MSE News: SSE to issue doorstep mis-selling compensation

Former_MSE_Guy

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"MPs today called for financial education to be made compulsory at a debate in the Commons. The Government said it'd listen ..."

Read the full story:
SSE to issue doorstep mis-selling compensation

vindicated

Anyone heard from SSE at all? I can't remember when I moved to them but all I remember is it was in fact by a doorstep salesman

dogshome

Is this why SSE have started doing 'bung' deals with Letting Agents so that rental property tenants are switched to SSE by the Agent?

Block up one rat hole and they will always find another way in

nettyst64

I changed from EON to SSE in 2011 in a moment of madness through a doorstep agent who suggested I could save £500 annually. Offering 22% online discount as well as some other deals. In February 2012 when I queried the fact that I was paying more this year than last with EON I was advised by their agent I could make a claim. I was contacted a week later and offered £100 compensation which I refused and then when I investigated and compared tarrifs ( this took quite a bit of work) I sent all the details to SSE suggesting they should offer me the inital £500 which was the implied saving, They replied immediately and agreed to pay me £500. Makes me think I could have asked for more perhaps.:D:T

dream109

I need some help with this please. I was sold energy by Southern Electric in April 2010. I've never been any good with energy prices and so am not sure how I check to see if I was mis-sold it. Could anyone help? I'm currently digging up as much stuff from Southern and Npower (the company before them).
Thanks in advance, Rachel

flyingjock1

Think theres a difference between doorstep selling and signing up via one of their contact centres. Thats the reason they got rid of the door step sales guys due to the crap they were promising customers. When you call SSE all the calls are recorded so theres less chance of someone deliberately miss-selling to you. What made you go to them. when u spoke to southern did u get them your usage figs from your old supplier and if so did they use them to work out a comparison against their tariffs. if thats all they done and gave you the annual costs it would have been up to you to decide if you wanted to swap or not. An energy comparison is based on estimated forcasts so unless theres a difference of 7ral hundred pounds its going to be hard to prove any potential miss-selling.

jalexa

dream109 wrote: »

I need some help with this please. I was sold energy by Southern Electric in April 2010.

How/where were you sold it? Do you still have the Southern Electric contract confirmation?

From the first Southern Electric bill what was the name of the tariff. From the closing NPower bill what was the name of the tariff? How long had you been an NPower customer and were you on a "deferred discount":eek: tariff?

dream109

I was sold it by someone knocking on my door in April 2010. She came in. Yes, I still have contract confirmation.
The name of the Southern tariff was Better Plan and the npower plan was Fixed 2011.
I was with npower for just under 2 years. Not sure what a deferred discount is? But southern gave me a voucher to sent in for £60 off after I'd been with them for 3 monthd...not sure if this was applied.

She told me my payments would go down to £20 for electric and £24 for gas..but after 3 months I was in debit and had to put the payments up to £25 for the electric. Which meant I was paying £5 more a month than I had been for npower..

It could well have been above board. That's why I'd thought I'd ask...:) x

jalexa

dream109 wrote: »

It could well have been above board. That's why I'd thought I'd ask..

Have you read the starter article for this thread?
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/utilities/2011/12/sse-to-issue-doorstep-mis-selling-compensation

Two immediate points, (1) you should have received a letter and (2) even without the letter you appear to be eligible to make a claim.

There are a couple of obvious concerns about the Southern Electric claims. Firstly the claim that the electric monthly payments would go down but you very soon ended up paying more than previously. I don't have the historic tariff details but the reasonableness of the original claim can be tested as a matter of fact in any investigation.

Next, advice that you should terminate (early) a fixed priced tariff for (I think) a non-fixed price tariff. Without a very detailed explanation among other things of possible liability for an early termination charge and price movement risk, that seems to me to be clear mis-selling.

I mentioned "deferred discount" :eek:. This is a discount that typically applies on NPower direct debit tariffs. It is only earned after complete 12 month periods of supply, so unearned discount is forfeited if you switch before it is earned and can even have been clawed-back (unnoticed?) in the final bill. I am not certain whether "deferred discount":eek: featured on your NPower tariff but an investigation would determine that as a matter of fact.

It is a "no-brainer" not to make a claim. Organisations don't like admitting guilt but more readily offer an ex-gratia settlement.

dream109

Thanks, jalexa, I didn't get a letter, so am going to ring them tomorrow.

I have all my Southern bills and initial contract etc. I have less of the Npower ones....but do have bank statements showing that I was paying less right up until I switched.
I'm not sure about Npower 'deferred discount'..would have to try and look into it, but with less paperwork, might be a bit harder.
Fingers crossed I can work it out.
Thank you for your help!
Rachel

jalexa

dream109 wrote: »

I didn't get a letter, so am going to ring them tomorrow.

Be wary about discussing too much detail by phone. Possibly if you phone they send you a form. Remember Southern Electric are in the dock on this (as the SSE parent company literally was in Guilford, and then (losing) in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)):D not you. You can only complete detail which is reasonable for you to recall.

The respose can only be a rejection or an "offer". I would expect any "offer" to be "ex-gratia" but adequately generous.

If your claim is rejected or you are not satisfied with any "offer" you still have recourse to the Complaints process and ultimately the Energy Ombudsman. That is cost free to you but not cost free to Southern Electric.