wits end re Eon, ombudsman, due to switch to Ovo in 9 days

catalina66

Hi

Had a dreadful time with Eon since moving here. Switch to Ovo has been delayed to Nov 13th, not due to anything wrong I've done, but due to Eon not producing a bill since March, and me waiting ... I'd messaged Ovo to say how things were and they suggested a later switch date, to give me time for things to sort with Eon, but things aren't sorting at all. Eon now have a £5,411 false bill still sitting in my account [small 1-bed, heating one room, v careful], despite 2 sets of correct meter readings, and, despite the ombudsman having taken my case a few weeks ago, and things being at the 'assessing case' stage, I'm hearing nothing about anything.

Called the main ombudsman number, and there are 3 options, none of which get me to where I can speak to anyone. I have no designated person. On their site, I emailed again just now, and they say to call if it's urgent, as it can take 10 days to reply to email. But I can't get through to speak to anyone.

If sorting the case, and the ombudsman dealing with Eon, takes a long time, will I still be able to go ahead with the switch to Ovo as planned? Eon will just have to sort the bill out so it's correct and include everything in the final bill after I switch?

Much appreciate any advice.
Thanks, Cat

molerat

Why have you not had a bill since March, E.On produce bills whenever you submit a reading and ask for one. Why is the bill at such a large amount ? The ombudsman will not investigate your case until the supplier has been investigating for 8 weeks or they send you a letter of deadlock. Maybe drop a line to Malc, the E.On rep on here.

catalina66

molerat wrote: »

Why have you not had a bill since March, E.On produce bills whenever you submit a reading and ask for one. Why is the bill at such a large amount ? The ombudsman will not investigate your case until the supplier has been investigating for 8 weeks or they send you a letter of deadlock. Maybe drop a line to Malc, the E.On rep on here.

Sorry, I should have said that there's an ombudsman case against Eon, after waiting 8 weeks, due to them refusing to produce a bill and many other reasons.

Unfathomable business. The reason given a few months ago was that they had to change figures/account in some way, due to government changes, thus couldn't produce a bill. I was then told everything was sorted out, but it wasn't; no bill. Asked lots of times, but no answer or action.

The high bill is pure fantasy, and I'm just bemused. Average worked out around £100 a month, from what I paid from July 2013-March 2014; that was on Heatwise RHT double standing charge, only one (high) tariff available. They have the right meter readings, from the RHT meters that were changed on August 8th, and the latest E7 readings, but still refuse to produce a correct bill. I did call them incompetent at one stage, but, aside from that, haven't done anything to annoy them, apart from go to the ombudsman. Surreal that they don't want me to pay the bill though.

It's all been and being thrashed out, all year, so the switch can't come soon enough! I just hope it can go ahead anyway, despite hearing nothing about the case and nothing happening about the right bill being produced.

Thank you very much for your kind suggestions. :beer:

chanz4

have you actually raised a complaint, if not they will throw it back

shammyjack

I noticed the EON rep was on here earlier and avoided this thread like the plague !

The OP should PM the EON rep on http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.php?u=646547 and get them to help !

cing0

If (you owe) £5k, a supplier will block your switch.
If you want a bill immediately, you need to move out and get someone to move into the property. All the suppliers are the same and this bad service happens to thousands of households... daily.
The document https://www.ombudsman-services.org/downloads/OS_factsheet.pdf says your e.on case will be sorted fully in 8 weeks (a lie, more like 3 months minimum). You could point this out to the ombudsman service at which point it will throw your case out so I my first suggestion would be the one I'd go for.
If you really want to speak someone, try one of the other phone numbers on the fact sheet as most of the staff seem to work on enery/comms/etc. Your designated contact is Kelly Spinks.

catalina66

chanz4 wrote: »

have you actually raised a complaint, if not they will throw it back

Thanks chanz4. Yes, I raised an official complaint with Eon, then progressed to contacting the ombudsman. The case officially shows as having been opened on the 26th Sept and I was notified by email on the 8th October; it's at the 'assessing case' stage. My last email to Eon received the reply that everything was with the ombudsman now, their team that deals with that.

catalina66

shammyjack wrote: »

I noticed the EON rep was on here earlier and avoided this thread like the plague !

The OP should PM the EON rep on http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.php?u=646547 and get them to help !

Thanks shammyjack. You're right! I've noticed that a few times. Never been an offer to sort things, and I did earlier posts this year about the severe problems with Eon. I come out in allergic spots about dealing with Eon now, lol, but will definitely consider what you've suggested. If Eon want to sort this out asap, that would at least be something, as I wave a joyful goodbye hopefully very soon!

I don't seem to be able to see the option to PM, but that might be me just not seeing it, as I'm sure I've seen people posting that they pm'd.

catalina66

cing0 wrote: »

If (you owe) £5k, a supplier will block your switch.
If you want a bill immediately, you need to move out and get someone to move into the property. All the suppliers are the same and this bad service happens to thousands of households... daily.
The document https://www.ombudsman-services.org/downloads/OS_factsheet.pdf says your e.on case will be sorted fully in 8 weeks (a lie, more like 3 months minimum). You could point this out to the ombudsman service at which point it will throw your case out so I my first suggestion would be the one I'd go for.
If you really want to speak someone, try one of the other phone numbers on the fact sheet as most of the staff seem to work on enery/comms/etc. Your designated contact is Kelly Spinks.

Thanks cing0. I don't have the vocabulary to express how seething mad I'd be if Eon delay this switch further; beyond nuclear! I've worked out that I only owe them about £800, and have always paid energy companies reliably, so their fantasy bill is just the last straw. Maybe they did it to be awkward about me switching, eek, if it's not possible to switch with a bill on the account for that amount. I wish I could move out; that's an awesome idea, but I'm in sheltered accommodation and it would be very difficult to get a priority move quickly, as I moved to this place via that. Will give that some thought though, as it's storage heaters here plus have to sleep in the front room due to always woken by noise at the back of the house.

You're right that this bad service happens everywhere. I'm glad I'm not alone, but feel for everyone, and wish these big companies would really be taught a lesson, some big changes happen.

Thanks for the link. It's at least 5 weeks since the case was officially opened, and they do know I had a switch date of Nov 11th, now changed to Nov 13th. I liked reading the 'enforceable by law' part, but the 'company has 28 days to confer' part made my heart sink. If it's legally binding though, Eon have to do it, but I imagine they'll drag it out as long as possible. Suppose that gives me more time to pay anything though, so there's an upside, as long as the switch isn't delayed.

I see Kelly Spinks is the operations manager, but I can't find a contact number for her via google. Thank you for suggesting the numbers on the leaflet; I'll try one of the other numbers, definitely.

cing0

Sorry about your predicament.
Try 01925 532144 which will get you an investigation officer direct.
01925 430896 will get you an Investigation Manager direct.
The Ombudsman will NOT take on the complaint unless you have
a) A deadlock email/letter from E.on or
b) The COMPLAINT was sent to E.on over 8 weeks ago.
You communicate admirably in writing - just a pity it takes so long for the OS to reply.
Don't take the delay personally, they take anywhere between an hour and weeks to reply to me in the past.

catalina66

cing0 wrote: »

Sorry about your predicament.
Try 01925 532144 which will get you an investigation officer direct.
01925 430896 will get you an Investigation Manager direct.
The Ombudsman will NOT take on the complaint unless you have
a) A deadlock email/letter from E.on or
b) The COMPLAINT was sent to E.on over 8 weeks ago.
You communicate admirably in writing - just a pity it takes so long for the OS to reply.
Don't take the delay personally, they take anywhere between an hour and weeks to reply to me in the past.

Thank you very much indeed, cing0. Really appreciate. :beer: I'll get on the phone in the morning, and thank you for reminding me many of us go through the same, to not take it personally. Good to remember that, and have some breathing space instead of being all fired up about it. I hope the previous matters were resolved really well for you.