MSE an indepentdent broker? 16 October 2019 at 1:04PM edited 16 October 2019 at 1:31PM in Site feedback 9 replies 2K views

deker

If I sign up to an energy deal via MSE is my contract with the energy supplier or MSE?

Former_MSE_Holly

Hi deker, when you use Cheap Energy Club, your energy contract is with the supplier directly. Our FAQ on how switching works should be helpful to explain what actually happens during the switch - https://help.cheapenergyclub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000347267-How-does-energy-switching-work-

deker

Hi Holly, thanks for your answer. I have just switched to ScottishPower via MSE on the "Super Saver September 2020 B3" tariff. I am totally against smart meters and would have avoided any deal that mentioned them. So you can imagine my surprise yesterday, 6 days after the cooling off period, getting an email informing me that the deal requires smart meters and to arrange an installation date. I phoned ScottishPower immediately and was told that it's not their deal it's the the brokers deal, MSE, and that MSE should have made it clear smart meters are required. So who is right and what do I do now? I have screen shots of the deal presented by MSE including the Filters section and there is no mention of smart meters.

Former_MSE_Holly

Hi deker, I've checked our information on that tariff and can see that we had a note flagging the smart meter requirements in the 'tariff info' section of the results - "You'll need smart meters (one for gas, one for electricity) to get this deal - unless they can't be fitted for technical reasons. If you don't have them already, Scottish Power will install them for free and you won't need to give meter readings in future.". Could you email the team at [email protected] with your screenshots and we'll check this out for you.

deker

Thanks Holly, email sent.

deker

Could you tell me if MSE acknowledge that smart meters are a contentious issue?

deker

I have had no response from MSE to any emails yet and have emailed you again today.

deker

Nine months later and still not clear which tariffs insist on smart meters. 31st Oct 2019 via email:  "The smart meter filter is certainly something we're looking at as a future improvement, as we are aware that users have specific preferences around these."

flashg67

Whether it was there at the time I have no idea, but I've just done a new comparison and Scottish Power clearly shows as a 'smart meter' tariff, and clicking the question mark or 'tariff info' gives further info:-  'Important: You must have smart meters (one for gas, one for electricity) installed with this tariff. If you don't, Scottish Power can move you onto its more expensive standard tariff. Don't worry, Scottish Power will contact you and install them for free.' which echoes the MSE reply from months ago..... maybe you missed it?

I've resisted them so far - I don't really want to spend my days worrying about how much gas/electricity I'm using

deker

@flashg67 Thanks. Maybe they are selectively showing tariffs requiring smart meters, possibly if supplier specifically requests it. Either way still no filter so MSE not taking people's concerns over them seriously.