edf took over my supply

billysmum

Hi, i am currently with british gas for electric and gas, well i have received my post and i mistakingly opened a letter addressed to someone else at my address from edf. the letter stated that from this week they will be taking over my electricity supply, also there was a letter from british gas with my final bill, i have since reinstated british gas but this will take 28 days, and they have said that i will have to pay edf for the electricity that they supply over the last 28 days, i never signed anything or contacted edf for them to supply my electricity and they didnt even get my name right. i was wondering if i could get compensation for this as i have been sat on the phone for hours trying to sort this out, but i dont know who to contact. thanks for reading this. Lisa

Individual_11

Hi Billysmum

This happens a lot more than you might suspect. Sometimes it's because of errors in the way that details are entered into the suppliers system, and more worryingly it can be (allegedly) due to fraud by agents who sign people up to switch without their knowledge to hit targets. This has been stamped out by and large but has been said tyo happen in the past.

Most likely is error. You might want to visit people in your street and check the switch is not one of your neighbours and someone just got the house number wrong (11 rather than 17 etc etc). They might be sat there wondering why they are still with their old supplier! Not that it helps you...

Once the process is started (in good faith by the energy companies to be fair) then it's all automatic and you change over unless your old supplier (BG) objects.

Whatever you do though, don't worry about it. These things just happen sometimes.

I'm not entirely sure of the rules around this but see no reason why YOU should have to pay EdF anything for a mistake that someone else has made.

My suggestion would be:

1) Ask EdF to prove you have a contract with them and send you a copy of the signed document. If they have no contract they can't charge you.
2) Ask BG if they can object to the transfer - it might be too late
3) If EdF give you hassle tell them you will take up the matter with OFGEM (regulator for gas or electricity market) or EnergyWatch (the consumer organisation for gas and energy)
4) Contact EnergyWatch www.energywatch.org.uk if you need more advice
5) Consumer Direct will also be able to help you with your rights if it emerges you never signed a contract and you get stuck elsewhere. Find them at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

More info available at http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/Pages/Consumer.aspx

It is not out of the way for BG and EdF to work this out between them (using a bi-lateral agreement) so you could stay with BG.

I don't want to have a go at EdF but I've had some crap experiences with them - so you might need to get tough and ask to speak to the person on the phone's boss to get any headway!

Good luck in getting this sorted out

Let us know how you get on.

I_11

tripled

EDF can return you to BG, however you need to cancel the switch to BG first. The agent you spoke to shouldn't have done that, but they are targeted on sales so it can cloud their judgement.

The two options you have open to you are:
1) Complain to EDF (cancelling your switch to BG). They will then send your account back as an 'erroneous transfer' which means they won't bill you and BG will re-open accounts from the day you left.
2) Leave the switch in motion - as you have already initiated it, it may be easier just to leave things as they are. Also, if you are on BG's standard tariff (which I hope as an MSE forumite you aren't), this could actually work out better if you have taken advantage of the £40 bill credit.

It would be too late for BG to object to the changeover if you have had your final bill from BG. Also there may be no 'signed agreement', as verbal contracts are commmon.

BexTech

When I was with Powergen, I switched to EDF, then about 6 weeks later Powergen tried to get my gas or electric back (I forget which now), contacted EDF and they said they'd sort it all out, and I'd be still on my offer tariff even though that offer had changed to a less favourable one a couple of weeks after I signed up, said it would take a while to sort out, but it would be and I wouldn't have to pay Powergen anything, I'd simply still be billed by EDF once it was all fixed. Which was what happened.