Good Guide Website

How would you define a good product? Maybe it's good for the environment or it's free of toxic ingredients. Whatever it is a San Francisco company has launched a brand new website to help consumers find products made with the values they find important.

It's called goodguide.com while it is an interesting concept I do have some reservations.

It rates companies on a variety of criteria against others in the same industry to come up with a "rating" out of 10-- in areas like health performance, environmental performance and social performance. Here is the thing to watch out for: companies are rated against others in the same industry.

This means that a 10 out of 10 in a "dirty" industry could still be a "dirty" company -just the best of a bad environmental or social lot.

It is a good concept that gives consumers choice --and could influence other companies to improve. But it falls short.

With cleaning products for example, when it comes to the environment you might be better off with alternatives like using baking soda or vinegar instead of a cleaner even a so called "green one". The good guide site promotes cleaners - not alternatives to cleaners that might be better for the environment and cheaper for you.

So you might want to check out other sites like consumerreportsgreenerchoices.org or sites run by environmental groups like SPEC in Vancouver.

Gas Marketers

Gas marketers have been the target of many complaints from angry consumers.

Authorities have been deluged with reports of misleading and high pressure sales tactics.

But one surrey resident says what happened to him shows how low some players in the industry will go.

The first time Randeep Sarai knew he was no longer a Terasen gas customer was when he received a letter from Terasen in the mail.

"I probably wouldn't have really read the letter because it wasn't like a bill," he remembered.

Luckily he did read it. The letter from Terasen said he was now going to get his gas from Active Renewable Marketing.

"I was appalled," explained Randeep. "I didn't sign anything, I didn't even get a brochure from them I didn't even know who this company was."

When he contacted Active, the other gas company, they said they had a recording of him accepting the contract. They even sent him the audio file by email. On it he was shocked to hear a voice -not his own -accept the transfer. Particularly insulting was the salesman suggesting he had had to return to the home because his mother had signed the papers but didn't speak English.

"This person is lying blatantly and it's recorded. I was appalled and shocked," he remembered. "I'd say it was probably a good hour or so and I just couldn't believe it."

And Randeep's mom, Amrik Sarai --who speaks perfect English --was not too happy about it either.

"I was really upset about it. Why did they do this? I didn't sign anywhere," she said.

Active cancelled the contract As for the salesman, company head Michael Stedman says the company has no tolerance for any hint of fraud.

"We fired him immediately and also investigated other contracts that he had signed and cancelled those contracts as well," he explained.

The BC Utilities Commission tracks complaints about gas marketers. Overall consumers cancel or dispute about half the contracts with BC's gas marketers. With Active it's about a quarter of all contracts. So Active's record is better than most.

Randeep has another concern about the system and that's the Terasen gas letter.

To him it is not as clear as it should be.

"The change of account comes on Terasen letterhead when it shouldn't. It either should come on the letterhead of the new company or from the BC Utilities Commission saying you have elected to change your supplier," he suggested.

The letter from Terasen gas is your last opportunity to cancel the contract and you have only 10 days to do it.

"If you recall you've had a discussion with a gas marketer keep your eye out for your letter of confirmation," explained Joyce Wagner of Terasen Gas.

That's really your last line of defense. For more information about gas marketers go to  Terasen Gas

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen