Avoid Avro!

Seigniority

My housemate and I are still experiencing an ongoing dispute with Avro, that is proving nigh on impossible to deal with! Given their shady dealings, lack of company equity, and a demonstrated history of taking DD payment before supply has started, I highly recommend you STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY, no matter how cheap their prices look!

We started the process of creating an account with an energy company of our choice before we moved into this property, only to have the process blocked twice by an as yet unknown company. We received absolutely no communication from this mystery company, and had to reverse-search the property in order to find out who they were. When we finally made contact we were told that they had blocked the switch because there was a debit on the account that needed to be paid before they would allow us to proceed. When we questioned how this could be, given that the switch was attempted before we moved in, they just said it was there and needed to be paid. My housemate gave personal details, that he was told were needed in order to contact him and resolve the issue, and that he would be contacted within 3-5 business days.

No contact was received, so we emailed the company in order to create a paper trail and asked again for the situation to be resolved so that we could switch to a tariff and company of our choosing (as is our right as consumers). We then discovered that they had created an account in my housemate's name (misspelled as well), without our knowledge or permission.

They have repeatedly failed to contact us to try and resolve the situation, and have just whacked us with a £135 bill and a seven day notice of intention to disconnect our supply if we don't pay.

Can anyone tell us if a) companies are allowed to set up account without the customer's knowledge or permission; b) if we are liable to pay any monies given that the name on the account is incorrect; c) how the hell we can untangle ourselves from this awful company as quickly as possible??

wavelets

Seigniority wrote: »

My housemate and I are still experiencing an ongoing dispute with Avro, that is proving nigh on impossible to deal with! Given their shady dealings, lack of company equity, and a demonstrated history of taking DD payment before supply has started, I highly recommend you STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY, no matter how cheap their prices look!

We started the process of creating an account with an energy company of our choice before we moved into this property, only to have the process blocked twice by an as yet unknown company. We received absolutely no communication from this mystery company, and had to reverse-search the property in order to find out who they were. When we finally made contact we were told that they had blocked the switch because there was a debit on the account that needed to be paid before they would allow us to proceed. When we questioned how this could be, given that the switch was attempted before we moved in, they just said it was there and needed to be paid. My housemate gave personal details, that he was told were needed in order to contact him and resolve the issue, and that he would be contacted within 3-5 business days.

No contact was received, so we emailed the company in order to create a paper trail and asked again for the situation to be resolved so that we could switch to a tariff and company of our choosing (as is our right as consumers). We then discovered that they had created an account in my housemate's name (misspelled as well), without our knowledge or permission.

They have repeatedly failed to contact us to try and resolve the situation, and have just whacked us with a £135 bill and a seven day notice of intention to disconnect our supply if we don't pay.

Can anyone tell us if a) companies are allowed to set up account without the customer's knowledge or permission; b) if we are liable to pay any monies given that the name on the account is incorrect; c) how the hell we can untangle ourselves from this awful company as quickly as possible??

Please read this advice from the CAB on what to do about energy suppliers when you move into a new home, and let us know if you still have any cause for complaint

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/moving-home-your-energy-supply/moving-home-dealing-with-your-energy-supply/

How to untangle yourselves? Assuming Avro are the existing supplier to the property, pay the bill and then you can switch

Seigniority

When we started the account with the company we wanted to go with, we provided them with the dates we would be moving in etc. This was blocked twice with no contact from current supplier. Even after we moved in the first letter we have received from the company is advising us of their intention to disconnect our supply. If we had not been able to find the supplier, what would have happened?

I have moved many times and have never had a problem setting up an energy account after the usual comparison sites. Each time I have got to a new property, there's been a letter waiting from the current supplier with "new occupant" title. Nothing of the sort was received from Avro. They stated that they blocked the switch because of debit - there could be no debit because we started the switch before we moved into the property. They said there was a discrepancy between the move out dates the previous tenants had given and the move in dates we'd supplied. We explain that was due to the previous tenants overstaying their lease, and causing damage that delayed our ability to move into the property.

We did not give permission for an account to be started, and the name on the account is incorrect.

cranford

I guess nobody apart from yourselves let Avro know you were moving in, not a letting agent or the old tenant, so how could there be a welcome letter waiting for you from Avro the existing supplier? So I hope you took photographs of the readings when you moved in and take note of the advice in the citizens advice link that has been provided above for you. It looks like Avro are in their rights to set up an account in your name, all you have to prove is the date you moved in and the readings on that date then they can only bill you for the energy you use.

Seigniority

@cranford - every place I have ever moved to I have received "new tenant/occupier/customer/etc" letter because it is the previous tenants responsibility to close an account due to moving. This tells the company that potential new customers will be moving in, so they send a letter to try and get you to sign up to them.

Avro blocked our switch before we had even entered the property, because of apparent debit. I fail to understand how there could have been debit that we were responsible for when we weren't in the property. Companies can block a switch if the money owed has been as such for 28 days or more. If it has been less than this, the switch can go ahead but any money owing will be added to the final bill. No final bill was created, they just blocked the switch before we had even moved into the property. We made first contact and provided the meter readings for when we moved in, and updated readings for the week that had passed. Still no bill materialised. They have been continually unhelpful, their customer service is awful, and they have continually failed to communicate effectively with us to try and resolve the issue. Having looked online, companies can threaten to disconnect if you haven't paid a bill after 28 days, however we have never received a bill despite requesting one to be sent to us when we started the complaint. We were given no information about tariffs or account options, as we have a right to as consumers, they just created an account without our knowledge.

In normal switching situations, you are on a deemed contract for the duration of the switch, at which point a final bill is sent and paid, and you begin your contract with the new provider.

t0rt0ise

Now you've found out what happens if the leaving occupant doesn't tell the company when they move out. The company simply assumes you are the current occupant. You have confused the issue. You should have moved in and contacted them with opening reads and then moved away to another company.

Seigniority

Should have, would have, could have. Not really helpful now. My point was that I have never experienced this situation when moving into a new property before.

We have been denied our rights as consumer to make an informed decision regarding our energy provider and tariff, and Avro have been wholly unhelpful in trying to reach a resolution.

System

Seigniority wrote: »

Should have, would have, could have. Not really helpful now. My point was that I have never experienced this situation when moving into a new property before.

We have been denied our rights as consumer to make an informed decision regarding our energy provider and tariff, and Avro have been wholly unhelpful in trying to reach a resolution.

Frustrating but it happens. The Deemed Contract law exists to that you have light and heat when you move in. The Deemed Supplier has the right to charge you until the transfer of supply goes through. Technically, consumers do not have the right to initiate switch until we are legally responsible for the property. This situation is easily solved if you send the Deemed Supplier a copy of a legal document showing when you took over responsibility for the property - along with your details and meter readings. Best of luck.

Seigniority

The problem isn’t that we expect not to be charged, of course we will be. That’s what happens during the deemed contract switch, then a final bill is sent and paid and the switch is complete. They have continually blocked us and made this process far harder than it should be.

shoppingnoodles

I totally agree OP - Avro are BY FAR the worst energy company that I have dealt with. I am still paying direct debits to them and my old company months after the switch - Avro insist this is out of their hands as it is a third party data controller that is being slow handing over the readings. Another direct debit is due to come out tomorrow making almost £700 paid for fuel since the end of September, which is ridiculous.


Presumably the third party data controller is employed by Avro, so surely they can take them to task? Nobody seems to be the slightest bit bothered.


I'm with you OP - avoid, avoid avoid this incompetent company. I wish you all the best getting your troubles sorted out.

VfM4meplse

You learned the hard way 8 months after I did: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5808444/sparks

Keep an eye out on Avro: more energy suppliers are predicted to go bust (I think it's now an over-saturated market). If you were a gambler you just wouldn't pay them and see what happens...