Erroneous transfer of utilty supply Eon Ebico xyz?

dadsarmy1

Hi, I have been happy at Ebico for 7 years. Recently I received a final bill from Ebico and a welcome letter from Eon. Phoned Eon a few days ago and they apologised saying they had made a erroneous transfer and would return account to Ebico. Ebico refused the transfer saying our supplier is now Fact? Asked operator to repeat word which sounded like Fact. Can not find a Fact so could be Spark? Ebico then suggest we phone National Grid to find out who our supplier is. Any advice by MSE members appreciated. Thank you.

footyguy

dadsarmy1 wrote: »

Hi, I have been happy at Ebico for 8 years. Recently I received a final bill from Ebico and a welcome letter from Eon. Phoned Eon a few days ago and they apologised saying they had made a erroneous transfer and would return account to Ebico. Ebico refused the transfer saying our supplier is now Fact? Asked operator to repeat word which sounded like Fact. Can not find a Fact so could be Spark? Ebico then suggest we phone National Grid to find out who our supplier is. Any advice by MSE members appreciated. Thank you.

It's usually the customer who needs to initiate the request to revert back to the old supplier under the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter.

Have you objected to the switch? Ebico (SSE) would have written to you before the switch took place with a 'Sorry you are leaving" card/letter - that would have been the best time to object if you wanted to.

If you have requested a return back to the original supplier under the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter, then you must have made a complaint. Yes, a supplier can object to an ET request. If that happens, all you can do is try to understand why they are objecting, and see if you agree with them. If not, and they still object, then all you can do is escalate the complaint according to their complaint procedure ... which ultimately ends up with the option to take the matter to the ombudsman.

Totally confused as to why you have been advised to call National Grid to find out who your supplier is. You say you already know who your supplier is - it's now Eon according to you. The only thing that seems in possible dispute is whether or not you asked Eon to become your supplier.

I don't understand why a supplier would not want you back. Have you upset them? Suppliers usually want as many customers as they can get, and if it doesn't cost the supplier money to get them, so much the better for the supplier.
Objections usually come from the new/current supplier when the old supplier tries to get you back, not an old supplier refusing to have you back when a new/current supplier is attempting to send you back.

Ebico

Hi dadsarmi1,

We are sorry to hear that Eon has erroneously transferred you from Ebico. We're really keen to investigate this further for you.

Please contact us on 0800 458 7689, or 01993 608 404 if calling from mobile, to provide us with more details.

Thank you,

The Ebico Team

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

dadsarmy1 wrote: »

Hi, I have been happy at Ebico for 8 years. Recently I received a final bill from Ebico and a welcome letter from Eon. Phoned Eon a few days ago and they apologised saying they had made a erroneous transfer and would return account to Ebico. Ebico refused the transfer saying our supplier is now Fact? Asked operator to repeat word which sounded like Fact. Can not find a Fact so could be Spark? Ebico then suggest we phone National Grid to find out who our supplier is. Any advice by MSE members appreciated. Thank you.

Hello dadsarmy1 and I'm sorry we appear to have taken your account by mistake.

Footyguy gives some excellent advice. Thanks Footyguy. As advised, where accounts are taken by mistake, there's an industry wide process to send them back to the original supplier as if they had never been away. This is the Erroneous Transfer (ET) mentioned.

Where the transfer is within the first 14 day cooling off period, the account can be cancelled and the switch stopped. After this it takes a bit longer as we need to contact Ebico and ask them to take you back. Once they've agreed, we'll cancel our account and any bills or charges that might've been raised as though you had never been with us. The return goes through the usual switching route and the whole thing is usually done within 3 to 5 weeks.

Sounds like you've been in touch with us and started this process but something seems to have happened along the way to stop it. I'd take up Ebico's offer of assistance to see why they've raised an objection. We've also a specialist team that'll be happy to help. I can put you in touch with them or you can phone the number on the welcome letter and ask to speak to the Erroneous Transfers team. They're open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 8am and 6pm Saturdays. It'll help speed things up if you've the meter serial numbers to hand. It may be we've taken over the wrong address and this will help confirm if we have.

Hope this points you in the right direction dadsarmy1.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

footyguy wrote: »

It's usually the customer who needs to initiate the request to revert back to the old supplier under the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter.

Have you objected to the switch? Ebico (SSE) would have written to you before the switch took place with a 'Sorry you are leaving" card/letter - that would have been the best time to object if you wanted to.

If you have requested a return back to the original supplier under the Erroneous Transfer Customer Charter, then you must have made a complaint. Yes, a supplier can object to an ET request. If that happens, all you can do is try to understand why they are objecting, and see if you agree with them. If not, and they still object, then all you can do is escalate the complaint according to their complaint procedure ... which ultimately ends up with the option to take the matter to the ombudsman.

Totally confused as to why you have been advised to call National Grid to find out who your supplier is. You say you already know who your supplier is - it's now Eon according to you. The only thing that seems in possible dispute is whether or not you asked Eon to become your supplier.

I don't understand why a supplier would not want you back. Have you upset them? Suppliers usually want as many customers as they can get, and if it doesn't cost the supplier money to get them, so much the better for the supplier.
Objections usually come from the new/current supplier when the old supplier tries to get you back, not an old supplier refusing to have you back when a new/current supplier is attempting to send you back.

Spot on footyguy. Excellent advice and thanks for posting.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Ebico_Company_Representative wrote: »

Hi dadsarmi1,

We are sorry to hear that Eon has erroneously transferred you from Ebico. We're really keen to investigate this further for you.

Please contact us on 0800 458 7689, or 01993 608 404 if calling from mobile, to provide us with more details.

Thank you,

The Ebico Team

Thanks for offering to investigate Ebico Team. Let me know if there's anything Helena and I can do to help. Although, I suspect you'll be talking to our Erroneous Transfers team as above. They've more access and scope than we have and will be able to sort things out quicker.

Malc

dadsarmy1

Hi Footyguy, Malc, Ebico team and good people. Thank you for your advice.

Ok, looking back to December, no "sorry you are leaving letter" arrived here. We did receive the usual bill in the post and looking at it today in more detail it does say Final Bill which I must have thought was end of year being December or not thought at all! As I have also been paying for gas supplied by Ebico I never thought anything was amiss until a letter was received from Ebico in July this time the Final Bill being a refund of £5.00 was noticed and alarm bells rang.

EXTRA information - from Wednesday night and Thursday. Western power said Spark became my supplier in December and Eon in May. Therefore I was erroneously transfered to Spark and then in May again erroneously transfered to Eon. I have not received any communication from Spark until I telephoned them after my original post here.

My first contact with Eon was a letter addressed to a neighbour but with our house number which arrived a day after the July refund from Ebico. The Eon welcome to new home card arrived about a day or so after that. A day later I got my "First Bill" from Eon which had our supply number on but with an estimated reading of around 30,000 when my actual meter reading is around 10,000.

I never had any correspondence from Spark before or during the time that they believed they were supplying me.

I have telephoned both Eon and Spark and they both admit their mistake and say that they have tried to send my account back to Ebico but they say Ebico refused to accept. Ebico customer services advisor asked her manager, the erroneous transfers department and the escalation department today advised me that because 2 erroneous transfers are involved they can not sort it out and for me to pay Eon and Spark and make my own way back.

One other possibility might be for me to ask Eon to transfer me back to Spark and ask Spark to transfer me back to Ebico. I am very reluctant to do this at this stage as I do not want to be billed by Eon or Spark, or indeed join them. I want to pay the company that I signed up with. I do not want to end up paying more or paying twice or paying less.

I moved into this new build terrace house about 8 years ago. About 7 years ago I switched to Ebico and have never been late paying a bill and the meter is external and accessible 24/7 LOL. Ebico definitely advised contact National Grid to find out who our electricity supplier is and supplied the telephone number 08456066766

Thanks again - what do you think.

D_M_E

It would appear that one or more of your neighbours tried to switch their supply and it was yours that ended up being switched.

You should write to each of the 3 companies and head your letter COMPLAINT in big bold letters and outline what you have put above to each company and state what you want done.

Also include your meter serial numbers and current readings and take photos of readings as well.

I don't think this will be resolved within the 56 day deadline so on day 57 get on to OFGEM and get them involved.

I would also refuse to pay any bill which arrives and tell them that it's in dispute until the matter is settled - meanwhile keep enough cash somewhere handy to pay any bill when everything is finally settled.

dadsarmy1

Thank you D_M_E

Yes, the landlord of a terrace 3 doors down whose name was on a Final Bill from Eon but addressed to us and with our meter number on has moved back into his previously let property. The original tenants 3 doors down moved out possibly in December last year.

Thanks again 👍

dadsarmy1

Ebico eventually decided (after we mentioned ombudsman) to sort it all out. £30 compensation from them.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Glad it's sorted dadsarmy1 and thanks for the update.

Have a good weekend.

Malc