Just moved in - Gas/Electric supplier?

Fire_Fox

spiro wrote: »

The 'deemed contract' is when you move in and dont contact anyone you automatically have a deemed contract with the incumbent supplier. The electricity registration process by which suppliers register to supply an MPAN allows then to indicate this is a 'change of tenant' and this waves the normal objection period etc.

Link please?

spiro

A quote from the electricity Master Registration Agreement which governs the CoS process:

The New Supplier shall use its reasonable endeavours not to commence supplying electricity through any Metering Point or make any material changes to that Metering Point until it has received a notice confirming its Registration in respect of the Metering Point or (if later) the Supply Start Date specified in the New Supplier's Application for Registration. The MPAS Provider shall not be responsible for ensuring that the New Supplier complies with the requirements of this Clause 15.13. Where the New Supplier is unable to comply with the provisions of this Clause 15.13 due to the relevant MPAS Provider’s failure to send out a notice confirming its Registration within the timescales indicated in Clause 14.5 or 14.6, or the New Supplier is a SoLR, that New Supplier shall be deemed not to be in breach of the obligation set out in this Clause 15.13.

As a supplier I can send such notification with the Change of Tenant indicator set to yes and the supply start date of tomorrow and hey presto I become the supplier to a customer within 1 working day i.e you contact supplier day before you move in.

Why Energywatch insist you have to stick with the old supplier for 28 days I have no idea but suppliers are within there rights in ther event of a change of tenant (owner or occupier) to gain supply from the day after you ask for it.

ex-energywatch_adviser

I have read and re-read the info provided from the MRA but can't see where it says a supplier can take over a site the day after the application is made.
The new supplier has to send a D0055 Data Flow to the old supplier which includes a Change of Tenancy Indicator for the purposes of avoiding a objection being raised by the old supplier if they have not been previously notified that a CoT has taken place.

One question; if a supplier can send and receive all of the necessary flows one day after the application has been received from the consumer (can any posters who work for suppliers confirm if this is physically possible?), how does the new supplier comply with their legal obligation to allow domestic consumers a minimum seven day cooling off period before taking the site?

ex-energywatch_adviser

Info from https://www.consumerfocus.org.uk

How to change supplier

Once you are happy that you have selected the supplier best suited to meet your needs, changing is a fairly simple process. There will be no interruption to the supply should you decide to transfer supplier. To arrange a transfer you should:

• Get in touch with the new supplier and agree a contract with them. Once the contract is agreed, the transfer process should take about six weeks to complete. The new supplier will keep you informed about how the transfer is being progressed.
• Give the old supplier 28 days notice that they are changing to a new supplier. You should do this initially by telephone and follow it up with written confirmation. If you do not tell the old supplier that you are changing, this can disrupt or delay their transfer to the new supplier. You should also pay any outstanding bills owing to the existing supplier. If you do not, the existing supplier may prevent the transfer.
• Take a meter reading on the day you change supplier. If the old supplier does not use it to work out your final bill, or the new supplier does not use it as the starting point for the first bill, you should let them know the meter reading you have taken.

Domestic consumers should be aware that they have a 'cooling off' period following agreement of contract during which time they are within your rights to cancel the contract before any action to obtain the supply is taken. The Direct Selling Regulations state that any contract signed away from the supplier's normal place of business should have a minimum of 7 days cooling off period.

ex-energywatch_adviser

Sorry to keep hogging this thread but I think it is important to establish the correct procedure.

I can quote info directly from the MRA which specifically states that a supply cannot be taken in one day.
Clause 15.13 states: [FONT=&quot]
The New Supplier shall use its reasonable endeavours not to commence supplying electricity through any Metering Point or make any material changes to that Metering Point until it has received a notice confirming its Registration in respect of the Metering Point.

Clause 15.2 of the MRA also states:[/FONT] Where a Supplier has entered into a contract to supply electricity, the Supplier shall not apply for Registration in respect of that Metering Point until the expiry of any initial period during which the Customer has the right (whether contractual or statutory) to terminate the contract.

So the new supplier can't commence supplying until it has received notice confirming it's registration and it can't apply for registration until the expiry of the cooling off period, therefore it cannot take over the supply one day after the consumer agrees a contract.

(sorry about the different font sizes)

Back to you Spiro.


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Vestra

ex-energywatch_adviser wrote: »

I have read and re-read the info provided from the MRA but can't see where it says a supplier can take over a site the day after the application is made.
The new supplier has to send a D0055 Data Flow to the old supplier which includes a Change of Tenancy Indicator for the purposes of avoiding a objection being raised by the old supplier if they have not been previously notified that a CoT has taken place.

One question; if a supplier can send and receive all of the necessary flows one day after the application has been received from the consumer (can any posters who work for suppliers confirm if this is physically possible?), how does the new supplier comply with their legal obligation to allow domestic consumers a minimum seven day cooling off period before taking the site?

If we do a CoT gain we can bring an in area supply on with us within 2-5 days, and then the previous supplier will usually just not chase for the 2-5 days it was with them. But that is only for electric and only for in our distribution area.

ex-energywatch_adviser

So there is a way for an ex-PES only to circumvent the normal 28 day transfer timescale but taking a supply in 2-5 days appears to be in breach of both the MRA and the Distance Selling Regulations. Is Ofgem aware of this?