Electricity Provider Woes

SMN_2

We currently have a situation with our electricity provider that I wouldn't mind your advice on.

We rent a house, directly from the owners who we know personally.

Initially they advertised the house to let with an estate agent.

During this brief period this estate agent moved the electricity provider over to a company in which they get a kick back, who in turn charges a fortune.

The owners fired the estate agent after 2 weeks, as we had contacted them directly. Obviously the electricity provider remained.

With everything that was going on we didn't change or check providers after we moved in. We then received a massive bill from the provider that is about 4 x the price it would have been with any of the mainstream providers.

We don't want to avoid paying for the electricity that we have used, but it feels like we have been conned and are hoping there is a way for us not to pay the extortionate rate

Question's are...

Are we legally obliged to pay it?

Obviously what the estate agent did is underhand, but is it legal?

Thanks in advance

S

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

Unless the owners specifically instructed the Estate Agent not to switch Utility providers, there is nothing to stop him 'managing' the property(to his advantage!) It is a common occurance.

You don't say which company he switched your account to - UW??

However there is no company that charges 4x the price of 'mainstream providers' - I doubt if there is more than 30% differential between cheapest and most expensive standard domestic tariffs.

Post the prices here and we can check. It might well be that you are paying for the previous occupant - did you note the reading when you moved into the house?

Yes you legally have to pay the Utility company, as soon as you use any gas/electricity you have entered a legally binding 'deemed contract'.

pooch

SMN wrote: »

We currently have a situation with our electricity provider that I wouldn't mind your advice on.

We rent a house, directly from the owners who we know personally.

Initially they advertised the house to let with an estate agent.

During this brief period this estate agent moved the electricity provider over to a company in which they get a kick back, who in turn charges a fortune.

The owners fired the estate agent after 2 weeks, as we had contacted them directly. Obviously the electricity provider remained.

With everything that was going on we didn't change or check providers after we moved in. We then received a massive bill from the provider that is about 4 x the price it would have been with any of the mainstream providers.

We don't want to avoid paying for the electricity that we have used, but it feels like we have been conned and are hoping there is a way for us not to pay the extortionate rate

Question's are...

Are we legally obliged to pay it?

Obviously what the estate agent did is underhand, but is it legal?

Thanks in advance

S

I don't know how well you really know the owners, but it sounds like they have stitched you up royally!!!

The owners would be well aware of this change if the property was on the EA books for just a fortnight, and more fool the owners if they allowed the EA to trouser the bung.

You say the new provider costs 4 times that of any of the Big 6?
I think you must be mistaken as I don't know any licenced, domestic supplier that charges that much.

However, you are required to pay the suppliers bill, but you can change supplier if you want. You did call the current supplier at the start of your TA and provide them with start meter reading to set up your account, didn't you?

dogshome

Your provider is probably Spark - Do a forum search to see just what you are dealing with.

For customers 'manacled' to Spark by bungs to EA's, they have two tariffs.
1) Pay on reciept of Bill. 2)Prepay by D/D
What they seem not to do is clearly give information on these two tariffs, and default new customers to to No1, which is 30% dearer than No.2

They make swapping to another supplier very difficult - "You can't change you owe us money" whilst at the same time making it very difficult for the customer to establish just what is owed

The best advice to date is keep very accurate records of every Email, Phone call, Bill & Meter reading - Then when Spark, as is their habit step out of line with bills that don't relate to meter readings, promise to investigate and then do nothing - WRITE a letter headed Complaint
By doing this Spark are on notice by the terms of their licence to resolve the problem within 56 days, then when they haven't you go straight to the Ombudsman which costs them a fee.