MSE News: Moved from Ebico to SSE? You need to check your bills now

Former_MSE_Megan_F

Ebico customers who moved to SSE for their gas and electricity need to check their bills now to avoid being stung by higher prices...

Read the full story:
'Moved from Ebico to SSE? You need to check your bills now'

Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

EachPenny

MSE_Megan_F wrote: »

Ebico customers who moved to SSE for their gas and electricity need to check their bills now to avoid being stung by higher prices...

This thread title, and the article it links to are a bit confusing.

The affected people were Ebico customers, but who decided not to switch to the new Ebico/RHE arrangement. These customers stayed with SSE, they didn't move to SSE.

The people most likely to benefit from reading the article are those who have ended up a customer of SSE, perhaps without realising it. The decision to stay with SSE was a default. If I'd decided to stay with SSE then I wouldn't necessarily recognise my situation in the thread title - after all, I didn't move or switch to SSE, I just stayed put.

The article would be more helpful if it made it clear the affected people are the ones who stayed with SSE.

Xbigman

There are multiple threads discussing this running already. Doesn't MSE read its own forums?

I'm off to plot a new smart meter discussion.




Darren

Cardew

EachPenny wrote: »

This thread title, and the article it links to are a bit confusing.

The affected people were Ebico customers, but who decided not to switch to the new Ebico/RHE arrangement. These customers stayed with SSE, they didn't move to SSE.

The people most likely to benefit from reading the article are those who have ended up a customer of SSE, perhaps without realising it. The decision to stay with SSE was a default. If I'd decided to stay with SSE then I wouldn't necessarily recognise my situation in the thread title - after all, I didn't move or switch to SSE, I just stayed put.

The article would be more helpful if it made it clear the affected people are the ones who stayed with SSE.

Probably semantics, but I am not sure I agree with your interpretation. At no time have I ever been an SSE customer.

As far as I am concerned I was an Ebico customer and the administration of my account was handled by SSE.

I have remained an Ebico customer albeit the administration is now handled by RHE.

Had I not remained with Ebico when their partnership moved to RHE, and taken no action, I would have then have moved to become a customer of SSE.

rmg1

I was "moved" to SSE and received a letter stating so about a week ago.
I didn't receive any paperwork/emails letting me know things were changing.
My unit rate hasn't changed (I'm on a pre-payment meter) but the standing charge of 28p/day has added around 40% to my yearly bill (I've very rarely in to use the electricity - my forecast was 1370kWH for the year).

I phoned the SSE helpline on the number in their letter and they couldn't tell me what would happen to my current credit if I moved supplier.

Anyone any ideas?

trickytree1963

rmg1 wrote: »

I was "moved" to SSE and received a letter stating so about a week ago.
I didn't receive any paperwork/emails letting me know things were changing.
My unit rate hasn't changed (I'm on a pre-payment meter) but the standing charge of 28p/day has added around 40% to my yearly bill (I've very rarely in to use the electricity - my forecast was 1370kWH for the year).

I phoned the SSE helpline on the number in their letter and they couldn't tell me what would happen to my current credit if I moved supplier.

Anyone any ideas?

On PAYG your credit generally moves onto your new supplier, the alternative is when you get the PAYG key/card from your new supplier, wait until your existing credit gets close to zero then register your new key/card.

If you do "lose" your credit i.e. its not transferred the old supplier will refund you usually by cheque but it can take a few weeks to sort out.

Have you considered asking SSE if they will exchange your meter for a credit meter?

rmg1

Thanks for that, I'll phone them up (again).

As for changing the meter, I did ask but apparently the local council won't allow it (I'm in a local authority place).

SummerFun

rmg1 wrote: »

...
As for changing the meter, I did ask but apparently the local council won't allow it (I'm in a local authority place).

Complain to your local councillor!
Consider complaining to your MP too.

SummerFun

Cardew wrote: »

Probably semantics, but I am not sure I agree with your interpretation. At no time have I ever been an SSE customer.

As far as I am concerned I was an Ebico customer and the administration of my account was handled by SSE.

I have remained an Ebico customer albeit the administration is now handled by RHE.

Had I not remained with Ebico when their partnership moved to RHE, and taken no action, I would have then have moved to become a customer of SSE.

As you say, probably semantics.

You may. as far as you were concered, considered yourself a customer of Ebico, but the fact is that Ebico have never supplied any electricity or gas to anyone - they don't have a licence to do so.

In the past, you would have been supplied by SSE, billed by SSE and made payment to SSE.

If you did nothing, you will still be being supplied by SSE, billed by SSE and make payment to SSE.

Only if you elected to switch supplier to Ebico's new supply partner, RHE, would you now be being supplied by RHE.

SummerFun

Surely those affected by any price rise in the equipower tariff would have been notified in their letter dated March 2017, sent out by SSE under Ebico branding.

Ebico even posted about it on their website at the time
https://ebico.org.uk/ebico-news/letter-confusion-so-are-we-reducing-or-increasing-prices/

That link encourages those who will suffer higher prices to consider moving to RHE supplied energy,

According to the original letter, those who failed to switch supplier (or tariff) within 20 working days of 28 April 2017 would incur the higher prices.

I think what this MSE article refers to is notification of yet another price increase (due to SSE ending the equipower & equigas tariffs) effective 25 August 2017, so it won't show on any bills yet.

trickytree1963

No, the recent decision is to stop offering Zero Standing Charges from 25th August on both Credit & PAYG customers who didn't switch to RHE/Ebico earlier this year.