Complaint - Erroneous Transfer

yoshiyella

Dear all,

We moved into a property 16 months ago and a certain provider provided gas and electricity.

We wanted to move to another company (OVO) but for some reason our old provider at our previous address tried to take over and succeeded (they have admitted their fault) and it went back to the original provider at end of October and OVO started the process again. This all completed at the end of November, however, for some reason the original provider tried to take back over just the gas! Spoke to original provider and searched our address and thought it was a mistake as nothing showing on their system. OVO said they would follow their erroneous transfer procedure.

Fast forward 8 weeks or so and it apparently all with OVO - they billed us for gas and electricity since then and we gave monthly readings.

Fast forward again to last week (December) and all our bills disappear off of the OVO customer page so I call up and apparently the gas has been with the orignal provider since January and OVO have only just got it back last week! So now we are left in limbo, chasing all companies involved as to when this will be sorted as we have never had a bill or anything from the original company apart from their final bill (last March) and being told it will take another 6-8 weeks to resolve. Neither company contacts me, I have to do all of this.

Who should I make a complaint to as my bill budgeting has gone all out of the window, it has stressed my 38 week pregnant wife (then again she is always stressed :rotfl:), I have run up about £20 worth of mobile phone calls as well as spending 10-15 hours of my time on this (maybe more - as I was literally on the phone non-stop from last October to March trying to sort it out) and basically been given the run around!

I apoligise for the length but hoping someone has the unfortunate pleasure of my situation or similar or would know what to do!

Thank you in advance

Cardew

We wanted to move to another company (OVO) but for some reason our old provider at our previous address tried to take over and succeeded (they have admitted their fault)

The first thing to say is that when you move into a property you are immediately on a legally binding 'deemed contract' with the existing supplier. You can then instigate switching to your chosen supplier (OVO) and the switch can take several weeks. You then have to settle your bill for those few weeks before you start paying OVO.

So when you moved in to your new property, did you contact the existing supplier, giving them your details and meter readings?

It is important to appreciate that you cannot have OVO as your supplier as soon as you move in.

So assuming the existing supplier at your new property was the same as your supplier at your old property the existing supplier has done nothing wrong initially in getting back the accounts.

Once you apply to switch to OVO it is their responsibility, as gaining company, to arrange the switch.

yoshiyella

Cardew wrote: »

The first thing to say is that when you move into a property you are immediately on a legally binding 'deemed contract' with the existing supplier. You can then instigate switching to your chosen supplier (OVO) and the switch can take several weeks. You then have to settle your bill for those few weeks before you start paying OVO.

So when you moved in to your new property, did you contact the existing supplier, giving them your details and meter readings?

It is important to appreciate that you cannot have OVO as your supplier as soon as you move in.

So assuming the existing supplier at your new property was the same as your supplier at your old property the existing supplier has done nothing wrong initially in getting back the accounts.

Once you apply to switch to OVO it is their responsibility, as gaining company, to arrange the switch.

I am aware of all of this and this was done! Unfortunately it was messed up by my previous supplier at oour old home who instead tried to take over and succeeded though this was rectified and it returned to the original provider. We went back through the whole process again and as I said it all transferred to OVO yet teh original providor tried and succeded to take back the gas!!! This was then sorted in March of this year and we received bills from our new supplied. Only to find out the original provider did take our gas back despite them themselves telling me they had nothing on their system for us and gas!

Cardew

Who was the supplier at your old property? and who was the initially supplying your new property?

yoshiyella

Cardew wrote: »

Who was the supplier at your old property? and who was the initially supplying your new property?

At our old property is was First Utility and we were going to go with them but we confirmed with them not to proceed and refund us several hundred pounds that we were in credit. They did admit they were at fault at initiating the transfer.

The new property was initially supplied by Scottish Power.

Cardew

yoshiyella wrote: »

At our old property is was First Utility and we were going to go with them but we confirmed with them not to proceed and refund us several hundred pounds that we were in credit. They did admit they were at fault at initiating the transfer.

The new property was initially supplied by Scottish Power.

I am still not clear on the situation.


When you say: 'we were going to go with them' presumably that means you contacted them(First Utility) initially with your details and meter readings when you moved in; but then subsequently cancelled?


As I now understand it, the account then correctly moved back to Scottish Power(SP) who were supplying the house when you moved in, and with whom you were on a 'deemed contract'.


OVO then attempted to instigate switching your account from SP to OVO.
Have I understood correctly so far?

System

My guess is that this term/condition applies:

8.2 If you terminate the contract during a fixed term period because you are moving home you may be required to pay an early exit fee. We will agree to waive early exit fees in certain circumstances however this must be agreed between you and us prior to your home move and in all cases would require you to register your new property with us within an agreed period of time.

Presumably, there is no cooling off period and any change of mind requires a termination with a possible exit fee. I can we'll see the potential for confusion with one property and three suppliers involved if a customer changes his/her mind. If the OP is convinced that all his ducks are in a row then this is a matter for OVo to resolve.

yoshiyella

Cardew wrote: »

I am still not clear on the situation.


When you say: 'we were going to go with them' presumably that means you contacted them(First Utility) initially with your details and meter readings when you moved in; but then subsequently cancelled?


As I now understand it, the account then correctly moved back to Scottish Power(SP) who were supplying the house when you moved in, and with whom you were on a 'deemed contract'.


OVO then attempted to instigate switching your account from SP to OVO.
Have I understood correctly so far?

Sorry I should have been clearer - me and my partner discussed going with First Utility, called them up but whilst on the phone they lied to me so I said that we weren't going to go with them and to refund the credit we had built up with them at our previous address. There was no prior arrangement with them, they had no meter readings from myself- like I have said First Utility accepted their mistake and sorted it out with it going back to Scottish Power.

We then restarted the process of transferring to OVO - this went through but then Scottish Power started to take back the gas - I spoke to OVO who advised me to call Scottish Power - I did and they said there was nothing on their system to show this! Went back to OVO and they said they would sort it - a few months later it all was (according to OVO).

However, OVO are now saying that the gas transferred to Scottish Power in January and they have only just taken it back!

No contact has been made from Scottish Power

yoshiyella

Hengus wrote: »

My guess is that this term/condition applies:

8.2 If you terminate the contract during a fixed term period because you are moving home you may be required to pay an early exit fee. We will agree to waive early exit fees in certain circumstances however this must be agreed between you and us prior to your home move and in all cases would require you to register your new property with us within an agreed period of time.

Presumably, there is no cooling off period and any change of mind requires a termination with a possible exit fee. I can we'll see the potential for confusion with one property and three suppliers involved if a customer changes his/her mind. If the OP is convinced that all his ducks are in a row then this is a matter for OVo to resolve.

We did not have a contract with Scottish Power and our previous provider First Utility we had been with the previous 12 months so had no contract with them.

System

yoshiyella wrote: »

We did not have a contract with Scottish Power and our previous provider First Utility we had been with the previous 12 months so had no contract with them.

Let's try and put this into some order. I move into a property. I push the switch and the light comes on. I am therefore in a legally-binding Deemed Contract with that supplier. I ring that supplier up and tell them who I am and I give them meter readings. I am then free to switch suppliers. The existing supplier will then bill me for all the energy supplied until the switch goes through.

You now say that you didn't contact Scottish Power. The supply was first taken over by FU and then Ovo. Scottish Power belatedly appears to have played the erroneous transfer card which it is entitled to do as it will not let a switch go through until it has confirmation of who is paying its bill.

Am I missing something here?

yoshiyella

Hengus wrote: »

Let's try and put this into some order. I move into a property. I push the switch and the light comes on. I am therefore in a legally-binding Deemed Contract with that supplier. I ring that supplier up and tell them who I am and I give them meter readings. I am then free to switch suppliers. The existing supplier will then bill me for all the energy supplied until the switch goes through.

You now say that you didn't contact Scottish Power. The supply was first taken over by FU and then Ovo. Scottish Power belatedly appears to have played the erroneous transfer card which it is entitled to do as it will not let a switch go through until it has confirmation of who is paying its bill.

Am I missing something here?

Yes, I first contacted Scottih Power (on the same day as we got the keys) and said that I would be looking to move as their rates were poor!

Then I contacted FU - who then lied to me, so said we wouldn't be transferring over to them and to close our old account and refund our accounts credit.

I then contacted OVO.