Beware pushy Airtricity door to door salesmen

thejuggler

I had an unpleasant experience with two 'pushy' salesman from Airtricity who called to my door last evening. My other half answered the door to be asked if she had heard of Airtricity. She had and the spiel continued - "we're 13 % cheaper thatn ESB blah blah". While this was going on his accomplice had opened our meterbox and was taking notes (of the reading I presume). Saleman number one asked for an ESB bill and was phoning up the ESB on his mobile to transfer our account there and then.
At this stage I came to the door and said could he give us a leaflet and we would think about it. He said they were only around for the evening and would call back later to us.

Of course he didn't call back but this form of pressure selling (not to mention readng your meter without permission cannot be ethical or legal)

Anyone else seen them? This was in the Ballincollig area. Beware if they come to your door.

Their form of selling would put me off the company for ever more regardless of price.

dahamsta

Complain to Airtricity, mentioning the date, locality and time. They may be agents on commission, like the BT twats. I'd CC the company media and marketing folk on the complaint if I was you, if it goes to CS it'll be buried. Include a link to this thread.

Trojan911

Cheeky feckers,

I hate direct aggressive marketing. Not saying you did this, but also never sign anything they push in front of you. It is normally a blank application form. Demand to see ID as well.

I would contact Airtricity as well and lodge a complaint.

I had this approach once when I lived in London and the "salesman" nearly went off the sixth floor....

thejuggler

I did - told them they should teach their salesmen some manners and human decency.

Johnnyjump

Yeah. Most of these guys are agents on commission so the more they can get signed up in a night, the better for them. BTW anyone got any idea how Airtricity compare with Bord Gais for electricity??

towel401

Johnnyjump wrote: »

Yeah. Most of these guys are agents on commission so the more they can get signed up in a night, the better for them. BTW anyone got any idea how Airtricity compare with Bord Gais for electricity??

i think all the electricity is fed into one grid and if airtricity sell more than they generate they have to pay for it. so you're probably getting the exact same electricity as you would be getting before but paying a different company

sitout

Johnnyjump wrote: »

Yeah. Most of these guys are agents on commission so the more they can get signed up in a night, the better for them. BTW anyone got any idea how Airtricity compare with Bord Gais for electricity??

To be fair, its about 8 to 12% cheaper i changed over almost 3 months now and have saved about 60/70 euro in that time ,better in my pocha than anyone elses. They are paid on comis totally ,i actually had a good conversation with the guy who sold me mine and he was totally straight up about it ,Dan was his name! I would change if i were you guys as it cost zero to do so !

tommmy1979

I'd have loved it if they called around to me like that ... i'm in the right frame of mind to deal with people like that today:mad:

Bill-e

Were they wearing green Jackets?
There was a gang of people walking around my park a week or so ago and they looked in at my place where I was standing in just my jocks ironing a shirt. They then did an about turn and walked on...
The best defence is a good offence.:D

thejuggler

Yes they were

D-Generate

A very pleasant man called to our door. He was not pushy at all and left his number to call him back later on if we were still interested. We looked at the savings and decided that the switch was worthwhile. The price difference between Airtricity and Bord Gais is negligible, however there is a 12 month contract with Bord Gais with and only a 6 month contract with Airtricity I think. I didn't sign the forms and would have switched to either ahead of ESB.
They should stop emphasizing that they are "green" energy considering all the power generated in Ireland is fed in to a central grid and as such regardless of what supplier you are with, big dirty fossil fuel plants are generating the majority of the power. Heck with the grid linking between Ireland and the UK it follows that some of our power is nuclear generated!

gavinbell

Hi, i am an airtricity account holder. I signed up to airtricity on 2nd feb 2011 having previously being with another energy provider. A sales agent called to my home asking me to swith providers. I sounded like a good offer with cheaper energy. I was asked to sign up to direct debit, which i declined. I was asked for my bank details as a security and assured that no direct debit mandate would be set up. Two week letter i got a letter saying that a direct debit was set up. (first lie). secondly and most annoyingly I was told that the prices at the time of switching would be fixed for twelve months. Airtricty have increased their electric on 1st sept 2011 and plan a gas increase on 1st oct 2011. I called Airtricity today to confirm that the price increase would not apply to me. I was told that all account set up after 31 jan 2011 would be subject to the price inceacse (2 days after i signed up). I told them again that the sales agent told me my prices were fixed for twelve months. The reply i got was that the agents did not have the information and should not have told prospective new account holders this. apparently they have had a lot of complaints in relation to this. It was of my opinoin that the agent was representing their company and the should honour the terms on which the account was set up. The sales agents are just SCUMBAGS and the company they represent are not much better. I will be taking legal advice on this matter. HAVE YOU MADE THE SWITCH..............DONT!!!!!!!!

sok2005

Had this problem with Vodafone Broadband salespeople last week! Not only are they pushy, they are complete tall talers too. Mis selling product, giving incorrect bb speeds and call charges too.

Beware, they are hell to deal with and cancel!

Funsterdelux

The Airtricity salesman came to our door twice in the same day! My OH was talking to him, and came in for me to get rid of him, which I did. Then an hour or so later he came back and started the same speil again, so I interrupted to say sure you were here earlier! Still was hard to get rid of him twice!

I can't understand how folks find these people difficult to get rid of, simply tell them to f*** off and shut the door if they don't get the message when it is presented to them politely.

corkcomp

Ive lost count of the number of people complaining about these idiots, the guy that called to our door was the exact same. Its all well and good saying tell them to f**k off but not everyone will do that, and they know when they see an easy target who might respond to having a form pushed under their face.

wheresmybeaver

corkcomp wrote: »

Ive lost count of the number of people complaining about these idiots, the guy that called to our door was the exact same. Its all well and good saying tell them to f**k off but not everyone will do that, and they know when they see an easy target who might respond to having a form pushed under their face.

Had one fella from Airtricity call a few months back to the house fairly late in the evening and basically demand to talk to me about my electricity bill. Told him politely I wasn't interested (I'm not in the habit of entering into contracts via somebody who rings my doorbell, even if it does seem a good deal; I'll do the research myself thanks). He asked me if I was happy to throw away money and I just gave him a "wha?" look, proceeded to close the door, and he shouts at me "your loss!" as he storms off. Narky! Never had that kind of experience from one of the energy company reps going door to door, he was a bit of a basket case. Thank god my wife didn't answer the door, she's useless at getting rid of even the reasonable ones.

Honestly getting sick of the various chuggers and reps calling door to door in the last year or so, it's excessive. My doorstep is not for commerce thank you very much, especialy outside of traditional working hours!

vrobot

dahamsta wrote: »

Complain to Airtricity, mentioning the date, locality and time. They may be agents on commission, like the BT twats. I'd CC the company media and marketing folk on the complaint if I was you, if it goes to CS it'll be buried. Include a link to this thread.

Fair play to dahamsta for putting up this complaints link. I'm really irritated that we were told the price wasn't going to go up (by the guys who called to the door) but it is. What a con?!! One of their customer service people rang recently to ask me how everything was going but when I told her what we were promised, she said that we must have been signed up to the wrong plan by mistake, that it's too late to move over now blah blah blah. The more people that complain to them the better!

Malari

Friend of mine got caught too. If they ever call to my door I'd be asking them to put in writing and sign whatever promises they make!

It's too easy for companies like this to lure people in with promises by sales people who are on temporary contracts and chancing their arm for a bit of commission.

-Corkie-

RoverJames wrote: »

I can't understand how folks find these people difficult to get rid of, simply tell them to f*** off and shut the door if they don't get the message when it is presented to them politely.

Or get a good Rotweiler.

gbee

There have been a few posts and local radio [Mr P's show] complaining about these pushy guys ~ I had an incident where they parked across my driveway and would not move.

I did call the local constabulary but !

There have been a few reports where they did change over without permission ~ so OP's warning is serious and corroborative.

120_Minutes

anyone that calls to my door that i bother to answer, i just say i'm already a customer.


job done.

bladebrew

ah good old airtricity,
they seem to have a special relationship with tesco,
i walked past a stand in tesco mahon, their opening line was, "are you with bord gais or esb" i said no:), and they left me alone!
i havnt seen them around since their gigantic price increases though

djrichard

gavinbell wrote: »

Hi, i am an airtricity account holder. I signed up to airtricity on 2nd feb 2011 having previously being with another energy provider. A sales agent called to my home asking me to swith providers. I sounded like a good offer with cheaper energy. I was asked to sign up to direct debit, which i declined. I was asked for my bank details as a security and assured that no direct debit mandate would be set up. Two week letter i got a letter saying that a direct debit was set up. (first lie). secondly and most annoyingly I was told that the prices at the time of switching would be fixed for twelve months. Airtricty have increased their electric on 1st sept 2011 and plan a gas increase on 1st oct 2011. I called Airtricity today to confirm that the price increase would not apply to me. I was told that all account set up after 31 jan 2011 would be subject to the price inceacse (2 days after i signed up). I told them again that the sales agent told me my prices were fixed for twelve months. The reply i got was that the agents did not have the information and should not have told prospective new account holders this. apparently they have had a lot of complaints in relation to this. It was of my opinoin that the agent was representing their company and the should honour the terms on which the account was set up. The sales agents are just SCUMBAGS and the company they represent are not much better. I will be taking legal advice on this matter. HAVE YOU MADE THE SWITCH..............DONT!!!!!!!!

Everyone that signs up to Airtricity has to setup a direct debit. They dont take any customers otherwise. You could always cancel your direct debit at a later date, however you would be subject to a 300euro deposit. I find it remarkable that you didnt think a direct debit would be setup considering that you provided the agent with your bank account number and sortcode and signed a direct debit mandate giving Airtricity permission to withdraw the outstanding balance from your account. How do you think this "security" situation you explain would work??? On the application form to change supplier, which you would have had a copy of, it clearly states "Payment Method-Direct Debit".

There are many people who have changed to Airtricity with bank details who never have any direct debits coming out of their bank account. If you pay the balance off prior to the direct debit coming out the bank, Airtricity wouldnt go near it. You could pay up towards your bill with the Smarterenergy card each week and avoid having a large bill to pay off in one lump sum.

As for the pixed price you refer to. Airtricity do not offer a fixed price. You would have signed for a 12 month contract which guaranteed your tariff discounts for the remainder of the month you signed up in & the following 11 calendar months. If you signed up in February, I think Airtricity were offering 20% off gas and 6% off electric. That is 20% off the standard Bord Gais unit rates and 6% off the standard ESB Electric Ireland unit rates. So, with ESB and Bord Gais having increased, or about to increase their standard rates, your rate will increase accordingly. You will however, still be receiving 20% and 6% off the increased rates. So you will be making those savings until the end of January 2012. After this time, your discounted introductory period is over and your rate will increase to whatever the Airtricity standard rates are at that time. They will certainly be substantially more expensive than the discounted rates you signed up for. So its important to have another look at the market in that time and see if there is a better deal available for you.

Many people are too lazy or complacent to shop around after the first year, thats when the companies start to make a decent profit from the customers.

As a clue, Ive worked in this industry since 2000 in the UK, Ive changed suppliers 12 times myself. Thats once every year after the initial discounts expired. My loyalty is to my own pocket, not to anyone else.

I advise you remain with Airtricity until the end of your 12 month discounted period, then shop around. Its worth noting that if you enter a 12 month contract with Airtricity, you have to pay to terminate the contract early. The current fee is 70euros, when you signed up I think it was 100euros or thereabouts.

This is exactly the same as the discounts offered by all the suppliers in Ireland.

satanta99

So how long have you been working for Airtricity djRichard?

djrichard

satanta99 wrote: »

So how long have you been working for Airtricity djRichard?

About 6 months in Ireland. Hydro Electric for 7 years. Hydro (Scottish & Southern) Electric own Airtricity now, we bought them over.

Funsterdelux

djrichard wrote: »

Everyone that signs up to Airtricity has to setup a direct debit. They dont take any customers otherwise. You could always cancel your direct debit at a later date, however you would be subject to a 300euro deposit. I find it remarkable that you didnt think a direct debit would be setup considering that you provided the agent with your bank account number and sortcode and signed a direct debit mandate giving Airtricity permission to withdraw the outstanding balance from your account. How do you think this "security" situation you explain would work??? On the application form to change supplier, which you would have had a copy of, it clearly states "Payment Method-Direct Debit".

There are many people who have changed to Airtricity with bank details who never have any direct debits coming out of their bank account. If you pay the balance off prior to the direct debit coming out the bank, Airtricity wouldnt go near it. You could pay up towards your bill with the Smarterenergy card each week and avoid having a large bill to pay off in one lump sum.

As for the pixed price you refer to. Airtricity do not offer a fixed price. You would have signed for a 12 month contract which guaranteed your tariff discounts for the remainder of the month you signed up in & the following 11 calendar months. If you signed up in February, I think Airtricity were offering 20% off gas and 6% off electric. That is 20% off the standard Bord Gais unit rates and 6% off the standard ESB Electric Ireland unit rates. So, with ESB and Bord Gais having increased, or about to increase their standard rates, your rate will increase accordingly. You will however, still be receiving 20% and 6% off the increased rates. So you will be making those savings until the end of January 2012. After this time, your discounted introductory period is over and your rate will increase to whatever the Airtricity standard rates are at that time. They will certainly be substantially more expensive than the discounted rates you signed up for. So its important to have another look at the market in that time and see if there is a better deal available for you.

Many people are too lazy or complacent to shop around after the first year, thats when the companies start to make a decent profit from the customers.

As a clue, Ive worked in this industry since 2000 in the UK, Ive changed suppliers 12 times myself. Thats once every year after the initial discounts expired. My loyalty is to my own pocket, not to anyone else.

I advise you remain with Airtricity until the end of your 12 month discounted period, then shop around. Its worth noting that if you enter a 12 month contract with Airtricity, you have to pay to terminate the contract early. The current fee is 70euros, when you signed up I think it was 100euros or thereabouts.

This is exactly the same as the discounts offered by all the suppliers in Ireland.

All good points, but their salespeople are still annoying

Sofa King

Not fond of any sales people that call to my door, especially the Vodafone lot.

Despite the fact i have a Meteor mobile for free texts, i also have a work phone and dongle and even when i tell them this they still think i could do with their service!

djrichard

Funsterdelux wrote: »

All good points, but their salespeople are still annoying

You are correct. I guess its just the nature of the job. Im sure most people dont like to be disturbed after a hard day in the office. Its annoying when youre trying to have something to eat, or catch up with the family and suddenly the doorbell rings and there is a persistant energy advisor there.

They should be offering to make an appointment to call back at a more suitable time. Usually, there is no more suitable time as the householder generally just wants rid of them. The other side of the coin, is the fact that out of Airtricitys current 600,000 households that have signed up to them, 80-85% were transferred over by direct selling door to door. Other methods such as telesales and online applications only account for a small number of customers. If door to door selling didnt work, they wouldnt continue doing it.

There are also many many customers who are very happy that we have called around. Initially at first contact, they can be negative, but after a few minutes explaining the changes in the current market, and setting out the alternatives, usually the customer is happy that you called around, and more often than not, they are on the phone asking their family if they have switched yet and arrange for us to call around.

Thats true! I can imagine a few of you laughing at this one

poconnor16

The ones in Tesco wreck my head. Myself and my friends head to Tesco a few times a week to grab a sambo at lunch, and the minute they see you coming from the till, they're on you.
Now it is their job I suppose, grand. But today when they guy stuck a leaflet in my face and asked 'can I have a minute of your time' I just said 'no'. What did he do? Kept on at us. My friend actaully told him to feck off.
Terrible to have to speak to people like that. If I say no then leave me alone plonker.

djrichard

poconnor16 wrote: »

My friend actually told him to feck off.
Terrible to have to speak to people like that.

Yes, youre right. It is terrible that your friend spoke to someone like that.