SO energy - bad review

Onnwah_Leong-Scanlan

Inefficient company. Blames customers when their own system fails to send letters to customers. Poor customer service. Takes a hard line with customers. DO NOT USE. 

I moved into a flat on 7.3.2020. I used MSE cheap energy club to find out a cheap energy provider for me. SO energy was not on the MSE list. I contacted Yorkshire energy to be my energy provider. SO energy blocked my switchover to Yorkshire energy. Yorkshire energy did not inform me that the switch had been blocked. The first time I realised there was a problem was when I received a letter on 14.6.20, asking for my name , contact details , date I moved in, opening meter reading. I think this letter was sent by SO energy on 11.3.20. I received it on 14.6.20. 

The 2nd letter I received on 16.6.20 was SO energy’s bill for the period 7.5.20-6.6.20.  

So energy claims that they sent me 4 letters. I only received 2 of them. 

I never wanted SO energy to be my energy provider. 

I rang SO energy on 22.6.20 to resolve this. Normally, I would just pay the bill and switch over to Symbio energy. When I heard the SO energy had blocked my initial switchover to Yorkshire energy , I felt I was being robbed. 

If SO energy had allowed my switchover to Yorkshire energy in March and then write to me to collect the 21 days’ charge , I would have been happy with that. 

But now , I feel that SO energy has trapped me into an expensive tariff by not informing me until 14.6.20! This is terribly unfair! This should not be allowed.

SO energy should sort out their own inefficient postal system, rather than blame customers for their own incompetence. 

After speaking to citizens advice consumer helpline , I am now seeking a letter of DEADLOCK from SO energy so that I can go to Ofgem to seek mediation. 

This provider that I did not want in the first place is wasting a LOT OF MY TIME AND ENERGY. 

I normally do not like to complain but I feel that I need to warn others not to use SO energy. Be warned !

couriervanman

Well I've been with them for for 6 months and no problems whatsoever........and reviews on them are mainly very good so your in the minority 

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately you are wasting your time.  If SO Energy were the existing supplier, the moment you switched on a light you were in a Deemed Contract, which will have been expensive.  You should have registered with them, provided your opening reading  and only then sought to switch.

ALL suppliers work this way, it's an industry standard.  It has to be: the alternative would be that you would have moved into a cold dark flat with a risk of pipes bursting, fridge / freezer not working, unable even to have a cup of tea.  They have to block a transfer until they have been paid, otherwise people could just change suppliers every month leaving a trail of unpaid bills behind them.  It's like a restaurateur challenging someone who's had a meal and then tries to walks out without paying.

You need to settle the outstanding amount immediately and move on.  Make sure you always give monthly readings, or you'll be back here before Christmas complaining that you were quoted £5 per month for gas and electricity and you now have a big debt.

Incidentally, Ofgem don't mediate or deal with individual complaints, it would be the Ombudsman.  But don't expect them to uphold your complaint, it's just how the system works.

brewerdave

The company you should have moaned at were Yorkshire Energy. They should have informed that the switch was blocked back in March. As far as SO were concerned ,they were supplying the property.

couriervanman

So Energy are on MSE  list and cheap for gas not so for dual fuel about £85 more expensive per year but nothing to stop the OP trying to change again and only extra £7 a month to pay before change over

Gerry1

SO Energy are beaten only by Igloo and EDF in the Citizens Advice customer service league, so your view seems to be the exception rather than the rule !

SquirrelA

Onnwah, totally with you.  My experience of So Energy has been awful. Despite promising to review charges twice a year, they failed to do any review for over year with us, quoted us a misleadingly low monthly payment, stuck our family with a massive bill and it was only after tortuous correspondence that we discovered the full extent of their misconduct.  Worse still, they blocked us moving to a competent supplier even while there was a live dispute as to the full amount claimed by them.  They seem more interested in keeping negative comments off consumer websites than sorting out the problems of their own breaches of contract.

rp1974

And no responsibility for this is in anyway,shape or form the OPs?.

SquirrelA said:

Onnwah, totally with you.  My experience of So Energy has been awful. Despite promising to review charges twice a year, they failed to do any review for over year with us, quoted us a misleadingly low monthly payment, stuck our family with a massive bill and it was only after tortuous correspondence that we discovered the full extent of their misconduct.  Worse still, they blocked us moving to a competent supplier even while there was a live dispute as to the full amount claimed by them.  They seem more interested in keeping negative comments off consumer websites than sorting out the problems of their own breaches of contract.

Having read your other post,see the above.

Maureenalpha

I am with So Energy I had £800 in credit in February on the 23rd of March it went down to £657 on 30th of March I received 5 Emails from them  on the same day with bills saying my credit was £567 then it was £235 then it was £64 then it was £43  the next one was £80 in debit on April 5th i received another email saying i was £164 in debit so in the space of  2 weeks £800 credit turned into £164 debit I phoned them up but all i got was a lady telling me that something went wrong with my meter and its been sorted i did all my  own reading and told her so,I asked her to put someone higher up on line to talk to but she said she was the only one there !!!!!! and everything with my account was correct every time she kept repeating this in the end I hung up but will be taking this further

niktheguru

Maureenalpha said:

I am with So Energy I had £800 in credit in February on the 23rd of March it went down to £657 on 30th of March I received 5 Emails from them  on the same day with bills saying my credit was £567 then it was £235 then it was £64 then it was £43  the next one was £80 in debit on April 5th i received another email saying i was £164 in debit so in the space of  2 weeks £800 credit turned into £164 debit I phoned them up but all i got was a lady telling me that something went wrong with my meter and its been sorted i did all my  own reading and told her so,I asked her to put someone higher up on line to talk to but she said she was the only one there !!!!!! and everything with my account was correct every time she kept repeating this in the end I hung up but will be taking this further

Welcome to the forum Maureen,

What you've failed to mention is whether you were actually being "billed" correctly. Have you looked at the meter readings on the bills? You say you've provided meter readings yourself, are these the same readings on the bills? Over what time periods are each of the 5 bills for? It could be that you0e "direct debit" total has been increasing but you haven't been being billed and now your latest bills are a catch up and you are actually paying for the energy you've used over the space of many months.

With charges being so high it is not that common to get into massive credit, unless either your direct debit is set at a very high amount or, you've not been being billed every month and the direct debit amount is increasing in your account.....either way you need to pay for the energy you actually use.