Avro Energy reviews: Give your feedback

[Deleted User]

buggley said:

WARNING! PLEASE READ!  WHEN YOU FIRST JOIN AVRO THEY ARE CHEAP AND EFFICIENT,BUT MONTHS DOWN THE LINE YOU WILL NOTICE THAT YOUR ACCOUNT BALANCE WILL BE IN CREDIT AND START TO GO UP EVERY MONTH. . .

Consumerist said:
It is well known that after switching to another supplier, any refund from Avro will take 8 weeks - it's part of their business model which enables them to pass on savings to their customers by way of competitive pricing.

And, buggley, that 8 weeks is allowable within Ofgem's regulations - ANY supplier, not just Avro, can take up to 6 weeks to produce your final bill and take a further 10 days to refund any credit balance.  It's not really Avro's fault if you don't know the regulations.  I've been with Avro for almost 3 years because they've been my cheapest option for all that time, but if they no longer are when my contract ends in February 2021, I'll switch and I'll expect to have to wait 8 weeks for any refund.
I've never been asked by Avro to review them, but based on the service they've given me to date, I would give them 4 - 5 stars.  I rarely have to contact them anyway, but when I do, I email them and they always deal with my requests within their stated timeframe of 3-5 working days.
I emailed Avro on 12.5.20 to ask for a refund of one month's DD because my account was that much in credit.  Avro replied the following day saying my request had been passed to their Finance Dept and I would hear further within 3-5 working days.  Just 2 days later I received an email confirming my request had been approved and I received my refund.  No drama.  I don't think that's bad service.
In February 2019, when I renewed my contract with Avro for the first time, my DD increased from the first year's £87pm to £102pm, which I thought was excessive (particularly as my account was already in credit at the end of that Winter) and I emailed them to request a reduction.  Five days later, having reviewed my account, they reduced my DD to £95pm.  Again, no drama and perfectly acceptable service.
Avro don't provide Gold-star service - and that's reflected in their prices - but nor are they as terrible as you say.

BooJewels

I've had a similar service to Katy - my late father was with them (I managed the account for him under a POA) and after he passed, the account had to revert to me, in managing his property and estate.  They had a slightly odd way of working it out - but it seemed to work - and he was due a refund and I started the account with a debit.  The credit was refunded within days, several less than they'd advised. 

I've had a perpetual and modestly irritating problem with accurate billing - by a small amount - in that if I submit a meter reading a day early, they'd estimate it for that last day and the bill was never quite accurate.  Over an email conversation they made some tweaks to the account settings and told me exactly when to submit a reading and now their billing matches my own calculations within about 5p.

Gerry1

buggley said:

WARNING! PLEASE READ!

With all due respect it does seem that most of your problems may have been of your own making, especially if your communications were as SHOUTY and intemperate as in your post above.

I found Avro were very good, and I'd happily go to back to them.  They often launched cheaper tariffs, and I'd just call them and be switched immediately with no exit fees.  The uncluttered website is clear and straightforward, although IIRC it had the slight quirk of generating an estimated reading as well as the customer reading if you responded to the reminder email at once rather than waiting until the magic day when they did their number crunching.

JohnB47

I sent Avro a request for a £100 refund - my account balance had risen to £232. I sent that on 14/11/2020 and received a reply on 20/11/2020, saying they agreed to refund me. I'm very happy with Avros prices and service.

2010

Just made a one off card payment to Avro.
Showed the credit on the account straight away and confirmed with two emails.

Consumerist

2010 said:

Just made a one off card payment to Avro.
Showed the credit on the account straight away and confirmed with two emails.

Thanks for the heads up. They've been promoting online card payments for years now and it's good to know that it now actually works.

Telegraph_Sam

One off top ups is what I have been using now with Octopus, so far so good.
Re your previous quote:
"Your SHOUTING was a little short on detail but it is quite possible that there was good reason to decline your request(s) for a refund or change of direct debit. The correct time to ask for a refund of any credit balance is at the end of your contract when the direct debit has run its course."
There is a difference between any credit refund due at the end of a contract, and a credit balance that builds up unreasonably in the course of a current contract. It ought to be possible to easily "manage" the D/D or balance so that it evens out around zero (to my mind) on an ongoing basis. In which case there is less hassle if there is a delay in finalizing the account at the end of the contract.
PS off topic: I did a recent price check using the Citizens Advice link recently, and then repeated the process using the MSE site. The latter came up with a better deal (Blue Planet who I had never heard of) compared with "Green" (likewise an unknown to me). Neither of which is as good as  my current MSE Octopus deal as long as it lasts.

Tightaz

Just tried to call AVRO today (31 December) says the phone line is closed.  HOWEVER, their website says they are open today 9am to 5:30pm.  Really poor customer service given I’ve just switched from YE.

2010

Tightaz said:

Just tried to call AVRO today (31 December) says the phone line is closed.  HOWEVER, their website says they are open today 9am to 5:30pm.  Really poor customer service given I’ve just switched from YE.

Have you tried live chat?

Consumerist

Telegraph_Sam said:

. . . There is a difference between any credit refund due at the end of a contract, and a credit balance that builds up unreasonably in the course of a current contract. . .

I quite agree.

If that happens, it suggests that the DD was not correctly set in the first place. There are situations where this sort of thing can happen (e.g. incorrect estimated usage when moving into a new property). The problem is compounded by suppliers charging different DDs at different times of year but, in general, the balancing-out should take place over the course of a full year.