Add your feedback on energy supplier Flow

footyguy

tim_n wrote: »

On the 16th of December (I think) I stuck in my notice to Extra Energy having found a better deal with Flow. It ought to save me £75 based on the same period of time, so that's a win. Plus I get £30 for switching, so not that bad.

Flow switched me on the 8th of January. I had an economy 7 meter.

I provided my readings yesterday (3rd of Feb) - it's probably too late for them anyway.

Their direct debit was £78, I suspect they'll realise quite quickly that my bill should be £85 and might raise it to that, but seeing as this is the cold, wet, dark month, I'll try and challenge them on it.

Anyway, no problems so far and they even provided Extra Energy with a final reading (and they've even provided me with my first ever bill, so all good).

Will report back when I get my first bill from them.

You appear to be understating your consumption when applying for a new deal (and this can mean you are not on the best deal for you if you are using these fugures to compare prices with)

I see, for example, at the end of your 1 year deal you have just left, you now owe the supplier £350! :eek:

jrio

Only 3 days for the need to make a complaint after my account was switched. I phoned to request the DD date be changed, phoned them a second time when it looked like it hadn't, and then had to phone today when it obviously hadn't.

Flow, you are surpassing yourselves and seem to have comprehensively not addressed any of the problems that led to me leaving you this time last year. No wonder you introduced that £30 exit penalty.

jrio

The dismal service continues. Instead of using the readings I supplied on request prior to switch, I find that they have preferred to use some vastly incorrect estimates.

On trying to speak to someone via phone, I find that their line just rings and rings.

This is the second time I have switched to them and I regret it more than the first. I won't be doing it again.

System

jrio wrote: »

The dismal service continues. Instead of using the readings I supplied on request prior to switch, I find that they have preferred to use some vastly incorrect estimates.

On trying to speak to someone via phone, I find that their line just rings and rings.

This is the second time I have switched to them and I regret it more than the first. I won't be doing it again.

What do you mean by 'vastly incorrect readings'? All readings on switch go through a 3rd party for adjudication. The important thing is that the closing/opening readings agree. The difference in cost to you is minimal. If a dispute is raised, then it can take weeks to resolve.

foxglacier

I joined Flow in June 2014; I had previously been with npower.
The switch over went very smoothly and was within the dates they gave me; I was concerned that npower would mess the switch changeover as the npower admin and billing system had become awful.

I was initially on Flow’s Thames Online Tariff, one year later changed to their Connect tariff, this is due to end in March 2016 and I have been offered their new Connect 6 tariff which now features on the MSE comparison site and is one of the top picks, connect 6 would appear to give me a significant saving, although I don’t like tariffs with exit fees, but it’s for 12 months and there is no exit fee during the last 6 weeks.

Email queries used to be responded to the same day, but now an auto message says they will respond within 5 days, I assume this is because they have grown and have many more customers.
6 weeks before my current tariff was due to end they sent me an email with what my options are, stay and move to their standard variable tariff, move to their new connect 6 tariff, or I can change supplier.

I have phoned them on a couple of occasions seems ok, but the result depends on the knowledge of whom you speak with.

I upload my gas and electricity readings on the last day of each month; this produces an online pdf statement via my account a few days later. I recommend doing this monthly meter reading upload, so that you have accurate bills, accurate direct debits, and can see your usage. The statement didn’t get produced a couple of times, so I had to get in touch with them.

The account portal page is very basic, you don’t get a fuel usage graph like npower and eon did.

I hope they don't grow too large, that's where things can go wrong, IT and billing systems cannot cope and customers end up watching a slow motion car crash like certain other companies.

jrio

Hengus wrote: »

What do you mean by 'vastly incorrect readings'? All readings on switch go through a 3rd party for adjudication. The important thing is that the closing/opening readings agree. The difference in cost to you is minimal. If a dispute is raised, then it can take weeks to resolve.

For a 42 day period, the day reading over-estimated by 49 units, the night under-estimated by 211 units.

Due to the difference in pricing(Flow 1p cheaper on day but 1p more on night), this would cost me £2.79 extra. As both companies were given accurate readings when requested, there is no excuse for their conduct.

footyguy

jrio wrote: »

...this would cost me £2.79 extra...

:cool: .

joshua.haslam

Switch seems to have gone fairly smoothly, though it isn't quite completed yet.

The Flow website is poor. Extremely basic, with a few static pages displaying only the bare minimum of information. No means of updating direct debit payment details - I am told to email instead.

Except they won't reply. I've been emailing for 9 days now, and all I've had is an automated response each time telling me they will get back to me. Interestingly, the latest reply has increased the number of days they "always aim to reply to emails within" to 7 (from 5 previously)! Nice one. 7 working days is a joke, and they can't even do that!

jrio

joshua.haslam wrote: »

Switch seems to have gone fairly smoothly, though it isn't quite completed yet.

The Flow website is poor. Extremely basic, with a few static pages displaying only the bare minimum of information. No means of updating direct debit payment details - I am told to email instead.

Except they won't reply. I've been emailing for 9 days now, and all I've had is an automated response each time telling me they will get back to me. Interestingly, the latest reply has increased the number of days they "always aim to reply to emails within" to 7 (from 5 previously)! Nice one. 7 working days is a joke, and they can't even do that!

That explains why I've had no response after 5 working days and still can't contact them via phone.

How I wish I'd waited a week longer and been able to take up EON's V19!

AbbieCadabra

i've been with flow since April 2015 with no issues at all, enter monthly reads & bill produced.

just had the oddest phone call from their overseas call centre, said they need to take electricity reads tomorrow as there's been an error & i'm about to be billed £1003.00 for electricity (our whole year for gas & electric is only slightly more that this figure), BUT he kept referring to our company name. yes, we have a business, but it's registered at our home address purely for admin purposes & no business activities have ever been carried out here, it's 100% a domestic household.

i explained this & he went quiet & then tried to end the call saying "all a mistake, sorry", i asked how & why they'd even made the connection to our company name & he didn't answer...

very weird. there had better not be a £1003.00 bill on it's way is all i can say!

added: just checked my latest bill & all is ok, thankfully