Spark help

Kittyrules

So my girlfriend moved into the flat in June, she was told she was with British gas so paid them then Spark sent a letter and requested money she cancelled BG.

She called the gas people and they said no one was supplying it

So stupidly she paid Spark till August and then stopped.
They are now saying she owes 544 pounds the meter readings given did not match and she doesn't recall signing up to anyone they were just on when she got here.

They are telling her she cant change supplies as she needs some code but Spark aren't giving her it?
Has anyone dealt with this?

I am guessing landlord took Spark on and she signed to this somewhere in her tenancy

csgohan4

Did she take readings on starting the tenancy?

Spark are rubbish, avoid in future, EA and LL have commission from them

System

Kittyrules wrote: »

So my girlfriend moved into the flat in June, she was told she was with British gas so paid them then Spark sent a letter and requested money she cancelled BG.

She called the gas people and they said no one was supplying it

So stupidly she paid Spark till August and then stopped.
They are now saying she owes 544 pounds the meter readings given did not match and she doesn't recall signing up to anyone they were just on when she got here.

They are telling her she cant change supplies as she needs some code but Spark aren't giving her it?
Has anyone dealt with this?

I am guessing landlord took Spark on and she signed to this somewhere in her tenancy

Not quite that simple I'm afraid. All properties have what is known as a Deemed Supplier/s. This is to ensure that power is available immediately a new owner/tenant moves in. It is important the Deemed Supplier/s are contacted immediately with meter readings. They will then set up an account against a name. From this point onwards, a switch to a new supplier can be initiated. The Deemed Supplier/s will charge for energy used at its standard variable rate until a switch goes through unless you agree to move to one of their fixed tariffs.

Clearly, if she was told that property was with BG then there may be some comeback against the landlord/agent. One of the other things to check before paying any bills is that the period of time on the bill is correct. Tenants do have a habit of moving out and not telling anyone. Most suppliers will accept a copy of the tenancy agreement and they will then calculate backwards to determine start readings.

FWiW, in future, if a supplier says that they are not the supplier then it is often best to check the meter numbers against the National Database.