National database for Electricity meter

Nigel_Cook

2 months ago I applied to switch from Eon to Scottish Power. The move went reasonably well. Scottish Power had a very good online saver rate at the time (April/May 20). I cancelled my direct debit with Eon and Scottish Power took my first payment. All seemed OK until today. 
Message from SP saying "sorry to be loosing you". Contacted them to find out why I was leaving, what had I done wrong. They told me Shell Energy  were taking back over the account. I had never been with Shell Energy. They told me I needed to speak with Shell Energy. I did and was told by Shell Energy that the MPN SP had for my account that they were looking to take was indeed for my address however it had never had EON registered to it. Further checking by Shell and me giving my meter reference number and MPN from my latest Eon bill which is different to the one SP and Shell had was also registered at my address.
I rang back SP and told them they had the wrong MPN and meter reference number. They said that Eon was still my supplier and that my proper meter was never transferred. They made it my problem. They then tried to flog me a new contract 20% higher than the one I had signed upto and also paid 1 months of direct debit. I said the contract was between me (a person) residing at (my address) and Scottish Power. Thats what the agreement says. I said the agreement is not between Scottish Power and some rouge meter. 
Scottish Power have said they will reimburse me the £40 paid for July. What I want is the deal I had with them to be honoured. I have ended up unknowingly stayng with Eon on their variable rate and now finding a new cheaper supplier which is circa 10% more than the deal I did a couple of months ago.
I am also concerned that Shell Energy and Scottish Power are still doing business with a meter which is not located at my address and that someone out there has a meter location which is not their address. 

Do the companies, when they get a request to switch, check that the address on the national database matches address the householder states. I can understand supply address different to billing address but this seem crazy. So, have worked out that this breach of contract, as far as I am concerned will cost me circa £100 this year. I did not make the mistake. Who is liable and has the duty of care. BTW. Just getting to this stage has taken 6 hrs on the phone.

Gerry1

Who does your DNO's website say is supplying you?

MWT

Nigel_Cook said:

Do the companies, when they get a request to switch, check that the address on the national database matches address the householder states. I can understand supply address different to billing address but this seem crazy.

From what you have said, if I've understood correctly, you actually have your own meter and one belonging to someone else registered at your address.

So yes, they use the address you give to verify the meter that they are transferring, and in this case they transferred a meter registered at your address, just not the one that is actually at your address.

That makes the transfer of that meter to SP an erroneous transfer and the meter has to be returned to Shell and your payment returned to you.

Since SP have failed to achieve your switch within the period allowed by Ofgem you are also entitled to receive a compensation payment of £30 from SP

That is about as far as your automatic rights go in this situation.

The only company that can fix the address problem on the other meter is Shell, but you will have no way to make that happen, but hopefully Shell will want to get that fixed.

As to getting the same deal as you had before, that is going to be down to negotiation with SP, for the amount of money involved it is never going to be worth trying to go legal on this with them, I'd suggest staying friendly and seeing what you can get them to agree to once everything is unwound.

dogshome

You appear to have been the victim of an " Erroneous Transfer" - These happen when someone else changes supplier and the data gets scrambled in the system which results in the wrong account being Switched.

The rule is, is that the incorrectly switched customer must be returned their supplier and suffer no financial loss

WRITE a letter to Shell, heading it Complaint and send a copy to SP