Symbio Energy feedback

Tafrock

If you start delving into companies House information regarding symbio and its existing and past directors it doesn't instill you with much confidence in the company. It nearly put me off joining in April 2019. Nearly made me reverse my decision to join once I'd been accepted. These recent behaviours of 'cash grabbing' also don't instill confidence in the company. I think maybe the overestimation was an attempt to get quick cash in run up to the launch of symbio gas. That's just my instincts. In all honesty I'm. Just glad to be away from them despite the cheap electricity. It wouldn't suprise me if ofgem started digging myself.

Hopefully they will live up to yesterday's promise of a prompt refund of my credit

Meanwhile over at green. Energy I'm filled with confidence. Website total opposite to symbio in that it's usable and easy to navigate. The app is impressive yet to have a bill but I'm sure it will be clearer than symbios

Electricity companies aren't meant to cause you concern and wasted time

You should just he able to 'fit and forget'. I've never been able to forget I was a customer of symbios.

Talldave

tk47 wrote: »

Anyone else care to share their figures?

January estimate EAC/12 +84%
January actual EAC/12 +4%

Swipe

January estimate EAC/12+89%
January actual EAC/12+28%

Tafrock

Eac = 212.583 kWh
Actual usage = 253.1 kWh

Symbios estimate = 402.42 kWh

tk47

Just seen the following comment (part of a longer post) posted on that well known review site.
This was actually from 3 days ago, but I seemed to have missed it at the time.



Is that not an admission that Symbio got it massively wrong, at least in 95% of customer cases???

I'm not sure where Symbio got their statistic from, as from the posts above, there seem quite a number who have not had a revised bill from Symbio.
Or how does the supplier explain to 95% of their customers that they screwed up their billing, but only think it relevent to issue revised bills to a few? :huh:

Furthermore, whilst I did get a revised bill, I disputed that new bill too. (see my figures above)
As for the explanation of why they got it wrong in the first place and so had to issue a revised bill, well it was just words, essentially saying their computer got it wrong, but no real explanation as to why. They indicated it was based over an incorrect period, but both the initial and revised bill covers the same period.

Would that put me into Symbio's "95%" category, or do I remain in the "still awaiting an explanation & remedy" category? :huh:

Tafrock

Ah so that's why symbio needed an influx of cash

Anyone noticed they have changed their corporate image. See their Facebook page

Brand new logo there for all to see

tk47

I've been reviewing the Symbio latest terms and conditions.

In their haste to cover themselves over the recent billing fiasco, you will recall that quickly and quietly changed their term 3.17

It now reads:

3.17. Your automatic monthly payment amount will be based on the cost of the energy we think you’ll use during a year with Symbio Energy split into monthly payments. Based on electricity consumption we are billing our customers. The electricity consumption in winter is significantly higher than in summer, hence the payments in winter will be based on the winter consumption, which will be slightly higher. The summer bills will be accordingly adjusted and they will be in line with your summer consumption. You can easily measure that your bill amount during summer are lower then your bill amount during winter. We will inform you of your payment amounts and payment dates when we set up your account with us.

Whereas, for most of us, it read at the time of joining

3.17. Your automatic monthly payment amount will be based on the cost of the energy we think you’ll use during a year with Symbio Energy split into 12 equal monthly payments. We will inform you of your payment amounts and payment dates when we set up your account with us.

But in their haste to cover themselves, they forgot about term 3.18, which still reads

3.18. Symbio Energy aims to review the amount, date and frequency of your automatic payments at least twice a year to make sure you’re not paying too much or too little. When we intend to make any changes to your automatic payment, we will notify you by email (normally 10 working days) in advance of the payment being taken, or such other period as we may agree.

How is that consistent with their revised term 3.17? :huh:

bubieyehyeh

Has anyone received an email about changes to the T&Cs as per the T&C 7.1?

I haven't.

7.1. From time to time, we may update this Agreement to comply with changes to laws or regulations, or where our business necessitates a change to this Agreement. Please check this page regularly to review updated terms. The date this Agreement was last updated is at the bottom of this page. Should there be any material changes to the Terms and
Conditions contained herein, we will send an e-mail asking you to review the new Terms and Conditions. You will be given 20 working days from the point of communication. Thereafter, Symbio Energy will have deemed acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. Should you disagree with the new Terms and Conditions, please do provide feedback to Symbio Energy. However, in most instances, the customer who disagrees with the new Terms and Conditions is
advised to seek a new supplier whose T&C’s are more agreeable to the customer.

tk47

bubieyehyeh wrote: »

Has anyone received an email about changes to the T&Cs as per the T&C 7.1?

I haven't.

Apparently, according to Symbio, the email sent 01-Dec-2019 about "Winter Consumption Reconciliation" was the notice about the change to your terms and conditions.

I know there is nothing in that email that actually says it is a change to the terms and conditions, rather "We write to you with respect to an error made by our billing system".
Nor does it provide the 20 working days notice.

But apart from that...

Talldave

Their grasp of English is about as crap as their grasp of basic maths - it's pathetic.


"The electricity consumption in winter is significantly higher than in summer, hence the payments in winter will be based on the winter consumption, which will be slightly higher."


How do they know that? And is it significantly or slightly? I suspect it's not massively (which I've defined as 89%). And I thought it was estimates that would be based on this excessive winter consumption - since payments always depend on the result of the consolidation of the previous months guesstimate vs actual usage.


If their estimating algorithm wasn't crap, it would react to the first couple of autumn/winter months usage and adapt accordingly. In reality, based on the level of incompetence they exhibit in everything they do, I don't think they have an algorithm, just some numpty who changed a field in the database to EAC/12+89%.


What's most worrying I suppose is that people running a limited company, with a licence to supply energy can operate in such a slapdash and amateurish way and be so eye wateringly incompetent at what they are doing. I cannot think of anyone who, asked by how much electricity consumption might increase during winter months, would have guessed 89%.


Most significantly, I'm a little miffed that my January estimate was bolstered by only 84%. Perhaps they included some bonus dependent on the number of free units a customer has received .