Avro Energy banned from taking on new customers - MSE News

Gerry1

Ofgem says

"Your new supplier will pay back the outstanding credit you may have.

"Once we have appointed the new supplier, they will contact you to explain how this will work. Costs for energy you have used but have not yet been billed for will be deducted from your account balance.

"Our advice is to take a meter reading and a note of your account balance if you know it, and to wait for them to get in touch with you."

I had no problems when GB Energy went bust. The Co-Op promptly agreed to take it over (and kept the name).

However, it seems that it may sometimes be a bumpy ride: some MSE Forum threads report that the administrators of the old company can squabble with the new company and some consumers have even been chased by debt collectors. Best not to allow a large credit balance to build up !

Of course, if Ofgem were any good they'd rule that Variable Direct Debit should be the default, so that you were billed for the exact amount each month. Fill up at the petrol pump and you pay for what you've used; why should gas and electricity be any different? Fixed Direct Debit only makes bills difficult to understand and allows Ponzi schemes to flourish until the bubble bursts. Many of these outfits have recently gone bust, and are then bailed out by a levy that makes everyone's bills more expensive.

Smodlet

I know this is not really relevant to Avro but just wanted to let people know the following:

I emailed the CEC on Saturday to ask them to cancel my switch to EDF so I can do another one and still get cash back. I received a reply at ten to six today, saying they have done this. Seriously impressed with MSE Chris. Thanks. :T

The switching saga continues...

tempus_fugit

Gerry1 wrote: »

Ofgem says

"Your new supplier will pay back the outstanding credit you may have.

"Once we have appointed the new supplier, they will contact you to explain how this will work. Costs for energy you have used but have not yet been billed for will be deducted from your account balance.

"Our advice is to take a meter reading and a note of your account balance if you know it, and to wait for them to get in touch with you."

I had no problems when GB Energy went bust. The Co-Op promptly agreed to take it over (and kept the name).

However, it seems that it may sometimes be a bumpy ride: some MSE Forum threads report that the administrators of the old company can squabble with the new company and some consumers have even been chased by debt collectors. Best not to allow a large credit balance to build up !

Of course, if Ofgem were any good they'd rule that Variable Direct Debit should be the default, so that you were billed for the exact amount each month. Fill up at the petrol pump and you pay for what you've used; why should gas and electricity be any different? Fixed Direct Debit only makes bills difficult to understand and allows Ponzi schemes to flourish until the bubble bursts. Many of these outfits have recently gone bust, and are then bailed out by a levy that makes everyone's bills more expensive.

I disagree, I'm happy with fixed direct debits as then I know how much I am paying each month. It also means that I can build up a buffer in the summer when usage is low to cover the cost in the winter. Of course, the answer is to budget for the whole year but as I say I prefer to know how much I am paying every month. If direct debits were based in usage then people would have to put in actual readings each month, as long as they are prepared to do that then fair enough but many aren't. If you have a smart meter I guess that would make it easier.

mbailey

Gerry1 wrote: »

Of course, if Ofgem were any good they'd rule that Variable Direct Debit should be the default, so that you were billed for the exact amount each month. Fill up at the petrol pump and you pay for what you've used; why should gas and electricity be any different? Fixed Direct Debit only makes bills difficult to understand and allows Ponzi schemes to flourish until the bubble bursts. Many of these outfits have recently gone bust, and are then bailed out by a levy that makes everyone's bills more expensive.

I pulled a chart together of my running balance on Avro. This shows the dangers of DD if you don't monitor them!


When I first joined Avro, my DD was too high and this allowed a large surplus to build on the account. I waited until the first winter and the balance still remained high, so I then asked Avro to reduce the DD which eventually they did. Currently this year I've managed to keep the balance alot lower, but this has the risk that by the time we come to Winter next year, I will need to increase payments as balance won't cover this. I'd much prefer it this way, rather than Avro have my money.

LindaHall13

We had a 1st generation smart meter put in by Bulb. My husband passed away April 2019 and as a result I became the sole occupant of my house. I then switched my energy supplier to Avro. Not only did I lose the Smart function for my energy , the electric meter is no longer showing any electricity usage. 
Avro are now charging me estimated bill based on ‘ historical data’ . I have had numerous emails from ‘David’, he seems unable to answer my question as to whether the meter is recording internally  Unfortunately this historical data is from when it was a two person household. 
I have had two appointments to change the meter cancelled. Avro are not interested in receiving my usage and previous years bills from Bulb. They say they can’t do anything about the estimates until the meter is changed and they won’t say if my dumb meter is collecting usage but just not showing it.
I am really worried, my estimated bills are higher with Avro than Bulb. They have offered me a meter check for over £100, which they have offered to take off the bill. Can you help, please. Any ideas please? 
Linda Hall
Sent from my iPhone

JohnB47

Wow,  this one surprised me. There should be a rule about replying on very old threads.

Gerry1

@LindaHall13 Welcome to the forum.  Sorry to hear of your loss.

Unfortunately, it can get very confusing trying to match up the answers when several subjects all get tangled up in the same thread.

Can I suggest that it would be better to start a new thread of your own with a relevant title to attract relevant replies, and then delete your existing post?