Eversmart - Utilita

defsdoor

Hi

I was with Eversmart - switched via MSE.  Utilita took over when Eversmart were shutdown - tbh I didn't pay much attention.

Turns out the tariff Utilita have put me on bears no relation to the Eversmart tariff.  The yearly estimate is £2800 - more than double anything that any other provider estimates and they think I am currently £900 in arrears - after only 5 months.

I called Utilita, they pretty much dismissed any potential complaint - "it is what is it - the rates are published - perhaps that's why Eversmart went bust".  I argued that it would have been reasonable to expect at some point during their takeover of my account that they pointed out in LARGE PLAIN WORDS that I was on a tariff that would cost me more than double what I was paying before.

I cancelled my direct debit immediately.  I instigated a switch.

The switch was blocked by Utilita.  I cannot get hold of them via phone - no one is answering.  They have send me a final reminder with the next action being debt collectors.

This is a mafia style system.  I cannot get out without paying, whilst I am with them still I am accumulating even more ridiculous costs.

I am angry that Offgem appointed my account to the energy equivalent of the Corleone family.  I am angry that customer services department seem to be suffering due to COVID-19 but threatening debt letters continue unaffected.

I'm not quite sure what to do next.  Any help or suggestions would be welcome.

Gerry1

defsdoor said:

I cancelled my direct debit immediately.  I instigated a switch.

The switch was blocked by Utilita.

I cannot get out without paying.

Yes, Ofgem are totally useless and no doubt the Utilita tariff is dreadfully uncompetitive.  But you haven't exactly chosen the wisest course of action.  Cancelling the DD has probably put you on their most expensive tariff, and it's hardly surprising that they have had to block you from what would effectively be shoplifting.  Why do you not expect to pay for what you have used?

You should have just switched at the earliest opportunity in the usual way.

You should now pay them what you owe, plus about another six weeks' worth so that you'll no longer be in debt, send frequent meter readings and make sure that the account stays in credit.  Start the switching process again when the payment has gone through.  If you can't pay online or by phone, post them a cheque.

MWT

defsdoor said:

I was with Eversmart - switched via MSE.  Utilita took over when Eversmart were shutdown - tbh I didn't pay much attention.

Unfortunately that is where it all went wrong, the advice all over this forum for anyone being switch as the result of a supplier failure is to check your new tariff and if necessary switch ASAP.

Also as Gerry has said, cancelling your DD just lets them put you on the most expensive tariff they have, so I'd get that fixed as quickly as you can.

Get the DD set up and get onto the cheapest tariff you can with them (but pay attention to any early exit penalties when deciding which the cheapest is...) Then once you've got the debit sorted you'll be free to switch again...

matelodave

As said above there was plenty of info about and you should have been aware of the additional cost if you'd been regularly sending in meter readings and checking your bills and statements etc. You really do have to take charge yourself otherwis,e as you've discovered, it can cost you dearly.  Just hoping that it will sort itself out is very rarely the correct course of action.

I was an Eversmart customer but just got out before Utilita took over and was horrified at the Utilita tariffs, why anyone would actually want to go with them just baffles me. I had already had a similar situation when Octopus took over from IRESA so was already aware of the potential cost of doing nothing.

Hasbeen

defsdoor said:

I called Utilita, they pretty much dismissed any potential complaint - "it is what is it - the rates are published - perhaps that's why Eversmart went bust".  I argued that it would have been reasonable to expect at some point during their takeover of my account that they pointed out in LARGE PLAIN WORDS that I was on a tariff that would cost me more than double what I was paying before.

You really should not depend on company's sending you out details in LARGE PLAIN WORDS you should  actually read, know and understand which tariff you are on and costs are associated with it.

As has been pointed out, others switched very quickly away after looking at the new Utilita tariff.

I knew they were expensive as I compared energy the minute energysmart went bust. And switched as soon as I was a customer to an other very cheap provider. So cheap that I compared again the other day and anyone else is still £200 plus a year more expensive. I check regularly for any better deals.

When you eventually pay back for the energy you have used and are allowed to switch, compare with accurate usage, not in pounds. And send in meter readings every month to avoid unpleasant surprises in future.

JohnB47

defsdoor said:

Hi

I was with Eversmart - switched via MSE.  Utilita took over when Eversmart were shutdown - tbh I didn't pay much attention.

Turns out the tariff Utilita have put me on bears no relation to the Eversmart tariff.  The yearly estimate is £2800 - more than double anything that any other provider estimates and they think I am currently £900 in arrears - after only 5 months.

I called Utilita, they pretty much dismissed any potential complaint - "it is what is it - the rates are published - perhaps that's why Eversmart went bust".  I argued that it would have been reasonable to expect at some point during their takeover of my account that they pointed out in LARGE PLAIN WORDS that I was on a tariff that would cost me more than double what I was paying before.

I cancelled my direct debit immediately.  I instigated a switch.

The switch was blocked by Utilita.  I cannot get hold of them via phone - no one is answering.  They have send me a final reminder with the next action being debt collectors.

This is a !!!!!! style system.  I cannot get out without paying, whilst I am with them still I am accumulating even more ridiculous costs.

I am angry that Offgem appointed my account to the energy equivalent of the Corleone family.  I am angry that customer services department seem to be suffering due to COVID-19 but threatening debt letters continue unaffected.

I'm not quite sure what to do next.  Any help or suggestions would be welcome.

Just some clarification please. You say that Utilita 'thinks' you are £900 in arrears. Is this based on readings you supplied or smart meter readings they took or are they their estimates? Have you got actual readings that would allow you to do your own sums?
I don't think you will have been paying 'more than double' what you were paying before. Yes, the Utilita tariff is steep but it's not that bad. Looking at my energy usage spreadsheets, I've calculated that the cost of energy from Utility (for the time I was with them after Eversmart folded until I moved away) was around 34% more than the cost if Eversmart had continued trading (and if I stayed on their Welcome Home tariff, or an equivalent). I know that there are regional differences in tariffs but applying that percentage to your your bill, it means that you would have paid Eversmart around £671. Yes, an increase of 34% is quite a hike but it's not 'more than double'.
I hope that gives you a better perspective.

defsdoor

I have a smart meter and they confirm on their bills that they have accurate/up to date readings from this.  My yearly estimate with Eversmart was £1200-1400  - the yearly estimate on my last bill from Utilita was £2800 - it was seeing that that made me call them - I was flabbergasted.  I cancelled my DD because they had no intention of helping me or being in any considerate when I called them.

The first page of better tariffs on MSE are all £800+ cheaper than the Utilita estimate.

I don't accept that it is my lookout if my account has been mandated to another company by a regulator.  I would expect the regulator to do everything they possibly can to select a company that isn't morally bankrupt and notify all customers that their supply situation has changed in price considerably.

Otherwise it smacks purely of seeing what they can get away with - i.e. charge as many people as they can for as long as possible until they notice.

It stinks.

MWT

Please do not depend on estimates and certainly don't rely on the comparison websites to give you accurate or even meaningful indications of savings.

Please just use your actual consumption figures from the last year of your use and work out the cost comparisons for yourself using actual tariff information for Utilita and anyone else you are considering moving to...

We've already explained the consequences of cancelling the DD, so its your choice to make things worse, but that's up to you.

The regulator is certainly not looking to get you to the cheapest supplier, just one that is complying with their license and can handle an influx of new customers, anything more than that is up to you unfortunately...

Hasbeen

As Above

The regulator's job is to get customers from the failed company enrolled with a new company that fulfills requirements and can handle the influx of customers as soon as possible.

It is then up to the customers to read, know and understand the new tariff they are on and costs are associated with it.

They then had a choice stay or go to a different supplier of their own choice.
Unfortunately OP  You in your own words did not pay much attention. You stayed.

You also state it was not your lookout that your account's been mandated to another company by a regulator
You wanted someone to tell you in Large Plain Words what the new tariff entailed.

You have recently now found that you would be paying more with Utilita then Eversmart, so cancelled your direct debit thus worsening the situation. And you will probably now be on their most expensive standard tariff. 

You say you are angry at Ofgem and Utilita customer services. If I let myself get into a situation such as yourself I would be angry at myself for not taking any action for ignoring what tariff I was put on and also for taking no responsibility for my actions.
You received a final bill which you did not pay and are now at the debt collection stage.

It is all so unnecessary that it has come to this stage.  But it was your choice. People can only give you advice, you do not have to take it

You need to pay now for what you have used, before your situation gets any worse.
They will have various methods so that you can pay. If possible try again to contact customer service even if by post to ask about a payment plan if you are unable to in one payment.

Hope you get this fixed and get a good switch and also hope valuable lessons have now been learned.

Benzyne

Today 18 April 2020 I paid Utilita £29.25 for a balance  I apparently owed  Eversmart Energy before transfer to Utilita on 18 September 2019. Like many others I was forcibly transferred to Utilita when Eversmart went into administration. I am a great fan of Martin Lewis and have gained financially by using his information. I joined Eversmart when they came top on an energy better price search in November 2017. I had lots of issues with Eversmart particularly accessing my account on line. I raised a Resolver report which eventually went to Ombudsman Services and fizzled out when Eversmart closed. I explained all the issues to Utilita on 18 September 2019 by phone and e-mail. However, Utilita refused to give me any information about my Eversmart account and would not sanction a monthly direct debit payment for their energy supply to me. I decided to leave Utilita on 26 November 2019. I would have done so earlier but I wanted the  Eversmart information.   In January 2020  Utilita  sent me a bill of £600 for immediate payment. I paid it on 4 February 2020 in 3 separate payments corresponding to the monthly periods I was with them ( Sep, Oct, Nov 2019). Two weeks later I received another bill for ca £1100. I raised a resolver complaint when a further demand came in days later. After contact with their complaints department I got Utilita to admit verbally that their records showed I had paid them £600. They agreed to put this in writing but did not. Instead they sent me a bill for £450.04 as the balance owing for Eversmart. I kept data on my payments to Eversmart and the monthly readings of gas /electricity used. I contacted EDF to check my final payment balance sent to Eversmart and they agreed it was £0.00. My calculations were indicating a possible positive balance or small debit balance as I cancelled the September 2019 DD as soon as I heard the news of the transfer.  I raised the level of the Resolver complaint and showed the evidence that Utilita were demanding payment for bills already paid and they offered no evidence for the size of the Eversmart bill. On 9 April the Utilita complaints dept.were immensely responsive and I received by e-mail a snapshot summary of my monthly account with Eversmart.  This showed a final balance of £450.04 but each monthly balance varied from £20 to £900 and seemed irrational. I called Utilita immediately to say that the data was not rational and at least should have resulted in a change in my Eversmart monthly DD payment to match my apparent variable usage. I asked if I could get detailed meter readings for each month. Within an hour I had a call saying the invoices had been found and sent by e-mail to me and the bill on recalculation was £29.25 in debit. Make what you will of this story but it caused a lot of stress and anger. Being a free choosing energy customer is an advantage but as Martin says you do not know the organisational ability or financial standing of any of the companies in advance of joining them. The level of communication from the administrators and the ombudsman is extremely poor to the customer. The practice by Utilita is open to question. Is it reasonable to call it fraud or just poor process management and poor customer service.

Hasbeen

Sorry got lost partway through. Not sure if this advice, vent or warning?