Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- We’ve heard from a number of you in recent days about the hard-sell tactics of a company called “Just Energy.” You may call it annoying, but police in Oneida say it also flirts with the wrong side of the law.
The first knock on Nick’s door came last October. He told the salesman, “no thanks,” and took one more step.
“I contacted the company by email. I received a written response from the company the next day saying I was added to their no solicitation list,” homeowner, Nick Hudson said.
That was three months ago. Nick figured he’d heard the last from Just Energy. Until last week, when another Just Energy salesman showed up at his door, walked into an enclosed porch and just kept on going.
“He opened the door…he saw me sitting there and he turned around and walked out,” Nick said. “I didn’t know who it was and then I saw his Just Energy lanyard and that’s when the conversation ensued. I told him to leave and he still tried to make me a sales pitch.”
Nick says the salesman told him he wasn’t aware he was on their “no solicitation list,” and continued to try and make a sale.
“I just slammed the door in his face and he continued to try to talk to me through the door, persistent, desperate even,” Nick said.
Oneida’s Police Chief David Meeker says he’s heard several other similar stories about Just Energy, which puts their permit to solicit on the line.
“If there are complaints such as this, they can have that permit revoked and in the future, if they obtain a permit, more stringent requirements can be added to ensure this stuff doesn't happen, to protect the citizens,” Chief Meeker said.
And whether it's energy sales, or anything else, Chief Meeker says there's a very simple step you can take to avoid unwanted solicitations.
“One of the things you can do is put on your door, especially an outer porch, "no soliciting," or "no trespassing." In that way, they can press charges,” Chief Meeker said.
Charges were not pressed in this case, but we did reach out to Just Energy about the pushy sales tactics. In a statement to NewsChannel 9, the company said:
"Our training and sales techniques are very clear on this matter and the salesperson in question is being disciplined for not fulfilling our customer service standards. We regret Mr. Hudson was contacted, called him to apologize and assured him that he would not be contacted by our company in the future."
A spokesman for the suburban Toronto-based company says Just Energy’s customer service standards clearly state that if someone is on the “no solicit” list, they should not be contacted again. And that list is made readily available to all salespeople working a given territory. They say customer service and satisfaction is extremely important and there’s a “no tolerance” policy for breaking those standards.
