Help with dealing with a complaint against former supplier

pinkpinkuk

Hello,

I wonder if I could get some advice from you guys in dealing with a complaint I'm making against my former supplier. I switched supplier recently and got a "final bill" from my previous supplier of £300 plus, which I was shocked at, having been paying on direct debit without fail every month. I went through my contract and made a complaint consisting of the following main points:

• They failed to notify me when my online bills were ready
• They failed to provide me with an access code to my online billing when I opened the account and when I requested it twice
• They didn't give me the most appropriate tariff for my needs (I have storage heaters and apparently there's a much cheaper tariff I could have been on)
• They significantly underestimated my usage on estimated bills and didn't ask for a meter reading
• They didn't review my direct debit when it became apparent that my direct debit wasn't covering my usage
• They failed twice to provide me with a copy of my paper bills for the contract on my request.

I emailed them a letter of complaint and after a week they responded (their service standards say they shuold respond by 8pm the following day). They have stated the following:

• The bill reflects the actual amount of energy I used for the period of the contract and it is "not an excessive amount of usage". (By the way I'm not trying to say I'm not willing to pay for what I have used, I just think they have seriously messed up with billing me, and I should have been given a more realistic amount to pay each month so as not to incur such a large final bill)
• They review direct debits after 6 months of arrears, and according to their estimate bills I was never 6 months in arrears
• If I had asked when setting up the account for the best tariff available for me they would have provided it (I think that's a silly point, surely it was implied that I wanted the best tariff for my needswithout me having to specifically state "I want the best tariff for my needs"?)
• They admit they failed to provide me with an access code for my online account and apologised for this
• they also admit that it took "several attempts" to get paper copies of my online bills and apologised for this.
• They note that I have set up a payment plan of £25 per month, starting from July, to pay off my final bill. Again, I don't deny that I owe them something, and I was put under a lot of pressure to set up a payment plan by their recoveries department.
• They have offered to reduce the final bill by £37

I think there are still questions that need answering, particularly regarding the "best tariff for my needs", because I think that was obvious. Also I'm not sure where I stand on their "six months in arrears" policy. By their estimated bills I wasn't in arrears, but the whole issue is that those estimated bills were far too low. If they had been billing me the correct amount I would have been in arrears.


I would really appreciate anyone's views on their response, as I'm think about going back to them (and will also note that it took them a week to respond to my complaint, outside their service standards).

I have, by the way, learnt my lesson. My new tariff with a different provider requires a meter reading every month, and I have checked it is the best tariff for storage heaters. I will be watching my bills like a hawk so as to not get in this mess again.

jalexa

pinkpinkuk wrote: »

[*]They significantly underestimated my usage on estimated bills and didn't ask for a meter reading...

[*]They note that I have set up a payment plan of £25 per month, starting from July, to pay off my final bill...

I would really appreciate anyone's views on their response...

I'm assuming from your previous thread this refers to Southern Electric.

In particular "they significantly underestimated my usage on estimated bills and didn't ask for a meter reading" is at best disingenuous on your part. The Southern Electric bill has a very clear "thumbs down" symbol for an estimated reading and guidance on what action to take.

Regarding the £25/month payment terms on the final bill of a (now) non-customer, that seems very reasonable.

While I am not averse to taking a "zero tolerance" approach to supplier conduct (and adviser demeanour, including complaint response) I am struggling to see your case.

pinkpinkuk

jalexa wrote: »

I'm assuming from your previous thread this refers to Southern Electric.

In particular "they significantly underestimated my usage on estimated bills and didn't ask for a meter reading" is at best disingenuous on your part. The Southern Electric bill has a very clear "thumbs down" symbol for an estimated reading and guidance on what action to take.

Regarding the £25/month payment terms on the final bill of a (now) non-customer, that seems very reasonable.

While I am not averse to taking a "zero tolerance" approach to supplier conduct (and adviser demenour, including complaint response) I am struggling to see your case.

I fully agree I should have provided them with meter readings and was naive to take their word for it and not question how much I was actually using. I never had access to any of my bills, so I didn't see the "thumbs down sign". It was an online account and they didn't send me an access code so I couldn't access my bills, and they wouldn't send me a copy of my paper bills. But yes, I was naive for just continuing to pay them the direct debit amount they estimated at the start of my contract. I fully accept that

I would pay them more than £25 if I could afford it, but my new supplier based my direct debit on my old supplier's estimate, so when I told them about the final bill they almost doubled my direct debit to take account of my actual meter readings :eek: So I'm flat broke paying them even £25 per month, let alone any more.

jalexa

pinkpinkuk wrote: »

I never had access to any of my bills, so I didn't see the "thumbs down sign". It was an online account and they didn't send me an access code so I couldn't access my bills, and they wouldn't send me a copy of my paper bills.

Sorry, I went on the exact words you used, possibly overlooking others things.

I still think £25/month is reasonable. It is entirely your call whether you are 100% satisfied after 8 weeks passage of the complaint's process (i.e. prior to the entitlement of an Energy Ombudsman referral).

Given the serial failures you describe, if the outcome does not include a £50 ex-gratia payment, I would not be satisfied ahead of "deadlock". Go for it if that is what you want to do.

Terrylw1

But did you complain about the lack of the access code?

How did you sign up to them? If it was via a switching site, the supplier would expect you chose a tariff despite any info on their website about what may be best. If you were sold the tariff by a salesperson then it's a whole different story as they are misselling the tariff.

The supplier is obligated to prevent you from falling into debt. They should also be np making sure you are on the tariff for your needs, but this part is an area that most don't do well and the regulator has never really forced the issue until the recent SLC changes.

In terms of readings, you have accepted that you perhaps should have been more active. A question would be though, how many readings did they take including meter reader visits and why were they not used?

Is your switch reading correct?

pinkpinkuk

Terrylw1 wrote: »

But did you complain about the lack of the access code?

How did you sign up to them? If it was via a switching site, the supplier would expect you chose a tariff despite any info on their website about what may be best. If you were sold the tariff by a salesperson then it's a whole different story as they are misselling the tariff.

The supplier is obligated to prevent you from falling into debt. They should also be np making sure you are on the tariff for your needs, but this part is an area that most don't do well and the regulator has never really forced the issue until the recent SLC changes.

In terms of readings, you have accepted that you perhaps should have been more active. A question would be though, how many readings did they take including meter reader visits and why were they not used?

Is your switch reading correct?

Apparently I should have been sent an access code when I signed up for the original account, but one wasn't sent. I asked for one to be sent out twice but no joy. I mentioned this in my complaint and they agreed I should have been sent one and apologised

If I recall correctly they were the existing supplier when I moved in, and I got a letter from them asking me to call to update my details, which I did. One of the people I spoke to on the phone recently told me the previous tenant had been on a "storage heater tariff" but they have said in their response to my complaint that that was not the case.

I didn't have any meter reading visits (I think the person on the phone said they only had to do them every two years?) But I provided my own meter reading at the start of the contract, three months later, and then on switching to a new supplier (I still have the first and last meter readings jotted down, and they are correct).

spiro

They were correct when they said they only have to read the meter every 2 years.

Most suppliers T&Cs now include a clause that requires you to submit meter readings to them twice per year.

Your final bill was therefore a 'catch up' bill and the same would have happened if you had stayed with them and they or you finally provided a reading.

Bottom line is that we as a customer have obligations, we cant blame the suppliers when we dont keep our end of the agreement.

chanz4

spiro wrote: »

They were correct when they said they only have to read the meter every 2 years.

Most suppliers T&Cs now include a clause that requires you to submit meter readings to them twice per year.

Your final bill was therefore a 'catch up' bill and the same would have happened if you had stayed with them and they or you finally provided a reading.

Bottom line is that we as a customer have obligations, we cant blame the suppliers when we dont keep our end of the agreement.

Spiro how dare you, customers dont have todo anything...they except.

Terrylw1

spiro wrote: »

They were correct when they said they only have to read the meter every 2 years.

Most suppliers T&Cs now include a clause that requires you to submit meter readings to them twice per year.

Your final bill was therefore a 'catch up' bill and the same would have happened if you had stayed with them and they or you finally provided a reading.

Bottom line is that we as a customer have obligations, we cant blame the suppliers when we dont keep our end of the agreement.

Whilst I agree with the customer responsibility part, the supplier can put whatever they want in their t&c's but if its not supported by the SLC's it won't count for much. The supplier won't get out of complying with the billing code on that basis either.

Ofgem put no responsibility on the customer for meter reading.

A scenario would be one of sacsquacco's many old ladies. The supplier by demanding readings could put the customer in an unsafe position. The resulting court case would see them coughing up!

In truth, suppliers aim ahead of 14 months per directives from Elexon to achieve a level of firm data at the crystallisation period of 14 months. This reading can of course be a customer one, but it does lead to more visit based data collection.

They also don't need them on PPM's.

Terrylw1

pinkpinkuk wrote: »

Apparently I should have been sent an access code when I signed up for the original account, but one wasn't sent. I asked for one to be sent out twice but no joy. I mentioned this in my complaint and they agreed I should have been sent one and apologised

If I recall correctly they were the existing supplier when I moved in, and I got a letter from them asking me to call to update my details, which I did. One of the people I spoke to on the phone recently told me the previous tenant had been on a "storage heater tariff" but they have said in their response to my complaint that that was not the case.

I didn't have any meter reading visits (I think the person on the phone said they only had to do them every two years?) But I provided my own meter reading at the start of the contract, three months later, and then on switching to a new supplier (I still have the first and last meter readings jotted down, and they are correct).

Did they bill you to standard rates or E7 rates? If standard, which has caused the high bills, there may be something else to complain about if the previous occupant was on E7. E7 usage is based on the property rather than the customer if they have storage heating so its worth posting about this as it may turn something else IP.

pinkpinkuk

Terrylw1 wrote: »

Did they bill you to standard rates or E7 rates? If standard, which has caused the high bills, there may be something else to complain about if the previous occupant was on E7. E7 usage is based on the property rather than the customer if they have storage heating so its worth posting about this as it may turn something else IP.

Thanks for your help

They billed me on standard rates. One guy I spoke to on the telephone (who first told me there was a different tariff which would have suited me better) definitely told me the previous occupant was on the "better tariff" and said that was the reason he wondered whether I had storage heaters. But I mentioned that in my complaint and they said there was no evidence previous occupants were on a "dual rate meter", so I suppose he was mistaken.

Also would appreciate less of the digging, guys. Yes I messed up by not giving them meter readings and not being more proactive in chasing my bills, but I do think that Southern Electric have messed up as well, and that's why I'm making a complaint. I'm not absolving myself of all responsibility, and as I have said I will learn from this for the future.