Powergen blocking change of supplier?

treacle

Just wondering if anyone else had the same problem. In the last couple of weeks applied to Scottish Power so that I can be rid of Powergen once and for all. Have received all the welcoming letters communication. On Thurs Powergen rang me and asked me to confirm that I was switching and why. Was glad to tell the guy how crap they were and why I was going. Today I have an automated email from SP saying my instruction to switch has been cancelled! Bit of a coincidence I think. Couldn't ring SP tonight as too late but anyone else had the blocks put on by Powergen? Grrrrrrr!!!!

[Deleted User]

I would get in touch with energywatch. Powergen have no right to do this

http://www.energywatch.org.uk/

Woby_Tide

kittie wrote:

I would get in touch with energywatch. Powergen have no right to do this

http://www.energywatch.org.uk/

unless you owe Powergen money for outstanding bills

gem4

I switched from Powergen to Scottish Power last January 2005. I was on monthly dd with them. When Scottish Power signed me up they told me that Powergen would try to stop me if I owed them money but said that they couldnt do it........even if I owed them.......
Powergen came on the phone shortly afterwards asking why I wanted to switch. I told them Scottish Power were cheaper. I also said they'd increased my bills 3 times in about 9mths and I wasnt happy. They tried to tell me they were cheaper. I said I'd looked into it myself.

Had no problem switching. I was on one bill dual fuel with them but they sent separate final gas and leccy bills totalling £150. I was paying £45 a month originally. Luckily I'd cancelled their direct debit as they said they would be taking the full amount from my account on 11th......

I phoned them and said that I couldnt afford to pay the full amount, or the same amount as before, as it was now going to Scottish Power instead. This is a rough guide to the phone conversation.

-I cant afford to pay the whole amount, I will pay you £10 a month.
Thats not acceptable, our policy is for you to clear it in 3mths.
-Erm........hang on, that means £50 a month, which I could no way on this planet afford in addition to my new supplier. I said I would pay £10 a month by standing order but NOT direct debit.
Your account is closed so we cant accept payment that way.
-Well you'd better open it again then cos that's how I'm going to pay. I told them I'd already set up a standing order to them and just wanted confirmation that the account details were correct.
He said it was a closed account but if I paid anything to it it would remain open so
they would let me pay by standing order.......£50 a month.
-No way!
Well the max time we will give you is 6mths...
-Sorry......I can only afford £10.
Well we cant accept it.........
-Wait a minute, I'm telling you I will definately pay this debt off at £10 a month guaranteed and you are saying you will refuse? You cant do that.
-If you dont pay it in 6mths then we will pass you to a debt collecting agency who will demand more than that.
-As long as I have offered to pay you and I stick to it you cant give me to a debt collection agency, and if you do, I will still only pay £10.
Well, we will let you pay £10 till 6mths is up and then pass you to debt recovery.
-Which debt recovery service?
Its a department of our company.
-Well, whatever, as from now I am paying you £10 a month........we'll see.

End of matter. I paid £10 a month, more when I could afford it, 6mths came and went. I got demand bills every month for the new amount threatening action if I didnt pay the full amount immediately. I ignored them. I made no further contact but kept up the payments. Eventually it was paid off, despite their bullying tactics.

Poor indian bloke was obviously reading off a preprinted script and some of the things I was suggesting weren't listed.....lol
My daughter said she felt a bit sorry for him having that conversation with me at the end of a long day.

Merlin139

I went to switch from Powregen in August last year. Had checked the options available to me and went for Npower for both Gas and Electric. I recieved all the info from Npower after about 10 days and then heard nothing for about 4 weeks. I then received a letter from Powergen welcoming me back to them. I was on the phone like a greyhound out of the traps.

I wont repeat what I said went I found out why I was back with Powergen, but in transpired that a member of Customer Relations had decided just to switch me back.

I had to then get back on to Npower to start the ball rolling again. In the end it took nearly 4 months for the transfer to go through. The only benifit for me was that all the Electricity and Gas that I used between the original date of requesting the switch and when I found out that I had been signed back to Powergen was written off. Just under £30.

When I change again I will contact both suppliers every 7 days to ensure everything is running smoothly

treacle

Thanks for all your responses so far. I do have an outstanding balance on my account but when Powergen rang they said I would just get final bill in post. I rang SP yesterday but sales shut so can't find out exact reason why it has been cancelled. Rang Powergen who checked notes on my account and said letter has been sent out "sorry your going etc" and no they have not put any blocks on but did recommend I pay outstanding amount anyway - which I had no problems doing anyway. I don't trust PG and I suspect it will be down to them. Energywatch here I come if I don't get satisfactory answer.