Energy Company not providing online access

dragilex

I've currently got a fixed deal with Sainsbury's Energy which has been perfectly fine. I've moved house which caused some issues. Sainsbury's cancelled my account at my old house and opened a new one at the new house. It has now been over a month and I am still yet to gain online access to my account due to technical errors.

My questions is this. Is there a length of time that once passed if an energy company is not providing online access to your account that they become in breach of contract allowing you to switch without penalty?

matelodave

I shouldn't think so, not unless you specifically made it a condition of your contract and they agree to take the contract on that basis.


I'm sure that an on-line account is a nice to have rather than a need however frustrated you feel.

footyguy

dragilex wrote: »

I've currently got a fixed deal with Sainsbury's Energy which has been perfectly fine. I've moved house which caused some issues. Sainsbury's cancelled my account at my old house and opened a new one at the new house. It has now been over a month and I am still yet to gain online access to my account due to technical errors.

My questions is this. Is there a length of time that once passed if an energy company is not providing online access to your account that they become in breach of contract allowing you to switch without penalty?

Follow the suppliers complaint procedure.
I suspect if this access issue has been going on for over a month, they may offer you a goodwill payment anyway which probably would pay the early termination fees.

But if they don't and still don't give you online access, then after 8 weeks you can get the ombudsman involved. That'll probably take another 3 months before they get on your case, and a resolution perhaps within about a further month

So that will be about 6 months from today. If online access is still not available, and you can prove to the satisfaction of the ombudsman that online access was a real important reason you originally chose Sainsbury, then I'm sure a resoltion will either be to let you change supplier without incurring an early exit fee, or some form of compensation that meets or exceeds the early exit fees that would apply if you were to switch.

Personally I can't see any energy supplier that has priced their services based on online account management, putting up with having no online access for their customers, and all the extra cost that will incur the supplier, letting that carry on for 6 months.