Energy supplier for a new customer

caz1965

My brother has got a flat.
He was given the numbers for British Gas, by his housing association.
He has had trouble getting the gas switched on and I said get a different supplier. British Gas have told him it will take at least 6 weeks to change to another supplier?

Also, he hasn't moved in yet, but someone has pressed the emergency credit button, and he has been told HE has to pay it back,(£8) before he can use the electricity!

I think he should get a new supplier, as he has sat in the flat all morning, waiting for the british Gas to come, and they didn't turn up!

So he can't move in because he has no heating, and doesn't want to pay someone elses debt!

thanks for any help!

caz1965

AArrrrrrGGHH He is on the phone to British Gas now, and they have told him he has a standing charge on the meter and he has to pay the £8 that is nothing to do with him!

san he get the meters taken out?
Plus still no where nearer to getting the gas switched on.

magyar

I wouldn't want to pay someone else's debt either, but is £8 really not worth moving in over?

I believe you can get BG to arrange for the meters to be changed to a credit meter; ask them

caz1965

He can't move in because he has no furniture yet!
Every time he rings he has to explain himself again.
He is putting some money on tomorrow, but he wants to change to another supplier as British Gas have been no use!
He still hasn't got the gas switched on either!

Terrylw1

Hi,

They are blagging you! Ask to speak to a manager.

When you set up an account with an electricity Supplier, they add a "connection date" to your account which is the date you move in. So, any debt accrued on a date preior to your account start date would not be recorded against you.

They need to send out an engineer to do a "token meter reset" visit. Basically, the engineer puts tokens in to cancel out the amount.

The Fixed Charge Collection (FCC) would be on there to collect against a previous occupier who was in debt and had agreed to a little to be taken of each top up he/she made.

You are a new customer and must be treated as such. You are not liable for debts incurred prior to your move in date.

You can ask for the meter to be changed to a credit which is subject to a credit check. However, whilst in the middle of this dispute they will consider you to be a non payer.

Also, it's best to get the meter changed to credit prior to changing Supplier. It does take 4-6 weeks to change. However, when you sign up to a new Supplier you agree a contractual hand over date. Your new Suppliers can get an engineer out to do any of the above tasks for you from that date. bare in mind though that they will need about 7-14 days to get you correctly registered, processed and your Agents appointed. Hence it's slightly quicker to use your current Supplier.

Make sure you take meetr readings on the day you move in and give them to them. Or they may attempt to collect this debt anyway by very sneakily making the readings further back then they should be and you will never know!!!

Good luck

caz1965

Thankyou, I will show him this tomorrow!
He has had a breakdown and this is not helping.
Everything else has gone smoothly up till now, but BG are useless!
They told him someone would come out today(monday) so he waited in all day!
No one came and when he rang up, no apology , and the person said, no one will come out and sort the meter out for him!

Terrylw1

Hi,

Glad this has helped you.

Also, if a Supplier agrees an appointment with you and they fail to get an engineer out they have to pay you £20 for failure of Ofgem's Guaranteed Standards Of Service (GSOS).

Under the standard they have a further X days to pay this £20 to you (to your bill unless you ask for a check, but bare in mind they will need to get you account in place which is very easy for them) or they have to pay you a further one off payment of £20.

Most customers don't tend to be aware of Ofgem's GSOS but it forms the Suppliers licence and you are legally entitled to it.

Take a look at this link:

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/ElecDist/QualofServ/GuarStandds/Documents1/GS%20additional%20links.doc

Thes ones that apply to the site visit is GS8, then GS9 ap;plies if they don't pay you per the doc.

Bare in mind that the customer MUST have agreed to the visit date & time. Also, if the Supplier contacts the customer to change the visit and you agree the standard changes to the new visit.

Hope that helps

Regards