caused me hours of aggravation of phone calls.
They have no compassion for people. They are horrible!!!!!!!!!
Canadian’s should have a lot more companies to choose from. Maybe then they’ll stop taking advantage of innocent victims on their gas bills.
I’m a homeowner and have paid bills for over 30 years. I cannot believe this. I so disgusted in what they do to people.
July 24th, 2017 at 3:57 pm
they want money that we dont have and the bill climbs higher and higher what can we do we have not got the money to pay all the money at onces
September 8th, 2017 at 2:59 pm
The reason Riina was able to help you is because she is employed by the company and is located in Canada. When customers the call center, they get an outsourcing company called Accenture. They have a call center in Thorold as well as Manila in the Philipines. Accenture provides these call center services to other companies too, so when you call Enbridge and speak to someone, that person may have just got off the phone with someone looking to book a hotel room….or something like that.
Some builders will behave this way. They turn the gas on themselves, do not notify Enbridge and eventually the first owner moves in and gets all the builder gas charges billed to them. To the customer it looks like Enbridge is completely incompetent but it’s the builder that is the root cause of the problem. My advice to anyone purchasing a new home: Before the closing/occupancy date, take a picture of the meter and the current reading the day before. Make sure you get the meter number as well.
May 1st, 2018 at 8:43 pm
I HATE trying to communicate with this company. So BAD that it’s become laughable – but really no joke. My original concern was (rightly) escalated from Customer Care Rep, to Supervisor, to an Escalations Manager who actually seemed to understand and was interested in assisting. But the follow up thereafter has proved yet again that #EnbridgeGas is either incredibly archaic and inefficient, actively discourages customer follow up, or both. How can a MANAGER of CUSTOMER SERVICE not be allowed to provide a direct phone line nor email address (!) nor even her last name?? As a result, any communication must filter through the main Customer Care line or central @customer care email — even at this level. Incredibly slow and frustrating. It’s now been two weeks. Yesterday’s email response read (I kid you not – direct copy):
Dear
Thanks for your email.
Customer Care, Enbridge Gas Distribution
Today’s email apologized for the inconvenience, delay etc and told me (for at least the 5th time) that my case would be referred to a random supervisor BELOW manager level – though I’d been there, done that WEEKS ago. No attempt was made to even read my short message that specifically indicated who this message was for.
So… multiple voice mails and emails later including one that actually said this would be “shared directly with Manager Laura” (the right contact!), I’m still waiting. Thanks for NOTHING, #EnbridgeCustomerCare !!!
My initial complaint? Enbridge has been posting inaccurate gas consumption data and charts FOR SEVERAL YEARS, that supposedly compare past consumption patterns to temperature trends etc. Now I’m told that these apparently “bear no resemblance to reality” … and “represent a glitch in the system which is being reviewed”. THEIR quote, not mine!!! #EnbridgeCustomerCare, a GLITCH is a temporary problem as in days or weeks, not YEARS. This is incompetence at best, but more likely outright deception to actively confuse and mislead customers.
Pleas feel free to chime in with your own #EnbridgeGas horror stories.