Add your feedback on energy supplier Tonik

Telegraph_Sam

I wonder if the obligation is to maintain a (any) active D/D, or rather to keep one's account in a reasonable credit (or debit) state.  I suspect that the supplier would be on weak ground if he insisted on maintaining a high D/D even when the balance in the account was excessive. "Manage your payment to keep it ..." depends of course on the supplier's cooperation which can sometimes be sadly lacking. As I said I temporarily suspended by D/D's and there was no come-back.

Catslovelycats

Well the bill problem I had back in March that wasn't resolved I have now escalated to Ombudsman via Resolver site.
Interesting to see other problems have been occuring on here. My first couple of years with them was faultless.
I'm leaving Tonik as soon as I get my money back.

Telegraph_Sam

"as soon as ...."    I have no doubt that other readers will be keen to hear what  your experience has been / will be with Resolver / Ombudsman.

JTMilroy

DO NOT USE. Left them in April, they didn’t produce a final bill, took another DD and after a few emails where they admit fault, they’ve ignored me, and I’ve now had to go to Ombudsman. Why are people like this allowed to run businesses??? AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME.

Molassis

Don't not touch this Toxic company.
So many Complaints on social media.
Surely Martin Lewis could help by investigating Tonik Energy & give us some answers & guidance.  It was, after all on his recommendation that we took his advice to switch to Tonik.
Are they going bust ? What's wrong with their systems ? Why don't they respond to their customers or reimburse money owed to customers ? What is going on with Tonik --- will someone please tell me.

ppppenguin

Some good news. The ombudsman has fully upheld my complaint. Tonik had initially offered £50 compensation, I asked for £100. Unsurprisingly the ombudsman split the difference and said £75. I am also to get an apology plus the right to leave at any time without penalty.

This leaves me with the annoyance that I am currently on separate gas and electric suppliers and it will be a nuisance to get back to a single supplier.

Telegraph_Sam

Any advice from your experience you can offer to other readers who might be thinking of going the Ombudsman, Resolver or any other route?

ppppenguin

I was fortunate to get a 56 day letter from Tonik (saying that the complaint had been running for 56 days and I was now allowed to go to Ombudsman). This or a deadlock letter makes it very easy. If you don't get either of these then you'll have to show that it has been 56 days since you complained and not a got a proper response.

Then the Ombudman website makes it very easy. Make sure you set out your case clearly, with any documents (bills, meter readings, complaints etc). Documents can be emails, other computer files, photos of meter readings etc. Scans of paper documents, if any, also useful. In my case it was all emails, photos of meter readings and PDF documents from Tonik. Overclaim for compensation. I think that £50 is a commonplace offer from suppliers as an appeasement. So I asked for £100 and got £75. If you can back up your claim with actual loss figure then that's good. For example "I had to pay about £15 more for gas over the period of the dispute and estimate that I will be paying another £20 as a result of the supplier's failings". I didn't calculate my actual loss, I just asserted that there would be one, plus asking for compensation for time and trouble. It's fairly arbitrary but you can see how it works.

Since we're in an online forum I assume that most people here would prefer to use online means to refer to the ombudsman. It can be done by post but why bother.

JennyCant

I was a Tonik customer up until February this year and discovered last week my switch to Eon had not been fully completed. Having asked Eon to sort that out I then ended up with a £94 bill from Tonik and have just been on hold to them for 40 minutes to be told yes it is incorrect and they will send me a letter in 10 - 14 days...so we will wait and see! 

MaggieGroundhog

I switched from Tonik on March 11th and despite numerous phone calls and emails I have not yet been refunded my £109 credit. First I was told I needed a second 'final bill' which was emailed and was 2p different from the first. Then after a lot of toing and froing I was told my new provider, Octopus, had not provided a final meter reading. Octopus said they had done this on March 15th but provided it again to Tonik on July 15th. Tonik told me to re-instate my Tonik direct debit so they could refund me. Nothing. On August 17th I started their complaint procedure and was told I would get a reply in 10 days. Nothing yet.