Reclaiming money from previous supplier due to 'unfair tariff'

Ballard

I had been haranguing my parents to move gas & electricity suppliers for several years but they thought it too much hassle. Finally this year they changed and thankfully now have much lower bills.

I spoke to my mother earlier and she seems to think that she's heard of people claiming funds back on the assumption that their tariff was unfair. I should say that I don't agree with her as they knew what the tariff was but chose to do nothing about it.

I don't have any details of the company or tariff but is it feasible that they might be able to get something back?

CashStrapped

No. unfortunately, if the supplier was billing your parents correctly and it was just a uncompetitive tariff then your parents have no recompense.

It is just a case of lesson learnt with the knowledge that it is best to check you are on the cheapest tariffs at least every 6 months these days.

Well done for convincing your parents to switch.

There is a back billing code, but this only applies in certain circumstances where the provider has not billed or attempted to produce a bill for a certain amount of time. This does not apply in your situation.

System

We older people can get confused!! Unless your parents think that have been mis-sold a tariff by a man at the door etc then, as CS has explained, it is unlikely that they have any comeback against the supplier.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/Energy-mis-selling-complaints

Ballard

Thanks to the pair of you. It's as I thought. At least I got through to them eventually and I think that their bill is now something like £40 a month cheaper.

One of the reasons that they were so stubborn is that they once had a door to door salesman knock. He asked them who they were with and when they told them he said that there was no way he could beat their prices. I said at the time that he could well have been from that company but we will never know now.

System

There is something inherently wrong, in my view, about energy suppliers' agents knocking on doors; trapping people in the street, and in stores trying to flog energy. I would ban the practice.

jk0

My mother's the same. She says Southern Electric have told her she's on the cheapest tariff, and she does not want to hear about anyone else.

I have to say, given the hassle previous switches have caused me, I have some sympathy.

CashStrapped

I thought door to door selling for energy was prohibited now?

I remember the last time they were in our area, the sellers were acting on behalf of SSE.

The area had recently had all it's lamposts replaced with modern ones as part of a PPI scheme with SSE. The details of which are not available to the public as it is a private contract would you believe!

Anyway, the doorstep sellers were trying to use this unrelated development to sell the energy tariffs at the door.

If I remember correctly they had the cheak to say somthing along the lines of, "we have recently taken over the electricity supply in the area and are able to offer you a special tariff".

Needless to say I just looked at him as if he were mad and then he looked a bit confused when I knew our tariff rates off the top of my head.

Ballard

I couldn't be certain but I think that my parents were previously with SSE.

Not that it matters a great deal now.