What is the point of SLC14A?

Toxteth_OGrady

My transfer from EDF to SP appears to be progressing very slowly. After almost 4 weeks the gas is showing at Step 2 'We have now contacted your old supplier' but the electric is only showing Step 1 ' We have now received your application.'

I thought under SLC14A the transfer was supposed to complete within 21 calendar days of entering a contract with the new supplier (the 'Relevant Date').

I received an Agreement from SP on 12th September and I assume that is the SLC14A Relevant Date because the Agreement states that if I've changed my mind and want to cancel my contract I must tell them within 7 working days form the date I received the Agreement pack. I therefore assume that an SLC14A compliant transfer should have been completed by 3rd October.

I haven't even been asked by the new supplier for meter readings yet so, based on previous experience of transferring, I would guess the completion is still a few weeks away.

I see that the SLC is laced with get-out phrases such as 'use of reasonable endeavours' so it does beg the question as to the point of the SLC, if it is unenforceable.

Toxteth_OGrady

Doh! Posted in wrong forum. Mods please move to Gas and Electricity.

Toxteth_OGrady

Bumped, after Mods kindly moved to correct forum.

Wywth

It typically takes 4-6 weeks for a change of supplier to occur.

Or, as you suggest, 21 days but that's after the 2 weeks cooling off period you typically get, so 5 weeks.

Not long to go now hopefully. You could always check with the supplier the actual situation. Perhaps they've incurred some kind of hold up?

Toxteth_OGrady

21 days after cooling off period, in my case, is this Friday 12th October so I'll see if it happens by then.

Terrylw1

It is easily enforceable as the switch data is recorded in the distributors database and Ofgem could demand the contract application dates to check they are Cooling Off Period + 21 days to the switch date (unless evidence of customer waiver is submitted or a data error reported that made it impossible to do it)

The "reasonable endevours" takes it back to "when they can be bothered" and it would need breaking down into buckets since some data problems are worse than others.

I've noticed that suppliers, based on threads on here, are choosing yo breach SLC14A by registering the fuels separately rather than together. Both industries operate separately so they can send their requests on the same days if required...but I suspect its down to issues in these new SAP systems or 2 teams, 1 gas & 1 elec not communicating with each other.

davidgmmafan

I agree that it is all a bit pointless but then that's the case with the licence conditions in general. We know some suppliers breach them for example in not giving a breakdown of HOW they worked out a direct debit reassessment for example. There was even a thread I saw on here where someone had been told by the Ombudsmen they couldn't base their decision on license conditions and referred the person to Ofgem. Ofgem of course don't deal with individual complaints so you could argue the whole system is built on sand...

molerat

My change fro EOn to EDF went :

App through MSE link 10 Aug
Ack from EDF sent 11 Aug
End of cooling off e-mail 24 Aug
Elec live 7 Sep (cop+14 days)
Gas live 17 Sep (cop+24 days)

undaunted

davidgmmafan wrote: »

I agree that it is all a bit pointless but then that's the case with the licence conditions in general. We know some suppliers breach them for example in not giving a breakdown of HOW they worked out a direct debit reassessment for example. There was even a thread I saw on here where someone had been told by the Ombudsmen they couldn't base their decision on license conditions and referred the person to Ofgem. Ofgem of course don't deal with individual complaints so you could argue the whole system is built on sand...

Not sure whether the correct emoticom here would be to :rotfl:(with you) or just :T you. The current system is about as useful to the consumer as a chocolate fireguard.

Pincher

Just below the electricity progress arrows, there is a little note to say Gas and Electricity may not progress identically, don't worry about it.

Mine was mismatched until yesterday, Sunday 8th Oct.
Hey presto, it's asking for gas and eletricity reading today.

Bizarrely, I can submit:

Gas reading between 10th to 20th Oct,

BUT!!!!

Electricity reading between 7th to 17th Oct

This is despite the e-mail this afternoon saying it's time to submit both gas and electricity readings.

I fear that if I try to submit the readings today I will upset the delicate balance of the SP computer's sanity. So I'll wait till tomorrow.

Toxteth_OGrady

Toxteth_OGrady wrote: »

21 days after cooling off period, in my case, is this Friday 12th October so I'll see if it happens by then.

Got the following email from SP yesterday:

Please log on and enter your readings by 22nd October 2012 for gas and 21st October 2012 for electricity as we will start to supply you on 17th October 2012 for gas and 16th October 2012 for electricity.

So they've missed SLC14A by 4 & 5 days respectively.

Not that it bothers me, apart from the niggle of unnecessary additional days on my outgoing supplier's more expensive tariff. It does however beg my original, semi-rhetorical question of what is the point of SLC14A? :eek:

Ofgem clearly needs to work harder on enforcing the EU Third Package legislation.