Advice about changing supplier

shoeswith

Hi

I have a question about what the right order to change my supplier as my situation is quite complex.

I am currently on a pay as you go electricity meter with British gas but I have found the meter is still in the name of the last owner of the property. But I pay for the gas on a normal meter paying monthly by DD this is obviously in my name.

I want to change to a normal meter and probably change suppliers for both electricity and gas. I think British gas is not the cheapest. I wont have a problem with credit checks for paying monthly for the electricity

Do you think I can change electricity suppliers immediately without bothering to change the name of the of the payg meter? Will i need to pay for a new electricity meter that isn't payg?

dogshome

Are you saying that you advised BG of your occupancy when you moved in for both the Gas & Elec, but BG are still communicating the Elec data in the previous owners name. Or is the case you only contacted BG about the Gas?

Either way you must get the PAYGO meter registered to you at this address before any thought of Switching - Even PAYGO meters can run up debt and you could well be paying for the previous owners

shoeswith

I cant remember, BG only seem to know about the Gas. I would have thought that it was difficult for there to be two people of different names registered at the same address paying for utilities with the same company.but that is what has transpired.

How can you run up debt on a PAYGO meter?

dogshome

Even though it seems both the Elec & Gas are supplied by BG, they are two different accounts entirely seperated from one another - It has to be this way as customers have the right to be supplied by one company for Elec, and a different one for Gas.

PAYGO meters can carry debt for various reasons
1) If a customer builds up debt on a credit meter, the supplier has the right to fit a PAYGO meter and collect part of the debt from every payment made on the PAYGO card
2) It can happen that the PAYGO meter isn't set to collect the correct tariff amount and delivers more Gas/Elec than is being paid for - The debt then appears on the annual statement.

In your own interests, you must get on to BG a.s.a.p and get a top-up card in your own name and account number

spiro

Hopefully you read the elec meter when you moved in otherwise they will need to estimate you move in meter reading.
How long ago did you move in?