Swapping energy supplier

Fossil123

I’ve just made bankrupt and forgot to add my utility company. Once I do this, I know it’s very likely they’ll want to install a pay as you go meter. I desperately don’t want one installed. Has anyone been in a similar situation and swapped to a new supplier without having to agree to a pay as you go meter please?

luvchocolate

I changed supplier while BR on my file and was asked to pay £300 deposit returned after 6 successful Direct Debits. 

Fossil123

That’s brilliant, which supplier is this please?

mwarby

A switch to prepayment isn’t a definite, a meter change costs money, if you weren’t in serious debt with them before they may well just leave it

Not sure how smart meters change this, as they can be switched to pay as you go remotely 

luvchocolate

Fossil123 said:

That’s brilliant, which supplier is this please?

Shell energy....formally first utility

thevdm

As far as I am aware, our energy supplier never knew about my bankruptcy, the accounts were up-to-date though.

The water account was in arrears at the time and as such they did know about it. They ended up closing that account and opening a new account for which they attempted to get me to pay £50 a month via direct debit (considering our water is normally about £25 a month). I refused to set up their direct debit and instead submitted meter readings every month via their website and paid the balance in full. They still insisted for ages I set up the rediculous direct debit but eventually gave up when they realised I wasn't letting the account get in debt.

If your concerns about pre-pay meters are the cost; in recent years pre-pay meters are not allowed to charge more than the standard tariffs so generally don't cost any more. Some also allow you to top up via mobile apps instead of having to go to the shop.

I switched to a pre-pay for the simplicity of if. Each month I top the electric up to £80 and the gas to £40 in credit, at the end of the month there's usually about £10 left on the electric and between £5 and £30 on the gas depending on the time of the year. As far as I'm concerned the payments are exactly the same as they were on monthly payments with the only difference being that I'm paying a month in advance rather than a month in arrears.

luvchocolate

Very often a new supplier will do a credit check so BR will show up. 
I was up to date with previous supplier so they were not informed. 

Samirish

I recently went BR and my energy supplier (BG) was one of my included debts (to the tune of £4k). I rang them a few days after BR and they simply closed my old account and opened a new one, I even got to choose a new tariff.  It was quick and went without a hitch, my smart meter has linked to my new account, as has my app.  They offered to install a pre-payment meter but I declined, they were fine with that.