Scottish Power Online Energy Reward

LeifGR

Has anyone tried to sign up for this service?

This product is showing up on all (well, at least the three I checked) comparison sites as the best one for me but none of the sites are able to effect a change -- there is no "switch" button.

I am already a Scottish Power customer so I assumed that I wouldn't be eligible, but energyhelpline claims that I would, AND that I would get cashback.

Having spoken to Scottish Power directly, I was informed that the product is so new that I can't even switch to it directly through them -- they can "put me on a landing page" and then effect the switch once the product is on their system.

Did I get the right info from energyhelpline -- would existing customers really be able to change service and get cashback? If so, I'll just hang ten and wait for the offers to become available on the comparison sites.

Leblanc_2

Yes.

My experience can be read here. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2483163

anniecave

The post doesn't mention cashback. Cashback is only normally given when you change supplier to them for the first time at that address via the specified websites.
If you are already with a supplier and changing your tariff via their website (or via phoning them up) then I can't see that you would get cashback.

OP - have you previously got cashback from scottish power ? If so, they are unlikely to give it you again anyway.

If not, you could consider switching to someone else (pick a supplier of your choice, stay for as long as you want) then switch back to scottish power via a cashback site, but if so they may not honour cashback as they may recognise you as a previous customer anyway!

LeifGR

anniecave wrote: »

Cashback is only normally given when you change supplier to them for the first time at that address via the specified websites.
If you are already with a supplier and changing your tariff via their website (or via phoning them up) then I can't see that you would get cashback.

I am aware that cashback is normally not offered to existing customers. It is, after all, supposed to be a customer acquisition incentive, not a retention one. That is exactly why I phoned energyhelpline to verify. The nice lady on the line claimed that yes, I would indeed get the cashback (from energyhelpline, not from SP) even if I was already an SP customer. She could of course have been misinformed.

The purposes of my post were:
1. Alert other people in my situation to the apparent opportunity to earn cashback.
2. Check if others had had the same information as I was given.
3. Let people know the apparent reason why the tariff appears on the comparison sites but is not available (yet).

anniecave

it was listing as available when we were looking at switching yesterday. This was via the quidco website, on scottish power's website, looking to transfer supplier as a new customer to them.

If you listed on a comparison website that you were already with SP, then I would hope that the website wouldn't let you "transfer" to them via the usual change of supplier process!

LeifGR

OK, just to clarify: When looking today, both uswitch, energyhelpline, and moneysupermarket had the tariff listed. They did not have a button allowing you to switch to the tariff, though. I phoned energyhelpline before I had noticed the missing button, because I was puzzled why this was listed even though I had specified that I was with SP already. The energyhelpline lady stated explicitly that yes, I could switch to that tariff and yes, I would get cashback (!).

Then I saw the missing button and phoned SP. They also said that the tariff was available to me as an existing customer (but that their systems have not been updated yet so they can't actually effect the transfer just yet). They offered to put me on a "waiting list" and the new tariff would be backdated to today. I did not discuss cashback with them.

Bigun28

I’d be surprised if you do get cashback, despite what they are saying. A few years back I moved into a new property and went through one of the comparison sites to change energy suppliers. The property was already on British Gas standard and the comparison sites were saying that British Gas Websaver 2 was my best option.

The problem I had was (like you) the site wouldn’t allow me to switch to the new tariff. I worked out later that what I was doing (correctly) was detailing that I was already connected to British Gas initially so that the site would do a price comparison against other suppliers. But it was simply pulling up another British Gas tariff as the best one.

I thought I could work around it to get the cashback by putting in another supplier at the start. When it then came up with the British Gas Websaver 2 as my best option, it allowed me to do the switch ok. But when I questioned why I wasn’t receiving the cash back many weeks later I was told it was because the comparison site company had not received a ‘bonus’ from British Gas for my switch because I was simply switching tariffs with British Gas and not effectively becoming a new customer.

Basically, the comparison sites receive bonuses from the utility companies and an element of that is passed onto you as the new customer.

There was no way round it because the new company would need to contact your old utility company to do the switch, and it is fairly easy to determine who is supplying your utilities.

notbritishgas

I initiated a switch from npower to scottish gas energy reward on May 6th.
As you say it was showing on energyhelpline but I switched via Quidco and obviously the SP website.
No problems so far, I have received the welcome pack giving details of energy reward and my agreement number, so the product was available on May 6th.

LeifGR

[SOLVED]

I should have known better than to trust a customer service representative of energyhelpline. Of course my suspicions were well-founded -- the reason there was no button on their web site (to switch to SP) was indeed that I am a current SP customer. Doh!

Why she did not know that you can't "switch" from supplier X to supplier X and get cashback, I don't know.

I'll go the Quidco route instead, probably with EdF.

Plushchris

In all fairness, I switched between tariffs through Energyhelpline a couple of years ago and got the cashback, although it does appear they have now stopped doing retention switches for SP as if you do a comparison while on SP all other SP tariffs have "Enquire" as opposed to continue.

I recently switched away from SP to Ovo using Energyhelpline and noticed they no longer offer retention, could just be a case of the advisor being mistaken if its recently changed?

Leblanc_2

I received my welcome pack today, but there was no mention of the cash back amount quoted over the telephone.

In the pack there is now a third variation as to the 7 day cooling off period. It is now stated as 7 working days from the date of the letter. The letter is dated as 21st May, but was received on 26th May. See https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2483163

I am still waiting for S.P Complaints Dept to contact me over the mis-information. If I don't hear from them and the matter resolved by Friday 28th May, I am cancelling.

A warning to others. Don't accept a telephone changeover until Scottish Power and other companies provide you with documentation accurately detailing the offer and tariffs.