Not impressed with Airtricity

hazelc56

Ex-Spendaholic wrote: »

Hazel, Budget will cover the fee for your friend to get away from Airtricity. :beer:

EX- Does this mean that she can leave Airtricity before her contract is up??
Does Airtricity charge a Leaving fee??
and then does Budget pay for it??
If so then this sounds like a good idea indeed.

System

RTNI wrote: »

Ah! Inside the bell box outside is another backup battery. This is what powers the sounder and flashing light. Essentially, the external bell box is connected in a circuit that requires "power" to keep it from turning on. When the "power" is removed (ie the backup battery in the brains of the alarm) then it goes off. Similar response if someone were to cut the cable that runs to the external bell box.

So I need to replace the battery in the unit inside the house is that what you mean? I assume its the same sort of process as replacing the backup battery in a smoke alarm?

martin57

I believe that airtricity charge £50 in first year to break contract and £25 in second year.

At the moment I am with budget too, you do have to pay in advance monthly direct debit with budget so if you change from airtricity it will seem you are maybe gettign 2 bills at once one from airtricity and one from budget as airtricity charge in arrears, but over the first 2 mths with budget it should all work itself out and budget are 17% cheaper tha nipower.

martin57

LilMissEmmylou

oooh i had never heard of budget energy, only just moved back to N.I and the house we moved into last week is on a meter so getting a cheaper would be lovely Thanks guys!

RTNI

nirelandguy wrote: »

So I need to replace the battery in the unit inside the house is that what you mean? I assume its the same sort of process as replacing the backup battery in a smoke alarm?

It sounds like it yes. It will be quite simple, but be aware that you will need to enter the installer code on your keypad before you take the cover off, as there will be a switch inside that will make the alarm go off if you don't!

The batteries can be sourced on Ebay or RS components (maplin too but they will be more expensive). An example of what you may need is this: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/lead-acid-rechargeable-batteries/0597807/

babss

Hi Ive recently changed to airtricity Im also not too happy with them have been waiting at least 5 weeks for a meter card (have a keypad meter) but I was told that I wasn't tied into any contract and could change back to NIpower at any time, is this not right?
Brenda

hazelc56

babss wrote: »

Hi Ive recently changed to airtricity Im also not too happy with them have been waiting at least 5 weeks for a meter card (have a keypad meter) but I was told that I wasn't tied into any contract and could change back to NIpower at any time, is this not right?
Brenda

Babss I found this on the Airtricity site.

This is for "Bill Pay" customers.

What happens if I change my mind?

After you sign-up you have a 10-day cooling off period (because that's the law) during which you can cancel your switch.
The 10-day Cooling Off Period is a consumer protection regulation that gives you the option of cancelling your agreement with us before your registration is finalised. It begins after you sign up and you can choose to cancel your switch at any point during this time.
If we don’t hear from you during your cooling off period, we will begin processing your registration with Airtricity as requested.
After this you can still switch at any time, but if you choose a fixed-term contract you may be required to pay a termination fee. You can check the terms and conditions to find out how much this will be.
____________________________________________
and this under "Keypad Users".

• Save up to 10% on PowerNI's rates
• Top up at any PayPoint outlet across Northern Ireland
• No contracts, no bills

It looks like there is no contract with a keypad user so perhaps you can leave it when you like.
If i was in your position i think i would ring Airtricity about this and also the whereabouts of your meter card.

One thing thats confusing about it is that I have a friend who like you has switched recently.She is a keypad user and was told at the start that she was under contract for 2 years with Airtricity.
Airtricity doesnt seem to be making their terms very transparent for their customers in my opinion.
BTW I recently switched to Budget Energy and have had no problems with them or the switching over process.
Hope you get it all sorted soon.

caz2703

I know this will sound daft but I had no idea I was tied into a contract with Airtricity :eek:

Long story short, my ex has moved out of the house and after a dispute he decided to stop paying the utilities. I finally got a letter from Airtricity saying I had to contact them to set up an account (initially I was told they couldn't discuss anything with me as my name wasn't on the previous account and the account was still in place).

When I signed up, at no point did anyone mention a contract. I know for sure I won't be here in 2 years and about 99.999% sure I won't be here in a year but no-one mentioned a cooling off period, breaking any kind of contract or anything of the sort.

What have I done?

Golden_Anemone

caz2703, it depends on when you joined them. I changed over to Airtricity in July 2010 when they first appeared here and they were not tying people in to contracts at that stage. When I left to go to Budget a month ago there was no issue whatsoever - they just billed me what I owed them. End of.

Even if you are tied in to a contract with them that shouldn't prevent you from moving - I'd imagine they'll just transfer the account to the new address.

caz2703

Golden_Anemone wrote: »

caz2703, it depends on when you joined them. I changed over to Airtricity in July 2010 when they first appeared here and they were not tying people in to contracts at that stage. When I left to go to Budget a month ago there was no issue whatsoever - they just billed me what I owed them. End of.

Even if you are tied in to a contract with them that shouldn't prevent you from moving - I'd imagine they'll just transfer the account to the new address.

I only joined them a few weeks ago but no-one mentioned contracts. I guess I could move the contract if there is one but if I've been tied in without being told then that's really sneaky.