Edmonton... Three former Alberta Energy Savings salespeople charged with signing homeowners to contracts without their consent have been fined a combined total of $6,800 and sentenced to 12-months probation, which includes community service.

“This is a clear message that the Alberta government and the courts will not tolerate energy marketers and salespeople taking advantage of consumers,” said Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Service Alberta, responsible for consumer protection.

Narek Hakobyan, Shadow Fox Thunderstorm, and Kimberley Bernard were charged in February for forging Edmonton, Barrhead and Innisfail homeowners’ signatures on energy contracts and impersonating consumers during the compulsory verification call with Alberta Energy Savings’ call centre. Between May 31 and July 8, each pleaded guilty to one count under the regulation.

Alberta Energy Savings (now called Just Energy) was not aware of the salespeoples’ activities, cooperated fully with Service Alberta’s investigation and cancelled the contracts.

Alberta’s Energy Marketing Regulation, under the Fair Trading Act, requires that marketers and their sales staff obtain consent from consumers to enroll them in a contract. Energy marketers are not allowed to take advantage of a consumer’s lack of knowledge, lie or exert undue pressure on consumers, or make claims about price savings or benefits that do not exist.