Can't Escape Previous Gas Supplier

HiGarland

Hello Energy Forum, hope you can help me:

Feb 2016: I used USwitch to instigate a change of dual gas and electricity supplier from Co-Operative Energy to First Utility. Various objections about the switch were raised by the Co-Op, including one raised because I still had £0.00 left to pay on their account! In the end it proved really quite complicated to organise the closure of my Co-Op account, but when Ofgen got involved everything, so I thought, had been sorted out to the Co-Op's satisfaction.

March 2016: Followed USwitch's instructions re switching: On 22nd March I took final (for Co-Op) / initial (for First Utility) gas and electricity meter readings to switch to First Utility, paid off final bill to Co-Op and cancelled my direct debit with the Co-Op.

May 2016: I receive a letter from Co-Op thanking me for joining their Pioneer Variable Tariff on my gas supply. I immediately queried this with Co-Op, they told me it had something to do with the type of gas meter I have and the company acting as intermediary re the switch of my gas supply. The Co-Op said that because of the type of meter I have it can take up to 3 months from the date of switching to the new gas supplier for things to get sorted out. They, the Co-Op, said they don't know which company it is that's acting as intermediary re the switch of my gas supply from themselves to First Utility as there are lots of such companies. The only authority I think they may be referring to is USwitch. Anyway, it seems the Co-Op is fully expecting to send me another gas bill even though I made my final payment to them at the time of switching to First Utility.

I haven't received a gas bill yet from the Co-Op but if I do, I don't think I should pay it. I've done everything by USwitch's book. I've paid the final bill the Co-Op asked me to pay when I switched to First Utility so why should I have to pay more? I've switched suppliers in the past and never had this sort of problem.

I'm worried that the Co-Op have signed me up on their Pioneer Variable Tariff completely out of the blue and without my authority because I thought the Co-Op and I had parted company. Further, there doesn't seem to be any way I can prevent them putting me on this tariff -- again, according to the Co-Op, it's all to do with the company sorting out my switch of gas supplier and the type of gas meter I have. I have no idea what the hell the Co-Op is up to, but if they think I'm paying them for my gas when I'm already on a better tariff with First Utility then they must be deluding themselves. First Utility say that if they receive instructions to cancel my gas account with them from the intermediary company organising my switch of suppliers then they must comply -- it's up to me to attempt to prevent the cancellation by responding to First Utility's 'Sorry You're Leaving Us' email. If I miss spotting this email (First Utility won't, it seems, send me a letter!) then apparently my gas supplier will revert back to the Co-Op.

I have also contacted Citizens Advice about this btw, and they've given me a reference number. They told me to contact First Utility and tell them not to cancel my gas account with them should such a cancellation request be made. As I've said, however, First Utility say that if they receive such an instruction then it's up to me to respond to their email re this cancellation otherwise my account will be closed.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens; hopefully there's nothing for me to worry about, but any advice on this would be helpful.

Thanks

Peter

System

Bear in mind that switching and the transfer of supply are not the same thing. Under its Licence obligation, a supplier has to use it's reasonable endeavours to transfer a supply within 35 days of application. Transfers involving an IGT can take longer. Up until the day of the actual transfer, the old supplier has the right to bill you. You are doing the right thing by contacting Citizens Advice.

molerat

Firstly you need to confirm that FU are indeed supplying your energy. https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/who-supplies-my-electricity-and-gas/ They will tell you conclusively who your current supplier is.

Are FU billing you for both, have you received a bill from them clearly showing meter readings for both fuels ?

Your gas may be supplied through an Independent Gas Transporter and not National Grid which brings another complication into switching which some suppliers cannot cope with.

And, as mentioned above, you have FU to contend with.

HiGarland

Thanks for replying.

FU are billing me and I have received a bill for both fuels.

The Meter Number Helpline's not open till Monday now.

I haven't had a problem with FU's customer service, to be honest.

Peter

DavidP24

HiGarland wrote: »

I haven't had a problem with FU's customer service, to be honest.

Famous Last Words!!

Seriously, you can't be billed by two different suppliers for the same fuel, you have the FU bill, your contract is with them now so you pay it.

If Co-Op bill you you dispute the bill, go to stalemate and report to ombudsman, that costs them £300.

I can understand your concern.

NorskMann

What meter do you have? Is your meter supported by FU? Are you supplied by an IGT (where things at the moment can be messy)?

If you could ask one of the suppliers (I'm not too sure on their policy as I don't work for them) for an XO-Serve screenshot, you could get a lot of information.

HiGarland

The Co-Op have now presented me with a bill for £111.34.

Turns out that what's happened is initially everything was running smoothly with the transfer from the Co-Op to First Utility, and according to USwitch the switch was completed on 29 Feb and 'was found to be valid'. BUT, subsequent to what was supposed to be my final bill from the Co-Op (which I paid off in full) the Co-Op raised an objection because I had £0.00 left to pay on my account (obviously a computer glitch!). This delayed the transfer and meant that First Utility took over my gas on 22 Mar and my electricity on 6 April, which is counter to the information I've received from USwitch. In the interim period from the Co-Op's 'final bill' to eventual handover to First Utility, I've accrued £111.34 in gas and electricity fees, which is why the Co-Op have now sent me this bill. USwitch say any monies owing subsequent to their switch over date, 29 Feb, should go to First Utility as, according to USwitch First Utility took over as my supplier on 29 Feb; however, the Co-Op argue that because the £111.34 was accrued before the 'proper' switch over dates, 22 Mar and 6 April, the money should go to them and not First Utility.

My argument is that I shouldn't have to play this higher tariff energy bill because had the Co-Op's !!!!!!ed-up computer system not delayed the transfer by raising a nonsensical objection I would have been on First Utility's lower tariff.

I'll take this up with the Ombudsman tomorrow because according to the Co-Op a Goodwill payment to write-off, or at least reduce, this bill is out of the question: it's an 'industry standard' thing, according to the Co-Op, and so is out of their hands -- !!!!!!!!!

Don't mind telling you guys that I'm really !!!!ed off about this: How is it the customer can do everything correctly by the book and end up having to pay for someone else's !!!!-ups?

GingerBob_3

HiGarland wrote: »

The Co-Op have now presented me with a bill for £111.34.

Turns out that what's happened is initially everything was running smoothly with the transfer from the Co-Op to First Utility, and according to USwitch the switch was completed on 29 Feb and 'was found to be valid'. BUT, subsequent to what was supposed to be my final bill from the Co-Op (which I paid off in full) the Co-Op raised an objection because I had £0.00 left to pay on my account (obviously a computer glitch!). This delayed the transfer and meant that First Utility took over my gas on 22 Mar and my electricity on 6 April, which is counter to the information I've received from USwitch. In the interim period from the Co-Op's 'final bill' to eventual handover to First Utility, I've accrued £111.34 in gas and electricity fees, which is why the Co-Op have now sent me this bill. USwitch say any monies owing subsequent to their switch over date, 29 Feb, should go to First Utility as, according to USwitch First Utility took over as my supplier on 29 Feb; however, the Co-Op argue that because the £111.34 was accrued before the 'proper' switch over dates, 22 Mar and 6 April, the money should go to them and not First Utility.

My argument is that I shouldn't have to play this higher tariff energy bill because had the Co-Op's !!!!!!ed-up computer system not delayed the transfer by raising a nonsensical objection I would have been on First Utility's lower tariff.

I'll take this up with the Ombudsman tomorrow because according to the Co-Op a Goodwill payment to write-off, or at least reduce, this bill is out of the question: it's an 'industry standard' thing, according to the Co-Op, and so is out of their hands -- !!!!!!!!!

Don't mind telling you guys that I'm really !!!!ed off about this: How is it the customer can do everything correctly by the book and end up having to pay for someone else's !!!!-ups?

Because all the cards are stacked in their favour. And if you don't toe the line they'll play their trump card; the malicious credit reference report card. That is, if you don't pay up exactly on their terms they'll shaft your ability to obtain any form of credit by lying to the CRAs, who will then publish the lies.

WhoIsThat

HiGarland wrote: »

The Co-Op have now presented me with a bill for £111.34.

Turns out that what's happened is initially everything was running smoothly with the transfer from the Co-Op to First Utility, and according to USwitch the switch was completed on 29 Feb and 'was found to be valid'. BUT, subsequent to what was supposed to be my final bill from the Co-Op (which I paid off in full) the Co-Op raised an objection because I had £0.00 left to pay on my account (obviously a computer glitch!). This delayed the transfer and meant that First Utility took over my gas on 22 Mar and my electricity on 6 April, which is counter to the information I've received from USwitch. In the interim period from the Co-Op's 'final bill' to eventual handover to First Utility, I've accrued £111.34 in gas and electricity fees, which is why the Co-Op have now sent me this bill. USwitch say any monies owing subsequent to their switch over date, 29 Feb, should go to First Utility as, according to USwitch First Utility took over as my supplier on 29 Feb; however, the Co-Op argue that because the £111.34 was accrued before the 'proper' switch over dates, 22 Mar and 6 April, the money should go to them and not First Utility.

My argument is that I shouldn't have to play this higher tariff energy bill because had the Co-Op's !!!!!!ed-up computer system not delayed the transfer by raising a nonsensical objection I would have been on First Utility's lower tariff.

I'll take this up with the Ombudsman tomorrow because according to the Co-Op a Goodwill payment to write-off, or at least reduce, this bill is out of the question: it's an 'industry standard' thing, according to the Co-Op, and so is out of their hands -- !!!!!!!!!

Don't mind telling you guys that I'm really !!!!ed off about this: How is it the customer can do everything correctly by the book and end up having to pay for someone else's !!!!-ups?

When did you receive the bill for £111.34?

Presumably since your last post in this thread on 04-06-2016

And you obviously couldn't have complained about it before you received it

So unless you already have a deadlock letter, which if you have, you have failed to mention, then don't waste your time or the ombudsmans tomorrow with your ill-conceived plan.

HiGarland

I received the bill by e-mail this morning.