Free gas, even if I try not to.

DrScotsman

I have a different story to the two posted before.

Me and girlfriend moved into our flat August 08. Landlord said he'd put Electricity and gas on Southern Electric. Now we weren't at all MSEs at all then, so we just called them up telling them we'd moved it. You know, the usual. We had some gas difficulties possibly relating to a number of things - the fact our flat was combined with the shop below us several years ago and our meter being new, the fact both me and the landlord phoned up to say we were moving in...but as far as I know that was completely settled as of halfway through November.

Got a letter from SE in January. "We're sorry you're leaving, we'd love you to stay..." What? Phoned up SE, they said that British Gas - who neither me, my girlfriend, the landlord, the person who owns the shop and any tenants in the flat since 2006 have EVER had any correspondence with - had applied to take our supply from us. They filed an erroneous transfer for me to stop it.

Letter a few weeks later from SE. "Unfortunately your old supplier refuses to hand over the supply back to us as if it never happened, so we will register you as a new customer. Please note you will be billed by your old supplier for the time you were with them." (By the way, they're only telling me British Gas is this "other supplier" over the phone, not in any letters). I just thought I'd wait it out and if British gas ever sent me a bill I'd contest it, or if I'm lazy demand it's no expensive than Southern Electric.

Letter a few days ago. "Thank you for choosing Southern Electric. Unfortunately your old supplier has raised an objection to us taking your supply from them...blah blah 6 more weeks to connect your supply". Aaargh!!

Besides the obvious thing that is saving the money we are no longer paying, what should we do? Moral arguments aside, I'm thinking that if we just save the money, the worst case scenario is that we're EVENTUALLY billed and the best case is that we get off completely. Anyone see a problem with that?

Magentasue

I would just put money aside until it's sorted - have you received bills from Southern Elec?

DrScotsman

Magentasue wrote: »

I would just put money aside until it's sorted - have you received bills from Southern Elec?

Yeah, I got bills from SE until I got my final bill early February as my supply was "transferred" to BG on the 20th-ish January. Since then they're treating me like a new customer to-be with welcome pack stuff.

Magentasue

Ah, right. In that case, it's definitely more likely that you will eventually get billed, rather than "get off completely".

DrScotsman

The plot thickens.

Sorry that I'm not about to explain the following very well, this is actually slightly disturbing me right now making it very hard to make sense.

I got another objection letter from Southern Electric, so I thought I'd phone them up today. Apparently it isn't British Gas, it's eon who took my supply, the same people who supply the shop below us! Southern Electric gave me some 0800 number for eon to call, which bypassed all touch prompts and put me straight through to a person ("How did you get this number?"). He then gave me the number for Eon's erroneous transfer department ("How did you get this number?" again!) They then filed an erroneous transfer (I thought Southern Electric were supposed to do that) and they'll give me a call (:rolleyes:) when it's gone through or something.

Seriously, this is starting to affect me. I was just telling the lady who owns the shop this and it was getting very difficult to get the words out. I like to think I'm a very capable person so I'd really feel sorry for anyone else in my position.