2 week interval between doing a switch and getting a "verbal agreement" date?

keiran · 7 March 2017 at 3:30PM

Hi

I applied to switch to SSE on the company's own switching webpage on 22 Feb

I've received the "welcome to SSE" documents today - 2 weeks later.

It says the switching will usually take 3 weeks, but of course I have a right to cancel for 14 days, which makes me think they won't do anything at all for the next 14 day

And through all these weeks I'll be on my current supplier's standard tariff

Does it need to take so long to switch, and are there any industry standards?

EnergyFun · 7 March 2017 at 3:58PM

Hi Keiran

When you agree a contract with a supplier you have the standard 14 days cancellation period, and the supplier is unable to register your meter point. I'm not sure if this started on the date you applied to switch or on the date you received the welcome pack (I would have thought the date you applied to switch).

Once this period is over, the SSE can register as being the supplier of your meter point; the day the supplier takes control of your meter point is referred to as Supply Start Date (SSD). The industry regulations state, for elec, the supplier can register the meter point with an SSD between 1 and 28 days in the future.

So, in theory, from agreeing a contract with a supplier to being supplied by them will take a minimum of 15 days.

keiran · 7 March 2017 at 4:17PM

Thanks

In the letter of today, they say I have 14 days to cancel from receipt (i.e. today). So that implies that the last 2 weeks have been wasted in whatever procedure/backlog they may have..?

CashStrapped · 7 March 2017 at 5:54PM

There are no guaranteed time-scales. After the 14 day cooling off period, which is a stipulation and cannot be fast-tracked,most suppliers quote an approximate time-scale of another 16 days.

So in total, they quote an approximate switch time-scale of 30 days. But, this is not guaranteed. It can be more and it can be less.

This can be affected by size of the company, their IT capability and systems, staff size and the number people are switching to them (i.e they have a very good tariff so a lot of people have switched to them).

System · 7 March 2017 at 6:06PM

CashStrapped wrote: »

There are no guaranteed time-scales. After the 14 day cooling off period, which is a stipulation and cannot be fast-tracked,most suppliers quote an approximate time-scale of another 16 days.

So in total, they quote an approximate switch time-scale of 30 days. But, this is not guaranteed. It can be more and it can be less.

This can be affected by size of the company, their IT capability and systems, staff size and the number people are switching to them (i.e they have a very good tariff so a lot of people have switched to them).

Under Standard Licence Conditions, suppliers are required to use their reasonable efforts to a transfer a supply within 35 days from receipt of an application to switch (14 days cooling off plus 21 days).

CashStrapped · 7 March 2017 at 7:39PM

"Required to use their reasonable efforts"

Still does not sound like a guarantee though.

Those switching to Irsesa at the moment seem to be experiencing longer time-scales than this [35 days].

jbuchanangb · 11 March 2017 at 6:55PM

I signed up to switch to So Energy on their web site on 3rd March. That very day I received the welcome pack and notification that the SSD would be 24 March. Same day I received an e-mail from First Utility (where my fixed rate tariff expires on 31 March) that they had been notified that I was leaving them.

Today my bank informed me that So Energy have set up the Direct Debit.

If all this goes to plan I will be a happy bunny.

spiro · 12 March 2017 at 9:34AM

Under Faster Switching which was introduced some time ago the new supplier should set the Supply Start Date at 2 weeks plus 3 working days from the day you sign up. The cooling off period no longer has to complete before the supplier can do anything.
Personally I would phone SSE and complain that they are not complying with this requirement.

System · 12 March 2017 at 10:18AM

spiro wrote: »

Under Faster Switching which was introduced some time ago the new supplier should set the Supply Start Date at 2 weeks plus 3 working days from the day you sign up. The cooling off period no longer has to complete before the supplier can do anything.
Personally I would phone SSE and complain that they are not complying with this requirement.

Not all suppliers are signed up to 17 day switching as it is still a voluntary code (e.g.; Iresa). That said, I agree that SSE is in the 'club' so a 14 day do nothing delay is worthy of a complaint. The question that has to be asked is 'have I been disadvantaged financially by this delay, and by how much'? It is not a simple 2 weeks on the standard variable rate calculation. I suspect that any cost difference is likely to be very small - but worth pursuing nevertheless.

phillw · 12 March 2017 at 5:03PM

keiran wrote: »

I've received the "welcome to SSE" documents today - 2 weeks later.

It says the switching will usually take 3 weeks, but of course I have a right to cancel for 14 days, which makes me think they won't do anything at all for the next 14 day

You're right. Unfortunately the cooling off period only starts when they tell you about it and they won't do anything until it's over.

There are a lot of people switching right now, but that does sound extreme. You could try complaining and ask them to cover the difference between what you're paying on your old tariff and the new tariff. If you're polite enough then they may offer you something, if not then it's still one in the bank the next time you have something else to complain about.

keiran · 18 March 2017 at 6:24PM

SSE is part of the "17 day switch" programme, I now discover.

Of course, I'll complain once the switch has occurred (a full 5 weeks from application, on SSE's own website...)

Anyone know what ball park compensation to request?

2 week interval between doing a switch and getting a "verbal agreement" date?

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