Airtricity

kepler_johan

Hello All,
This is my first post on boards.ie. I'm looking for any advice about the following issue.
I got a salerep from Airtricity call into me a few days back. Sang the story about the great deal saving if I switched. Usually I turn these people away first chance I get, but stupidly I let him go on started thinking maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to switch. So we went through the options etc. signed some forms (which is the bit I'm now worried about!).
Then is came to this direct debit thing, to be honest he did mention it previously but I told him that I didn't want to sign up to any direct debit for any company... but it got forgotten about. He started asking for my bank details and thats when I started getting uneasy about the whole thing. Since then they've been ringing me after 9pm, which ticks me off as I have young children so have been putting the phone on silent and haven't answered.
I want to back out of the whole thing, but with the stuff I signed, will I be able to do so? I looked up some of the other posts before writing this and found a couple of them suggesting that I might be a demand in the post for €300 euros. They do not have my bank details and I have no intention to giving that sort of information out now, especially after the complaints leveled at Airtricity on this forum.
What can I do?

keredern

You have nothing to worry about!!

Even if you had signed up with them & given your account details, you have 7 days (at least) cooling off period under Irish law.

Contact them & say you do not wish to progress your application.

Do it in writing & put a CC to the Energy Regulator and/or National Consumer Agency.

Make sure you keep a copy for your records.

Without your bank details there is nothing they can do in terms of taking money.

Also, contact your current provider by phone & in writing to categorically state you DO NOT wish to change provider!!

Good luck!

keysersoze0330

Just make sure its sorted asap. Otherwise you will be tortured believe me on this. Endless letters and phonecalls:mad:

kepler_johan

Grand, Thanks for the speedy replies.

I'll take both pieces of advise and see how I get on, and let ye know.

kepler_johan

Well, I think I am in the clear...
I rang the National Consumer Agency to see exactly what my rights were. The girl I spoke to basically confirmed that under Irish law I am entitled to a 7 day "cooling-off" period after signing up to anything from a sale-rep arriving at my door and referred me to this link: http://www.consumerconnect.ie/eng/Hot_Topics/Guides-to-Consumer-Law/Shopping-from-Home/cooling-off-period.html

I also contact Bord Gais (my current provider) to make sure that nothing got as far as them with switching over to Airtricity.

Emailed Airtricity making sure that they understood that I was not going to switch (Tried ringing them, but got into a loop on their automated helpline)

Finally rang the number that was ringing me at 9.30pm which was whatever third party agency Airtricity were using. Told them to cancel the application, the girl at the other end said no problem and just asked the reason why I didn't want to continue, which I was expecting, and if the sales rep "behaved himself" and thanked me for ringing back to them...

So... hopefully that's, that...

charlemont

Sent them around my way so i can subject them to some violence as they are the worst company this country has, Their customer service is non existent.

dudara

charlemont Please do not advocate violence on this forum

dudara

charlemont

dudara wrote: »

charlemont Please do not advocate violence on this forum

dudara

My apologies, Just a bit of banter, In fairness dealing with them would put someone in an awful bad mood.:cool:

-Corkie-

Do not purchase anything of Airtricity. They are a <SNIP>. I had a credit on my account and when I moved back to ESB the credit magically disappered.

Anyone thinking of changing networks should visit the ESB forum here. David was really helpful and sorted me out.

TonyStark

Just had them round again in our estate. They managed to call to us twice in the space of 15 minutes this evening. I guess no doesn't really mean no.

One guy came to the door with two accomplices lurking just outside our house. The guy that previously had called was there. I told them it was the second time this evening.. and they started on some spiel about how they didn't actually work for Airtricity but they worked for some nameless marketing company.

I told them that it was unacceptable to visit houses multiple times by different sales men in such a short period of time and the next call we would be making would be to the cops for harassment.

Perhaps a bit harsh, but unacceptable to pester households to change.

J

nyallo86

Haha the ole "i dont work for airtricity". marketing companies convince reps that they work with airtricity, not for them. But at the end of the day, its Airtrcity that fires people of they get complaints or are not making sales.... Poor deluded creatures.....

regards reps calling twice in a short period, it is a result of serious disorganisation from the marketing company, as they set out routes and designate houses for people to call to.

dudara

Posters - don't turn this thread into a generic Airtricity bashing thread. Keep it to specific consumer issues, or else don't post at all.

dudara

kepler_johan

dudara wrote: »

Posters - don't turn this thread into a generic Airtricity bashing thread. Keep it to specific consumer issues, or else don't post at all.

dudara

Well I think it's safe to close this particular thread. I haven't had anyone knocking on my door since. Contacting the company where this sales guy came from did the trick, plus the girl I spoke to didn't make much of a deal of me backing out...