Anyone have experience of Solarplicity

ewicc

MoneySavingExpert.com Insert:

If you're looking for more recent feedback in 2018 take a look at our forumites' Solarplicity energy reviews.

Back to ewicc's original 2017 post...


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Does anyone have experience of using Solarplicity energy, they come out as one of the cheapest for me on the comparison sites?
I have never heard of them before, so not sure if i should go with them.

James_dd

I'm in the same boat (their tariff is fantastic for me, but showed up on the day I switched to Ebico Grr.) - Apparently they recently acquired LoCO2 Energy to join the energy supplier market so I suspect it's their staff and backend that's running things. There's plenty of discussion of them on this forum.

ewicc

Thanks

Which is better to go with fixed rate or variable rate? What do most people on here opt for?

[Deleted User]

Feedback thread for LoCO2 aka Solarplicity https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/58957809#Comment_58957809
The price is the same for both currently but you do have to pay an early exit fee on the fixed if you want to leave before it ends.
As to which to choose, it would depend if you think prices are going up then it's fixed else it's variable.
And no, nobody on this forum or any other forum knows the correct answer. Financial geniuses in The City loses money trying to get this right every day of the year.

Jules9669

Switch seems to be a slow nightmare with both Solarplicity and old supplier still taking direct debit. Lack of communication

cing0

When using a switching website, you get email confirmation from Solarplicity of your switch being accepted with customer number on the next day.
After that, you get email confirmation the following day of direct debit setup.

Guna

They are a bloody nightmare! Tried to switch to them for two months in a row as currently pay more for standing charge with my current supplier than for the actual consumption. Solarplicity has absolutely no record of my switch applications. Not sure I trust them to supply my energy with this level of organisation, might just stick with my current one at a price of extra £120 a year...

daveandmart

keep getting pestered about getting smart meter installed.....
(heard horror stories on watchdog regarding explosions etc)
agreed then had second thoughts so phoned to cancel
45 min wait on the phone got it cancelled
one week later they called about getting a smart meter installed...!!!
refused,
another 2 weeks later same call..told a new meter had to be installed ( legal requirement)...so accepted....checked this fact...phoned to cancel
another 45 min wait..told there was no appointment booked for a meter exchange....but the engineer phoned to say he was on his way!!!
now waiting on phone (30 mins so far) to sort this out....as they threaten cancellation fees if appointment missed
only went with solarplicity cos recommended via money saving expert
am SICK of them

chico

daveandmart wrote: »

keep getting pestered about getting smart meter installed.....
..told a new meter had to be installed ( legal requirement)...

Register a complaint regarding

(i) their incorrect statement that a smart meter is a legal requirement when it is actually NOT compulsory, and

(ii) about their continuing harassment and wasting your time.

Then if necessary make a complaint to Ofgem.

Ofgem state: "smart meters ... aren’t compulsory and you can choose not to have one."

System

chico wrote: »

Register a complaint regarding

(i) their incorrect statement that a smart meter is a legal requirement when it is actually NOT compulsory, and

(ii) about their continuing harassment and wasting your time.

Then if necessary make a complaint to Ofgem.

Ofgem state: "smart meters ... aren’t compulsory and you can choose not to have one."

Good advice, but saying ‘no’ no longer means no. Suppliers are permitted (indeed encouraged) by Ofgem to look at new ways of promoting smart meter adoption. It follows that we can all expect frequent contact from our suppliers as each new marketing strategy is launched. The Government has also decided that smart meter letters etc are communications from your supplier, and not marketing. GDPR opt out therefore does not apply.

Jakubk

daveandmart wrote: »

keep getting pestered about getting smart meter installed.....
(heard horror stories on watchdog regarding explosions etc)
agreed then had second thoughts so phoned to cancel
45 min wait on the phone got it cancelled
one week later they called about getting a smart meter installed...!!!
refused,
another 2 weeks later same call..told a new meter had to be installed ( legal requirement)...so accepted....checked this fact...phoned to cancel
another 45 min wait..told there was no appointment booked for a meter exchange....but the engineer phoned to say he was on his way!!!
now waiting on phone (30 mins so far) to sort this out....as they threaten cancellation fees if appointment missed
only went with solarplicity cos recommended via money saving expert
am SICK of them

I thought what this company was doing was great but I have had all the problems of others and I would strongly urge that you stay well away from this lot.

I am considering asking for them not to be allowed to take on new customers as they cannot handle what they have.

I got letter from CEO but his promise of named Customer Champion responding withing 72 hours was not honoured, Message of 22nd May and follow up message had no reply.

Now I read on here (the first I have heard of it) that they are increasing tariff massively if you have No Standing Charge, if that happens I will complain to all organisations that regulate them and MP etc.

They have not given me any formal notification of an increase, hell they do not even seem to be able to manage a proper bill with a payment slip. Despite giving them readings they have given me a statement (not a bill) for one energy (not other) for an estimated amount. This was dated AFTER I gave the reading! The layout of "statement" is awful.

To me a bill is different from a statement, the latter is only a summary of what owed rather than an invoice. It does include some usage but in tiny font with 6 yes 6 decimal places. So the unit price for Gas is listed as 0.034800. The layout is such that they do not list things together to make maths easy to verify, plus they have huge gap at bottom of one page where the bank payment slip should be.

I look at the problems people have had on here and on Trustpilot, it seems that I have had all, but still I would have stayed with them if they honoured their promise of no standing charge with competitive rate and I could pay a post office or bank with cash.

The CEO blamed their IT and Smart Meter programme, no doubt they have got stuck with a load of SMET1 meters, they are NOT going to force these on me.

With regard to smart meter, I was worried that I saw this partnership for 100,000 prepay smart meters, the last thing I want is prepay meter

metering.com/regional-news/europe-uk/solarplicity-trilliant-prepaid-meters-uk

Also just saw their 24 page terms doc online saying

"14. Smart Meters
We will write to You before the installation of a Smart Meter, which you may opt-out of receiving
at any time prior to the installation of the Smart!Meter.

So not only can you refuse by OFGEM rules but their own terms and conditions


It is a shame, I thought Solarplicity has such good ideas of no standing charge and no punishment in energy rate or for not paying by DD. I told so many people about them, it seems that I will be telling everybody to avoid them now.