49 day switch window.

dogshome

Wobbly_Bob  Sorry my reply was not the answer you wanted, but you asked for for advice on the 49 Day window, and that's what I gave with the reason why

You are fully entitled to start a Switch whenever you like, but your existing supplier will know almost immediately and if the date is outside the 49 days, your supplier is entitled to, and will charge the Exit Fee.

There is a lot wrong with Ofgem, but they have given customers a great deal more protection than any other commercial contract you will ever deal with.

Just try early exiting a Gym contract, Car or house insurance, Breakdown cover etc - It costs !

Likewise Back-billing - If your energy supplier fails to bill you for 12 months or more, and that does happen, they can only charge for the previous 12 months back from the date they did manage to produce a bill - If the billing failure was by any other organisation  than Energy, they have the right to hound you for the money for everything going back 6 years

brewerdave

dogshome said:

You are fully entitled to start a Switch whenever you like, but your existing supplier will know almost immediately and if the date is outside the 49 days, your supplier is entitled to, and will charge the Exit Fee.

The date that the losing supplier finds out that you are leaving is not the important one and SHOULD NOT trigger an ETC, the actual date of the switch is. Within 49 days, no ETC.

[Deleted User]

Apologies for my terse reply dogshome

Thanks for the info brewerdave, i might test the waters next year.

dogshome

The above is WRONG

 The rule is clear - You are entitled to start the Switch process on a Fixed Term Contract within a window that starts 49 days before the End Date of that contract - If you start it earlier, you have not met the rules and will be charged Exit Fee's.

Bearing in mind that on average a Switch takes 21 days, ( If there is a problem it can be far longer ), on brewerdaves advice a customer could start a Switch 71 days, (Over 2 months before contract ends), and escape Exit Fee's.  Better believe it - It's 49 Days or pay the EXIT FEE'S

The actual switch date is only important as it's the day your old suppliers billing ceases, and the new suppliers begins

MWT

dogshome said:

The above is WRONG

 The rule is clear - You are entitled to start the Switch process on a Fixed Term Contract within a window that starts 49 days before the End Date of that contract...

Where are you reading anything from Ofgem that states that the process start date is relevant?

This is from the Ofgem guidance notes to suppliers:

"Suppliers should not charge termination fees for any switch that takes place within the 49 day ‘switching window’ before the expiry of a fixed term contract"

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/licence-guide-switching

brewerdave

Thanks MWT -I thought I was going mad !!!

merchcon55

dogshome info is NOT CORRECT:
 I KNOW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE - BUT ALSO LISTED IN A MSE ARTICLE:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2018/05/energy-firm-reviewing-letters-after-exit-fees-error/

What ARE the rules?

Ofgem's rules state that customers must not be charged exit fees if they leave during or after the ‘switching window’, which is defined as "49 calendar days before a fixed-term contract ends".

You can apply to switch at any point during a fixed-term contract without having to pay exit fees, as long as the switch is actually completed during the switching window.


IT IS THE ACTUAL SWITCH DAY THAT MATTERS WHETHER YOU ARE CHARGED AN EXIT FEE - NOT THE DAY YOU APPLIED FOR THE SWITCH !!!!!  Personal experience TWICE backs this up.

victor2

dogshome said:

It's Ofgem who set the rules, and whilst I have no love for the Energy industry, Ofgem have have given customers far more protection than any other industry they will ever deal with.

The rule is 49 days so why try to bounce it, and remember that if for some reason the Switch is not completed when the old Fixed tariff contract ends, the supplier must continue to charge the Fixed Tariff rates

That is not the case in my experience. I even raised a complaint, where the response concluded as follows:

As you can appreciate, your tariff was a 12 month fixed rate tariff and the 12 months is not flexible, otherwise this defeats the point of fixing rates for a set amount of time and the tariff would need to be listed as 'fixed for 12 months + however long it then takes to switch to a new provider at the end of the deal'

The preceeding argument was enough to convince me it wasn't worth chasing the few pounds it had cost me. Plus the new supplier gave me a goodwill gesture of more than I had lost as the delay was partly caused by them (mostly by the losing supplier though).

t0rt0ise

victor2 said:

dogshome said:

It's Ofgem who set the rules, and whilst I have no love for the Energy industry, Ofgem have have given customers far more protection than any other industry they will ever deal with.

The rule is 49 days so why try to bounce it, and remember that if for some reason the Switch is not completed when the old Fixed tariff contract ends, the supplier must continue to charge the Fixed Tariff rates

That is not the case in my experience. I even raised a complaint, where the response concluded as follows:

As you can appreciate, your tariff was a 12 month fixed rate tariff and the 12 months is not flexible, otherwise this defeats the point of fixing rates for a set amount of time and the tariff would need to be listed as 'fixed for 12 months + however long it then takes to switch to a new provider at the end of the deal'

The preceeding argument was enough to convince me it wasn't worth chasing the few pounds it had cost me. Plus the new supplier gave me a goodwill gesture of more than I had lost as the delay was partly caused by them (mostly by the losing supplier though).

The supplier was trying it on. They are wrong. 

milgo

I have always started my switches at 14 days (cooling-off period) + whatever the current contract stipulates ...So in the case of a 49 day out contract I would press the button to start the switch at 63 days out (49+14).  I have never been switched within the 14 day cooling-off period.  There is no benefit for the incoming supplier to switch you before then only for you to say that you have changed your mind.