Symbio Energy feedback

niktheguru

slimbuck said:

You are right to be cautious of any 'promise' you receive from Symbio Energy.

It seems it is not just their customers they treat with contempt, but it seems the regulator themselves have been on the receiving end of communications from Symbio Energy that  "were repeatedly unclear and inconsistent".

However, as I am sure you are aware, before you can go to the ombudsman service you need to follow the supplier's own complaint procedure. You won't be able to start an official complaint against Symbio in regards to a missing £30 compo payment for another 10 working days, which is how long the supplier has to pay it.

Then you will need to allow at least 8 weeks from then (unless Symbio provide you with a deadlock letter beforehand, which they will not in this regard, as the compo is automatic if the situation is as you describe.)

It will then take the Ombudsman Service a good 3 months to get around to reviewing your complaint (possibly even longer as they battle the backlog built up due to Covid, WFH, etc)

So we are probably talking a good 6+ months before a judgement is reached and any compo falls due if you are hoping to secure an ombudsman judgement in your favour.

Are you sure Symbio will still be around in 6+ months time?
Any compo due, but not paid, falls away should a supplier cease to trade.

You'd probably end up getting your credit refund  quicker if the supplier does cease to trade soon, especially as you already have the final bill.

Athough technically true as the process of events this is not what happened in my case with symbio as i have reported in this thread.

In brief, 

I didn't receive my final bill (a debit balance of £3, so I wasn't in any absolute rush, but do like accounts settled so i dont have to think about it) in three months. I sent emails 2-3 times between that time to remind them I needed a final bill, and even gave them my workings of what the balance should be.

They said that it had been referred to the correct department and I should hear back soon. I didn't hear back so sent them one more email that if I hadn't received the bill in a timely manner i'd go to the ombudsman and request the £30 auto compensation too.

Low and behold the final bill didn't arrive, so i completed the ombudsman documentation (takes 5-10minutes) and was willing to patiently wait.

Within a week of that application though I was called by an apologetic man from symbios quality assurance team (indeed!) and he had emailed over my final bill, which I agreed with, asked me to cancel/settle my ombudsman complaint. I told him I would indeed to that if the agreed £27 refund comes to my account. He said it would be in my account within 48hrs, its was and I subsequently closed the ombudsman case.

Like slimbuck says, theres no guarantee that symbio will be in business in a few months. Nobody knows, it does look like the writing is on the wall....yet we have been saying that for a few years.

The truth is they've been losing even more money due to compensation payments due to their poor timekeeping and refund mentality. At the end of the day I was fine with it as I didn't have a credit balance so was willing to wait. I can understand for some who have run up huge credit balances this is stressful and unnecessary. However you did get the cheapest energy for a period of time and also an added bonus on top.

Its a shame that they responded so quickly to ombudsman complaints, yet not so quick to customer emails. I suspect its a very small team overwhelmed by a large number of customers and their dodgy practices and cashflow doesn't help themselves.

slimbuck

MWT said:

slimbuck said:

Interesting...

I appear to have just validated that bank account real time as still live
https://www.sortcodes.co.uk/

With that site you have validated the sort code, and checked that the account number returns the right modulus check to be an account number for that bank, not that it is a currently active account...

So what is their current bank account details?
Someone must know, what with all the recommedations to those leaving a supplier to cancel their DD and ensure they end up owing the supplier an amount on their final bill.

slimbuck

niktheguru said:

slimbuck said:

You are right to be cautious of any 'promise' you receive from Symbio Energy.

It seems it is not just their customers they treat with contempt, but it seems the regulator themselves have been on the receiving end of communications from Symbio Energy that  "were repeatedly unclear and inconsistent".

However, as I am sure you are aware, before you can go to the ombudsman service you need to follow the supplier's own complaint procedure. You won't be able to start an official complaint against Symbio in regards to a missing £30 compo payment for another 10 working days, which is how long the supplier has to pay it.

Then you will need to allow at least 8 weeks from then (unless Symbio provide you with a deadlock letter beforehand, which they will not in this regard, as the compo is automatic if the situation is as you describe.)

It will then take the Ombudsman Service a good 3 months to get around to reviewing your complaint (possibly even longer as they battle the backlog built up due to Covid, WFH, etc)

So we are probably talking a good 6+ months before a judgement is reached and any compo falls due if you are hoping to secure an ombudsman judgement in your favour.

Are you sure Symbio will still be around in 6+ months time?
Any compo due, but not paid, falls away should a supplier cease to trade.

You'd probably end up getting your credit refund  quicker if the supplier does cease to trade soon, especially as you already have the final bill.

Athough technically true as the process of events this is not what happened in my case with symbio as i have reported in this thread.

In brief, 

I didn't receive my final bill (a debit balance of £3, so I wasn't in any absolute rush, but do like accounts settled so i dont have to think about it) in three months. I sent emails 2-3 times between that time to remind them I needed a final bill, and even gave them my workings of what the balance should be.

They said that it had been referred to the correct department and I should hear back soon. I didn't hear back so sent them one more email that if I hadn't received the bill in a timely manner i'd go to the ombudsman and request the £30 auto compensation too.

Low and behold the final bill didn't arrive, so i completed the ombudsman documentation (takes 5-10minutes) and was willing to patiently wait.

...

Good tale, but you cannot file a compliant with the EOS online unless 8 weeks have passed since you commenced the complaint with the supplier, or you have a deadlock letter from the supplier.

If you do it off-line, then the EOS will return the complaint and ask you to file it again later if appropriate, once the 8 weeks have passed, or you have a deadlock letter.

In the absence of a deadlock letter, the date you first filed the complaint with the supplier is one of the first things the EOS checks with the supplier.

It is true that the supplier will be informed by the EOS of your filing complaint against almost as soon as you file it, whatever then occurs. That is where it is not unknown for some suppliers to brazenly tell the ombudman you have not allowed 8 weeks to pass from starting your complaint, even if you have. Or not followed their complaint procedure to the letter. You are then left having to prove to the EOS (with evidence) otherwise.

SPOWER

slimbuck said:

MWT said:

slimbuck said:

Interesting...

I appear to have just validated that bank account real time as still live
https://www.sortcodes.co.uk/

With that site you have validated the sort code, and checked that the account number returns the right modulus check to be an account number for that bank, not that it is a currently active account...

So what is their current bank account details?
Someone must know, what with all the recommedations to those leaving a supplier to cancel their DD and ensure they end up owing the supplier an amount on their final bill.

Dear Customer,

As requested please find the BACS details below:

Please quote your customer reference number when making a payment
Bank Name: HSBC
Bank account name: Symbio Energy Limited
Account Number: 82453630
Sort Code: 40-23-13
Please email the remittance advice to customerservices@symbioenergy.co.uk

If you have any other queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our email is customerservices@symbioenergy.co.uk. Alternatively, you can call us on 0333 050 9372, Monday to Friday between 09:00 am to 06:00 pm and Saturday between 09.00 am to 3.00 pm.

SPOWER

I've just called them and asked for bank details to make a one off payment.  The above is what she emailed me.  I asked if they were changing banks and she said "no sir, we only have 1 bank" that was her exact words.

niktheguru

slimbuck said:

Good tale, but you cannot file a compliant with the EOS online unless 8 weeks have passed since you commenced the complaint with the supplier, or you have a deadlock letter from the supplier.

If you do it off-line, then the EOS will return the complaint and ask you to file it again later if appropriate, once the 8 weeks have passed, or you have a deadlock letter.

In the absence of a deadlock letter, the date you first filed the complaint with the supplier is one of the first things the EOS checks with the supplier.

It is true that the supplier will be informed by the EOS of your filing complaint against almost as soon as you file it, whatever then occurs. That is where it is not unknown for some suppliers to brazenly tell the ombudman you have not allowed 8 weeks to pass from starting your complaint, even if you have. Or not followed their complaint procedure to the letter. You are then left having to prove to the EOS (with evidence) otherwise.

Luckily for me I had included every email I sent to symbio regarding this issue to the ombudsman in the attachment as asked. The first email was more than 3 months (12 weeks) since switching. 
You are right that you should go through the whole complaints process, this includes sending an email to the quality assurance team at symbio, who tend to reply quicker than the standard email address (all details are on your symbio bill), however they told me my final bill request was being referred to another team, and then i didn't hear back.

My advice would be to get an email to symbio early, so you have documentary evidence regarding the issue first, 8 weeks is a long time.

Swipe

SPOWER said:

I've just called them and asked for bank details to make a one off payment.  The above is what she emailed me.  I asked if they were changing banks and she said "no sir, we only have 1 bank" that was her exact words.

Sounds like they are indeed in trouble then and BSing customers with the bank change tale as an excuse

niktheguru

Swipe said:

SPOWER said:

I've just called them and asked for bank details to make a one off payment.  The above is what she emailed me.  I asked if they were changing banks and she said "no sir, we only have 1 bank" that was her exact words.

Sounds like they are indeed in trouble then and BSing customers with the bank change tale as an excuse

That was pretty obvious seeing as they've been using the "changing bank" excuse for months!

Swipe

My final bill was emailed to me on 9th August and still no refund of my credit. Not looking good at all

violetta

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