SCAMArdent Natural Gas Reports & Reviews (4)
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On Feb. 17, 2021 I noticed my gas bill was quite a bit higher than what I usually use (and can afford). I do paperless billing, so I hadn't checked over my bill in quite some time, I just pay my bills and go on with life. Noticing it was higher I looked over my bill to see a small window that says "your gas is being supplied by a third party gas supplier". It listed two numbers, one being Ardent Natural Gas, the other being Consumers Energy. Confused I called the first number listed, Ardent Natural Gas, whom Kelly answered the phone. Kelly Immediately began the call snappy, snotty, rude, insulting, and overall extremely improfessional. I begain by telling her I had no idea what this service was, and she immediately told me that she remembered personally putting a stamp on the acceptance letter they sent out back in August to my address. Again, confused on how she even knew who I was, I expressed I never signed up for this service. Kelly got angry, and started yelling at me on the phone that I was being rude and refusing to allow me to speak. After asking multiple times for the service to be canceled, to speak to ANYONE else, and for a refund eventually Kelly hung up on me. See, Kelly claimed she was the manager, and there was no one above her, nor anyone else that could help me. A few moments later, I called back to confirm the address, and was surprised when Eric answered the phone. I asked Eric if Kelly was his manager, and if I could speak to a manager, and Eric said he was a manager too. Eric was a lot more helpful, he did get me answers within a day, and revealed to me that the signature was NOT mine on their "contract" and I had never signed for them to be my gas supplier. Eric told me that a contract was signed on 07/17/2020, and I have video proof I was not home that day, and did not speak to the person who went door to door that day. Eventually, I was told I would be issued a refund for the difference, and to send copies of my gas bill to their customer service email. That day I sent over copies of my gas usage, and of their rates compared to consumers rates. I was then told they would need copies of my entire bills with my gas and energy usage, and account information. I felt skeptical, since information had already been fraudulently used in the past from this company. I decided to wait and make copies of these bills and either bring them in physically or mail them with certain account information blacked out, or physically watching them enter the information to make sure they aren't trying to sign me up for something else or sell my information. Today 02/25/2021 I received a call from Kelly again, whom again was extremely angry with me. She was pissed I was receiving this refund. She told me that she wasn't issuing me a refund for two months because they didn't even send my paperwork in until two months after claiming they collected a signature (again which was not mine). I tried to ask questions, and Kelly begain screaming at me through the phone, again refusing to let me ask a question or speak, telling me she wasn't going to help me and I was being rude. I kept explaining I literally had one question and she continued to scream at me. I told her we had already had a bad encounter and I wanted to speak to Eric in which she replied "I don't recall that" (interesting considering she remembered personally putting the stamp on a letter 8 months back). I asked again to speak to Eric considering he was the one helping me this whole time, and was told "no, you're going to work with me". At that point I felt threatened, and trapped, so I said "no I'm not" and hung up. I never in my life have felt so threatened by someone claiming to be in the field of customer service. I'm physically sick to my stomach with the way this company has threated me, and the lack of professionalism of Kelly, whom Eric claimed John Calhoun had previously spoken to about her rude behavior on the recorded phone calls. I really hope this company follows through with my adjustment refund, but at this point it seems like Kelly is out to make sure that doesn't happen.
Ardent Natural Gas
(888) 926-3368
400 Renaissance Center #2600
Detroit, Mi
48343
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Michigan Regulations of Gas Suppliers: 800-292-9555
Type of a scam Utility
She insisted on standing inside my apartment (without a mask, in the middle of a pandemic) and waited for me to do this, while remarking that 'I seemed surprised to see her,' to which I responded that no one had ever been by to check our bill for this. She said this was very surprising, and that someone should be out bi-monthly to do so, but that since people move in and out of the apartments I live in, we must have been lost in the shuffle.
I would also like to note that she had a clipboard with her which deliberately covered the 'Ardent Natural Gas' logo on her contract, which was also not presented to me as a contract, but just as a simple form indicating she had been by to check our bill. I don't even think the form I signed was the same one which I received a copy of (attached), because the words 'contract' and 'switch providers' would have been a red flag for me.
I can only assume that she pulled my account info off the bill I showed her, and made the switch without my approval, because a few days later, I received a notice that my gas provider had been switched. Since the apartments I live in often switch management companies, I assumed it was a formality of some sort indicating they had switched gas providers as a whole. I didn't think anything of it until my partner found the copy of the form I signed (which she folded immediately, again stopping me from seeing the red flag of the 'Ardent Natural Gas' logo) and asked what it was. When I couldn't explain, I put the pieces together.
Again, this woman definitely presented herself as an employee of Consumers Energy, down to the polo and lanyard, and never mentioned anything about Ardent Gas, a contract, or anything of that nature.
In doing some online research, I was able to find several stories on Reddit about this company doing the same thing throughout Michigan (I live in West Michigan, and they are an East Michigan-based company.) It seems they often use similar ruses to trick low-income people into switching gas providers, but often they don't seem to lie as much as this, as many people reported a 'thinly veiled pitch' to switch companies. There was no pitch. This was an entire string of lies told to me by someone who came into my house, endangered my safety by not wearing a protective mask, and lied to my face, telling me she was fixing an error her own company had made.
Additionally, when she did look at my gas bill, she claimed we 'weren't really being overcharged that much,' but still took down my information. So, it wasn't even a 'too good to be true' situation, where the scammer claims to be saving you a ton of money.
Finally, although my energy bill has not gone up drastically yet, what is really concerning is that the contract I was tricked into signing has a $100 cancellation fee if I cancel the account before 12 months are up. As I am moving within two months, and am currently unemployed due to Covid-19, I do not want to throw away $100 on a scam like this, and I'm guessing it will hurt my credit if I refuse to pay. Whoever runs this company is a legit criminal, and I will pursue legal action regardless of cost, assuming I am unable to get out of the contract without paying the cancellation fee.
Scammer's address 400 Renaissance Center Suite 2600 Detroit MI, Detroit, MI 48243, USA
Country United States
Victim Location MI 48838, USA
Type of a scam Utility
Type of a scam Utility