Symbio Energy feedback

Cantisque

Reed_Richards said:

Cantisque said:
..maybe they aren't using my smart meter readings and just decided to stop asking me for readings?!

Have a look at a bill in the "Type" column: "C" stands for Customer, "E" stands for Estimate.  I don't have a smart meter so I don't know if there is another letter for a smart meter reading.  "S" for a Smart reading (according to the bill).

Thanks for that, they have indeed been doing estimated billing since they stopped sending me reminders.

JudgeDekker

I'm on a variable tariff with Symbio, with no exit fee. They've just sent me an email saying that I need to switch to a new tariff, and if I don't I go onto some heinously expensive default tariff. There's a link in the email that I can click to see the tariffs that are available to me as an existing customer - there's four there, all super-expensive. So all the options I have to stay with Symbio are a rip-off.

I've been with them for a few months. I like the challenge of checking the bills myself and hadn't had a problem. I was wondering how they could make money if they are continually the cheapest, but now I think I understand: after a while they chase away any customers on the cheapest tariffs by sending them one of these tariff-ending emails.

Like Ryanair, I use them cos it's cheap. But I can't help feeling that national life would be slightly improved (less degraded) if these nasty companies all went bust.

niktheguru

Tallerdave said:

Since nobody has reported that they're still receiving meter reading reminders, I assume they've stopped sending them intentionally so that more customers forget and their overestimates aren't reconciled. Which leads to extra months of overpayment cash sitting in Symbio's bank account. 

I mean really, is it their obligation to send you/us monthly emails  to remind you to read your meter? There needs to be a degree of personal responsibility here. Sure its helpful when they email and remind you, but i dont think its something to be outraged about (not saying that "you" are outraged about it)

Their terms and conditions state customers should be providing monthly reads, and if not provided they will bill based on their estimates, its pretty clear.

As much as i agree symbio do have shady practices to generate money, wildly overshot estimates and debateable customer service, i do think that sometimes because of this people blame absolutely everything on them, sometimes when it isn't really their fault.

niktheguru

JudgeDekker said:

I'm on a variable tariff with Symbio, with no exit fee. They've just sent me an email saying that I need to switch to a new tariff, and if I don't I go onto some heinously expensive default tariff. There's a link in the email that I can click to see the tariffs that are available to me as an existing customer - there's four there, all super-expensive. So all the options I have to stay with Symbio are a rip-off.

I've been with them for a few months. I like the challenge of checking the bills myself and hadn't had a problem. I was wondering how they could make money if they are continually the cheapest, but now I think I understand: after a while they chase away any customers on the cheapest tariffs by sending them one of these tariff-ending emails.

Like Ryanair, I use them cos it's cheap. But I can't help feeling that national life would be slightly improved (less degraded) if these nasty companies all went bust.

This is a new thing with symbio. Before, when they change the variable rate theyd say you need to move tariffs, then recommend an uncompetitive tariff, but then when you click the link there are much cheaper tariffs available. Now it seems that a lot of these cheaper tariffs are gone and are no longer competitive. 

What is surprising is that they are still taking on new customers on cheap fixed rate deals, yet their variable rate customers they're saying take it or leave it at the more expensive tariffs. Seems as though like you said, they don't want these customers anymore.

Regarding the "nasty companies all went bust" comment, i really don't understand why people make these sorts of comments. Nobody is forcing you to be with symbio. You can choose to ignore these companies and pay more with the other companies (with no guarantee of good service). Its these cheap companies that keep the more expensive companies from not raising prices further and being more uncompetitive. If they were gone do you think these other companies would reduce their prices or increase them?
If people really despise symbio then leave, pay more elsewhere. Don't stay with them, pay the cheaper prices (all be it with potentially giving more up front) and then whinge forever about them. At the end of the day people want to save money. In an ideal world it would be without any inconvenience, but yes symbio is a bit tricky....but your money is protected regardless, so I don't see the problem. If you want an easy life go elsewhere.

Cantisque

niktheguru said:

Tallerdave said:

Since nobody has reported that they're still receiving meter reading reminders, I assume they've stopped sending them intentionally so that more customers forget and their overestimates aren't reconciled. Which leads to extra months of overpayment cash sitting in Symbio's bank account. 

I mean really, is it their obligation to send you/us monthly emails  to remind you to read your meter? There needs to be a degree of personal responsibility here. Sure its helpful when they email and remind you, but i dont think its something to be outraged about (not saying that "you" are outraged about it)

Their terms and conditions state customers should be providing monthly reads, and if not provided they will bill based on their estimates, its pretty clear.

As much as i agree symbio do have shady practices to generate money, wildly overshot estimates and debateable customer service, i do think that sometimes because of this people blame absolutely everything on them, sometimes when it isn't really their fault.

I mean, it's not their obligation, but they sent out the reminders from the start without being asked to do so and suddenly without warning it was intentionally stopped. Like, these are automated Email reminders, meaning someone there made the conscious decision to pull the plug on them.

niktheguru

Cantisque said:

I mean, it's not their obligation, but they sent out the reminders from the start without being asked to do so and suddenly without warning it was intentionally stopped. Like, these are automated Email reminders, meaning someone there made the conscious decision to pull the plug on them.

Thats fair, and inconvenient I agree. But not outrageous.  To be honest the whole year i was with them I never received a reminder. (and i received my bills via email without any problems)

MWT

niktheguru said:

Its these cheap companies that keep the more expensive companies from not raising prices further and being more uncompetitive. If they were gone do you think these other companies would reduce their prices or increase them?

No, that would be the Ofgem price cap preventing further price rises...

The cheap companies are pretty much irrelevant to the bigger suppliers other than as aggregators of customers to be acquired later once they cease trading.

The industry as a whole though does have to keep picking up the tab for these failures of companies with uneconomic price levels, so the customer guarantee that people fall back on is not a free option and while I'm all in favour of competition, I'd be happier if the price for failure didn't keep getting passed back to everyone else who didn't decide to go with a less dependable provider...

btr30

MWT said:

niktheguru said:

Its these cheap companies that keep the more expensive companies from not raising prices further and being more uncompetitive. If they were gone do you think these other companies would reduce their prices or increase them?

No, that would be the Ofgem price cap preventing further price rises...

The cheap companies are pretty much irrelevant to the bigger suppliers other than as aggregators of customers to be acquired later once they cease trading.

The industry as a whole though does have to keep picking up the tab for these failures of companies with uneconomic price levels, so the customer guarantee that people fall back on is not a free option and while I'm all in favour of competition, I'd be happier if the price for failure didn't keep getting passed back to everyone else who didn't decide to go with a less dependable provider...

I must admit to being only price focussed on choosing an energy supplier, with the debate being whether to go for a fixed or variable tariff. I did previously only look at what was known as the big 6
All my previous smaller suppliers are still trading ( First Utility, Orbit, Pure Planet, People’s, Bulb), and all performed to my expectations.
Reviews on here were in the main dismissive of my chosen suppliers Symbio and Optima when I switched in December, but after six months I am still happy.
There seems to be plenty of gripes with the bigger suppliers too.

MWT

btr30 said:

All my previous smaller suppliers are still trading ( First Utility, Orbit, Pure Planet, People’s, Bulb), and all performed to my expectations.

I'd say you have chosen wisely in the past.

Small and cheaper isn't a problem, it is a problem though when the prices reach unfeasibly low levels, and people are still happy to go there because they depend on others bailing them out if the company goes under.

No meaningful consequences tends to lead to market distortions.

I'd prefer to see the cost of protecting account balances stay with the supplier, not with the rest of the industry.

niktheguru

MWT said:

btr30 said:

All my previous smaller suppliers are still trading ( First Utility, Orbit, Pure Planet, People’s, Bulb), and all performed to my expectations.

I'd say you have chosen wisely in the past.

Small and cheaper isn't a problem, it is a problem though when the prices reach unfeasibly low levels, and people are still happy to go there because they depend on others bailing them out if the company goes under.

No meaningful consequences tends to lead to market distortions.

I'd prefer to see the cost of protecting account balances stay with the supplier, not with the rest of the industry.

I would agree with you but paying a higher price is no guarantee of better customer service or problems. The forums are riddled with bad service and problems from bigger suppliers. I'm not convinced the "price cap" is all that protective. I'm certainly happy with how things are currently compared to how they were 20yrs ago.