Union Gas Limited Union Gas Limited - Abusive, Opportunistic, Unfair, and Criminal London Ontario

I moved to an address in the summer of 2011, in London, Ontario. My family and I resided at this address for one year. At the end of the year, before we moved to a new address, we notified Union Gas Limited of my move (I gave them my new address and telephone number), for them to connect the service on my new address, and they did. We also requested to be put on equal monthly payments, something the company does. 

Lo and behold, after paying my bill for months, UGL disconnected my gas service because apparently I owed close to $1000. My son, who suffers from respiratory complications, got sick for lack of having hot water for over a week. The company alleged that we have not paid our gas bill for months, and recommended that I contact the THAW Program that would pay up to $500, of course. This is why they wouldn’t think twice about disconnecting your services, which makes UGL opportunistic. However, I was certain that I was paying my bill. 

Guess what! When you move to a new address, Union Gas Limited closes your account and opens a new one, which they did not advise us, so I was making payments on the old account---something they knew. Not only that! Why wouldn’t UGL call us? They had my new address and my new telephone number, as I have provided those before we moved. There is proof they had my new address and postal code, because before disconnecting my services they notified my (new) landlord. Somebody screwed up and I, the consumer, paid the price.

After filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, (To see my agreement to mediate, please click on the link below) 

Union Gas Limited refused to mediate, failing to comply as an accredited member of the BBB. I contacted my MPP’s office and also filed a complaint with the Better Bureau Business. 

MY COMPLAINT IN PART

They (Union Gas Limited)not only contributed to this problem by sending my bills to the old address and receiving payments in the old account that were never posted to the new account, but failed to put us on equal billing/payment after we requested it. Union Gas Limited has no problem doing what they do and putting families at risk, especially my children as two of them suffer from respiratory problems and were without gas for over a week, because they know the THAW program is there. In fact, they suggested it: "Go and check with the THAW program; we will give you their telephone number."

We should've never been put in such a predicament. This problem has not been fully resolved because they need to go back and adjust the monthly payment to equally billing, just as we requested. They failed to make the address change in their system when we moved. They failed to close the old account completely. They failed to tell us that because we were moving, they were opening a new account. They failed to properly notify us in our new address and kept sending notices to the old address. They also failed to put us on equal billing/payments every month as we requested. I feel that Union Gas needs to go back and adjust our payments to equal billing for those months they charged different amounts.” 

THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

“Your complaint was received by your BBB on May 17, 2013. The text of your complaint may also be publicly posted on BBB's web site. Please do not include anypersonally identifiable information in describing the nature of your complaint. BBB may edit your complaint to remove personally identifiable information and inappropriate language.”

Your complaint has been applied to the following business:
UNION GAS LIMITED
PO Box 5353, 109 Commissioners Rd W 
London, ON N6A 4P1

What followed was Union Gas Limited refusing to place us on equal monthly paymentretroactively, as requested before we moved to the new address and they promised to do, which resulted in hundreds of dollars charged unfairly by this abusive service provider. Not only that, Union Gas Limited also refused to mediate, as they are required to do as an accredited member of the BBB.

THE BBB INVITED US TO MEDIATE

london2.ebindr.com/complaint/view/1056445/c/c2v73k?filename=Consumer%20Mediation%20Form%2Epdf

When Union Gas Limited refused to mediate, a Dispute Resolution Coordinator of the BBB advised Union Gas Limited reminded UGL that “As part of the membership agreement, they agreed to adhere to the standards of the Better Business Bureau…” However, Union Gas Limited didn’t care and refused to mediate.

The Dispute Resolution Coordinator went as far as communicating to Union Gas Limited they were required to make “a good faith effort to resolve disputes, which includes mediation if requested by the BBB…” Since Union Gas Limited refused to mediate, the BBB communicated to me that it was going to request that Union Gas Limited membership be revoked. 

london2.ebindr.com/complaint/view/1056445/c/c2v73k?filename=suspension%20letter%2Epdf

Nonetheless, I don’t believe this happened because Union Gas Limited demonstrated that when you rule the roost, those at the bottom of the food chain always lose. Despite the Dispute Resolution Coordinator communicating to me that she was going to request that Union Gas Limited Membership be revoked, the BBB suddenly closed my file, without giving me any explanation, only to say that, “This complaint was closed as administratively judged resolved. This business was not willing to go to mediation but was cooperative with us in addressing your complaint issues.”

In fact, Union Gas Limited was defiant and didn’t even want to communicate with the BBB, so why would the BBB allow this to happen? This is Union Gas Limited final position: "Our file is now closed and we respectfully decline your offer (“a good faith effort to resolve disputes, which includes mediation if requested by the BBB). Sincerely, Maureen, Customer Relations, Union Gas Limited, Union Gas. For the energy.TM”

Following an e-mail that I sent the Better Business Bureau, trying to understand how come they have closed my files after communicating to me that they were going to suspend Union Gas Limited membership for refusing to mediate, I received the following explanation: