Symbio Energy feedback

Tallerdave

I agree customer service can be atrocious across the board. Symbio, being total amateurs, don't appreciate that writing supercilious emails consisting of pages and pages of utter drivel and calling the regulator racist just make them look really stupid. I think they should rebrand as Arthur Daley Energy! 

LessImpecunious

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.

I was in a similar situation last month - so tried getting a quote as if I was a new customer, chose the cheapest (much cheaper than the options now being offered to existing customers)deal, (fixed rate having read all the advice on this thread), and was successfully switched to it within a couple of weeks...So unless they've closed that loophole, worth a try...

CRISPIANNE3

Even though they have declined to produce my bill this month it could be they are really guilty at over estimating each month and just giving me a break. Also because they over charged me by 100 percent last month they already owe me about £30.00 so this will cover this months usage.

jbuchanangb

As a new customer with Symbio, I have submitted an opening reading on 23 June and another reading on 30 June. I have received two invoices, one estimating for period 23-30 June and one estimating for period 1-31 July. Neither invoice has used the readings which I submitted. I have also made two payments by DD, one on 28 June and one on 2 July. I am hoping that eventually they will generate some invoice using the readings. I will submit a reading again on 31 July and see what happens.

SPOWER

jbuchanangb said:

As a new customer with Symbio, I have submitted an opening reading on 23 June and another reading on 30 June. I have received two invoices, one estimating for period 23-30 June and one estimating for period 1-31 July. Neither invoice has used the readings which I submitted. I have also made two payments by DD, one on 28 June and one on 2 July. I am hoping that eventually they will generate some invoice using the readings. I will submit a reading again on 31 July and see what happens.

Hi.  I think you might have just missed the cut-off, I went live about a week before yourself.  When I put through my opening reading the email says "Meter readings are submitted to a central validation registry maintained by Elexon and it can take up to 7 days from receiving a meter read to the reading appearing on the reconciled bill. Irrespective of the meter reads, you can only be charged for the energy you have consumed."  

Tallerdave

SPOWER said:

jbuchanangb said:

As a new customer with Symbio, I have submitted an opening reading on 23 June and another reading on 30 June. I have received two invoices, one estimating for period 23-30 June and one estimating for period 1-31 July. Neither invoice has used the readings which I submitted. I have also made two payments by DD, one on 28 June and one on 2 July. I am hoping that eventually they will generate some invoice using the readings. I will submit a reading again on 31 July and see what happens.

Hi.  I think you might have just missed the cut-off, I went live about a week before yourself.  When I put through my opening reading the email says "Meter readings are submitted to a central validation registry maintained by Elexon and it can take up to 7 days from receiving a meter read to the reading appearing on the reconciled bill. Irrespective of the meter reads, you can only be charged for the energy you have consumed."  

I suspect that's meaningless waffle (a familiar theme of every email from Symbio) unless they do actually wait for validation with new customers. 

I submitted a reading 30 Jun, got that waffly email, bill issued 1 Jul using the reading. Same every month.

shinytop

LessImpecunious said:

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.

I was in a similar situation last month - so tried getting a quote as if I was a new customer, chose the cheapest (much cheaper than the options now being offered to existing customers)deal, (fixed rate having read all the advice on this thread), and was successfully switched to it within a couple of weeks...So unless they've closed that loophole, worth a try...

I've just tried that, not expecting much but we'll see.  I'm half expecting then to charge me £30 for ending a few days early because I'm switching but that would still be a win for me. 

JudgeDekker

devondiver said:

bubieyehyeh said:

After ombudsman finding against symbio for failing to produce final bill within 6 weeks of leaving them, and failing to pay the automatic compensation, its now nearly three weeks after symbio told ombudsman they had completed the resolutions mandated by ombudsman, however the money is still not in my bank account. They really are a complete shower.

FWIW - I finally received my statutory £60 just over 5 months from the date of my initial complaint and by following Ofgem/Ombudsman procedure to the letter. Is it really necessary for anyone to go through the courts? The Ombudsman process does, in my experience, work - even though Symbio will string things out as long as they possibly can. So, if you have a claim, just hope that they are still around in several months' time to pay it. As I understand it, once they go broke, all bets on compensation claims are off - and actual overpayment claims etc. may take an age to unravel.

I think you've highlighted the glaring flaw in the ombudsman process: it stops working when a company goes bust, ie the point when you need help the  most. I guess bankruptcy law takes precedence.
 

Reed_Richards

SPOWER said:

jbuchanangb said:

As a new customer with Symbio, I have submitted an opening reading on 23 June and another reading on 30 June. I have received two invoices, one estimating for period 23-30 June and one estimating for period 1-31 July. Neither invoice has used the readings which I submitted. I have also made two payments by DD, one on 28 June and one on 2 July. I am hoping that eventually they will generate some invoice using the readings. I will submit a reading again on 31 July and see what happens.

Hi.  I think you might have just missed the cut-off, I went live about a week before yourself.  When I put through my opening reading the email says "Meter readings are submitted to a central validation registry maintained by Elexon and it can take up to 7 days from receiving a meter read to the reading appearing on the reconciled bill. Irrespective of the meter reads, you can only be charged for the energy you have consumed."  

This is standard industry procedure for new customers.  The handover reading has to be validated.  The validated reading is not necessarily the reading submitted by the consumer, although usually it is.  There is a thread here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6277550/eon-massive-bill/p1 where it transpired that the customer had submitted the wrong reading but the validated reading still came back correct. 

drsquirrel

I'm having mine blocked due to "unpaid balance", which the value they give isn't correct until 31st July.

Problem is they have over estimated my bill twice now by 1000kWh the last two months.

I could pay them their £100+ for the next month, to allow the switch, then hope I get the balance (200-300+) back. Or hope they use the correct reading somehow, whilst I am now on 18p a unit instead of my previous 11p.

I do not see why they should be allowed to block the switches like this at all.