Utilita - Somone help please :(

System

HannahCF wrote: »

The man on the street told me that they were cheaper than the big 6, that my bills would be halved etc. When he asked me to sign he said it was just to confirm that my details were correct and that he had explained what had happened next.. with the meters being installed etc.

I have sympathy for the situation that you find yourself in; however, your best bet is to Complain to the supplier. By all means say that you believe that you are the victim of mis-selling and that the remedy you seek is the freedom to switch suppliers without penalty. They may just let you go. They may not. Best of luck.

HannahCF

Hiya, After being on hold for 30 minutes, today I found out that apparently my contract is up and I can leave whenever I wish.. so I'm on uswitch now. Thanks all for taking the time to reply.

jayson043

Well do let us know what you find on uswitch and if you find a cheaper supplier.

HannahCF

Eon. Saving me £80 a year

[Deleted User]

How easy is it to get rid of Utilita and their weird meter with the keypad?

Doesn't look like the same meters currently on their website.

Friend has just accepted a HA flat with this fitted and wants to move to Ebico prepay when they move in.



Gas is also Utilita but doesn't have a keypad on it.

footyguy

Deleted_User wrote: »

How easy is it to get rid of Utilita and their weird meter with the keypad?

Doesn't look like the same meters currently on their website.

Friend has just accepted a HA flat with this fitted and wants to move to Ebico prepay when they move in.



Gas is also Utilita but doesn't have a keypad on it.

Very easy to switch from Utilita ... but that probably won't get the meter changed.

(they might get a new electric meter as it doesn't appear to have a facilty compatible the current SSE/Ebico pre-payment system, but if it does, I doubt they will change it)

Your friend will need to wait until they are responsible for the property (usually the day the tenancy agreement starts), and then contact Utilita.

Once they have registered with Utilita as a customer (normally all done in one phone call) then they are free to switch to a any supplier they like

Switching takes typically about 3 - 5 weeks to take place.


Edit: actually if you friend does not accept Utilita's smart tariff, then they themselves might come & replace the meter. BEWARE!: The smart tariff appears to come with a 12 month tie in (only ways out then are if you move or Utilita raises their price).
I'm sure Utilita will explain more if asked when your friend contacts them

[Deleted User]

footyguy wrote: »

Very easy to switch from Utilita ... but that probably won't get the meter changed.

(they might get a new electric meter as it doesn't appear to have a facilty compatible the current SSE/Ebico pre-payment system, but if it does, I doubt they will change it)

Your friend will need to wait until they are responsible for the property (usually the day the tenancy agreement starts), and then contact Utilita.

Once they have registered with Utilita as a customer (normally all done in one phone call) then they are free to switch to a any supplier they like

Switching takes typically about 3 - 5 weeks to take place.


Edit: actually if you friend does not accept Utilita's smart tariff, then they themselves might come & replace the meter. BEWARE!: The smart tariff appears to come with a 12 month tie in (only ways out then are if you move or Utilita raises their price).
I'm sure Utilita will explain more if asked when your friend contacts them

Thanks for the info. I don't think the meter will be compatible with any supplier that use prepay top-up keys as this meter has no where to insert a key. I assume it will need to be replaced, just not sure who would be responsible for this, Utilita or SSE/Ebico and if there will be a charge.

Also the Utilita 12 month tie-in you mention, surely it will only apply to the ex-tenant. I would have thought that they can't enforce the remainder of a 12 month contract onto a new tenant if the previous tenant moved out before the 12 months was up.

footyguy

Deleted_User wrote: »

Thanks for the info. I don't think the meter will be compatible with any supplier that use prepay top-up keys as this meter has no where to insert a key. I assume it will need to be replaced, just not sure who would be responsible for this, Utilita or SSE/Ebico and if there will be a charge.

Also the Utilita 12 month tie-in you mention, surely it will only apply to the ex-tenant. I would have thought that they can't enforce the remainder of a 12 month contract onto a new tenant if the previous tenant moved out before the 12 months was up.

Yes, I only mentioned the 12 month tie-in to hopefully ensure your friend does not get enticed into this (if a supplier switch is planned). You friend is not bound by any agreement a previous tenant entered into.

Also, as I suggested, if your friend does not agree to the smart tariff, then maybe Utilita will have to change the meter anyway. I can't imagine they will charge if it's their decision to change the meter ... but I'm sure they will give your friend all the info when asked

C_Mababejive

The problem with Utilita is that their meters are not compatible with the widely used industry standard gas and electric prepay meters as used by ost other companies.

[Deleted User]

C_Mababejive wrote: »

The problem with Utilita is that their meters are not compatible with the widely used industry standard gas and electric prepay meters as used by ost other companies.

Yep, the electric meter has no slot for a top-up key and the gas meter has no slot for a card. There was 2 Utilita swipe cards left which you swipe at a PayPoint shop and the meter gets topped up automatically assuming by some sort of GPRS/radio signal.