Eon won't supply me unless I pay £400 security deposit.

Cardew

Regardless of Richie or Ginger Bob being correct, what is the purpose of the OP's complaint?


The OP has a poor credit record, so the application will not have affected that record.


The OP has also not suffered any pecuniary loss, so IMO compensation is unlikely.


Even if the Information Commissioner upholds the complaint, it would appear to be a 'technical infringement' caused by the OP applying via a third party - the NHS.

footyguy

Busybee5186 wrote: »

Hello,

Like everyone else I am on the hunt for cheaper energy to switch in time for winter. I work for the nhs and one of the offer for nhs employees was a good cheap tariff with E.ON collective fixed 1 year. This would have saved us £221 for the year.

I applied for it and printed out all the details. At no point was there mention of a credit check, I have very poor credit and know better than to go through a check I will not pass.

A few days later I received an email asking me to contact E.ON with the contact number between 8am - 8pm. As I work 9-5 I have tried calling for two weeks after 5pm staying on the phone for 30mins to 1hour waiting for someone to pick up. Until a few days ago I contacted E.ON's customer service instead to be told the department I need only open till 5pm- I have 3 emails telling me to contact them they open until 8pm. I spoke to E.ON and gave my wife authorisation to access my account and make decissions on my behalf.

She called them today to be told they performed a credit check which I failed and they require £400 security deposit (£200 per fuel) to provide us with gas and electric.

Not happening, I am not paying £400 to save £200. So does that mean because I have bad credit I cannot get a good cheap energy tariff?

And there is the issue of them checking my credit file without my authorisation! I am pretty sure this is not legal- is it?
They claim I called in and gave this authorisation verbally.
Definitely not true as I was working the time they said I called and it was before I received an email asking me to contact them. At no point have I been notified that there is a credit check involved. Surely that is violating personal data rights for them to check my credit without my consent. And I am worried it may affect my credit score, Can it?

Can I ask them to remove that search?

I have lodge a complaint with them, and will wait to find the outcome. Is this something I can complain to Ofgem about? And who do I report them to for accessing my credit without my consent?

If you have read until now, thank you and I hope you can help.

It says on their website that when you apply to open an account with E.On, they will carry out a credit seach

https://www.eonenergy.com/privacy/Use%20of%20your%20personal%20data

System

When i phoned to join there V9 tariff the lady on phone asked if she could do a credit check with she was doing the quote i said yes, passed.

1st time i have ever been asked that

chanz4

100% tells you about credit checks

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Busybee5186

I'm really sorry you've had so many difficulties contacting us. Thought it might help if I popped on with some information on the queries you've raised.

Sounds as though you were looking to switch to us through a Collective Switching Scheme. In this case, the tariff would've been offered through an independent web broker. This broker will have run the scheme, possibly in conjunction with the NHS.

These tariffs are only available to those customers that've registered with the scheme. The broker should've contacted you directly about the full quote and gone through all the details with you. At this stage, we don't have any contact with customers.

By accepting to switch, your personal and energy details will have been sent to us by the broker.

We look to carry out credit checks on most potential customers and this should've been explained as part of your personalised offer. Queries about this should go to the broker as we wouldn't have been involved at this time.

Sometimes we ask potential customers to pay a security deposit of £200 per fuel. This is refunded in full once the contract ends and is fully paid. Or, if after the first 12 months, there's no outstanding debt and there's been no debt collection activity for non-payment in the last 6 months.

We don't pay interest on security deposits.

As you're not happy with the way this has been handled, you're doing the right thing in lodging a complaint. If you remain unhappy with our explanation, you can take this to the Ombudsman for an independent review.

Sorry again for the problems talking to us but hope this is of interest.

Malc

Busybee5186

Nada666 wrote: »

Do make sure you double-check the name and cost of your new tariff with SSE with your likely annual usage.

Although they probably do have a similarly priced tariff there is no such thing as 'price matching' per se with domestic tariffs. Make sure they have not just quoted an attractive monthly instalment amount out of thin air.

Yes it is a similar priced tarriff not just a low monthly direct debit that will bite me in the butt later. Thank you for pointing it out though.

Thank you everyone for your input. I posted because I was worried the credit check would affect my already poor credit file (which I am working on putting right) And I was not happy because the application was not upfront about a 3rd party broker, and a credit check which they say I called and gave verbal authorisation at a time I could not have as I was working. Now they are saying it was a tick box on the application form- no it was not as I printed it before filling online and I have proof it was not there.
I wasted 2 weeks calling a department that closes at 5pm because eon gave me the wrong information in an email.
All in all if I passed the credit check I would still not be happy they access my credit file without my consent. And I have never had any credit checks applying for energy hence why I posted.

I accept I have a bad credit and I understand this means I will not get best interest on credit cards, loans etc, but I just like everyone else am working to sort out my credit to provide what is best for my family hence why I posted in the first place, for help and advice as I was not aware bad credit means poor energy tarriff as well, considering that if you don't pay your energy bill the energy company can take out a warrant and put in a prepayment meter that forces you for pay off part of your debt everyweek from your credit BEFORE you can have gas or electricity with what credit is left on your meter.

[Deleted User]

I find energy co's are less likely to decline you/ask for a deposit if you go for the monthly direct debit option rather than quarterly cash/cheque billing.

Once you are up and running, just cancel the direct debit and you will automatically be put on quarterly cash/cheque billing. Simple.

[Deleted User]

I switched to Eon a couple of days ago, both meters are credit , not prepay and was both surprised and happy to see they required a credit check on me.I havent the faintest idea what my credit history is, I ve never borrowed anything, have 200k on deposit and expect to fail it because I m sloppy and forgetful in bill paying. I will; be overjoyed to give them a £400 deposit, if required, they should make it £1000 in my opinion.
The levels of energy theft from the "professional renters" is absolutley rife now, far worse than the tampering and bypassing levels. These thieves flit from property to property where idiot landlords are daft enough to keep credit meters. Their eyes light up with joy on seeing the credit meters in situ..its like a 2k reduction in rent, also the council tax is ignored too. I would like OFGEM to make it a condition of supply to lay down an energy deposit on all meters, especially credit meters to at least partially lower the losses. So I m sorry OP, get your check book out and lay out the £400. You re quite happy to leave that sort of money as a rental bond