CheapEnergyClub - Still waiting for switch after 3 months

fuelfool

What's going on with the CheapEnergyClub dual fuel switchover?

I used the CheapEnergyClub to switch to another energy provider back in September a few weeks before my current tariff was due to expire and before the usual Autumn price hike.

I promptly forgot about it as l assumed that the switch from ScottishPower to nPower would occur within a few weeks as suggested on the CEC site.

Today l received an email form ScottishPower advising me that my energy bill will be reducing shortly. Marvellous , l thought, what a shame l'm not with you anymore as l thought that l had been switched to nPower back in September.

So l just checked on the CEC site and it says that both my Gas and Electricity switch are showing as 'Switch In Progress.'

Although l am a complete moron for not continuously checking on the progress can anyone advise me why the switch over still hasn't occurred some three months after my initial request to switch and is there anything l can do about it now as l presume that l have been placed on the default tariff on ScottishPower as l did not actively select any of their products ?

nPower

fuelfool wrote: »

What's going on with the CheapEnergyClub dual fuel switchover?

I used the CheapEnergyClub to switch to another energy provider back in September a few weeks before my current tariff was due to expire and before the usual Autumn price hike.

I promptly forgot about it as l assumed that the switch from ScottishPower to nPower would occur within a few weeks as suggested on the CEC site.

Today l received an email form ScottishPower advising me that my energy bill will be reducing shortly. Marvellous , l thought, what a shame l'm not with you anymore as l thought that l had been switched to nPower back in September.

So l just checked on the CEC site and it says that both my Gas and Electricity switch are showing as 'Switch In Progress.'

Although l am a complete moron for not continuously checking on the progress can anyone advise me why the switch over still hasn't occurred some three months after my initial request to switch and is there anything l can do about it now as l presume that l have been placed on the default tariff on ScottishPower as l did not actively select any of their products ?

Hi fuelfool,

Thanks for choosing us as your energy supplier. A change of supply should normally be completed within 28 working days, although it is clear that this hasn't been your experience.

If you can send over your details to me using the email address from my profile page I'll chase up your transfer request to us and explain where we are with this.

I would recommend that you speak directly with Scottish Power about your account with them and the tariff you are on at present.

Thanks

Leigh

AnnieOther

Like fuelfool, I've just checked my switch details which I sent via the Cheap Energy Club on 14th November. I am an existing Npower customer who wanted the December 2017 fixed rate and went via CEC as I interpreted the terms & conditions as permitting me £30 cashback for change of tariff, although I could not honestly say that applies for certain and that it may be limited only to change of supplier.

I have had no contact from Npower or CEC since. Today CEC is still showing it as being in progress, but when I phoned Npower, they advised me that they had no records of the switch in tariff. However, they agreed that they would switch it immediately with the fixed rate as of today and put in a query to backdate the fix to 14th November.

My questions are:
1) whether I am indeed wrong and do not qualify for the cashback for changing tariff only via CEC, instead of changing supplier? This is what Npower have informed me and the CEC FAQs doesn't cover this particular point nor is there a phone number or email address to contact CEC that I can see;
2) why has Npower not received details from CEC and, if so, is there a problem with CEC?
3) why, if Npower has not received those details, has it so readily agreed to the now-expired fixed switch deal and to backdate to the date of my application?

I have to confess to having issues with Nppower in the past about receiving my bill for March 2013 in October 2013 (!) so I was unaware of usage. In addition, I was unable for a long time to register my account online having tried several times.

Finally I was also concerned because readings are not taken at the point tariffs are changed (usually increasing) and then the allocation energy usage on the higher tariffs are blurred with that on the lower tariffs because readings are done so infrequently with the possibility of energy usage which actually fell within the lower tariff being allocated to the higher tariff because the overall bill is split by number of days rather than usage in a particular period of time. The reduced frequency of meter readings carried out by the suppliers (at most, twice a year compared to the traditional quarterly readings) assist with that blurring. Let me be clear in that I believe that this approach is not isolated to Npower but is an industry-wide issue. This is the main reason I wanted to fix my rate but the possibility of cashback also appealed.

I will say that I got through to 2 very helpful customer advisors with Npower which at least made the experience more pleasant. In fact I had previously switched to Utility Warehouse and then tried to phone them with a question. It was impossible to get through and trawling through their website to try to find contact details was a nightmare, and this was my experience as a brand new customer. Heaven only knows what existing customers must be going through. This thought prompted me to check reviews on UW. Those were so bad that I immediately cancelled my switch.

At least my experience with Npower has been better than that. I was given a date of 14/2/2014 to be notified and I am waiting eagerly to see what the outcome is with the backdated change of tariff and whether or not cashback will apply.

apt

You don't qualify for cashback if not changing supplier. It would have been better to deal directly with nPower in the first place.

atlantis187

Where does it say your not entitled to cashback if your not changing supplier?

victoriandad

I have lost money after using he cheap energy club switch advice;
I registered on 13 October 2013 and after reviewing options decided to switch provider to npower as an existing deal with Scottish power was finishing on 01 November - it wasn't until 15 january that I received an e-mail from npower that the process of the switch was just starting and would take 5-6 weeks! I went onto a standard rate with Scottish power from November and now npower is estimating £40 a month more than the cheap energy club calculations estimated ( which were more than the original providers previous bill anyway due to energy price rises- npower are asking for £264.83 when the cheap energy club estimated approx £225).

I am now going back to the original provider at a fixed rate lower than the one I left, saving me about £100 a month off the new npower charges ...in the meantime have paid at least £160 I needn't have done if the switch had occurred when it should have done/and if the sites calculations were correct. The cheap energy club site has not alerted me to any changes with Scottish powers rates but it is much cheaper than npower now. There is also some significant discrepancy with the sites calculations if npower can turn around after I signed up and say that the same usage that the Energy club were provided with requires an extra £40 a month in charges.

Won't be trusting this site again.

Former_MSE_Archna

victoriandad wrote: »

I have lost money after using he cheap energy club switch advice;
I registered on 13 October 2013 and after reviewing options decided to switch provider to npower as an existing deal with Scottish power was finishing on 01 November - it wasn't until 15 january that I received an e-mail from npower that the process of the switch was just starting and would take 5-6 weeks! I went onto a standard rate with Scottish power from November and now npower is estimating £40 a month more than the cheap energy club calculations estimated ( which were more than the original providers previous bill anyway due to energy price rises- npower are asking for £264.83 when the cheap energy club estimated approx £225).

I am now going back to the original provider at a fixed rate lower than the one I left, saving me about £100 a month off the new npower charges ...in the meantime have paid at least £160 I needn't have done if the switch had occurred when it should have done/and if the sites calculations were correct. The cheap energy club site has not alerted me to any changes with Scottish powers rates but it is much cheaper than npower now. There is also some significant discrepancy with the sites calculations if npower can turn around after I signed up and say that the same usage that the Energy club were provided with requires an extra £40 a month in charges.

Won't be trusting this site again.

Hi Victoria

I just wanted to explain a few things that will hopefully help:

* It can take up to six weeks (or even longer!) to switch. Energy suppliers often drag their feet and there is little we can do about this, though we do try.
* In terms of Npower estimating higher payments I understand why you might think you're not saving but it's important to know that your direct debit level is totally unrelated to the price you actually pay for you energy. Sounds bonkers I know, but we've written a guide about it here as it baffles people so much http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits. So while the supplier might say your direct debit is less, therefore you saving, it's the unit price you're paying that is important and that's what we base our calculations on.

If you need any help with your switch email energyclubhelp at moneysavingexpert dot com and the team with help you through it.

Former_MSE_Archna

AnnieOther wrote: »

My questions are:
1) whether I am indeed wrong and do not qualify for the cashback for changing tariff only via CEC, instead of changing supplier? This is what Npower have informed me and the CEC FAQs doesn't cover this particular point nor is there a phone number or email address to contact CEC that I can see;
2) why has Npower not received details from CEC and, if so, is there a problem with CEC?
3) why, if Npower has not received those details, has it so readily agreed to the now-expired fixed switch deal and to backdate to the date of my application?

Hi Annie

Npower has been particularly poor at processing switches in the past few months if feedback from our users is anything to go by. To make matters worse we often find that the customer service call centre says they have no details of the switch and then switches you directly over the phone. In answer to your questions

- if you switched directly with Npower you won't get any cashback it's us that pays it not Npower and you have to switch via us to be able to get it.
- Npower would have got your details, often the customer service centre doesn't give the right info but if you email energyclubhelp at moneysavingexpert dot com we can check the details for you

Thanks

Tilly_Lamp

I am reaching the end of my FP tariff in March so have been looking around for a new deal. Ideally one would like to change suppliers/tariffs on the day after the current one ends, but I've been told it isn't possible to specify a date even 6 weeks in advance. This means there is a likelihood that you are moved to a standard tariff with the current supplier before changing suppliers. It seems as if they are deliberately making things complicated, especially as you can specify a date when moving house!

Bristoljohn

I have used the CEC to try and switch my dual fuel account from NPower to EDF.
I initiated this on the 5th Jan but as yet EDF have not taken any meter readings and the switch has not completed. In response to my E-mails EDF have failed to explain what the holdup is.
Is this a problem with EDF or NPower or the CEC?
I did not have this problem with U Switch in earlier switches.

AlMcGoo

I received my confirmation that I switched to EOn on 15 November 2013. I called them today and they have never received anything from CEC. Tarrifs have now increased considerably since that date and I have been put on the British Gas Standard Tariff in the meantime. One would expect

1. That the switch I selected would be passed to the Energy Company
2. That CEC would continue communications until the switch has gone through
3. That any product that Martin Lewis is puting his name to would save you money and be reliable.

The threads here seem to blame the energy companies yet CEC is the common denominator.

So. Am I free to go and switch to another supplier (via a different switching service) or am I still tied to the switch of 15 November and could be penalised when CEC finally get round to sending the referral off....