Help needed....how can I have 2 electricity suppliers???

nitnat431

Help needed.

I was with B/Gas and prior to price increase being announced, i switched to S/Power fixed til 2014, as best deal for me
Well, gas went through no problem, but electric... well all i can say is NIGHTMARE!!:mad:
I contacted S/Power at beg of month as I was concerned cos they had set up 2 DD on my bank when they told me i would only be payment every month. I had already recieved my final gas bill off B'gas, so I asked when the switch for electric would be finlalised, they told me it had, and they were supplying both since 30 October.
so i cancelled my DD to B/gas, as credit on final bill for gas, and last bill for electric i was also in credit by £40. Today B/gas phone me, demanding to know why i cancelled my DD, and that i owe them for electric, i explained i had switched, but as far as they are concerned i am still with them as no reading from S/Power
So i contact S/power, who inform me i am suppplied by them, and they supplied final reading to B/gas at end of Oct. So phone back B/gas who then take a meter reading over phone of me and say I need to pay up to that reading....which means I am paying both...... ?????
Whats the best way to deal with this as i don't want to pay both, so who do i pay??

HappyMJ

nitnat431 wrote: »

Help needed.

I was with B/Gas and prior to price increase being announced, i switched to S/Power fixed til 2014, as best deal for me
Well, gas went through no problem, but electric... well all i can say is NIGHTMARE!!:mad:
I contacted S/Power at beg of month as I was concerned cos they had set up 2 DD on my bank when they told me i would only be payment every month. I had already recieved my final gas bill off B'gas, so I asked when the switch for electric would be finlalised, they told me it had, and they were supplying both since 30 October.
so i cancelled my DD to B/gas, as credit on final bill for gas, and last bill for electric i was also in credit by £40. Today B/gas phone me, demanding to know why i cancelled my DD, and that i owe them for electric, i explained i had switched, but as far as they are concerned i am still with them as no reading from S/Power
So i contact S/power, who inform me i am suppplied by them, and they supplied final reading to B/gas at end of Oct. So phone back B/gas who then take a meter reading over phone of me and say I need to pay up to that reading....which means I am paying both...... ?????
Whats the best way to deal with this as i don't want to pay both, so who do i pay??

You always pay the new supplier as they can switch you to a prepayment meter in the event of non payment. The old supplier cannot. Get a copy of the meter reading used to open the account with the new supplier and insist that the old supplier use that figure. If they don't use the figure then let them take further action to get money from you and if you have paid them already lodge a complaint.

nitnat431

I asked Scottish power for the reading they had for the opening of my account, and they cannot find it on screen, so at the moment i have no idea what reading they are going off. I will have to ride it out at moment and see what happens, I just don't like being hounded for money that I don't owe. I'l have to phone S/power back tomoorow, see if I can get it then, and get them to send it me so i can forward it onto B/gas.
Luckily i am not due to pay S/power til end of month, so fingers crossed it will be sorted by then

Terrylw1

You are being lied to by both parties. Some points:

- a reading doesn't switch you, its the date of the switch which goes via the distributor. This is the legal handover point. The reading is purely to provide a closing & opening point that us seamless to ensure you don't get charged twice.

- the reading from you is sent by the new supplier for validation to their appointed agent, the Data Collector (DC). Providing they set it to Valid, they send it back to your new supplier. At that point the DC also sends this to your old suppliers DC and they pass it to your old supplier. If the new suppliers DC disagrees that its correct, they set it to Fail, send it back to your new supplier then Deem their own reading which is Valid hence sent to all the same parties again. Anything set to Fail in this scenario is never sent to the old parties as its irrelevant to them.

So, don't pay Bgas anymore and tell them you dispute this as you have switched. Ask SP to confirm they have a switch reading from their DC and that it is Valid. This is what Bgas have also been sent.

SP have to retain such records for years so don't accept "I can't find it on my screen" as that's garbage. A call centre operator may not have access but they should ask someone who supports them.

Bgas cannot take a reading off you after your switch date as the switch date determines which supplier is purchasing your energy. Bgas know they won't buy that energy so obtain 100% profit off you and know SP will want it as well!

spiro

When you pay by DD and look online lots of times you will be in credit when you actually are not. The account will show balance from last reading plus any DD payments you have made, it will not include the cost of the energy used since the last reading was actioned. Until you have recieved and paid your final bill you should not cancel the DD with your old supplier.

SwanJon

Check the serial number on your meter (it'll be near a barcode and be similar to A00A00000).
Then get British Gas & Scottish Power to check the serial number of the meter they are claiming to supply, and confirm the MPAN.

It is posisble that your neighbour has been switched instead of you (or something similar). If so there is a defined 'erroneous transfer' procedure.
If they both claim to be supplying the same MPAN get one (probably SP as you want to be with them) to check the central database (ecoes) to confirm one way or the other.

You can raise a complaint the first time you are not happy with how either (or both) supplier is handling the situation.

undaunted

Personally I'd complain to both (copying each in on the other), demand that they sort it out between them and correctly bill you confirming that you will of course then settle any monies owed to either party in full without delay but I'd pay neither anything further until they do so.

(At the moment you have no idea who is supplying you or what if anything you owe each company)

The who is my electricity supplier box on this page may help you establish who is currently registered as supplying your home http://www.northernpowergrid.com/

Scottish_Power

Hi nitnat431 if you e-mail details to [EMAIL="onlinecomplaints@scottishpower.com"]onlinecomplaints@scottishpower.com[/EMAIL] I will look into this for you. Thanks David @ ScottishPower