Add your feedback on energy supplier Sainsbury’s Energy

MSE_Dan_L

bigsi70 wrote: »

Very disappointed!

Supplied BG with Gas & Electircity readings 3 times - and they still can't agree with EDF what my final Gas reading should be.

Hi Bigsi70

That does sound frustrating. Could you drop us a note to collectiveswitch@moneysavingexpert.com with the details of your Sainsbury's Energy account number and the meter reading?

We'll get this sent over and request that it sorts out the problems on your acount.

Ochil99

Like many others I went through, starting in Feb, the fiasco of the switch to SE - single fuel letter instead of dual fuel - trying to get initial meter readings submitted, wrong Direct Debit amount.......
Eventually got there - previous supplier submitted final bill (estimated readings were actually close to true readings) - email from MSE saying switch finally completed on 28th March & got my £30 cashback.
Thought that now, well on into May, I would submit latest meter readings via my online account - but oh dear! Submitted OK & got confirmation email but 3 days later another email from SE/BG “There was a problem with your meter reading - please send it to us again”.
Yet more hassle for customers in trying to sort out the simplest of things. Guess I’ll need to phone yet AGAIN - or perhaps wait another long, long while until SE/BG get sorted out.
Like many others I wish I’d never done the MSE Switch.

Hern

We've had a rambling apologetic email from British Gas -- we refuse to phone: why waste our time? -- which has achieved nothing other than to demonstrate that the company isn't fit to run a market barrow.

Fortunately, our previous supplier was able -- several weeks ago now -- to confirm the actual dates when British Gas became our dual fuel supplier.

As our written complaint pulled no punches about British Gas's fictionalising of "estimated" readings -- it substituted the gas meter reading we gave it and invented one evidently plucked out of thin air -- BG has now told us that it has now accepted that reading (we included it in our complaint.) Its response -- the only one received so far -- is:

I can confirm that Sainsbury’s energy (sic) is supplying your electricity, but due to a system error there is a delay with us setting up your account fully on our system, and also a delay with us sending the transfer information to your previous supplier. I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience this is causing.

I have escalated the error to our faults team, but I am currently unable to give you a timescale when the fault will be fixed.

I have amended your start gas meter reading to XXXXXX and raised a dispute with your previous supplier for them to also change it.

You have to love the brass nerve of the phrase "raised a dispute with your previous supplier" when we know for a fact that it's our previous supplier which has been all over British Gas like a rash, refusing to accept the entirely mythical figures provided by British Gas and upon which BG has been expecting our supplier to base a final bill.

Meantime: British Gas has absolutely no idea when it will fix the fault that has caused a delay that is being compounded by a quite separate though concomitant delay that is leading to so much concern and confusion.

Heigh-ho. Way to go, British Gas. Not long now before we pass our files over to the appropriate quarters. . .

blueflinders_2

I switched to dual energy with Sainsburys in February following MSE recommendation, got a letter confirming application for gas, phoned chasing electric, got a second letter confirming application for electric, got a letter confirming gas supply w/effect March, chased electric, got a letter confirming electric supply w/effect from March, but still now on 10th May I am receiving weekly phone calls (on a SUNDAY!!!) to advise they are having problems setting up my electric and it will be done soon (I did ask if it would be this year!) They say this a nationwide problem but I think Sainsburys have bitten off more than they can chew and should stick to selling groceries. I am appalled by the length of time it is taking but especially annoyed with the weekly phone calls where they ask me to verify who I am? They ring ME at home on a landline so should know who they are calling and since the information provided is far from 'sensitive' ("sorry you're not on our electric tariff yet") I find the calls annoying and just frustrate me more with their inefficiency. Is it just me or are others experiencing bad service?

oxters

If you can speak to someone in the Customer Service Team, you may be able to get your questions and problems resolved as I believe I have done.

Don't be averse to asking for some compensation for your inconvenience- I got a pretty generous payment to my feeding account just for asking.

The MSE team working on this issue have been particularly helpful to me and were instrumental in my getting a sympathetic response from SE.

Thanks to Dan and team who really are doing their best.

Anon

I applied to switch in February - electricity switched okay but gas STILL has not switched due to a system error. I only became aware having tried to submit my gas readings on numerous occasions to find it rejected (online) then not registering on my account when I completed it on the phone after the MSE email. They have started their complain procedure and assured me that it will be sorted "soon".

To say British Gas (who run this for Sainsburys Emergy) have trouble switching gas is very frustrating.

MSE_Dan_L

blueflinders wrote: »

I am appalled by the length of time it is taking but especially annoyed with the weekly phone calls where they ask me to verify who I am? They ring ME at home on a landline so should know who they are calling and since the information provided is far from 'sensitive' ("sorry you're not on our electric tariff yet") I find the calls annoying and just frustrate me more with their inefficiency. Is it just me or are others experiencing bad service?

Hi Bluefinders

I can understand how frustrating this must be. You should be able to arrange for your preferred contact route to be set-up as email to avoid any further phone calls.

If you'd like us to escalate this for you, could you send through an email to collectiveswitch@moneysavingexpert.com.

[Deleted User]

Just to report back, I called SE up Saturday morning and insisted on raising a formal complaint, got a complaint number by email an hour later, and they've fixed the problem this afternoon along with compensation.

Seems to be a case of the "squeaky wheel gets the grease".

theboylard

Well,

I thought (wrongly, obviously - we are dealing with MSE CEC and SainsburysEnergy) that as I had received the cashback that all was well with the transfer.

So after submitting more readings, I get the initial message stating that all is well and ta for the readings.

Then, 3 days later, the message from britishgas telling me there is a problem!

I thought we've fixed this?!

I lodged a complaint via resolver, and got a phone call last Friday.
Alex was.... functional? It seemed that he knew the conversation wasn't going to go anywhere but he had a call to make and a script to follow.

Couldn't answer any of my questions, but did advise that an energy specialist, who was in the same building (why is that important? I don't care where they are, as long as they can get things sorted so I can get out of Dodge!!), would be able to get me sorted.

That's nice, but I'm not the one with the problem - British Gas have the problem!

I just want to kmow the account is all square so I can go to a provider who actually might have a clue!

So Alex tells me there will be a short delay on hold whilst he updates the 'Energy Specialist' with my particulars, as they are in the same building (again, I don't care!!).

He comes back to me 4 minutes later, to advise that there is a 25 minute queue and he didn't think I'd wait that long? So he did listen then?!
I will be contacted directly by an energy specialist, within 5 days.

I'm then advised that he'll raise it as a formal complaint (which is nice, but I have no reference, no contact details) so how do I follow it up?!

I have received a call today, but as I was at work I didn't pay too much attention to what the lady was saying - I didn't even get her name - but that is because whe could offer me nothing apart from she'll contact me in 2 weeks, unless they fix it sooner!

At one point it seemed she was trying to blame my previous utility co (EDF), so I did challenge her on that, and specifically asked her if SainsburysEnergy/British Gas were blaming EDF for the problem?
She said no, the problem was with their system.

So when will it be fixed? No chuffin idea.

I think that MSE and CEC, in conjunction with British Gas/SainsburysEnergy, have definitely killed the energy switch game.

After this farce I can't see many companies wanting to do a big promo deal and I can certainly see people staying with providers who don't mess them about, so hats off to MSE for encouraging people not to save money in the future.

pete7708

pete7708 wrote: »

An update......


Old supplier SP stills says it is awaiting Electric meter readings.


SE admit they still have not sent them. Apparently the person I spoke to last time initiated the wrong dispute procedure so absolutely nothing has been done.


1 hour on the phone and the correct procedure has supposedly been done. This normally would take 7 days to resolve but due to the number of problems may well take 28!!!!


MSE, when you went on the Jolly to check all was OK with SE systems before announcing the deal did anyone actually get past the finger buffet :beer:and champagne bar? If you did then I do hope someone is getting a P45.

Another update........
Checked with SP and they have at last received electricity meter readings from SE and have produced the final bill.


Unfortunately they are NOT my meter reading and are still way to high!:rotfl: