We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Co Op hold onto money when you leave.
Options
This is my first post here, so my apologies if this has been posted before.
I just switched from the Co Op to EDF for a couple of reasons, one being saving approx £200 a year and secondly because Co Op recently changed their billing system towards the beginning of this year and to say the new system is confusing is an understatement, its quite frankly a shambles.
That aside, I switched providers back in June of this year, EDF took over my energy supply on July 5th.
Co Op are still holding some £400 of my money that was paid to them in advance by direct debit.
I have tried for the last 3 months to get this money back from them.
The last bill I have ever received from the Co Op was back in April of this year.
As a bit of background to how their billing system works, they take direct debits every month, then you receive a quarterly bill that shows your energy usage and payments and any balance remaining or owing.
On the first occasion when I rang them asking when I would be receiving the money left on my account, they told me that once my final bill was raised then they would take the money for any energy they had supplied from the balance on my account and forward on the remainder, which is understandable and was told that the final bill was due in the next few weeks and the issue would be resolved.
Seeing as the last bill I received was back in April, July would have been my next quarterly bill, so this made sense.
July came and went and still no money.
So I contacted them again and asked when I would be getting my final bill and any money credited back to me, this time I was told that they were awaiting the opening readings from my new supplier to be able to raise the bill, which as soon as they have them, they would be able to raise the bill and resolve the matter.
August came and went.
We are now in September, after waiting 40 minutes in the queue, which is the norm when ringing the Co Op and totally shambolic, I spoke to someone a few days ago and was told they had the electric reading but nothing for the gas so were unable to raise my final bill until they got the gas reading.
At which point I started questioning how they could have changed over both my supplies to my new supplier yet not got readings for the final bill, to which the lady had no answers.
I asked her how they would get the readings, she asked me if I had them, which after 3 months I told her I didn't, so was told it would be easier for me to ring EDF and get their opening readings and forward them on to the Co Op to allow them to raise the bill, after explaining that I have other things to do with my life then to sit for 40 minutes listening to a message telling me how busy they are she gave me her email address to forward on my gas reading.
Well I emailed the gas reading to the email she gave me and which I read back to her and lo and behold the email has come back with a failed delivery message.
So I now have to wait until Monday to sit in a queue and speak to someone a whole 3 months on to get my money back.
Yet supposedly, it is easier then ever to switch suppliers.
It is not!!!
3 months and no further forward in getting some £400 back is just not on.
They are using underhanded tactics such as these to completely put people off from switching.
I don't know if my case is a one off, or if this is happening across the board, but I think it is important that people know what is going on and make sure they keep a note of their opening readings they send to their new supplier in case their old supplier suddenly "doesn't have them" to raise the final bill and give back any money owing.
It's really not right that they treat people like this and are able to get away with it.
I just switched from the Co Op to EDF for a couple of reasons, one being saving approx £200 a year and secondly because Co Op recently changed their billing system towards the beginning of this year and to say the new system is confusing is an understatement, its quite frankly a shambles.
That aside, I switched providers back in June of this year, EDF took over my energy supply on July 5th.
Co Op are still holding some £400 of my money that was paid to them in advance by direct debit.
I have tried for the last 3 months to get this money back from them.
The last bill I have ever received from the Co Op was back in April of this year.
As a bit of background to how their billing system works, they take direct debits every month, then you receive a quarterly bill that shows your energy usage and payments and any balance remaining or owing.
On the first occasion when I rang them asking when I would be receiving the money left on my account, they told me that once my final bill was raised then they would take the money for any energy they had supplied from the balance on my account and forward on the remainder, which is understandable and was told that the final bill was due in the next few weeks and the issue would be resolved.
Seeing as the last bill I received was back in April, July would have been my next quarterly bill, so this made sense.
July came and went and still no money.
So I contacted them again and asked when I would be getting my final bill and any money credited back to me, this time I was told that they were awaiting the opening readings from my new supplier to be able to raise the bill, which as soon as they have them, they would be able to raise the bill and resolve the matter.
August came and went.
We are now in September, after waiting 40 minutes in the queue, which is the norm when ringing the Co Op and totally shambolic, I spoke to someone a few days ago and was told they had the electric reading but nothing for the gas so were unable to raise my final bill until they got the gas reading.
At which point I started questioning how they could have changed over both my supplies to my new supplier yet not got readings for the final bill, to which the lady had no answers.
I asked her how they would get the readings, she asked me if I had them, which after 3 months I told her I didn't, so was told it would be easier for me to ring EDF and get their opening readings and forward them on to the Co Op to allow them to raise the bill, after explaining that I have other things to do with my life then to sit for 40 minutes listening to a message telling me how busy they are she gave me her email address to forward on my gas reading.
Well I emailed the gas reading to the email she gave me and which I read back to her and lo and behold the email has come back with a failed delivery message.
So I now have to wait until Monday to sit in a queue and speak to someone a whole 3 months on to get my money back.
Yet supposedly, it is easier then ever to switch suppliers.
It is not!!!
3 months and no further forward in getting some £400 back is just not on.
They are using underhanded tactics such as these to completely put people off from switching.
I don't know if my case is a one off, or if this is happening across the board, but I think it is important that people know what is going on and make sure they keep a note of their opening readings they send to their new supplier in case their old supplier suddenly "doesn't have them" to raise the final bill and give back any money owing.
It's really not right that they treat people like this and are able to get away with it.
0
Comments
-
Personally I would write a letter of complaint, which includes a reasonable time frame to receive your refund by otherwise you will be pursuing the matter with the ombudsman.
Co-operative Energy
Warwick Technology Park
Warwick
CV34 6DA
Make it official with a recorded delivery.
I wouldn't bother being messed around on the telephone anymore, you made more than a reasonable attempt to resolve the matter with them.A smile costs nothing, but gives a lot.It enriches those who receive it without making poorer those who give it.A smile takes only a moment, but the memory of it can last forever.0 -
This is my first post here, so my apologies if this has been posted before.
I just switched from the Co Op to EDF for a couple of reasons, one being saving approx £200 a year and secondly because Co Op recently changed their billing system towards the beginning of this year and to say the new system is confusing is an understatement, its quite frankly a shambles.
That aside, I switched providers back in June of this year, EDF took over my energy supply on July 5th.
Co Op are still holding some £400 of my money that was paid to them in advance by direct debit.
I have tried for the last 3 months to get this money back from them.
The last bill I have ever received from the Co Op was back in April of this year.
As a bit of background to how their billing system works, they take direct debits every month, then you receive a quarterly bill that shows your energy usage and payments and any balance remaining or owing.
On the first occasion when I rang them asking when I would be receiving the money left on my account, they told me that once my final bill was raised then they would take the money for any energy they had supplied from the balance on my account and forward on the remainder, which is understandable and was told that the final bill was due in the next few weeks and the issue would be resolved.
Seeing as the last bill I received was back in April, July would have been my next quarterly bill, so this made sense.
July came and went and still no money.
So I contacted them again and asked when I would be getting my final bill and any money credited back to me, this time I was told that they were awaiting the opening readings from my new supplier to be able to raise the bill, which as soon as they have them, they would be able to raise the bill and resolve the matter.
August came and went.
We are now in September, after waiting 40 minutes in the queue, which is the norm when ringing the Co Op and totally shambolic, I spoke to someone a few days ago and was told they had the electric reading but nothing for the gas so were unable to raise my final bill until they got the gas reading.
At which point I started questioning how they could have changed over both my supplies to my new supplier yet not got readings for the final bill, to which the lady had no answers.
I asked her how they would get the readings, she asked me if I had them, which after 3 months I told her I didn't, so was told it would be easier for me to ring EDF and get their opening readings and forward them on to the Co Op to allow them to raise the bill, after explaining that I have other things to do with my life then to sit for 40 minutes listening to a message telling me how busy they are she gave me her email address to forward on my gas reading.
Well I emailed the gas reading to the email she gave me and which I read back to her and lo and behold the email has come back with a failed delivery message.
So I now have to wait until Monday to sit in a queue and speak to someone a whole 3 months on to get my money back.
Yet supposedly, it is easier then ever to switch suppliers.
It is not!!!
3 months and no further forward in getting some £400 back is just not on.
They are using underhanded tactics such as these to completely put people off from switching.
I don't know if my case is a one off, or if this is happening across the board, but I think it is important that people know what is going on and make sure they keep a note of their opening readings they send to their new supplier in case their old supplier suddenly "doesn't have them" to raise the final bill and give back any money owing.
It's really not right that they treat people like this and are able to get away with it.
You are spot on about the co-op as many of us have found to our cost.
Do a forum search under" Feedback Co-op Enegy" and you will see what I mean.
However , were you using the co-op on line to manage your account? Have you still got access to it?
If you have there is a form you can use to request a refund they ask for your meter readings though so you would have to contact your new supplier.
Just a thought as my DD credit had built up with them and I managed to get a refund by using the on line form, I know it is a different situation from what you are in ,but it might help get your refund.
PS I am also now leaving Co-op their system and billing is a complete shambles.0 -
A question. Is your gas supplied via an IGT? My experience of IGT switches is that it can take many weeks for the the new and old suppliers, and the IGT to agree closing/opening readings. A bill cannot be produced until the reading has been agreed. There is also a dispute procedure which can delay things even more. None of this delays the actual switch ( that said, IGT switches do take a few days more than a non-IGT switch) but it can delay the final bill and any refund. O Ovo, for example, tells its IGT customers that final billing can take up to 12 weeks.This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0
-
burnleymik wrote: »Personally I would write a letter of complaint, which includes a reasonable time frame to receive your refund by otherwise you will be pursuing the matter with the ombudsman.
Co-operative Energy
Warwick Technology Park
Warwick
CV34 6DA
Make it official with a recorded delivery.
I wouldn't bother being messed around on the telephone anymore, you made more than a reasonable attempt to resolve the matter with them.
I'm going to give it one last try on Monday, if I am no further forward then I will be writing to them directly.
Thank you for the details.
I hope I can get this resolved this week, dealing with the Co Op has been so frustrating, if I had known this in the first place I would never have switched to them.
Never again.0 -
A question. Is your gas supplied via an IGT? My experience of IGT switches is that it can take many weeks for the the new and old suppliers, and the IGT to agree closing/opening readings. A bill cannot be produced until the reading has been agreed. There is also a dispute procedure which can delay things even more. None of this delays the actual switch ( that said, IGT switches do take a few days more than a non-IGT switch) but it can delay the final bill and any refund. O Ovo, for example, tells its IGT customers that final billing can take up to 12 weeks.
For interest what is a IGT switch0 -
You are spot on about the co-op as many of us have found to our cost.
Do a forum search under" Feedback Co-op Enegy" and you will see what I mean.
However , were you using the co-op on line to manage your account? Have you still got access to it?
If you have there is a form you can use to request a refund they ask for your meter readings though so you would have to contact your new supplier.
Just a thought as my DD credit had built up with them and I managed to get a refund by using the on line form, I know it is a different situation from what you are in ,but it might help get your refund.
PS I am also now leaving Co-op their system and billing is a complete shambles.
Thanks for the reply, I have just looked through the feedback, I am amazed they have any customers left.
I really couldn't understand their new billing system at all.
One page showed me as having a credit on my account of some £500 and the next page would show me having a credit of £400.
They couldn't both be right, so it shows there is something inherently wrong with the way the whole thing works.
I still have access to the online account system, I am going to give it one last attempt by phone on Monday, I have sent them a pretty angry message explaining my frustrations with them using their online forms, judging by a lot of the posts I read on here concerning the Co Op I won't hold my breath for a reply.
What is really annoying is that if the shoe had been on the other foot and I owed them the money for the last 3 months, I would have faced all manner of threats and demands, yet they are allowed to get away with holding peoples money for this long with absolutely no repercussions what so ever.
When you leave, keep a note of the opening meter readings you supply to your new supplier.
Reading some of the replies on their Facebook page, my experience is not a one off especially if you are in credit to them, it seems like they don't like raising that final bill.0 -
What is really annoying is that if the shoe had been on the other foot and I owed them the money for the last 3 months, I would have faced all manner of threats and demands, yet they are allowed to get away with holding peoples money for this long with absolutely no repercussions what so ever.
Not with the co-op, I haven't paid them a penny or had a bill since January and I've not heard a word off them.
Just waiting for next January when the Back-Billing Code kicks in.:D0 -
Not with the co-op, I haven't paid them a penny or had a bill since January and I've not heard a word off them.
Just waiting for next January when the Back-Billing Code kicks in.:D
Have you made any attempt to get a bill? There is a degree of inter-action required before the BB Code kicks in.This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0 -
For interest what is a IGT switch
It is where gas is supplied to your property by an independent gas transporter. Very common these days with new build properties. When switching suppliers , the IGT has to be involved in the process which, with some IGTs, appears to be heavily dependent on manual processing.This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.9K Life & Family
- 257.2K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards