Is MSE's Cheap Energy Club a con?

Southend1

I switched my gas and electricity back in February via the cheap energy club and should have recieved £30 cashback by now. I emailed them to chase up but haven't heard from them. Is anyone else having this problem? Has anyone recieved their cashback?

I wasn't saving a great deal by switching and was happy with the previous supplier (EBICO) due to their ethos so the £30 cashback was what swayed my decision. Would hate to think I've tied in to a new tariff for a year and won't actually get the promised cashback!

Ypaymore

I guess you have done this.

https://cheapenergyclub.moneysavingexpert.com/faq

haven't received my cashback - what should I do?

If you move to a supplier that we can switch you to, £15 cashback is paid for a single fuel switch, £30 if you switch both fuels. Cashback is paid into your bank account around three months after switching. It will appear as "Utilities Cashback". You can get cashback once every 12 months, per household.

If you've not received your cashback and it's been at least three months since you switched, please email [EMAIL="energyclub@moneysavingexpert.com"]energyclub@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL] and we'll chase it for you.

Cashback of course is not guaranteed as explained here : http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cashback-websites

Southend1

Ypaymore wrote: »

I assume you have done this.

https://cheapenergyclub.moneysavingexpert.com/faq

haven't received my cashback - what should I do?

If you move to a supplier that we can switch you to, £15 cashback is paid for a single fuel switch, £30 if you switch both fuels. Cashback is paid into your bank account around three months after switching. It will appear as "Utilities Cashback". You can get cashback once every 12 months, per household.

If you've not received your cashback and it's been at least three months since you switched, please email [EMAIL="energyclub@moneysavingexpert.com"]energyclub@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL] and we'll chase it for you.

Yes, I have emailed them as above but no response and still no cashback

Wywth

Southend1 wrote: »

Yes, I have emailed them as above but no response and still no cashback

When you say you switched in February, was this the date you first applied to switch or the date the switch actually went live?

How long ago did you email the energyclub?

Southend1

Wywth wrote: »

When you say you switched in February, was this the date you first applied to switch or the date the switch actually went live?

How long ago did you email the energyclub?

Emailed early this week. Maybe they are just slow to respond?

Good point re: date the switch went live. I never had any communication from Southern Electric to confirm the switch had been completed but as EBICO admin is by SE, I could see on my online account that I was on the new tariff back in Feb.

I wish the government would renationalise the energy industry! The cost of all this complexity, switching suppliers, sales staff etc must be huge!

Wywth

Southend1 wrote: »

Emailed early this week. Maybe they are just slow to respond?

Good point re: date the switch went live. I never had any communication from Southern Electric to confirm the switch had been completed but as EBICO admin is by SE, I could see on my online account that I was on the new tariff back in Feb.

I wish the government would renationalise the energy industry! The cost of all this complexity, switching suppliers, sales staff etc must be huge!

Sorry, are you saying you switched from Ebico to Southern Electric?
If so, there will probably be no cashback - it would be handled as a simple tariff switch by SSE who are the supply partner to Ebico.

Southend1

Wywth wrote: »

Sorry, are you saying you switched from Ebico to Southern Electric?
If so, there will probably be no cashback - it would be handled as a simple tariff switch by SSE who are the supply partner to Ebico.

When I switched it said categorically on the website that I would get £30 cashback. If this isn't the case I will expect MSE to facilitate putting me back in the original position i.e. back to EBICO without exit penalty from SE.

Wywth

Southend1 wrote: »

When I switched it said categorically on the website that I would get £30 cashback. If this isn't the case I will expect MSE to facilitate putting me back in the original position i.e. back to EBICO without exit penalty from SE.

See earlier post by Ypaymore regarding (lack of) guarantee of cashback

Edit:

Refer also to the terms and conditions of the Cheap Energy Club here:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/terms-conditions

In particular:

MoneySupermarket.com Limited provides the energy comparison service, handles all provider switches, and processes all cashback due in connection with switches (where applicable). Cashback T&Cs apply - please see http://www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/cashback-terms-conditions/.

That MSM link says:

The energy providers you could earn up to £30 cashback from are: British Gas, E.on, EDF Energy, Good Energy, Npower, Sainsburys, Scottish Power and Co-op.

So I think you must be mistaken over your assertion that "it said categorically on the website that I would get £30 cashback."

Southend1

Wywth wrote: »

See earlier post by Ypaymore regarding (lack of) guarantee of cashback

Yes.... but, MSE is the cashback site so surely if they say thank you for switching we will send you £30 cashback then they should do so? And I disagree with the point that cashback is not guaranteed - if they say you will get it then you should get it. Of course cashback will influence purchasing decisions, it would be illogical for consumers to ignore it.

So I think the gist of what you're saying is that I've been conned by SSE into a tariff that I can't leave without penalty for 12 months and that MSE is complicit in this con by saying I will get cashback!

The whole energy industry stinks and this kind of trick doesn't help their reputation.

MillicentBystander

Cashbak/switching sites' cashback not being guaranteed is a T&C that has never been challenged in a court of law AFAIA and given the low amounts involved probably never will be. But it would be interesting to observe what the outcome would be if anyone ever did take it there and challenge it.

Wywth

Added a bit to my earlier post - no tricks, no cons, you just don't appear to have read and understood the terms