Avro Energy reviews: Give your feedback

oldagetraveller1

Thanks for the links Sam. I will probably send something to Leicestershire T.S. and Citizens' Advice (Hinkley) because Avro's registered address is Hinkley.

I wondered why you had supplied those links, I'm in Staffordshire Moorlands, then I had a lightbulb (no pun intended) moment and realised they were based in Hinkley!

wild666

I am around 8 months into a 12 months contract and already £120 in credit as my monthly bills are around £40 but I was looking at what I would pay next Jan when the 12 months is up and it came back with the cheapest of £62.75 per month I will do another search closer to Jan 2022 as at the moment there is a cheaper daily rate around 9.5p but the kWh charge is over 20p for electric and around the same daily charge but over 4p per kWh gas. Maybe nearer Jan I will get a truer comparison when the new tariff for Avro is given to me.

Jkn58

I agree that AVRO customer service is rubbish, however they do seem to be the cheapest supplier at present. Has anyone had this problem? I have requested to renew my tariff in September but the annual usage figures they are applying are much higher than my actual usage (gas by 25%), meaning monthly cost also higher than it should be. I will also have a credit of around £150 on my account by end of current contract. I have emailed them about this twice over 2 weeks ago - no response as yet. 

victor2

Jkn58 said:

I agree that AVRO customer service is rubbish, however they do seem to be the cheapest supplier at present. Has anyone had this problem? I have requested to renew my tariff in September but the annual usage figures they are applying are much higher than my actual usage (gas by 25%), meaning monthly cost also higher than it should be. I will also have a credit of around £150 on my account by end of current contract. I have emailed them about this twice over 2 weeks ago - no response as yet. 

They never adjust your gas estimates even when you are a customer with them and have a history of actual readings. You can't adjust your DD online either. Given their reported appalling response to customers, it appears all you can do is leave and eventually get your outstanding credit balance back (hopefully).

Consumerist

Jkn58 said:

. . . I have requested to renew my tariff in September but the annual usage figures they are applying are much higher than my actual usage (gas by 25%), meaning monthly cost also higher than it should be. I will also have a credit of around £150 on my account by end of current contract. I have emailed them about this twice over 2 weeks ago - no response as yet. 

From what I have read, many suppliers are having problems with looming bad debt and it seems likely Avro are planning to ensure customer-debt is kept to a minimum. If you're renewing in September then you're heading straight into a high consumption period over the Winter and Avro won't like that.

You may just have to accept, for the time being, that the cost of cheaper energy is a higher credit balance (until Spring).

Telegraph_Sam

Is it true that the customer has no control whatsoever over the amount of the D/D? This could be abused. I thought there was some safeguard against this.

victor2

Telegraph_Sam said:

Is it true that the customer has no control whatsoever over the amount of the D/D? This could be abused. I thought there was some safeguard against this.

They will let you change it (within certain limits I'm sure) if you contact them and request it. Therein appears to be the problem. 

bristolleedsfan

Telegraph_Sam said:

Is it true that the customer has no control whatsoever over the amount of the D/D? This could be abused. I thought there was some safeguard against this.

https://www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

Telegraph_Sam

Reading that link carefully I suppose that the weakness lies with:
".. It cannot be used to address contractual disputes between you and the billing organisation."
If the consumer and the supplier cannot agree over what the D/D should be then the guarantee does not apply and the only recourse the consumer has is to cancel the D/D (something that I have done myself once)

Consumerist

The problem, I think, is that the only other redress process available - the ombudsman - is far too slow for it to be an effective threat against abusers of the DD process.