Is switching prepayment as simple as just getting a new key?

DirtyDick

Hello

Just signed to rent a new place for 6months (hopefully longer), but the place is fitted with a prepayment electric meter and previous tenant's supplier was Utility Warehouse. I'm not really familiar with these outside the basics.

The letting agents have arranged for a new key to be sent by them to the address, which should hopefully be on the doormat upon my return (I'm away on holiday, so haven't actually lived in the house yet).

Whilst I'm not that keen on a prepayment meter I'm happy to live with one for the minute, but I'd rather transfer immediately to Southern Electric/Atlantic, rather than Utility Warehouse.

So, questions are:

1 - If I arrange while away for SE/Atlantic to provide me with the prepayment service, is it simply a case of having them send a pp key to my new address and I just use that key - instead of the UW one - to start my account straight away upon return?

2 - If so, how long would it take from contacting them to the key arriving?

3 - Since I've not signed with any of the current suppliers, if I can arrange for a supplier to install a credit electricity meter as part of a dual fuel DD account, how long would the wait likely to be? (I'm in good employment and have an excellent credit rating.)

Otherwise, when I get back I'll either have no electricity for a while or have to sign upon (short-term) with UW - and I believe they like £10 straight off for becoming a customer.


Apologies for the detail and thanks for any help provided.

Premier_2

You need to register with the current supplier.

You can then switch supplier if that is what you desire. Switching supplier takes a minimum of 4 weeks and typically up to 6 weeks.
Essentially as far as you are concerned, yes all you will probably get is a new key supplied for the new supplier.

The suppliers (both for immediate use and for later if you decide to switch) can advise you on how you will obtain a key. Sometimes it is possible for the top-up station to provide a key to you

Similarly the supplier will be able to advise you if and how long you would have to wait for a credit meter to be installed. This varies by supplier, and some suppliers will not install a credit meter in a tenanted property until the tenant has been there for 12 months. Other suppliers may not operate like this, but may require a hefty security deposit (e.g. several hundred pounds). There may also be a non-refundable charge of upto about £60 to have the meter changed, again depending on supplier.

So as I say, contact the suppliers directly to see what they offer, but start by registering with the current supplier first.

Note also, some suppliers have a standing charge. This means you will have to pay this from the time you are responsible for the property ... even if you haven't used any energy as you are on away on holiday.

Are you a student? Is this a student house? That may give you more problems with getting a credit meter.

The reason for the question is, otherwise it doesn't sound like a very good holiday if all you are doing is worrying about which energy supplier to go with... and you have the time to sign up and post on MSE...:think:

DirtyDick

Thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated.


I think I hate pre-payment meters; far too much hassle to sort out during one's holidays.

I'm not a student (anymore!). I'm in a fairly well paid and secure job and the property wouldn't be 'typical' for someone with a pre-payment meter, so didn't find out until I'd virtually moved in as it was very new to the letting agents' books too. I think I'd be fine for a credit meter as credit checks always good.


It seems to take away what could be the extremely good flexibility of a ppm if you can't just change supplier by acquiring a new key (although I can understand why companies might do this when someone's indebted to them).

Premier_2

This is what I'm saying, some suppliers do not use traditional credit reference agency checks - they have their own rules on who they will and won't grant credit to.

DirtyDick

I appreciate that; never had a problem before with getting credit meters. I'd rather not pay a company a fitting fee or be held to ransom just to get one, so will try to get a free one installed.

Main concern I have is UW doesn't seem to have the best reputation with customers so I'd rather have no dealings with them. I don't mind paying a couple of quid for the standing charge over the fortnight the new place is empty, but it would irk me as I think they'd want £10 up front to be registered as a new customer in addition to 'joining their club'.

HappyMJ

DirtyDick wrote: »

I appreciate that; never had a problem before with getting credit meters. I'd rather not pay a company a fitting fee or be held to ransom just to get one, so will try to get a free one installed.

Main concern I have is UW doesn't seem to have the best reputation with customers so I'd rather have no dealings with them. I don't mind paying a couple of quid for the standing charge over the fortnight the new place is empty, but it would irk me as I think they'd want £10 up front to be registered as a new customer in addition to 'joining their club'.

Quite funny you say that they don't have the best reputation with customers. Actually, UW has one the highest quality reviews from customers over all the suppliers as the customers have an interest in the company/club. UW has poor reviews from people who are not customers due to the same thing. It's a bit like Marmite you either love it or hate it. Why as you say pay £10 to join the club and £2.50 a month from then on. For what exactly....

DirtyDick

Well, I'll obviously be with them while awaiting a new system so I shall find out. Never been with them before, so we shall see. I really can't see why/how it can take companies weeks to establish a new prepayment account. Surely the meters are "shared" by all the companies and payment is conducted remotely at the kiosk (is it a kiosk?), so all that needs happen is for the key to activate the electricity supply?

I did the usual comparison site searches looking at keeping the prepayment electric while sorting out long-term providers and SE/Atlantic appear to have the best deal (Ebico a tad ahead by a fraction of a pence.): saving £40 pa by switching and a better reputation for customer service.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi

Just a reminder that we ask people not to discuss Utility Warehouse anywhere other than the dedicated Utility Warehouse thread.

Thanks!

t0rt0ise

Things may have changed now but when I moved into a house with prepayment meters last summer, the only supplier who would change the meters to normal ones for free was British Gas. So you may want to find out with your chosen supplier what their deal is before changing to them.

DirtyDick

MSE_Andrea wrote: »

Hi

Just a reminder that we ask people not to discuss Utility Warehouse anywhere other than the dedicated Utility Warehouse thread.

Thanks!

Is it just that company, or utility comanies in general? If the former, that hardly fills me with confidence about them if there're such polarisation of views. No worries.

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Things may have changed now but when I moved into a house with prepayment meters last summer, the only supplier who would change the meters to normal ones for free was British Gas. So you may want to find out with your chosen supplier what their deal is before changing to them.

Thanks; although were I am BG are pretty expensive. I'll see how I get on with prepayment electric, at least for the short term, if only because of the novelty value - my DD for electricity was usually about £30 pcm. so interesting to see how it compares.

DirtyDick

For anyone who's in a similar situation re. finding they've moved into a prepayment place, being unfamiliar with pre-pay and want to change supplier: I just phoned another company and was told they'd send a new key in 14 days (a statutory period), then just top-up and use the new key in lieu of the old. Seems fairly painless if all goes to plan.

The reason for the question is, otherwise it doesn't sound like a very good holiday if all you are doing is worrying about which energy supplier to go with... and you have the time to sign up and post on MSE...:think:

I'm not peculiar or anything! I'm not on a 'holiday' holiday, just a holiday.