Cheap Energy Club, Warm home discount and cancelling a switch

andrew-b

Last Friday i joined the MSE Energy Club and then instructed a switch to EDF because our fixed deal with Scottish Power is due to end on 31st december (though i was originally prompted to move because Scottish Power want £200 advance payment online to reduce my direct debit because i'm overpaying whilst in credit). As i am disabled and on disablity benefits we are eligible for Warm Home Discount (WHD) (£135 this year) so before i instructed the switch i called EDF to check i could get WHD - though foolishly i didn't ask enough questions at the time and went ahead with instructing the switch via MSE Cheap Energy Club. The fixed price deal with EDF is more than i'm paying now but with price hikes threatened i reluctantly wanted to move now rather than wait for all the companies to put their prices up!

Later that day it occurred to me i'd better check again my eligibility. I checked Scottish Power's terms for WHD and it clearly says if i leave before WHD discount is paid out i won't get it from them. So then i checked with EDF via the number on their WHD website page and they weren't too sure who should pay me so advised me to contact DWP WHD phoneline to check. DWP told me Scottish Power should pay me WHD even after i've left but i said their terms say i won't!

I can't afford to not get the £135 WHD. So as Scottish Power don't payout WHD until the end of March 2014, effectively i'm held hostage to them for at least 3 months beyond the end of my current fixed price deal on a non-fixed price deal - which means i also miss any fixed price deals available before then.

I then emailed the MSE Cheap Energy Club to ask how to cancel the switch (couldn't find a phone number!) but got an automated reply back saying "We will get back to you as soon as possible, unfortunately, we can’t reply to every email. ". I haven't received a reply yet. I did eventually find in their FAQs that i had to phone EDF after 24 hours.

I phoned EDF on Monday morning and after about 15 minutes on hold got through . They asked for an account number to which i explained i didn't have one so they took details and confirmed who i was with details they had in front of them. He said a few times something like "cancel your contract" and i kept saying "cancel my switch to edf" so i assumed when he said it was cancelled that would be it.

Then this evening i get an email from EDF with an account number asking to register an online account with them. Obviously as i don't want to continue with the switch i haven't done so but i'm now not convinced that my switch is actually cancelled so will have to phone tomorrow to check again.

Also in the Cheap Energy Club my switch is still listed.

Anyway i just wanted to warn others eligible for Warm Home Discount to check carefully before switching or else lose it. I think it's all very unfair as those eligible for WHD are the most vulnerable customers and need to chase the best deals. I think it's a very bad idea the energy companies handling WHD (i had big issues last year getting it with Scottish power with the complexity of my changing situation at the time) and think it should be handed over to DWP to manage which would also get rid of differences between energy companies.

I can't say i'd use MSE Cheaper Energy Club again though - well at moment i can't anyway. Also i think it would be good to somehow take into account Warm Home Discount and provide warnings that you might lose by switching away.