Energyhelpline coldcalling/scam?

System

Frankonsumer wrote: »

Riggindale wrote, "When challenged the guy told me that the 14% saving was against my current supplier's Standard Tariff!!" I had a similar experience with Energy Helpline, who have been brilliant in helping me switch several times to my financial advantage over the last ten years. However, they are not beyond resorting to naughty marketing tricks. In advising me recently to switch from Greenstar Energy to Sainsburys/Brit Gas, they calculated the saving I would make by comparing the proposed S/BG tariff with what I would pay Greenstar if I merely accepted the default tariff Greenstar would put me on at the end of my contract period. The saving seemed so huge that I queried their Greenstar prospective price and was told of the far better terms Greenstar could provide if asked for a re-quote - still not as good as the S/BG deal, but why had Energy Helpline not provided the fair comparison in the first place? This odd kind of 'sharp practice' does undermine confidence in the alleged impartiality of EH and other comparison organisations, as discussed on Radio 4's 'You & Yours' recently.

As has been pointed out many times, the comparison sites are only using the Ofgem-mandated savings methodology which by assuming a default position of the standard tariff leads to increased costs and thus increased savings.

An extract from this document:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/573486fae5274a1520000000/theenergyshop-resp-to-pdr.pdf

Our latest research published in March 2016 (copy attached) shows a more disturbing situation. In the scenarios studied in our latest research we found the following;

• In one scenario an actual saving of £197 was quoted, on average, as £536. This is £340 (173%) more than the customer will actually save.

• In the other scenario, an actual saving of £6.35 was quoted as £492. This is £486 (7646%) more than the customer will save.

• In one scenario all sites quoted a saving that was greater than the customer’s current energy bill. Clearly an implausible and absurd situation.

• Some sites showed savings that were over 8000% more than was achievable.

Any methodology that can lead to a customer being quoted a saving that is greater than their bill is clearly ridiculous and needs to be urgently addressed. It is not just flawed and dangerous. It will undermine consumer confidence which runs counter to what many of the CMA proposals are trying to deliver.

I would urge everyone to make Ofgem aware that their savings methodology is flawed. Much better, imho, to use annual projections comparing the present tariff to other tariffs.

consumeraffairs@ofgem.gov.uk

Cardew

Frankonsumer wrote: »

Riggindale wrote, "When challenged the guy told me that the 14% saving was against my current supplier's Standard Tariff!!" I had a similar experience with Energy Helpline, who have been brilliant in helping me switch several times to my financial advantage over the last ten years. However, they are not beyond resorting to naughty marketing tricks. In advising me recently to switch from Greenstar Energy to Sainsburys/Brit Gas, they calculated the saving I would make by comparing the proposed S/BG tariff with what I would pay Greenstar if I merely accepted the default tariff Greenstar would put me on at the end of my contract period. The saving seemed so huge that I queried their Greenstar prospective price and was told of the far better terms Greenstar could provide if asked for a re-quote - still not as good as the S/BG deal, but why had Energy Helpline not provided the fair comparison in the first place? This odd kind of 'sharp practice' does undermine confidence in the alleged impartiality of EH and other comparison organisations, as discussed on Radio 4's 'You & Yours' recently.

That 'sharp practice' has been going on for several years.

Energyhelpline has recently changed its format. Entering consumption figures for a tariff that ends 28 Feb 2017(MSE BG Collective) shows I can save £133pa by switching.

However by clicking 'Additional filters' and selecting 're-calculate using last year's spend'* it shows a saving of £9pa.

* Being pedantic it doesn't show ''last year's spend' as I only joined that tariff in Feb 2016. It really should say '12 month's cost using your current tariff prices'!!

footyguy

Frankonsumer wrote: »

Riggindale wrote, "When challenged the guy told me that the 14% saving was against my current supplier's Standard Tariff!!" I had a similar experience with Energy Helpline, who have been brilliant in helping me switch several times to my financial advantage over the last ten years. However, they are not beyond resorting to naughty marketing tricks. In advising me recently to switch from Greenstar Energy to Sainsburys/Brit Gas, they calculated the saving I would make by comparing the proposed S/BG tariff with what I would pay Greenstar if I merely accepted the default tariff Greenstar would put me on at the end of my contract period. The saving seemed so huge that I queried their Greenstar prospective price and was told of the far better terms Greenstar could provide if asked for a re-quote - still not as good as the S/BG deal, but why had Energy Helpline not provided the fair comparison in the first place? This odd kind of 'sharp practice' does undermine confidence in the alleged impartiality of EH and other comparison organisations, as discussed on Radio 4's 'You & Yours' recently.

What Riggindale wrote was almost 12 months ago to the day

Anyway, why don't you simply use their comparison website?
EHL provide outputs either weighted or standard; they were one of the first to do so I believe and it was because they did that we helped persuade MSE Martin to do so on his CEC site too.

footyguy

Cardew wrote: »

...
Energyhelpline has recently changed its format. ...

Yeah, I'm not sure I'm too keen on the new format.

However, if you use the special MSE link - the one that allows you to earn cashback from EHL - then it's still the old format ... but don't tell 'em Pyke!

Leyton_Lassie

I've just sent this to my MP today to see if EHL can't be stopped from this fraudulent practice - I'm sure one of their employees is responsible for what has happened to us...

Good afternoon Mr Cryer

We have recently moved into your constituency and have encountered a problem with our energy supplier(s) that we want to tell you about, because we feel that, as our MP, you can instigate changes to prevent what we have experienced in future.

We purchased our property last year, and in May, asked British Gas to supply us with gas and electricity. For some months, the property was being refurbished and we moved in just a few weeks ago.
As the meters operate with cards, I called British Gas yesterday to find out about the procedure to change the meters into the more convenient, monthly credit payment type, so that we can pay by direct debit. However, British Gas told us we were not their customer! I was confused, as we have never changed our supplier since the outset. They then proceeded to inform me of all the suppliers we’d had since May 2015 when we signed up with British Gas, as listed on the national database - which are as follows:

13th May 2015 - 19th July 2015 British Gas (this is who we signed up with)
20th July 2015 - 3rd October 2015 Utility Energy (we did not request or authorise this change)
4th October 2015 - 28th October 2015 Economy Energy (we did not request or authorise this change)
29th October 2015 - present Ovo Energy (we did not request or authorise this change)

Can we be clear - we did not ever request or authorise a move from British Gas, with whom we originally signed up.

I called British Gas and Ovo Energy to try and establish what had happened, but each referred me to the other. Ovo eventually referred me to Energy Helpline, the comparison company who had processed the last change. However, when I called them, they simply referred me back to Ovo.

In a state of total frustration at being passed from pillar to post, I called Ofgem, who told me that the technical name for what has happened is an “Erroneous Transfer - Customer Charter” and that in view of the fact that someone has changed our supplier so many times in such a short space of time, that it looked as though it was fraudulent, rather than erroneous.

There is clearly a loophole in the system that allows someone to change someone else’s energy supplier without any checks being made, and without the account holder being informed. Had I not called British Gas yesterday regarding an unrelated matter, I would still not know that they were no longer our supplier and that a stranger had changed it.

Furthermore, it seems that there is nothing that can be done to prevent this from happening to us again in the future! Whilst the ‘Erroneous Transfer - Customer Charter’ allows for us to be reinstated with the original supplier (in this case British Gas) if we are patient enough to wait for at least 3 weeks for process to take place, the next day, someone could change our supplier again, without us knowing.

We can find out who processed the transaction (which is how we know that Energy Helpline were responsible last time), but due to the Data Protection Law, we can not know the identity of the fraudulent person behind the request - whether they are an energy company employee, a neighbour or a person within our community, or a stranger just chancing our address. The new energy supplier is not even allowed to give us the name into which our account has been changed - though no doubt it would be a fake name in any case.

It occurred to us that these changes were made by someone looking to profit from an incentive/promotion by the energy company, who may have been offering cash payments for referrals - I suspect this might have even been an Energy Helpline employee. Of course, we are very disappointed that not one of the energy companies verified whether the requests for a change of supplier was genuine.

However, to cut to the chase, we're writing to you to see if there’s anything you can do, as our MP, to make changes so that in future, a third party can not change our (or anyone else’s) energy supplier without the account holder’s consent, as has happened to us repeatedly over the last year or so?
We will be interested to learn your response.

Kind regards

molerat

Why have you not received any sorry you are leaving or welcome letters ? This sounds more like a mix up than anything dubious from EHL. A customer is probably tarting for the switching cash back but a number mix up has their address linked to your meter - have you checked your meter number against any bills ?

Cardew

Leyton_Lassie wrote: »

I've just sent this to my MP today to see if EHL can't be stopped from this fraudulent practice - I'm sure one of their employees is responsible for what has happened to us...

Good afternoon Mr Cryer

We have recently moved into your constituency and have encountered a problem with our energy supplier(s) that we want to tell you about, because we feel that, as our MP, you can instigate changes to prevent what we have experienced in future.

We purchased our property last year, and in May, asked British Gas to supply us with gas and electricity. For some months, the property was being refurbished and we moved in just a few weeks ago.
As the meters operate with cards, I called British Gas yesterday to find out about the procedure to change the meters into the more convenient, monthly credit payment type, so that we can pay by direct debit. However, British Gas told us we were not their customer! I was confused, as we have never changed our supplier since the outset. They then proceeded to inform me of all the suppliers we’d had since May 2015 when we signed up with British Gas, as listed on the national database - which are as follows:

13th May 2015 - 19th July 2015 British Gas (this is who we signed up with)
20th July 2015 - 3rd October 2015 Utility Energy (we did not request or authorise this change)
4th October 2015 - 28th October 2015 Economy Energy (we did not request or authorise this change)
29th October 2015 - present Ovo Energy (we did not request or authorise this change)

Can we be clear - we did not ever request or authorise a move from British Gas, with whom we originally signed up.

I called British Gas and Ovo Energy to try and establish what had happened, but each referred me to the other. Ovo eventually referred me to Energy Helpline, the comparison company who had processed the last change. However, when I called them, they simply referred me back to Ovo.

In a state of total frustration at being passed from pillar to post, I called Ofgem, who told me that the technical name for what has happened is an “Erroneous Transfer - Customer Charter” and that in view of the fact that someone has changed our supplier so many times in such a short space of time, that it looked as though it was fraudulent, rather than erroneous.

There is clearly a loophole in the system that allows someone to change someone else’s energy supplier without any checks being made, and without the account holder being informed. Had I not called British Gas yesterday regarding an unrelated matter, I would still not know that they were no longer our supplier and that a stranger had changed it.

Furthermore, it seems that there is nothing that can be done to prevent this from happening to us again in the future! Whilst the ‘Erroneous Transfer - Customer Charter’ allows for us to be reinstated with the original supplier (in this case British Gas) if we are patient enough to wait for at least 3 weeks for process to take place, the next day, someone could change our supplier again, without us knowing.

We can find out who processed the transaction (which is how we know that Energy Helpline were responsible last time), but due to the Data Protection Law, we can not know the identity of the fraudulent person behind the request - whether they are an energy company employee, a neighbour or a person within our community, or a stranger just chancing our address. The new energy supplier is not even allowed to give us the name into which our account has been changed - though no doubt it would be a fake name in any case.

It occurred to us that these changes were made by someone looking to profit from an incentive/promotion by the energy company, who may have been offering cash payments for referrals - I suspect this might have even been an Energy Helpline employee. Of course, we are very disappointed that not one of the energy companies verified whether the requests for a change of supplier was genuine.

However, to cut to the chase, we're writing to you to see if there’s anything you can do, as our MP, to make changes so that in future, a third party can not change our (or anyone else’s) energy supplier without the account holder’s consent, as has happened to us repeatedly over the last year or so?
We will be interested to learn your response.

Kind regards

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly may I suggest you be very careful on the internet about accusing an organisation of fraud.

Erroneous transfers happen all the time; often it is a simple case of the wrong meter serial number.

How do you suggest the 'loophole' be addressed?

footyguy

See also this user other post today here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=71280092&postcount=14
and my reply. Things not really quite stacking up.
Someone perhaps getting into the realms of fantasy, I fear :cool:

Cardew

footyguy wrote: »

See also this user other post today here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=71280092&postcount=14
and my reply. Things not really quite stacking up.
Someone perhaps getting into the realms of fantasy, I fear :cool:

Agreed.

I found it quite ironic that Leyton Lassie thinks it is wrong for a system to allow switches 'without checks being made'. Yet seems to think it normal for her to phone several companies and glean information - presumably without checks being made.