Changing name on account or changing supplier?

*manda*

This might be a bit of an odd one, but i'm unsure the best way to proceed here. Currently the gas/elec supplier at home is Scottish Power and the account is in my fathers name. He and my mother divorced several years ago and i manage all the finances on behalf of my mum but have kept many of the original bills running as they were for ease. So, the gas/elec comes out as a direct debit in his name from their joint account as it always has done. He has no access to the joint account- it's purely kept open as several bills are in his name still.

My query really is about getting it changed to being in my mothers name or should we stop it altogether with SP and sign up afresh with them or elsewhere to maximise the potential savings? Or just continue as we are for now until the market settles? I don't really understand how you switch providers, and whether there are penalties for leaving the current supplier, so i'm quite lost on this one.

spiro

Unless you are one of the capped they tariffs that impose a penalty if you switch before the end of the period, there is no cost involved in changing your gar or electricity provider.

lemontart

is it possible merely to have your fathers name removed from the bank account

*manda*

I'm not worried about changing the bank account as that'd be straight forward but whilst there are bills coming out that are solely in my dad's name i need to keep the bank account as it is. What i'm unsure on is whether to change the account name with SP to be in my mothers name, or whether i'd be better stopping it completely and signing up with them again, or elsewhere in my mothers name to try and get a better deal.

The problem is whenever anything is in my dad's name it means i cannot authorise any changes as companies always ask to speak to the bill payer i.e my dad. When bills are in my mothers name it's not such a problem. So, not sure theoretically if i can even switch providers without his "consent".

Dannii_B

In this case, what a company can do is change the account as if you had moved house and given up responsibility. If your dad or mum called in and advised that they had seperated they could arrange for the current bill payer to 'give up responsibility' and the one that the account should be under could 'take on responsibility', like moving house. One account would be closed and billed up to date, but another could be opened with the correct name on it