MSE News: British Gas & Npower wrongly tell those with fixes ending to pay exit fees

Legacy_user

British Gas and Npower have been wrongly telling customers coming to the end of their fix they'll have to pay to switch ...

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'British Gas and Npower wrongly tell those with energy fixes ending they face exit fees to switch'

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dogshome

BG - Britain's most trusted Utility Brand - With prices to match.

Can't believe that this episode is just down to ill-trained Service Desk staff, it's not that long ago that BG were insisting that customer pay exit fee's because Switch Date was the date that BG were first informed that a Switch was in progress - Ofgem slammed them down hard at that time - Are BG blessed with the memory capacity of a goldfish ?

Consumerist

From the article:-

We've checked with Ofgem exactly how the rule's implemented and it's confirmed that means you can APPLY to switch up to 49 days before your fix ends without paying exit fees. You can't, however, apply more than 49 days before your fix ends and then just change supplier within the switching window – if you do that, you may have to pay fees.

According to the Standard Licence Condition 24.8, however:-

24.8 In relation to each Fixed Term Supply Contract, the licensee must ensure that:

(a) a Domestic Customer is entitled to take steps to facilitate changing to any other Gas Supplier (but not complete the process of changing supplier) at any time without having to pay a Termination Fee;

(b) unless the Domestic Customer has already entered into a new Fixed Term Supply Contract with the licensee or paragraph 22C.5 of standard condition 22C applies, a Domestic Customer is entitled to switch to any other Gas Supplier at any time during or after the Switching Window without having to pay a Termination Fee;

(c) a Domestic Customer is not required to give any form of notice to terminate a Fixed Term Supply Contract or to switch supplier.

and

24.17 For the purposes of this condition “Switching Window” means the period which begins 49 days before the date the fixed term period of a Fixed Term Supply Contract is due to end and which ends on the date the fixed term period of a Fixed Term Supply Contract is due to end.


Ofgem is a very bad joke, in my opinion. :rotfl:

phillw

dogshome wrote: »

Can't believe that this episode is just down to ill-trained Service Desk staff,

The!Service Desk staff are just!pawns in the game.

Trying to charge an exit fee when it's not allowable serves the company!two ways.

1. You phone them up to complain and it gives them another chance to offer you a "deal".

2. If you!just accept!it then they can take the money knowing that you're not the type of person who complains.

They embody the post truth environment we live in. When you try to use the evidence to prove that they are acting dishonestly they just say they are incompetent.