Ontario Green Savings

We were victims of a similar scam as many are describing. A man, dressed like a City of Ottawa employee came door to door and said the water is no longer safe to drink, and that we qualified for a FREE water purifier, which would not be at any expense to us, but would help with reducing current bills. Of course, my single income earner immigrant mother said yes to this. He spoke over the third party voice recording the entire time. We have been trying to cancel for 2 years now and finally got it off our Enbridge Bill. Now they are sending cumulative amounts and coming after us saying we owe them a lot of money. Please, come take your equipment and leave us alone with your scam and lies. Cancel the 10 year contract right away and take back the carbon filter appliance from my home immediately.

This company keeps calling me after I have requested that they stop
and they use different phone number each time

On May 4, 2020 a representative came to my home. He introduced the hepafilter and explained after asking for my hydro account number and calling his office, that I would save significantly on my bill and this savings would cover the cost of my hepafilter. He also stated that I would no longer need air filters and that they would service the equipment twice per year. He also promise to visit my premises when my June bill came to verify the decrease and adjust it accordingly. He handed me the paper to sign it was in triplicates, I did not even know that there was anything at the back. He explained to me that I was just signing to agree to the installation as all that there was to it, was what he explained to me. He wrote his number on the paper as well as the amount of savings I'd get. I'm a new immigrant so I took everything at face value. In June, when my bill came u contacted him to say I did not see any reduction and that the hepafilter was costing me additionally and not cost neutral as he had said. He proceeded to say that it would be savings across both gas and hydro and reiterated that I would no longer need filters nor duct cleaning again and that was additional savings Please note, this is the first time he was mentioning gas. He asked to see a copy of both bills which I sent to him. He suggested that I call the utility company to ascertain what was happening as my meter was probably defective. At one point I postulated that maybe the hepafilter was using lots of energy. He denied the possibility of this. I even mentioned that since the rates were reduced due to covid, I should be seeing even bigger savings based on what he had shown me. He was not able to explain the discrepancy and said he would forward my concerns to the office. I was given misleading information about this equipment as it's not cost neutral. In fact my utilities have increased, so um incurring more cost than was proposed. Additionally, I was told by a supervisor that I would have to still buy filter, another misinformation.

This company will not stop calling me. I have told them several times to stop.

Two years ago this company came to my door to try and sell me a water filter system.***. I sold this home a few months ago and moved to a new home. This company continues to call my cell phone daily to sell me more products. They are relentless and will not stop calling.
I would NOT ever deal with this company again.

1. Ontario's Consumer Protections (https://www.ontario.ca/page/door-door-sales-and-home-service-contracts) note that "Certain products and services can no longer be offered or sold at your home unless you initiate the transaction (for example, by calling or emailing a business and asking them to come to your home for the purpose of entering into a contract)". Unfortunately the Restricted Product/Service list for this clause does not include "Smart thermostats". As such, OGS' first step in their *** practice is to cold-call homeowners but only talk about thermostats. Once the homeowner agrees to an onsite visit and the sales rep arrives, they quickly pivot their focus towards peddling their equipment rentals.

2. OGS leverages many of the classic deceptive tactics of door-to-door HVAC peddlers that consumers experienced a number of years back, including vague implications of association to government programs, constant assurances that signatures are non-binding, rapidly escalating pressure/urgency to proceed with their services, and deflection of valid/specific questions towards ambiguous or unrelated answers.

3. My experience involved the sales rep making at least three outright false claims. First, when I asked whether the $89.99 monthly cost was a fixed cost for the duration of the rental term, he answered YES. When I proceeded to point out to him that the T&C's state a 3.5% annual increase of cost, he justified his previous answer by saying "Well, that's to cover inflation". Second, when the rep handed me the rental agreement, he pointed me to the signature block but made no mention of the T&C's on the reverse side. I noticed that the front page of the agreement states "By signing below, you agree that you have read, understood and agreed to the terms and conditions of the agreement including those on the reverse...". The rep brushed this off by repeatedly claiming that the agreement was non-binding, and boasting about how he had ripped up five such agreements in the past week. An ethical company would ensure their sales rep points the homeowner first to the T&C's before pressuring them to sign. Third, when the rep first called me, I noted that I'd also like his company to assess for a smart thermostat for my wife's business address. I clearly stated during the phone call that she was renting the property and was NOT the homeowner, and yet the sales rep agreed over the phone that he would indeed help figure out a thermostat assessment plan for her business address once he arrived onsite at our house. However, once onsite at our house he indicated that he could not discuss with us for a smart thermostat for my wife's business address, as she was a renter and not the owner of the property.

4. The sales rep failed the most basic precautions for the current pandemic. Upon arriving at our door he did not ask whether we would like him to wear a mask or gloves or take any other precautions such as distancing. He did eventually ask whether he should wear his mask, but only once I explained to him that our family was taking the government-stated precautions. Subsequently however, when pressuring me to sign the rental agreement he leaned over me and handed me the pen he was using. When my wife mentioned her concern, he minimized the seriousness of and his understanding of the pandemic, suggesting that it is mainly only affecting nursing homes.

Overall a very negative experience, and an embarrassing reminder for me that the days of door-to-door tactics are not in fact long gone.

They came to house as an essential service and did claim to be part of government program. I gave in and accepted them.
After the install. The furnace and the air-conditioner went off service . I called a technician to check the cause since had no response from Ontario green savings. I was told that the controller was burnt.
I been trying to call but no answer until the 23 rd of may when I spoke with their department.
The installer had problem installing the thermostat as he swapped it about 8 times. Took him double time needed to install it. In the process the electronic board was burnt.
As of now I have cool services at my house non functional at all.
I've requested them to remove the filter and fix the BD. HEPA filter also installed very tight spot where makes it impossible to change filter in first place.
The installer told me that the contract was for 4 years and I could try it for 2 months. He was wrong and gave me false information.
When finally I was able to reach and got an answer. That I needed to cancel within 10 days. But the sales rep told me not to call Ontario savings directly and call him if any issues. That is what I did but no answer the first 10 days.
I've contacted *** and consumer services Ontario. ***. They need to be investigated

Sneaky and misleading. My husband was cold called, repeatedly, with no message. When he called back he was promised a *** and virtual assistant for allowing a representative "come to the house to do a 10 minute survey about the thermostat program experience."

Not the case. It turned into a sales pitch. They showed him a formula and explained that our existing high-efficiency furnace was costing us twice as much as it should and that they could install a new one; We needed a new furnace and it would cost us nothing because the cost of the rental was less than the savings that we would have...

The whole experience just felt wrong. The company was misleading to get into the home and they are really sneaky about showing (us) the great reviews and that Revdex.com complaints are all marked as solved, a good way to make the consumer feel better about the company. The company even has their own webpage about scam complaints! They led me to believe they were accredited.

Better safe than sorry, some research into the company and into bill 59 has raised a lot of red flags and I will take my business elsewhere. I have asked them to cancel the agreement but am still feeling that we have been stung.

Like others who have commented on this company, I am very displeased and concerned for many reasons. They called me out of the blue claiming to follow-up on the province's Green program to confirm I received my free thermostat. After the came here, I got their card and realized that they are NOT associated with this program and I have no idea how they received my name. Two representatives came to my house, without masks, gloves or anything during the COVID-19 crisis. I have a young family and this was also very concerning. Not sure why two people were needed and unsure why they were not taking safety measures. I did not get a free thermostat from the original program as my furnace was not compatible but this company told me since I moved, they would give me a free ***. They came in and said I would need to buy thousands of dollars worth of other equipment and I might be able to get that for free. I am very confused, and honestly angry that they have my information from the program. I really thought they would just come in and install the new *** and leave. Instead they told me I had to do several more things to be qualified. I feel very exposed in terms of my information being given to them and them coming into my house without any consideration for safety measures. All I wanted was a *** thermostat. Nothing is free.................

They keep calling. I keep telling them I don't want to have a representative visit my house (particularly during a pandemic!) and to put me on their do not call list. A few days to a few weeks later, I get another call from them. Five calls over a 2 month period - and they just keep calling. Stop calling me!!

. They wanted to come to my house during the pandemic. They said that they were part of an essential service and that all their technicians were tested. They are not part of the government and the free *** was not going to be free.

I had someone call me up from Ontario green savings saying they were following up on the free thermostat I had installed. They said they wanted to send over some people to look at my furnace and see if I needed a high efficiency HEPA filter. Thinking they were the same people who installed the thermostat I agreed and the next evening 2 reps showed up at my door. Immediately they went to furnace and after looking at my hydro bill said that I would qualify for the HEPA filter and that there would be no net cost as the electricity and gas rebates would off set the $60 rental fee for the HEPA filter. This would be in addition to a tax rebate. The term of the rental was 10 years adding up to a staggering $7,200. After signing the agreement the rep said that I would be getting a call the next day from the billing company "***" and he said "they are only the billing company so they have no idea on these rebates" he went on to coach me and mark on the contract exactly what to say to them when they called. Sure enough the next day I got the call from "***" and they asked me if any rebates were offered, I said "yes" and then she went on to say "we do not guarantee any rebates". I explained to her that the sales rep stated that the entire rental cost would be offset by the energy savings/rebates. After that she said "ok let me talk to them to make sure they provided yu the correct information". Sure enough within minutes I got a call from the sales rep and he again coached me on how to respond to the questions, and this time he said that "we will check back within 2 months and if the energy savings/rebates don't add up to the $60 rental fee we will lower the rental cost so that it is cost neutral". The next day I got a call again from "***" and this time they asked me "you confirm you have not been coached at all on how to respond to my questions" I reluctantly said no as I knew this would trigger the rep calling me back again and trying to manipulate my answers. At this point I re read the contract and there was nothing to back up any of the verbal promises made by the rep such as lowering the cost of the rental. I called *** immediately and cancelled the contract as it was within the 10 day cooling off period. It appears the calls from *** are there to ensure the sales rep are upfront and honest with the energy savings/rebates, however in the case of these 2 reps - they coached me into giving them the exact answers so as to "pass" the QC check. Furthermore I *** the cost of buying the same hepa filter and its only ~$1,000 online. ***! These people need to be stopped as I am sure they are duping many people with these sales tactics who may not be as alert as myself

In July 2019, I accepted the opportunity for OGS to come discuss the option of a free installation high efficiency furnace, based on what they said was a trained 'Energy professional's' review of my current billing and possible savings. I was asked to show recent hydro and gas bills for him to review the possible savings and see if it was worthwhile to get the new furnace. He very clearly stated 'wow, you're a great fit for this offer based on your usage'. I asked 'how so?' and he SPECIFICALLY said 'the savings by accepting this offer will definitely outweigh the monthly fees of the furnace'. We did have an older furnace, so who am I to not believe him? he wrote down calculation that demonstrated I would be 'savings each month or at the most be breaking even'. To provide context, I was a new mother with a 6 month old squirming and fussing in my arms the entire time he was at my house explaining all of this. *** all I could think about were the possible cost savings for me, ***. I tried my hardest to ask all the right questions, ***
His verbal responses were extremely FALSE and misleading. Which I was only able to discover once I started being charged the monthly cost.
He NEVER said that I am left with having to BUY OUT the furnace at the end of the term or return it! He NEVER said there was an increase of 3.5% each year!
I have reviewed the last 24 months of my bills, and I have continuously paid more each month, with the exception of 2 months. I have LOST MONEY by signing this.
He told me that 'the first one to two months will show adjustments from your equal billing and if it's the middle of your billing period so it won't reflect the savings right away'. ***
I was taken advantage of because I was a new mom distracted with a baby, and clearly needed to find ways to save money, so this was their opportunity.
I have called them numerous times since the WEEK AFTER it was installed, and have been told that 'a Manager will have to contact you'. I never received a single call back. When someone came to do a 'maintenance' check, he arrived with another person that followed him around, which I was not advised about. I asked questions about the contract and payments, and he never gave me a straight answer. He did, however offer me a $75 energy rebate, clearly to keep me quiet.
I didn't receive the rebate. I called about that too, and it took 4 phone calls and evidence that I reached out to finally receive it in the mail.
I have never received a phone call back about my inquiry on the payments. And I first called WITHIN the 10-day cooling off period, to inquire. I asked what the cost would be to buy out the furnace, if it saved me money in the long run.I was quoted $11,000! Totally unaffordable & overpriced.

I signed up to receive a free *** from Ontario green savings, which by advertising led me to believe this was a government incentive. They called me within minutes to set up and appointment and were there next day to come and talk to me about the meat could save me money on my bill. While inside my house they ask to see my water tank and furnace to " make sure I am a good fit" he then came upstairs and said I could really benefit from a new furnace? Which I said no I'm not replacing it until I have too. He then tries to sell me on the carbon water filter. He then led me to believe this filter was going to replace my existing water tank and the rental fee would be $60 a month with cleaner water. I agreed. They came a few days later to install this filter, I then realized it wasn't a new water tank it was an additional filter attached to the water tank with a completely different payment. I called several times that week to cancel, I finally got someone on the phone to cancel the contract and they said I had to email my cancellation. There for I emailed and cancelled. I noticed they took a payment out so I called my bank and put a stop payment on my account, I did not receive a call until ONE month later from *** When he realized I put a stop payment on the account. I said come pick it up whenever you want, he said he had scheduling conflicts and was unable
To get anyone over and said I have to pay $700 for uninstalling it. I said I'm not paying for something I have had for 7 days. I cancelled within the time come get it. *** contacted me and I told them I cancelled and why I put a stop payment on. He asked For the email confirmation and I gave it to him and never heard from them again. Now *** had called me several times *** me telling me I had to pay. I continued to say I wasn't paying but come and get your filter. I am in the process of moving and have come to learn the have put a $9000 security lean on my property, with no notice of this. My husband and I have called several times over the last few weeks and no one answers or returns any of our calls. I have now contacted a lawyer To see what my next steps will be.

I received a call from an individual who claimed he was following up on the *** thermostat I had installed in my home through the Ontario Green Energy Program. I said I was no longer there but I would be still interested if I could get the thermostat at my new home. He said I could and they had a rep in the area the next day. I said sure. The rep arrived and went through the pitch about the thermostat and said he needed to see the furnace etc. to ensure we were compliant. At this time he indicates that we were also eligible for a whole home carbon filter (a bit of a warning went off in my head), he then went on to get us signed up for the program and arrange a date for the install. I was told we could get it installed the next day. I said I thought the Green Energy Program (still not realizing it was not the same program) was cancelled, he said no it was still going but there was no guarantee when it would end.
After we went through all of the talk he said that it would be $59.99 a month for 120 months, and we could not get the thermostat without the filter. I stupidly signed the paperwork; I realized that on the cancellation disclosure it had indicated that I had called about a carbon filter, which I did not. After he left I decided to cancel the installed which was done no problem. When I called the rep asking for my cancelled cheque, he asked why and began to argue with me. I finished by saying just give me back my cheque; he stopped by later and just left it in my mailbox.
I found the entire process was deceptive, from the call about following up, to the fact that he did not clarify that this was NOT the Ontario Green Energy Program, to the fact that he put down that I called about a carbon filter.

Called me out of the blue, trying to pretend they'd installed the smart thermostat I received through the provincial government. Said it may not be compatible with my furnace, etc.

Ontariogreensavings called me up advertising a ***FREE SMART THERMOSTAT *** and this would save us money on hydro and gas. 2 of there representatives showed up at my door at the time set up by there call centre,. once in my house they ask to go to my furnace room to see my hot water tank, one of the rep told me me that I would need a carbon filter to get rid of all the sediments that sits at the bottom of the tank, this would give me better quality hot water and less chances of a leak. There I realize these 2 guys were here to sell me or get me to rent there equipment I told am not interested in renting buying any equipment and I ask " what about the thermostat the *** guy said ***"Only if you qualify*** at that moment my suspicions were right and again I told them
no equipment/services no contracts if that was there intent they should leave and never come back. Again this morning got a call from a non registered cell phone about this guy was coming over to look at my hot water of course I said***no*** I told him I had sent a email to is company that I was not interested in their services or equipment he said you made a appointment I reply I did not am not interested I then call my provider to see if they had people coming to check rentals of hot water tanks they said no ,and we would call you to make a appointment.

In May 2019, we saw an Ad *** for Free thermostat. I filled up the form and OGS called us the same evening. A representative from OGS came next evening to talk about that Free thermostat.

We talked to change our furnace at the same time, he then showed us the program if we buy a high efficiency furnace at 89.99/month, we will have the Free Nest as a condition, and we will have rebates with buying the furnace. He then talks about a two-stage variable speed that runon 12 volts DC, he said that's the key to save a lot of energy. He was pressuring us into signing. We talked about how much interest will it be and he said there is no interest and the amount paid by month will decreased the amount we owe.

So after that we agreed to sign on May 4th, 2019 and make the installation the next day.

One week later, we made him come back for the A/C, same story we should have a rebate when buying and save a lot of energy.

In December 2019, we receive a call from our representative that he was near our street, and he will come for an inspection. We did not reach out, he did.

THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEMS STARTED.

We let him in our house. He went at the furnace made a really quick visual inspection around, not touching the furnace and said it's all good, nothing to be concerned, and after he tried to sell us a carbon filter for our Rental with *** hot water tank since he saw at the same time we didn't have one.

He said that it's a ''no additional cost, I will install it for free''. Then we sign because we were supposed to have rebates.

After he left we did research on the internet and call to find out that it's not recommended for the water in Ottawa. We try to cancel it the next day and our representative never wanted to cancel that contract. We were in the first 10 days after signing the contract. We called customer service and made it cancel.

We made a complaint about him. That he was selling and making us sign products under pressure and resulting in false products.

A month after this incident January 2020, we receive a call from OGS, letting us know that you'll send us a person to make a real annual inspection.

When the presumed inspector came to the door, we let him in. He looked just like another representative that he wrote on a paper he gave us.

He went to the furnace, again the same story, quick look did not touch the furnace and start saying that our installation was not complete that's why we did not receive our rebate. We need a HEPA FILTER at 49.99/months he then said we will receive a rebate of $75/months from Hydro Ottawa and *** that he wrote down on paper.

We signed because he said the installation was not complete and the first representative should have talked and made the installation of the filter. We again made our research call Hydro Ottawa and *** to find out that the rebates do not exist at all.They do not have those promotions. So again, we made it cancel as well.

Something seems not right with the company, ***

So, we have decided to call 3 different companies 2 company out of 3 saw major problems at our furnace.

1.First, there is no Gas TAG from the contractor that installed the furnace.
2.Second, the intake pipe doesn't go outside so the furnace takes inside air to run, then throw it outside by the exhaust pipe, so it's not really efficient.
3.Third, we notice the water drip from the blower motor and rust start building up and it's not 1 year old.
4.Forth, the pipeline for water drainage is always filled with water (the drain is at the same level as the pipeline).
5.Fifth, the furnace itself, it is not a two-stage variable speed working with 12 volts DC. It's a single stage multi-speed working at 115 volts AC. So, it's not as efficient as the REPRESENTATIVE told us.
We tried to cancel everything last week (January 24th, 2020) and we are not able to.

The company came back to us after a notice letter was sent. They are not able to installed the right equipment but they are willing to give us 15$ per month rebate for the mistake.

According to Ontario consumer protection https://www.ontario.ca/page/door-door-sales-and-home-service-contracts#section-0...⇄ />
As a consumer, you:

â?¢have the right to cancel a contract without any reason within a 10-day cooling-off period, beginning the day you receive a written copy of the agreement.
â?¢must be given a written contract: under the CPA, a consumer contract has to include specific information about the goods or service and your rights as a consumer. If it doesn't, you can cancel the contract within 1 year of entering into the agreement.
â?¢can cancel the agreement, regardless of its value, up to one year after you entered into it if the business or salesperson you've signed your contract with made a false or misleading statement about the contract.

no where in the contract it state what kind of equipment we were supposed to receive.

We have the right to cancel the contract.

Back in May I signed up for a free *** thermostat, I thought they were an actual government association (the name is very misleading). When the rep came, we discussed the value of a water softer, I was told the following:
1) we need them in Ottawa
2) installing one would save the $100 per month in hydro and water
3) they would return in July to confirm the savings & if I was not happy I could cancel at any time.

In July I approached a local area water expert (Water Doctor) to ask about the water softer, I explained that the quality of my water was gross, slimy. The owner explained that in Ottawa on the city water a softer is not required and adds zero value. So, I contacted *** to cancel my contract. I spoke to a representative there about 3 or 4 times while he tried to reach Ontario Green Savings to arrange the cancellation. He ***rmed me that they were not responding to his multiple emails so I went into the bank and put a stop payment.

A short while after that I received a call from Ontario Green Savings trying to come service the water softer (which sounds like another lie as how can it possibly need serving as it had only been installed for less than 6 months!) I once again ***rmed the individual that I didn't want the softer and they were to come and remove it, again no response. I then received a call from Ontario Green Savings asking about the stop payment. Once again I ***rmed, them of why I no longer wanted the water softer and asked them to come remove it. Once again, no response.

Now I have received a letter from *** saying they are sending me to collections. I have once called *** to clarify the situation (no response yet) and I called Ontario Green Savings again. When I reached customer service, I was told they can't help me that I must send an email to ***@ontariogreensavings, which I just did.

I am asking that they remove the water softer at no cost and fix my account, so it does not impact my credit rating. I am still awaiting a response from both *** and Ontario Green Savings.

I am posting this here because it seems to get responses as I do not seem to be getting anywhere with phone calls to this company. Here is my experience dealing with them.

As per my phone conversation yesterday with an associate here are the requested photos of the sloppy installation. As discussed I just finished a basement renovation and all new pex lines were routed to the water heater and neatly secured to the walls. *** the filter was just sat next to the heater and loose lines just thrown together to connect.
The installer was late on the day of installation and came after I was not home, I did not, nor would I have signed off on this install.

I spoke with OGS immediately after install in regards to this sloppy installation as well as promised discounts and rebates that were to be on my *** Utilities bill that never showed up. As per the information that was provided by the sales person Spencer.
These would be monthly rebates that would offset the entire cost of the $60 rental fee for the entire 10 year term. As per his words "OGS does not offer any products that are not 100% subsidized by government grants or rebates". This was all discussed multiple times with OGS representatives over the phone on recorded conversations (check the tape).

Last we left this off after discussions with CHICC that no payments were going to be withdrawn from my account until everything was resolved with OGS in regards to the installation and false claims on rebates. They suggested to get in writing from OGS all rebates and grants that would offset the cost of the rentals. When requested this with OGS reps I was told the next step would be for the compliance department to call me to discuss further.
I waited and nobody ever called me.

Months later I was talking to my bank in regards to suspicious withdraws from Ontario Safety RLS for $67.79. I had no idea what this withdraw was for so I put stop payment on it. Shows nothing to do with OGS or CHICC, also since I was told that no payments would be withdrawn until this was all resolved I thought they were ***. It was OGS decision to just bypass all the
agreed upon resolution steps and just start billing me which is not acceptable ***.

Yesterday I got a phone call from the billing department stating my account is in default and was threatened to collections. I was not even aware these payments were for OGS otherwise I would have called OGS directly before stopping payment to see what was happening.

As per my discussions with the billing rep yesterday I was to receive an email for links to the rebates/grants that I need to sign up for in order to receive the promised discounts. It was never originally stated to me in the contract talks that I need to qualify for these and apply on my own.
I have still yet to receive any emails with links to the rebates/grants.

As I see it here is where we stand today as I am not very impressed to date with your company, unless I receive the promised grants/rebates and the sloppy installation is corrected I will practice my rights under the Consumer Protection Act to cancel this agreement. I will remove the filter and the *** thermostat and you can send your guys to come and pick it up. Since I have not formally taken possession of the filter/thermostat and they have not kept up their end of the agreement the contract is still voided.

I expect that all previous payments and upcoming payments are null and voided until this is resolved amicably.

I hope I hear back from you swiftly with positive information that resolves all of this and we can both honor our ends of the agreement.

Regards,
Matt A.