Symbio Energy feedback

fablanta

I'm been a Symbio customer since 19th of February, '21.

If you are on a tight budget, like I am, I would advise you to give them a miss. They have 2 weird Direct Debit schemes. One with a Summer and Winter rate where you pay a fixed amount for the six months of 'summer' and a higher monthly amount for the 'winter' months. The other one is where they estimate your bill for the coming month; you pay in advance; and they will adjust their bill for the month after that up or down so that your debit/credit is as close to zero as possible. These are not the tradition annual DD where you pay the same amount each month and if they think you will fall short for the year they will increase the amount. I did email them during the switching process to see if they could use this standard utility DD billing but I never received a reply.

So I opted for the 'pay the estimate' DD which, as far as I can see, is not significantly different to paying a variable monthly bill. The first problem with them comes when they want to take out my first DD on the 23rd, 2 days before pay day. I email them on the 18th (I'm on PAYG phone so email is the only free option) asking them to change this to the 26th of each month. The next thing I hear from them is the payment of the 23rd (leaving my bank account on the 25th). This is followed by a further payment taken on the 5th March as the payments are in advance. I have to get this sorted out so I spend the money to phone them.

So I tell them what's gone on, oh yes I see your email…. Anyway I get it sorted and change my payment date to the 1st of each month. The 1st April rolls round and, nothing. I think perhaps the Easter bank holiday has tripped them up so I wait. The next day (2nd April) I get and email from them saying that payment will be taken by 15th April. On 8th I email them again asking for an explanation. 

Bottom line: They ignored 4 support emails. They ignore a phone agreement. They have taken out money on 23rd Feb, 5th Mar (and will do on 15th April). They are cheap and they seem to get the amounts right but they just don't have the stability of payments or dates that a low income family on a tight budget needs for peace of mind.

fewkeste

UnclaimedEnergy said:

The fact that you need to 'know how to handle' an energy supplier is just ridiculous.

I don't - it's just that nicktheguru stated he had successfully handled Symbio and I thought any frustrated customers reading this thread might benefit from knowing the tactics he employed to manage them.

I don't need help, I do use spreadsheets but having recently had a very frustrating time trying to get Scottish Power to do the simplest thing, I forgot how draining and time consuming it can be battling with an energy company - especially one that uses an offshore CS service facility.

Things ought to be simple but with numerous examples posted on this forum of how Symbio screw things up for customers, it is clear it is not simple. I've been with duffers before (Robin Hood Energy, Tiscali for phone/broadband) and I know how much time and mental anguish it can take to sort things out.

My recent time with Scottish Power (OFGEM moved me there after Yorkshire Energy failed) refreshed my memory of what poor customer service feels like - it's draining frankly! Life's too short to be chasing a company all the time to get them to do correctly what they should have done in the first place.

My comment was intended to stimulate niktheguru to share his tips with those less experienced souls who are suffering at the hands of this dubious company.

When they first came on the scene I investigated them - the company structure and their directors and decided to steer well clear.

I follow this thread to confirm my instincts and judgement were correct. 

thelight

niktheguru said:

They tried this with me too, though my "balance" according to them was 20quid, when in fact I was 40 quid in credit, so I told them to jog on and refused to pay what they wanted and told them to unblock the switch as they don't have authority to block it.....they obliged. Took 1 phonecall. Unfortunately you need to have a good understanding of your usage, time your direct debits go in and balance to be able to stand your ground which I admit the majority of the general public or at risk groups probably won't have a grasp of.....and agree they shouldn't have to fight about this to get a switch.

We shouldnt have to do this, but ofgem/ombudsmen are too toothless to do anything about it despite the complaints they must be getting. They fined symbio 100k for late payments into the green energy scheme, where did that money go? Surely instead of lining their coffers should go to helping some of these customers who have been struggling.

Are energy companies actually allowed to block for this reason? I thought they could only block a switch if you were in debt (and they have previously requested you clear that debt), not just in debit?

niktheguru

thelight said:

niktheguru said:

They tried this with me too, though my "balance" according to them was 20quid, when in fact I was 40 quid in credit, so I told them to jog on and refused to pay what they wanted and told them to unblock the switch as they don't have authority to block it.....they obliged. Took 1 phonecall. Unfortunately you need to have a good understanding of your usage, time your direct debits go in and balance to be able to stand your ground which I admit the majority of the general public or at risk groups probably won't have a grasp of.....and agree they shouldn't have to fight about this to get a switch.

We shouldnt have to do this, but ofgem/ombudsmen are too toothless to do anything about it despite the complaints they must be getting. They fined symbio 100k for late payments into the green energy scheme, where did that money go? Surely instead of lining their coffers should go to helping some of these customers who have been struggling.

Are energy companies actually allowed to block for this reason? I thought they could only block a switch if you were in debt (and they have previously requested you clear that debt), not just in debit?

You’re absolutely right they shouldn’t unless you’re in a debt, and it should be a long-standing substantial one but the wording by ofgem is very woolly and subject to interpretation. There are a few small suppliers who are doing this and it’s shouldn’t happen.

fewkeste

@devondriver who?

devondiver

fewkeste said:

@devondriver who?

Sorry. Can't be ar**d. 

Reed_Richards

I think what @devondiver doesn't want to admit is that this topic is so repetitive that nobody can tell if a post has been removed or just lost in the morass.

bubieyehyeh

I left last symbio last year, they failed to produce a final bill within six weeks. However the same day I resend my complaint email with complaint in the subject they generated the final bill. They subsequently returned my credit, but didn't send me the automatic OFGEM compensation of £30 which I had explained in my complaint. When I followed up and said they now owed £60 in compensation for failing to pay initial compensation within 10 business days, they replied and said they could not help with compensation.

So I opened a case with the ombudsmen, they responding blaming the pandemic and saying it was a one-off. It went to the investigate stage a few days ago and I noticed this morning £60 in my account, with my symbio account number as a reference. I've not heard from symbio or the ombudsmen yet.

I'm now half-expecting a call from symbio asking we to withdrawl the ombudsmen case, if symbio are reading this don't bother calling.

niktheguru

fewkeste said:

UnclaimedEnergy said:

The fact that you need to 'know how to handle' an energy supplier is just ridiculous.

I don't - it's just that nicktheguru stated he had successfully handled Symbio and I thought any frustrated customers reading this thread might benefit from knowing the tactics he employed to manage them.

My comment was intended to stimulate niktheguru to share his tips with those less experienced souls who are suffering at the hands of this dubious company.

Hi fewkeste,

Its nothing particularly special or really specific to symbio. Its just being on top of your utilities rather than taking a back seat and expecting it all to be done for you. This is something I would suggest everyone does regardless of who their provider is. I understand some cant be bothered, think it may not be their responsibility or unfortunately may be unable to do it for whatever reason. (in that case steer clear of symbio, and a lot of other smaller companies)

1. Take regular meter reads monthly. Note these down somewhere other than uploading to website/app (you never know when access to your online account may disappear....so cant rely on that) Note it down in a book or on a spreadsheet.
2. Look at your bills monthly. Dont ignore them or just file them, check the bills are accurate and based on submitted meter readings and not wild estimates.
3. Check your credit and debit balance regularly, make sure you do not go too high into credit or debit. Rather than let it build up and then have to claim it back  or be left with a huge bill, be proactive in amending your direct debits so that it covers just a little bit more than what your usage is. (if you dont want to amend your direct debit, then keep money aside if your account is in debit so that when the company eventually asks for payment you have it available and havent spent it)
4. If there is a need to contact, send an email AND call them. The email is for documentary evidence in case you make a complaint, often things will be done quicker if you call.

Specific symbio advice:
1. Go for the FIXED direct debit rather than variable. At least you then know exactly how much is going out each month. They will then vary this every 3 months (giving you email notice) if the account is going into significant debit - worked well for me. The variable direct debit is a minefield as their estimates can vary massively, though I found my estimates did settle after a few months, but were still between 10-25% too high.
2.Submit your meter readings as close to the end of the month as possible i.e. 29th or 30th. That way your bill will use the accurate reading rather than estimate the days between when you took the reading and the end of the month.
3. If you need to contact customer services about a problem have ALL the facts in front of you, be FIRM but not rude. Stand your ground if you want something fixing. I found calling was more useful than email, but did both.
e.g. if they think you're in debit, when you are actually in credit using accurate meter readings - show them how you worked it out. Tell them your reading is x , that means you are y amount in credit. (upload the meter reading before the call with a picture on the app....so they cant contest it.)
4. If you find someone doesn't know what they're doing, ask to speak to the supervisor. If you still don't get a resolution call back later. There are a few of their call centre staff who don't know what they're doing, but there are a few that are very helpful and on the ball.
5. If a new customer, when you signup give a slightly lower EAC than what you use. That means when they estimate, it will be nearer what you actually use. (go approx 500units less than what it is)

Hope that helps some.

bsms1147

I joined a month or so ago. Looking forward to the fun and games!