Even more fun!

[pyesetz]

Today I received a bill addressed to a misspelling of my name, demanding $85 for the rental of a water heater from October to January.  Only problem: I don't have a rented water heater!  After I moved in, a letter from these guys to a misspelling of my name thanked me for becoming their customer and informing me of their rental rates.  My response was to call a plumber and get that thing replaced.  On October 15th I called Union Gas, Union Energy, Reliance (or whatever their name is this week) to tell them that their water heater was on the curb and they could come pick it up.  The next day it was still there.  The day after that it was gone.  I have no idea where it is now and it's not my problem, anyway.  I never agreed to rent their water heater; it was a "chattel of the property" which I evicted as soon as practical.  And anyway the thing was like ten years old, caked full of lime deposits, and had a residual value of approximately zero.

Of course they'll never admit that.  I wonder which regulatory agency I'll have to complain to this time?  The Ontario Energy Board specifically states that they don't regulate rented water heaters.

Comments

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

Unless they can produce a signed rental agreement, they can go pound sand.

[pyesetz]

A water heater is a "chattel", which is something like a "lien" on the property.  So they may actually have some rights; I don't quite know yet.

[deffox]

Yay, more fun.

Suppose it's time to send the company a letter saying that you are not their customer, never have been, and never will pay them a cent.

[pyesetz]

Except that my house continued to use their service for about two weeks after I moved in.  To some extent the rental agreement was like a "lien" against the property, assumed by the new owner upon purchase.  But in another sense, I declined their offer of rental with all due speed after being informed of their price.  I just don't know exactly what the law says in such matters.  It seems the situations with electricity and gas are very different—the electric company wants a signed contract before accepting a new customer.  Presumably this is because the relevant court cases happened to come out differently between the two utilities.

I'll call Reliance tomorrow to tell them about the bogus bill.  If they send a proper bill for services actually rendered, I suppose I'll pay it.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I never imagined that you could rent water heaters.