SSE: trying to charge for energy already paid for..

planteria

acquired a property earlier this year. it had a pre-payment meter, supplied by SSE (as it happens using a British Gas key). the same meter is still installed, but i moved the supply across to Co-op Energy. SSE are now chasing for unpaid electricity: calling, texting, writing to threaten defaults, debt collectors and legal action. it's a pre-payment meter, so by definition the electricity has been pre-paid.

anyone been through this or have a link to advice re. dealing with this? i have heard reference to exactly this, with SSE, a few months ago.

Neil_Jones

You did phone SSE up when you moved in and told them you'd moved in, did you not? You're not using a key that the previous occupier had left/been using?

And a pre-payment meter doesn't necessarily mean the electricity has been paid for, what you're paying for on those is the credit balance. You're only using the electricity when the balance begins to fall.

D_M_E

The big problem is the key - you say it's SSE but was topped up using a BG key.

Does this mean that BG were, in fact, the supplier?

Who switched to SSE and why was an SSE key not used?

Did you get a new key from Co-Op when you switched and if not, why not?

Is the meter still being topped up with the BG key?

Sounds like one big mess waiting to cause problems and a nightmare to get sorted.

House_Martin

Looks like SSE will have to get the money from BG because you have been using the wrong key. Phone them up to get the ball rolling. This is a very common complaint with new users of prepayment meters.
BG will direct all your payments to SSE . You need the Co -ops key now

Shavuot

planteria wrote: »

acquired a property earlier this year. it had a pre-payment meter, supplied by SSE (as it happens using a British Gas key). the same meter is still installed, but i moved the supply across to Co-op Energy. SSE are now chasing for unpaid electricity: calling, texting, writing to threaten defaults, debt collectors and legal action. it's a pre-payment meter, so by definition the electricity has been pre-paid.

anyone been through this or have a link to advice re. dealing with this? i have heard reference to exactly this, with SSE, a few months ago.

So British Gas have been paid for the energy supplied for by SSE?

Contact British Gas and get your money back, so that you can pay SSE's demand.

Otherwise it's a bit like going into Tesco and walking out with a bottle of Scotch without paying, telling them you paid the butcher down the road instead. :cool:

planteria

it was a BG-branded key, but the supply was already switched to SSE, and the payments would have been going to them, from my understanding.
when moving to Co-Op Energy a new key was received and this is the key that is being used now.

Shavuot

planteria wrote: »

it was a BG-branded key, but the supply was already switched to SSE, and the payments would have been going to them, from my understanding...

Oh well, if that is your understanding ...;)

planteria

well, are you sure it's not the case?

Shavuot

planteria wrote: »

well, are you sure it's not the case?

Well that is my understanding ...;)

Why else would a supplier be chasing you for the payment, if your understanding is that you have already paid them??? :huh:

planteria

because it is a mistake on their part.

D_M_E

Right, it was switched to SSE from BG.

The BG key should not have been used from the point of switch and a new key obtained from SSE to coincide with the switch.

The fact that no key was obtained from SSE is why they want paying for energy used while they were the supplier.

You need to get the account number for the BG key and ask them to refund all payments made to that key account from the date you took over responsibility until you started using the Coop key and use this money to pay SSE.