Resolver or Ombudsman?

pinknsparkly

Hi all,

Sorry for the length, I've tried to include all relevant details.

Please can I ask your advice on whether I should take this issue directly to the Energy Ombudsman or try to use Resolver first. This issue has been on-going since October last year, so I am well past the 8 week period you have to wait between complaining and referring to the Ombudsman but since my previous encounter with the Ombudsman was so poorly managed, I wonder if it worth attempting Resolver first!

My broken dual rate, Economy 7, electricity meter was replaced in October 2017 by a British Gas engineer, but she only had a single rate meter with her and so it was replaced with a single rate meter. However, the national database was then updated to say the meter had been replaced, but that the new meter was also a dual rate meter.

I then switched to Together Energy a few days later, still in October 2017. I continued emailing on a monthly basis asking about when the meter details would be updated and was given one excuse after another. In October 2018, my fixed rate ran out and I moved to Eon - I selected a single rate tariff but they were told my meter was a dual rate so put me on the dual rate tariff. After many months of too-ing and fro-ing with Together, they eventually issued me with a manually created final bill using actual meter readings and issued me with a £150 refund.

Current situation:

1. My meter is STILL recorded as a dual rate meter, meaning I cannot submit electricity meter readings as they need me to give a day and a night reading (though I regularly email them meter readings). I have been round and round and round in circles. Eon telling me they needed information from Together Energy, Together Energy telling me I had to speak to the national database (which I did, they said Eon have to update my details), at other times being told that British Gas had to update the records as they installed it. I have emailed British Gas several times too. Essentially no-one will take responsibility and no-one will respond to emails (I am now refusing to call them, as I have no record of what is said and they tell me something different every time I call)

2. I've had texts from Together Energy saying I have an outstanding balance with them of around £50 - this is the balance of the final auto-generated bill, using the estimated meter readings. The manually generated bill, with the £150 refund, is nowhere to be seen on my online account (though I do have an email copy that was sent to me for checking). I rang them back (breaking my rule about emails only) as the text said I had to call them IMMEDIATELY. In some ways, for peace and quiet, I'd be willing to simply pay the £50, but what if they then notice the £150 refund that they've given me and demand £200 instead??

So what I want is two-fold: to get my meter details updated and to get confirmation from Together Energy that I don't owe them any money. I imagine I’ll also have a mega fight on my hands when I leave Eon to get a correct final bill based on actual single rate meter readings rather than estimated dual rate meter readings (as I did with both British Gas and Together Energy) but that’s a future problem!

Would you use Resolver first or go straight to the Ombudsman. And would you submit only one complaint (which is the most straightforward), and if so, which company is my complaint with? British Gas made the error initially, Together Energy are chasing me for money I don't owe due to the meter error and Eon are my current provider who also are using incorrect meter details.

One thing I have been pondering is whether there is any worth in me asking to have a smart meter installed when I next switch providers. I don’t particularly want one as I am quite good at submitting regular meter readings and would probably continue to at least check the meter readings, but have no hatred towards them. That would give me a new meter (without having to pay for one) that would hopefully be added to the national database correctly. If it was one of the older style ones that won’t work with other providers then that’s not an issue as I’ll just manually submit meter readings as I currently do. However, this seems like a rather unnecessary step to take when it should be a straightforward case of updating the information on the database!

Thanks in advance, this is making my head spin!! I keep sending them monthly emails asking for updates and thinking "I'll just give them a little more time to get back to me" but enough is enough!

JJ_Egan

Are either or both companies signed up to Resolver .

masonic

You cannot go to the Ombudsman until you have formally complained to the company and given them 8 weeks to resolve your complaint. So your choice is between complaining via Resolver or complaining directly. It seems like you have two complaints: (1) Together Energy need to sort out their billing and close off your account using the manually generated final bill; (2) Eon need to provide you with a meter that they will accept readings from, or get your current meter correctly registered and your tariff changed over.

pinknsparkly

Thanks both.

Masonic - I opened complaints with both Together Energy and EON around 6 months ago so I have well covered the 8 week period required between complaining to the company and taking it to the Ombudsman. That's very helpful advise in terms of how many complaints to make, and against who - thanks!!

JJ Egan - good point, I hadn't realised that Resolver isn't a generic service that can be used for any and all complaints! I'll look into whether I can use it for these companies. Thanks :-)

[Deleted User]

It's always best to complain directly, as Resolver has a habit of sending complaints to out of date addresses. It certainly won't add any value.

There's no need to use a middle man when complaining.

pinknsparkly

Thanks zx81 - looks like I'll be going directly to the Ombudsman!

Matty36

Currently have 2 complaints against british gas through resolver.

After submitting the complaints 7 weeks ago, british gas responded to both with a standard generic response saying they will investigate and what not. Not heard a peep since, so will be throwin them both at the ombudsman next week

Biscuit_Tin

pinknsparkly wrote: »

Hi all,

Sorry for the length, I've tried to include all relevant details.

Please can I ask your advice on whether I should take this issue directly to the Energy Ombudsman or try to use Resolver first. This issue has been on-going since October last year, so I am well past the 8 week period you have to wait between complaining and referring to the Ombudsman but since my previous encounter with the Ombudsman was so poorly managed, I wonder if it worth attempting Resolver first!

My broken dual rate, Economy 7, electricity meter was replaced in October 2017 by a British Gas engineer, but she only had a single rate meter with her and so it was replaced with a single rate meter. However, the national database was then updated to say the meter had been replaced, but that the new meter was also a dual rate meter.

I then switched to Together Energy a few days later, still in October 2017. I continued emailing on a monthly basis asking about when the meter details would be updated and was given one excuse after another. In October 2018, my fixed rate ran out and I moved to Eon - I selected a single rate tariff but they were told my meter was a dual rate so put me on the dual rate tariff. After many months of too-ing and fro-ing with Together, they eventually issued me with a manually created final bill using actual meter readings and issued me with a £150 refund.

Current situation:

1. My meter is STILL recorded as a dual rate meter, meaning I cannot submit electricity meter readings as they need me to give a day and a night reading (though I regularly email them meter readings). I have been round and round and round in circles. Eon telling me they needed information from Together Energy, Together Energy telling me I had to speak to the national database (which I did, they said Eon have to update my details), at other times being told that British Gas had to update the records as they installed it. I have emailed British Gas several times too. Essentially no-one will take responsibility and no-one will respond to emails (I am now refusing to call them, as I have no record of what is said and they tell me something different every time I call)

2. I've had texts from Together Energy saying I have an outstanding balance with them of around £50 - this is the balance of the final auto-generated bill, using the estimated meter readings. The manually generated bill, with the £150 refund, is nowhere to be seen on my online account (though I do have an email copy that was sent to me for checking). I rang them back (breaking my rule about emails only) as the text said I had to call them IMMEDIATELY. In some ways, for peace and quiet, I'd be willing to simply pay the £50, but what if they then notice the £150 refund that they've given me and demand £200 instead??

So what I want is two-fold: to get my meter details updated and to get confirmation from Together Energy that I don't owe them any money. I imagine I’ll also have a mega fight on my hands when I leave Eon to get a correct final bill based on actual single rate meter readings rather than estimated dual rate meter readings (as I did with both British Gas and Together Energy) but that’s a future problem!

Would you use Resolver first or go straight to the Ombudsman. And would you submit only one complaint (which is the most straightforward), and if so, which company is my complaint with? British Gas made the error initially, Together Energy are chasing me for money I don't owe due to the meter error and Eon are my current provider who also are using incorrect meter details.

One thing I have been pondering is whether there is any worth in me asking to have a smart meter installed when I next switch providers. I don’t particularly want one as I am quite good at submitting regular meter readings and would probably continue to at least check the meter readings, but have no hatred towards them. That would give me a new meter (without having to pay for one) that would hopefully be added to the national database correctly. If it was one of the older style ones that won’t work with other providers then that’s not an issue as I’ll just manually submit meter readings as I currently do. However, this seems like a rather unnecessary step to take when it should be a straightforward case of updating the information on the database!

Thanks in advance, this is making my head spin!! I keep sending them monthly emails asking for updates and thinking "I'll just give them a little more time to get back to me" but enough is enough!

TLDR

But if you have cause for complaint follow the suppliers complaint procedure fisrt.

Resolver does not resolve complaints - it's simply a third party who will forward your complaint to the supplier in line with their complaint procedure.

All resolver effectively does is keeps all the correspondence in one place.
That may be useful if you are no good at doing that yourself, but as a third party, can delay matters.

You cannot use the ombudsman unless you follow the suppliers complaint procedure (which can be through Resolver if you wish, but the supplier will only accept the date the matter was raised as the date they first received it, not the date you sent it to a third party for forwarding)