Electric supplier exit fee

RIckyC

Hi, so I have another electric supplier issue.

I moved into a new flat on the 17th, and every flat in the building had the default supplier Ecotricity and were told to deal with them. I phone up to create my account on the 22nd but it seemed that they were in the process of switching me over to SSE and I had no idea why. They said they will prevent the switch over (that failed) but as of today SSE told me they're supplying the eletric to my flat, and Ecotricity say they can't get me back until 10 days time due to regulations. I found out the people running the flats wanted to default to SSE now and would do so during a tentant change, but due to an admin error they switched me after I moved in.

I didn't do the switch myself, and I assume the SSE account isn't in my name so what should I be doing? Should i be contacting SSE to create an account or wait 10 days and contact the company I want? Will I be able to avoid exit fees that comes with an SSE standard tarrif?

Thanks!

D_M_E

Get back on to Ecotricity and tell them you are the one paying for the energy and that the switch to SSE was not made by you.

Tell them you want them to get your supply back using the Erroneous Transfer regulations and insist they take it back from SSE as you did not authorise the transfer.

While you are talking to them ask them to quote what they mean by 10 days before they can do anything, I suspect they are just fobbing you off.

Once they have the supply back you should be able to switch to whoever you like without having to pay exit fees.

You did read the meter(s) when you moved in and have you supplied the reading to Ecotricity?
If not you could be paying for some of the previous tenant's bill.

RIckyC

Thanks, sounds like a plan.

RIckyC

After phoning both companys, My original supplier said they can't do anything so to phone SSE. SSE said they can't do erroneous transfers for me as I wasn't the one that transferred and made the account (the more I think about it the more stupid that sounds) and that I could be anyone. They said they need permission from the person that did the transfer, which i'm trying to do now.

Is all that true? or should I just contact the electric ombudsman?

Ectophile

So I take it that the electricity supply is currently in someone else's name.


In which case, to me, the simplest solution is to contact SSE and tell them that you have just moved in. Give them a current meter reading. Then as soon as that goes through, switch to a supplier of your choice.


When you move in, then you have a new deemed contract on the standard tariff. That tariff will be the most expensive, but should not have any exit fees.

t0rt0ise

Exactly what Ectophile says. I had similar with an erroneous transfer. They told me it would be far quicker to simply move to another supplier than go through the erroneous transfer thing and then move. So that is what I did.