Avro Energy reviews: Give your feedback

mr-b

Me too. ;-)
We'll see if the ombudsman bursts their bubble.

mr-b

Consumerist wrote: »

I hope you got that offer in writing. Not quite what the ombudsman had in mind, however.

Personally, I would not accept them hanging on to an £800 credit balance going into spring. If you accept the offer, you will be effectively rejecting the ombudsman's decision.

To be honest, I don't think I trust Avro at this point.

They didn't mention the ombudman decision and I haven't had any notification from OS of AE accepting it yet (they have a few more days).
Yes I had the offer in writing and it meant I could reinstate the DD mandate so I'm no longer breaching the tariff T&Cs - which could scupper the ombudsman ruling. I don't see how me accepting their offer of a payment holiday has any effect on the ombudman decision as it seems a parallel process. AE have not taken any more payments so seem to be keeping their word for now ...
The ideal would be to get the full credit refund but I thought that having a bird in the hand was preferable for now.

Consumerist

mr-b wrote: »

They didn't mention the ombudman decision and I haven't had any notification from OS of AE accepting it yet (they have a few more days).
Yes I had the offer in writing and it meant I could reinstate the DD mandate so I'm no longer breaching the tariff T&Cs - which could scupper the ombudsman ruling. I don't see how me accepting their offer of a payment holiday has any effect on the ombudman decision as it seems a parallel process. AE have not taken any more payments so seem to be keeping their word for now ...
The ideal would be to get the full credit refund but I thought that having a bird in the hand was preferable for now.

Have you had the apology or compensation yet?

My bet is that Avro are trying to manipulate you out of the ombudsman's decision on the grounds that an alternative resolution has been found.

I understand that a new DD mandate is perhaps giving you some peace of mind but I would advise caution beyond that.

Thanks for keeping us posted. It's an interesting story to follow.

mr-b

No apology etc. yet as that was the ombudsman decision, which will first require acceptance by AE and then they have a month to deliver.
I've not heard any anecdotes of others' experiences with ombudsman decisions which is a bit concerning ...
Will keep updating here.

coldinstaffordshire

The response I got was

Hello,

Thank you for confirming you wish to leave Avro. Unfortunately your account is currently in a debit, as per your latest statement, therefore we will please need this balance to be paid off. You can do this by contacting our customer service team on 0330 058 2005 and make a card payment. Alternatively, you can make a BACS transfer to us using the below details however please note it can take several days for this to show on your account whereas a card payment updates your account instantly.

Reference: ***
Account Number: ***
Sort Code: ***
Amount: £**.**

If you do make a BACS transfer to us then you must notify us of this so that we can ensure the payment is added to your account. The debit on your account is based on your most recent bill available to yourself. This debit on your account may cause your switch to be objected until the debit is cleared. We would advise to clear the debit on your account so you do not have any issue with your switch. Then once you have switched and we have your final meter readings we can create your final bill. If there is any credit left on your account this will be refunded to yourself.

Please let me know if there is anything else we can assist with.

So they can respond quickly when they are the ones owed money.

Of course, I had no idea I was in debit because they continued to not update my online dashboard.

I have been away but will pay them tomorrow. Need to look up when my next DD is due, that might affect my decision making...

Also, BACS transfers are virtually immediate these days, so that's a bunch of hogwash too.

Lovely veiled threats. Sigh.

wrongplanet

coldinstaffordshire wrote: »

Also, BACS transfers are virtually immediate these days, so that's a bunch of hogwash too.

From my correspondence with Avro in January:
"...as we do not accept BACS payments as a regular payment method, we only perform BACS updates monthly..."

Willberry

I switched to Avro on 21 October 2018 and have read all the posts in this thread with interest. I submitted my meter readings when requested on the 20th. of each month but as of yesterday no monthly bills or statements had been generated and my account was showing a credit which was the cumulative total of the 6 direct debits I had paid. ( I have calculated my bill each month based on the readings sent and know that I was over £100 in credit). I emailed Avro at 19.14 hrs last night pointing out that no bills had been generated and asking that this be done. I received an email back at 15.39 hrs today informing me that my account was now fully updated. I logged on to my account and saw that this was the case. I now discover that I am approx. £25 more in credit than I had calculated.
This is the first time I have contacted Avro and I am more than happy with both the quality and speed of their response.

AbbieCadabra

There's been quite a few posts about no bills being produced until queried with them, which only seems to have been happening more recently. This couldn't be part of a fudge to show a higher credit at the bank could it? Don't bill charges, keep the money in the bank & the false credit balance shows they're still viable??

Consumerist

coldinstaffordshire wrote: »

. . . Of course, I had no idea I was in debit because they continued to not update my online dashboard. . .

As I have pointed out so many times before, a debit balance is not a DEBT unless it has been demanded in writing and remains unpaid for 28 days or more.

A supplier cannot object to a transfer [on the grounds of debt] unless the customer is in "debt" AT THE TIME OF THE TRANSFER REQUEST. A debit balance when paying by DD is of no consequence in this regard.

DennisTenus

Contacted MSE regarding the cashback, I got one reply...

As it's been over 6 months, I've asked the team at MoneySuperMarket (who issue cashback and liaise with suppliers) to look into this for you. This may take a little while to resolve, as we're reliant on your supplier getting back to us. As soon as we hear back from it, we'll get in touch to provide you with an update.

So I asked could I switch in the meantime, and if I did would I risk loosing my cashback altogether? No response. Waited a week. Still nothing. Chased. Waited another week. Still nothing. And another week has gone past. Still nothing to answer this basic question.

How do I complain and to whom?