Direct Energy Needs to Work on Customer Service

Just a few days after my interest in a utilities consumer advocate position, my 83-year-old mother called me about a problem she had with Direct Energy in Edmonton. Direct Energy promises "comfort with every call."

My mother called them because they sent her cheques refunding her utilities payments. She endured a long wait on the telephone before speaking to someone. Then that someone treated her like she had her head on backwards (my mother, an immigrant, has a strong accent), promised to call her back, and didn't. After mom started getting calls from Direct Energy threatening to cut off her utilities for non-payment, she enlisted my brother's help in solving the problem.

Turns out, her account number had changed because of the expiry of her competitive energy service plan, and her account had reverted to a plan with her regulated energy service provider. Mom pays by ATM, and doesn't include a payment stub anymore because the ATM is set up for account-to-account transfer. Ironically, both her competitive energy service plan AND her regulated service plan were BOTH through Direct Energy, but no one at Direct Energy had thought to check her Site ID, which would be the same regardless of account number. So her attempts at payment kept bouncing back from the automated system.

Clearly, there is a serious flaw in a system that allows utility customers to readily choose between suppliers, then fails them when a plan terminates. No one from Direct Energy bothered to notify the customer that the account number would change, or temporarily link accounts as credit card companies do, so that there would be a seamless transition in billing and payments. No one bothered to check WHY the customer would still be attempting to pay to an old account number, or find the new account number using the customer's name, address, or Site ID - all of this information that Direct Energy certainly had. Worse, Direct Energy's customer service department insulted a senior and dropped the ball.

How much will poor customer service cost Direct Energy? I'm guessing a lot. Choosing a utility supplier isn't just about the rate, since most retailers charge about the same. Electricity and gas are a customer's lifeline, and people need to feel secure about their supply. Otherwise, even if it's a hassle, they're likely to jump. Away.