Extortionate Charges - Gas Supplier

ASavvyBuyer

Rather than an email, it is better to send them an actual letter Recorded Delivery, so that you have proof that they have received it.

MMeldrum

ASavvyBuyer wrote: »

Rather than an email, it is better to send them an actual letter Recorded Delivery, so that you have proof that they have received it.

You're absolutely right. Email would make sense from an urgency point of view, but they've already "lost" a Change of Tenancy email from me in the past.


I have a bad habit of trusting companies to be honest... even after all these years!


Thanks for the nudge. I'll go down the recorded delivery route.

MMeldrum

Just a quick update to say thanks... because the Energy Ombudsman agreed that Gazprom had acted unfairly! :beer:

Their response was:

I consider the amount of time taken in processing the change of tenancy as a shortfall in customer service and I am satisfied that this was financially detrimental to you as you were being billed on more expensive commercial deemed rates as opposed to domestic rates. I do not consider it fair or reasonable to bill you on commercial deemed rates and I propose the company should provide confirmation in writing that, upon receiving evidence of the tariff rates you have agreed with your new supplier, it will price match your new supplier’s tariff rate and backdate the price-matched tariffs to the start of your account.

The key fact was that we informed Gazprom as soon as we had moved in, but they took 2 full months to notify us of the tariff rates.

So for anyone else in this situation, where you've been caught out by an obscenely expensive 'deemed contract', don't just give in and pay it immediately. Challenge it!

Thanks for your advice, dogshome (and ASavvyBuyer). It was invaluable!