Eon- what a very unpleasant waste of an hour

snedger

Hello
Just moved and chose Robin Hood for my electric.
Was advised to send readings to properties' current supplier Eon.
Took ages to get through on phone.
Very awkward process, they couldn't even find my address.
Then after 30 minutes I got put through to someone else.
They wanted to do a credit check, which I refused, I don't want my credit history to indicate that I am credit hungry.
They then gave me a choice of paying a £200 deposit or going on a prepayment meter - I had already explained that in my block of flats, I do not have access to my meter and have to email the caretaker for a reading.
I refused the deposit and prepayment meter - was then told that if I missed a payment that debt reclaim would be fast tracked - nasty bullies.
So glad that I'm not staying with Eon and hope that other new customers don't get pressurised/bullied into being credit checked or give a deposit.
Cheers

FreddieFrugal

snedger wrote: »

They wanted to do a credit check, which I refused, I don't want my credit history to indicate that I am credit hungry.

Sorry you've had a bad experience.

I don't think that having Eon do a credit search would have negatively impacted on your credit history. Your new supplier will have almost certainly done one. Anytime you use a comparison website they do one.

It's not the same as having a full search by, say a mortgage lender or credit card company, that's different because it shows that you're looking for credit, and if it doesn't lead to anything that suggests a rejection. A rejection from a mortgage application search does lower your 'score' although that doesn't mean that it's going to do any long term harm.

I have multiple credit searches on my file mostly from when I've been getting quotes from insurance providers through the year for home, car etc. None of those have had any negative impact on anything.

I doubt the Eon one would have had any impact at all.

sam.4000

I think you are being a little unfair. Having your gas and electricity supplied by any company allow you to run up debts. You chose not to allow them to credit check you so you become a business risk so they gave you another choice of prepayment meters or a £200 deposit.
EON were acting as a business. Credit cards would check you out first and that is what you are asking EON to do is to have faith in you and lend you money without any knowledge of your ability to pay back any debt you create.

footyguy

See my comments given to the OP in this thread where they have also posted
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5320333

[Deleted User]

Eon are one of the very responsible suppliers who I discovered last year to actually do a credit check on all new customers with credit meters. I was very happy for this. Fraud on new occupiers with credit meters is rife now.Typically they will move in, register then make a payment or two and thats it. They will last as long as possible before the force fitting of prepay meters, possibly two years. As footyguy points out OP you are not with Robin Hood and you have nt chosen them, you are with Eon and you need to follow their instructions and accept the £200 deposit which will be refunded when you switch to Robin Hood..If Robin Hood had any sense they too should run a credit check on you or it may be a case of them stealing from the rich and giving to the poor in the form of two years free energy. OFGEM need to force all suppliers to accept new customers with credit meters only after a credit check. Robin Hood are going to get well and truely shafted if they don`t. OP at least try and get the start reading, email the caretaker then if thats the set- up.You can t be acting blind on figuring out what your direct debits are going to be. You are going to need start and closing reads for Eon and a start read for Robin Hood so get the caretakers mobile number. I have to read these sort of places and thats what I usually do.The caretakers are happy enough to comply. Personally I d stick with Eon, their Uswitch collective deals are one of the best and they are one of the three suppliers I d actually dare use myself

molerat

FreddieFrugal wrote: »

Sorry you've had a bad experience.

I don't think that having Eon do a credit search would have negatively impacted on your credit history. Your new supplier will have almost certainly done one. Anytime you use a comparison website they do one.

It's not the same as having a full search by, say a mortgage lender or credit card company, that's different because it shows that you're looking for credit, and if it doesn't lead to anything that suggests a rejection. A rejection from a mortgage application search does lower your 'score' although that doesn't mean that it's going to do any long term harm.

I have multiple credit searches on my file mostly from when I've been getting quotes from insurance providers through the year for home, car etc. None of those have had any negative impact on anything.

I doubt the Eon one would have had any impact at all.

Insurance quotes are a soft search and a search by E.On comes up as a hard search and will be seen by other lenders but I assume they will see it as by an energy supplier

snedger

footyguy wrote: »

See my comments given to the OP in this thread where they have also posted
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5320333

The other post was a Robin Hood review and not, as implied, a double post

To answer some other points: this is the first time I have been asked for a credit check by a utility company - I left Eon in 2012, they found my account, that was faultless, going back about 18 years, at different addresses - so that should be a more than good enough reference.
I've had a very rare year with credit history - took 3 months to get a bank to admit that they had made a major error in linking me to a joint account that I had not signed for - a delinquent account marker destroyed my credit worthiness and ruined my chances of getting a standard rate mortgage - after bank admitted error, credit worthiness is perfect again and I have a mortgage and a new home Oh yes, my point is, that I am being more careful than ever with anything that can touch my credit record.
I did get the readings from the caretaker - the reason I was calling Eon was to give them my readings.

DandelionPatrol

sam.4000 wrote: »

I think you are being a little unfair. Having your gas and electricity supplied by any company allow you to run up debts. You chose not to allow them to credit check you so you become a business risk so they gave you another choice of prepayment meters or a £200 deposit.
EON were acting as a business. Credit cards would check you out first and that is what you are asking EON to do is to have faith in you and lend you money without any knowledge of your ability to pay back any debt you create.

As snedger just is moving in, he is on a deemed contract, presumably with eon. I cannot see that a credit check is warranted for this, nor a change to prepay meters within the timescale for changing to another supplier.

As I see it, eon are probably trying to bamboozle OP into a contract which will limit hisa freedom to engage his choice of supplier.

[Deleted User]

Eon credit checked me, when I went with them. Its a new thing and they are at the forefront. Eventually , the way things are going all suppliers, if they have the sense, will apply a simple credit check for all new customers who have credit meters. The scale of credit meter fraud is at record levels just as is bypassing and energy theft. I ve seen it many times at first hand where tenants move in to selected properties and only pick credit meters where they can last at least two years without paying a bean.One tenant I met moved from number 7 ***** Rd with EDF (owing enough money to get the bailiffs on her, and the force fitting of prepay meters to collect £1600 ) moved two doors down to number 3 with Scot Power doing the exact same thing. Flitting from property to property getting free energy .So well done Eon, carry on the good work. BG, Scot Power, EDF, Npower, SSE and all the rest should be doing exactly the same thing.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Good morning snedger,

I'm sorry as it does appear you haven't had a very good experience with us, even though you wish to change supplier we should still be helping and explaining things properly to you.

When a customer takes responsibility of a property they need to contact the current supplier of that property to set up an account, as I think was mentioned you're entering in to a deemed contract.

We'll set the account up so we can bill you accurately until you've changed supplier.

We will also need to do the credit check, or deposit etc as we do for all new customers, not all customers setting up accounts will want to change supplier or haven't yet decided.

However, changing or not I'm sorry you were kept on hold and that the call wasn't as it should have been.

I'm pleased you've found a supplier that is best for you.

Thanks

Helena