Debt...No switch

Ajw84

Hi,
Grateful for any advice here...
So,I decided to start shopping around for a new better gas/electric deal Sept 18. Provided an up to date metre reading,explained that I could only provide 4 digits on the app for gas but my metre had 5. This was because the box had been changed but they hadn’t updated the grid correctly,therefore unbeknown to me I’d been incorrectly billed for some time,even though people had been out to take my metre readings. Anyhow, everything got sorted out in April, yes 8mths to sort things out. My account is now in debt of over £2000, a payment plan is in place however because of the debt I’m not allowed to switch. By staying with my energy supplier I am paying £50 extra a month rather than being able to switch to a cheaper competitor.

I haven’t a issue with the debt as I appreciate its gas/electric which we have used,,although very frustrated that it took so long to be sorted out.

I just can’t see how it’s fair that you have to stay with a company whilst you’re in debt if you have a payment plan in place if they are unable to match/better the tariffs offered elsewhere.

Hope this makes sense,on a bit of a rant!!

Benight

Ajw84 wrote: »

Hi,
Grateful for any advice here...
So,I decided to start shopping around for a new better gas/electric deal Sept 18. Provided an up to date metre reading,explained that I could only provide 4 digits on the app for gas but my metre had 5. This was because the box had been changed but they hadn’t updated the grid correctly,therefore unbeknown to me I’d been incorrectly billed for some time,even though people had been out to take my metre readings. Anyhow, everything got sorted out in April, yes 8mths to sort things out. My account is now in debt of over £2000, a payment plan is in place however because of the debt I’m not allowed to switch. By staying with my energy supplier I am paying £50 extra a month rather than being able to switch to a cheaper competitor.

I haven’t a issue with the debt as I appreciate its gas/electric which we have used,,although very frustrated that it took so long to be sorted out.

I just can’t see how it’s fair that you have to stay with a company whilst you’re in debt if you have a payment plan in place if they are unable to match/better the tariffs offered elsewhere.

Hope this makes sense,on a bit of a rant!!

There is no guarantee you will adhere to a payment plan.
If you don't, the supplier could install a PPM to recover the debt owed , but only if you are still supplied by them.

You should be able to transfer to a better tariff from your existing supplier, despite any debt. In such circumstaance, I very much doubt you would be paying £50pm over and above any supplier would charge for the same usage. (ignoring any payment you are being asked to pay in addition to recover the debt owed in accordance with a payment plan)

Hope this makes sense.

Welcome to MSE and making your first post:)

PennineAcute

You owe them monry, and they know that whilst you are with them - they will eventually get their money back. Either by you keeping to the repayment plan or moving you onto a prepay meter.

You leave and there is no guarantee that they will get their money back.

Nothing you can do, as they are within their rights to block any move. All you can do is to move onto their cheapest tariff.

antrobus

Ajw84 wrote: »

... My account is now in debt of over £2000, a payment plan is in place however because of the debt I’m not allowed to switch.

...

Your supplier can object to the switch if your debt is over £500. And they will.

Focus your efforts in getting the debt below that level.

Biscuit_Tin

antrobus wrote: »

Your supplier can object to the switch if your debt is over £500. And they will.

Focus your efforts in getting the debt below that level.

What makes you think a supplier cannot object to a switch where a debt exists that is less than £500?
They can, and they invariably will.

(Some suppliers even attempt to block switches when the account balance is simply in debit, but that would be wrong; it must be a debt)

dogshome

I'm not happy with all this.


You inherited a Gas meter with the dwelling, which was probably an Imperial Meter - Each meter unit delivers 31.5 Kwh of gas


You had a meter change, this would have been a Metric meter - Each meter unit delivers 11.2 Kwh of gas
If you supplier had mistakenly assumed your original meter was Metric when it was actually Imperial, they were undercharging you by 183% - Hence the £2,000 debt.


1)However, this supplier has already c*cked the account up once by failing to register the meter change on the National Data Base, so check the figures
The new meter will have a label on it showing the date of installation, it's reading, and the reading on the old meter as it was removed - Check the Start read & End read and do the maths.


2) This debt is not your fault, it's the suppliers, and whilst you do have to repay the unbilled money, it's not reasonable that you should be dis-advantaged by being tied to this supplier.


WRITE a letter headed Complaint, Accepting that you owe this money and will repay it ,but that you should be allowed to move to a supplier with a better tariff - They will probably refuse, but it's then off to the Ombudsman you go