Symbio refusing the switch

Ectophile

SPOWER said:

Who's got a cheque book?  I mean come on.
This Symbio Energy wants closing.

Me.  I've got two, on different accounts.

molerat

How big is the account debit balance ?

My daughter had no problem switching away from Symbio with a debit in excess of her monthly fixed DD so this balance must be pretty large.

niktheguru

This is the last I'm going to post on this thread. You seem to want to go down the "everyone who disagrees with you is a troll" route.
I'm not defending symbio, their customer services are amongst the worst, but people stick with them as they are amongst the cheapest.
You seem to be obsessing over the fact that they've blocked your switch but you're not addressing the fact you probably owe them money (we don't know how much because you haven't bothered to tell us). In an ideal world yes you should switch and then pay the balance in the final bill. But without telling us whether what you owe is tiny or a massive sum we can't really comment on what's appropriate. Like I said, if you owe 10 quid and they've blocked you then I agree it's ridiculous. If on the other hand you owe 100 quid then I'm less sympathetic.
If you just come to post your outrage and that you're always right then fair enough and good luck to you. But most of us have given you a strategy of easily sorting this out and switching quickly. It's hardly breaking your back 90 degrees paying what you owe. I'd say its more hassle writing several complaints emails and going to the ombudsmen, considering you're not trying to cash in. (And wasting ombudsman time which could be used for people that are actually seriously out of pocket by utility company foul play)

helpthetenant

molerat said:

You are technically in the right.

You have the right to take it to the ombudsman.

In 6 months to a year when the ombudsman has sorted it you will be able to switch and likely receive £30 compensation for the trouble (if Symbio are still in business then)

Pick your fights carefully !

thank you, your post gives me hope for the use of this forum.

helpthetenant

niktheguru said:

 you're not addressing the fact you probably owe them money (we don't know how much because you haven't bothered to tell us).

I said it twice, they didn't charge me for two months, which means around £60, which again I am happy to pay, and again this is no excuse for blocking the switch.

maisie_cat

You have been given the best advice, there is a reason that utility companies can block a switch where there is a debt. 
Take a meter reading, calculate what the balance will be with the usage to today and make a manual payment, allowing for any upcoming direct debits. Allow your balance to sit at zero or slightly credit and then switch.
You seem quite angry, if that comes across here it probably comes across when you communicate with Symbio and that almost never works.

helpthetenant

maisie_cat said:

You have been given the best advice, there is a reason that utility companies can block a switch where there is a debt. 
Take a meter reading, calculate what the balance will be with the usage to today and make a manual payment, allowing for any upcoming direct debits. Allow your balance to sit at zero or slightly credit and then switch.
You seem quite angry, if that comes across here it probably comes across when you communicate with Symbio and that almost never works.

That's not technically right, this is not what rules say, they can't block the switch if it was their fault.

elsien

helpthetenant said:

molerat said:

You are technically in the right.

You have the right to take it to the ombudsman.

In 6 months to a year when the ombudsman has sorted it you will be able to switch and likely receive £30 compensation for the trouble (if Symbio are still in business then)

Pick your fights carefully !

thank you, your post gives me hope for the use of this forum.

However if you cancel your dd and build up new arrears they will have a legitimate reason for refusing the transfer. 

That is not trolling, or giving support to Symbio who quite frankly I couldn’t care less about. It is a factor you need to consider. 

helpthetenant

elsien said:

helpthetenant said:

molerat said:

You are technically in the right.

You have the right to take it to the ombudsman.

In 6 months to a year when the ombudsman has sorted it you will be able to switch and likely receive £30 compensation for the trouble (if Symbio are still in business then)

Pick your fights carefully !

thank you, your post gives me hope for the use of this forum.

However if you cancel your dd and build up new arrears they will have a legitimate reason for refusing the transfer. 

That is not trolling, or giving support to Symbio who quite frankly I couldn’t care less about. It is a factor you need to consider. 

Yes I considered this, they blocked the switch before i cancel the DD. This is the most logical thing I could think of. If they are not honest, you have to do something about it, protecting your DD is the minimum.

elle_may

SPOWER said:

Who's got a cheque book?  I mean come on.
This Symbio Energy wants closing.

I have. Halifax.  Use them a couple of times a year.