Great. Just Energy Bozos At My Door

[smoagendash.livejournal.com]

My wife got a visit from two sales reps from Just Energy, a company that locks you into long-term energy contracts.  Their spiel is that "if your National Grid bill says that you have Basic Service, your rates are about to go up, so you better sign up now, now, now!"  And then they won't leave; they'll just stay at your door until you go get your electric bill.

The Better Business Bureau says:

BBB files indicate that this business has a large volume and pattern of complaints concerning misleading sales practices. Consumer complaints allege that door to door sales persons are misleading consumers, providing false information and using high pressure sales tactics. This company has been notified of our concerns. They have failed to correct the underlying reason for the complaints. - See more at: http://www.bbb.org/kitchener/business-reviews/energy-service-companies/just-energy-group-in-mississauga-on-17632#reasonrating

Be warned. 

Comments

[ron_newman]

Is this the deal where you pay more, but the energy is supposed to be from "green" sources?

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

Next time just call the Somerville Police and notify them of people hanging around outside your home after you've told them to leave. They could have easily just been potential robbers looking to see if you had security cameras, a dog, and anything worth stealing.

[dphilli1.livejournal.com]

I don't think so -- NGrid has flyers in the bills for green power.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

This was in Medford, and they left after I told them I was not going to do anything until my husband looked into it, and I was NOT going to go find the bill! They were very persistent. They also started the conversation by aggressively showing me their ID for JustEnergy, like that's supposed to make me comfortable with them. They also said that their company was THE SUPPLIER for National Grid in my area (implying they were already the only supplier, so I wasn't doing anything new and wasn't really changing companies or anything). They pointed at other homes in the neighborhood and said "Your neighbors are saving with us". To make them go away I had to fib and tell them I didn't know where my husband filed the paid bills, so I could not look up what they wanted me to. Then they offered to return when my husband was home, and I said we were quite busy. I asked for a flier or business card or something, and I got a flier implying they are a green energy retailer.

[koshmom.livejournal.com]

I think perhaps you are correct. see my response to tequilamckngbrd below.

[marphod.livejournal.com]

"I have asked for you to leave several times now. If you continue to refuse to do so, I will be forced interpret your actions as actively hostile and that you intend to do harm to me or my home. I intend to defend myself and my home to the fullest extent allowed under the law."

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

When someone knocked on my door (I did not buzz them in, they took the opportunity to knock, un-invited, after giving their sales pitch to the neighbors), I asked what he wanted through the door and he demanded to see my bill. I asked my roomie to talk to him because I was not interested, and he told this guy to go away. When he would not, I came over and asked if I needed to call the police. The guy walked away immediately. Had roommie not been there, I would have told him, through the door, that I was not interested. Had he persisted, I would have told him I was about to call the cops and I expect that would have worked. Worth a shot...

[smammy]

They apparently do both. The pitch that koshmom apparently got was for either their fixed-price or price-protected programs, where you "lock in" a fixed rate for a specific time period, hoping (I suppose) that market rates will increase during that period. They also sell carbon offsets of various sorts, for whatever that's worth. They have a Wikipedia page, which includes information on their deceptive sales tactics.

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

Except in Massachusetts, "the fullest extent allowed under the law" is a joke and doesn't mean much. If you opened your door to a stranger, if they just pushed their way into your house and found something to steal and left, there's nothing you can do to them without getting in trouble yourself.

1. If you shoot them with a gun, you better make sure you kill the person, because if all they did was "push" you to get in, that's not enough to authorize use of deadly force (you don't want them alive to testify against you). Unless you have a child in the house, you could say they were going directly to him/her, and that could save you from getting sued or going to prison.

2. Once the person goes out your door, there's absolutely nothing you can do physically to that person (unless they were kidnapping your child) without getting in trouble for it. You pretty have to let them go and let the police take care of it from that point on.

Just tell them to leave and close the door. If they don't, call the police. If they come in without your consent, beat them up until they run away, or shoot to kill (but no more than 2 shots if you can, and never in the back). Most thieves will rob you when you're not in your house. Thieves who try to rob you while you're still in it aren't going to mess around, so don't take any chances.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

"And then they don't leave."

I bet if you called the cops on them for trespassing, they would. If you don't want them at your door and specifically ask them to leave, and they refuse, they're breaking the law at that point.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

It's more of a basic scam-- they want you to sign up as their supplier at a "fixed rate" which ends up being more than what you would have paid for otherwise. Lots of complaints online/they've been banned from a few states as well.

I was firm and polite when I told the two people at my door I had no interest. When they persisted I was less polite :)

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I used to use a spray bottle when trying to train my cats (all they learned was the spray bottle is evil). Perhaps I need a spray bottle for solicitors.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Citation needed.

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleII/Chapter278/Section8a

http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/districtcourt/jury-instructions/criminal/pdf/9260-defenses-self-defense.pdf

http://www.golocalworcester.com/news/leonardo-angiulo-zimmermans-self-defense-and-massachusetts-law/

Basically, you need to prove to the Commonwealth that you did everything in your power to avoid the extra use of force needed to stop the situation. If they stop fighting, you have to stop fighting, but if they still stick around, you just have to wait until the police arrive, if you called the police.

In Massachusetts, if you were brave enough, you could just knock on people's door, walk in unarmed, walk around a bit and find something under $250 to steal, and walk out while filming the incident. If you get beat up or shot, you can sue the person you robbed and make a lot of money. Meanwhile, you would get charged with a misdemeanor since the item was valued under $250, and would serve no jail time.

Crime pays in Massachusetts if you're smart.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

TTIUWP

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

https://plus.google.com/communities/109413541693755439112/stream/fa0371ea-1126-4728-987b-480cf6ada9de

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Yea, no, that's not the video of you doing what you said someone smart would do. I'll just sit here and contemplate why that could possibly be.

[tequilamckngbrd.livejournal.com]

Oh, that video. I forgot to upload it to YouTube. I'll get right on that.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Nevermind, I read further in the instructions and got an answer.

[totient]

I'm a little disappointed that none of these people have knocked on my front door, so that I could say "oh sure, wait here and I'll go get my utility bills. Um, it might take me a few minutes to find them, is that OK?" and then close and lock the door and go back to what I was doing before.