HawthorneVillager.com

Hey all,

OK, I need a small favor.....and I tried a search on the board but came up short.

So, I'm in the house now, (We got your keys on Thursday...), and our actual move in is this coming Friday...but we have been back and forth, getting some things delivered, and set up.

We were there yesterday, the first real full day, and within 2 hours, the knocks on the door started....it's amazing...they're like vultures...

So here is this Direct Energy rep.....(read commission sales agent..) , speaking about a mile a minute, telling me that she was directed by Union Gas to sign me up, and make sure that all my energy needs are met...blah., blah. blah...Straight away..she wants to see my Union Gas bill......I told her that I have been a homeowner for less than 48 hours, and have not even had a bill yet, let alone any mail.....That confused her.....(quel surprise..)

So I'll admit.....I don't know the first thing about all this junk, so I told her , just leave me something to read, and I'll have a look.....

Here is what I need form some of you HV pros....

1) Do I not get my gas from Union Gas ?
2) What can Direct Energy do that is any better....is it any cheaper ?
3) How many more of these vultures am I going to see ?

My assumption is that Union Gas takes care of my gas needs, and Milton Hydro keeps my power on.........I'm tempted to tell these folks to just go away....

What are your experiences ?

Pete

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New Miltonians

Go to...
http://www.energyshop.com/es/homes/default.cfm
Enter in your new postal code, it will show you what Direct Energy and other gas resellers will offer you, then pick the best one.

or...simply stay with your current utility and don't lock in to any rates/contractors.

There are pros and cons either way.

This is what we did:

Step 1: Get a dog
Step 2: Leave dog tied up outside the house
Step 3: Watch the salespeople run away

Or you can use:
"Oh darn, sorry, I already signed up with someone else! I just signed up with them 15 minutes ago!"

Keep using that line with each one, and make sure to give them an apologetic smile. When they ask to see your bill, tell them it's not necessary and close the door in their face.

Just a heads up though, sometimes a group of them will rent a mini-van and drive to a new subdivision and hit all of the new houses.

Like a swarm of locusts...

LOL... Maybe you guys can put up one of those blue fly zapping lights on your front porch! but 10x bigger

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You guys rock !!

We wnt out to the house again today and moved a few more bits and pieces, and lo and behold, I had ANOTHER direct energy person, and an AC person.....on and on and on.....

Pete

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New Miltonians

Hey guys,

When we moved into our last house, we had knocks on the door all the time, so at one point I used to open the door and say:

"I have cable, phone, internet, alarm system, blinds and my gas is sorted, what are you selling now?" And then they would have this dumb-founded look on their face and just say.."uhm...ok and walk away."

Maybe I need to get a huge sheet of that fly-sticky paper. Then I can just roll them up and toss them out.

I will be joining the fun in a couple weeks.

Conrad

Yes, I had my first solicitor two days after we got the keys. I told them I was not interested and he could not understand why I would not sign up!

My usual line where we are moving from is that we are already signed up and when they ask for a copy of anything, I play the "helpless" female and say that my husband handles all that and I don't know where anything is!

We have been getting swarmed by all the different sales people, and I am amazed at how rude and incompetent they have been as a group (with the exception of the paperboy, while I don't like the sun, he did such a good job I will be getting it every weekend this year). I have been told that I am "stupid" since I am not willing to "save money", and that it "must be nice to be able to throw so much money away".

Odds are if they were better prepared, and polite they would be able to make more sales, but I am just closing the door on them now without any discussion.

Marc

i use that one all the time!! it works on telemarketers too.. and if hubby answers, he's very good at telling them to get lost. i'm getting better, though. lots of practice oh, kids screaming the background helps too. i promise i don't pinch them or anything... just give them the signal to kick it up a notch.

We've been in our house for almost a year now and still getting solicitors. A couple of weeks ago a woman came to our door, not stating which company she was with. She wanted me to show her my Union Gas bill to make so she could "make sure that there is a toll free number on it in case I need to call for help." Did she think I was stupid? When I asked her who she works for she didn't answer. She just kept saying the same thing. I just closed the door on her.

Yeah, I knew someone that showed them their bill and next time they got the bill in the mail, they were signed up by that company. How is that legal? Gotta be really careful with these pricks.

when they knock on the door I just smile and say "no speak" and keep smiling and smiling.....they tend to disappear rather quickly.....when they phone, I very politely tell them that they have they wrong number after which they are so very apologetic, I tell them no problem and hang up....my doorbell is silent and the phone rarely bothers me....

I have one on my door saying "ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING". I must say it certainly helps for the most part. But other times it might as well read:

"Don't knock or ring the bell, just stick a flyer in the door, so when I come home, open the front door, your flyer will blow down the street."

I tried calling one idiot back and got into an argument over the phone with him. He kept reminding me it was a "free Country and he could do what he wants"......nice sales pitch.

Cya,

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B.