E-on failure to allow me to switch suppliers.

Debe2233

I’ve been having major problems with registering my energy account with a newbuild home and I was looking for some advice and suggestions on how I can go about dealing with the huge bill I’m no doubt about to receive.


We moved into the home on the 18th of Dec last year and had no information about our energy supplier other than it was E-on.
After Christmas I called E-on and was told they were in the process of registering my account and would send me a bill. I wanted to move to another supplier as soon as possible because I would be on their standard tariff which would be worse for me as a consumer.
January came and went and no bill. So I started to chase. But everytime I contacted them they would tell me it’s being done or there was a problem, or they would take my details all over again and say they would do it right away.


Fat chance.


In March some people came around to the door from Npower and my girlfriend let them in, I was about to throw them out but their deal was quite competitive so despite having Shogun Total War 2 to play I sat through their sales pitch and attempted to transfer across to them hoping that might kick start e-on into actually doing something.
because I didn’t have the two serial numbers I required to actually move across that died a death. I e-mailed and called e-on trying to get these numbers but was told time and time again that there was a problem or it was in the process of being done. Finally I had enough and made an official complaint despite the woman on the phone trying to talk me out of it.



FINALLY I have been able to start the process of transferring supplier after essentially getting so worked up the poor girl on the end of the phone sounded a bit scared… but e-on has dragged its heels so much in this process I believe it has left me out of pocket due to being unable to switch over. That and I will no doubt be receiving a whopping great bill very soon for almost 6 month’s energy usage. Assuming I actually get a bill because frankly having had to deal with e-on for this long I’ve come to the conclusion they are staffed entirely by drooling idiots.


Can I force them to allow me to pay it over time rather than in one go? Do I have a leg to stand on for compensation as it took them so long to allow me to transfer over?



Many thanks in advance for any assistance you can give me.

spiro

First you could have asked Eon to put you on their best tariff from day one.

What if any communication has been done in writing to them?

Just because they cant bill you does not mean ytou cant switch, even if you dont have the MPxN numbers the 2 meter serial number plus address should be enough for another supplier to find these numbers.

Write a letter headed COMPLAINT to Eon.

Debe2233

Unfortunately the serial numbers were not enough to do this as apparently they did not exist. I checked the serial numbers on the meter with the handover form that was supplied when the house was handed over from the home builder and they matched but when i gave them to E.on or NPower they claimed they were incorrect.

Apparently they had to send their own people to check the actual serial numbers but as i wasnt there i have no idea what they looked at. Now i come to think of it that scares the hell out of me.

I never checked what they think they serial numbers are... i was so happy to get the MPA/RN's i never thought to ask,what if they've got a totally diffrent building... damnit now i'll have to check that as well.

However the letter is an excellent idea, i usually just e-mail or call as it tends to be alot quicker but the formal way will give me a nice paper trail as well.

Many thanks for the advice.

grizzly1911

Debe2233 wrote: »

Unfortunately the serial numbers were not enough to do this as apparently they did not exist. I checked the serial numbers on the meter with the handover form that was supplied when the house was handed over from the home builder and they matched but when i gave them to E.on or NPower they claimed they were incorrect.

Apparently they had to send their own people to check the actual serial numbers but as i wasnt there i have no idea what they looked at. Now i come to think of it that scares the hell out of me.

I never checked what they think they serial numbers are... i was so happy to get the MPA/RN's i never thought to ask,what if they've got a totally diffrent building... damnit now i'll have to check that as well.

However the letter is an excellent idea, i usually just e-mail or call as it tends to be a lot quicker but the formal way will give me a nice paper trail as well.


Many thanks for the advice.

Definitely put it in a letter as a formal complaint.

Telephone calls and emails have a habit of been lost.

Hilight the issues you have described - probably with some tactful editing.

Labour the point that you were trying to get onto the best tariff possible from day one, whoever that may have been with and that them dragging their feet has left you disadvantaged. They may at least bill you on a lighter tariff and give you time to catch up.

In fairness the guys from Eon that monitor these threads are also appear pretty reasonable at sorting issues out too. If they pick this up they might help.

Airmike23

msn will exist of course. I work for Eon and you need to speak to new connections team who will be able to deal with this, do not have a direct tel no and that dept only open 9-6 mon - fri, msns will be on the meters at your property, usually a sticker with a barcode, date meter installed, reading installed to and msn. This being a new property the reason no other company can gain you is that ecoes and your gas transporter's databases have not been updated with your royal mail address and your property is on the databases as the plot no and development addr, this will potentially be an issue facing yourselves and some of ther other properties in the development. This is down to the developer not updating ecoes and gas transpoerters databases as and when royal mail address assigned, leading to the situation you now find yourself in. For the time being I would ask Eon to put you on track and save 9, lower rates than standard but no canc charge if transfer supply. Good luck!

Debe2233

Airmike23,
I've spoke to the new connections team about 10-ish times, hence my anger that E.ON took so painfully long to actually sort out my account. The other houses in the development have not had these problems as i have spoken to our neighbours who couldnt understand why we were having such a hard time.

I asked E.ON to put us on a diffrent tariff but as we had no account to change they said it was impossible.

Having called them again this evening and asked them what my serial number was it seems i had the right number all along but they remove some of the beginning of both the gas (taking the year and : off) and electricity meters (taking a random string of D's, 1's and 0's away) serial numbers.

Being a utility company how they didnt seem to be able to do this when i gave them the full serial numbers confuses me.

I've despatched my angry letter to the complaints director, he should enjoy that.