Symbio Energy feedback

spot1034

kaMelo said:

I too wondered whether they would take the direct debit which was due today and sure enough they did.
Going off my own figures, on 30th September I was only 39 pence in credit, I'll need to pay for fuel going forward anyway so didn't mind that they did as it means I'm not starting "behind" with the SoLR supplier when they are finally announced.  Frankly the longer they take the better as any tariff the SoLR implement will be considerably more expensive.

It does however raise the question of the legality of an insolvent company still taking money, I can only assume as this is a process which ultimately ends with a new supplier rather than a hard "the end" in the event of a normal business becoming insolvent.

The DD would have been requested through the banking system the day before they announced they were going out of business, so it was always bound to happen. 

It's a bit of an unusual situation in that they are still, as of this moment, our supplier, and it could well be that it'll be tomorrow or Monday before an SOLR is appointed. So they haven't quite ceased to trade yet, and unlike a normal insolvency any customer funds in their hands which are not required to settle the final account are fully protected and will be returned to the customer via the SOLR.

elucidate

On the 28th, Symbio told me they're gonna take £142.03 from my account. I gave my meter readings on the 29th and cancelled the DD as Martin Lewis and Ofgem guidelines say it's okay to do so.

Forgot to do meter reads on 29th but for some reason their system changed my 29th reading into 30th and that was reflected on the bill. It was such a fair estimate that the estimated meter read for the end of October was LESS than for the end of September.

The result? They owe me £36! So glad I didn't authorise the DD. Although that £36 will be gobbled up by the SoLR's SVT rates. 

bsms1147

spot1034 said:

The DD would have been requested through the banking system the day before they announced they were going out of business, so it was always bound to happen.

For me my direct debit comes out around the 6th. 

Surely the direct debit is only requested once they know the amount, which they can only know once you submit your end of month reading? I got my direct debit email on the 1st, which is after the collapse.

(I don’t mind, happy to pay these low rates for as long as I can. Any credit/debit balance will come out in the wash)

spot1034

bsms1147 said:

spot1034 said:

The DD would have been requested through the banking system the day before they announced they were going out of business, so it was always bound to happen.

For me my direct debit comes out around the 6th. 

Surely the direct debit is only requested once they know the amount, which they can only know once you submit your end of month reading? I got my direct debit email on the 1st, which is after the collapse.

(I don’t mind, happy to pay these low rates for as long as I can. Any credit/debit balance will come out in the wash)

Ah, sorry I took from your post that the DD had gone out of your bank that day - the 1st. I am on a fixed DD and these are taken on the first working day of the month, and these would have been requested (with the customer being sent an email) on Sep 28th - the day before the sad announcement of their demise. 

Reed_Richards

I requested to cancel my DD on Sept. 29th so as not to have it paid on 1st Oct.  I got a message from Symbio on the 30th to say that it had been cancelled and neither my bill received today nor my bank statement, checked online yesterday, indicate anything to contradict this.  So from my experience it is possible for a DD cancellation to take effect quickly.

I had a healthy credit balance based on electricity actually used.    

molerat

Cancelling a DD with your bank will take immediate effect.  The chances are that if you cancel it the same day after it is taken it will be recalled - happened to me once, pressed the trigger too soon and they recalled it.

mikbandit

 I recalled last direct debit through bank, and also cancelled mandate, so I actually owe symbio about £18.
I have electricity only so I have put into transfer to neon reef with £50 recommendation bonus. ( Neptune v3 fixed for a year)

They are cheaper than price cap for electricity only, about 17p unit and 17p standing charge.
if they go bust too, it’s back to price cap charge.

BigBlueSky

mikbandit said:

 I recalled last direct debit through bank, and also cancelled mandate, so I actually owe symbio about £18.
I have electricity only so I have put into transfer to neon reef with £50 recommendation bonus. ( Neptune v3 fixed for a year)

I thought the recommendation was to wait for the replacement supplier to take over to avoid the Solr taking over again from the new chosen provider?

Inigo_Montoya

BigBlueSky said:

mikbandit said:

 I recalled last direct debit through bank, and also cancelled mandate, so I actually owe symbio about £18.
I have electricity only so I have put into transfer to neon reef with £50 recommendation bonus. ( Neptune v3 fixed for a year)

I thought the recommendation was to wait for the replacement supplier to take over to avoid the Solr taking over again from the new chosen provider?

Just because its "recommended" doesn't mean its not possible to switch to another provider of your own choosing

Yes you are likely to encounter more problems such as the one you mentioned but people on this forum have reported that they switched successfully

If the SoLR tries to take over later you can cancel it i.e. ask your chosen supplier to block it & the SoLR to cancel it

The main issue is ensuring you get a correct final bill from the old supplier & any refund due as normally this would be added as a credit to your SoLR account

drsquirrel

I switched months ago to a new supplier. They still owe me a substantial credit. Is this protected also?