Symbio Energy - it must be a scam - I switched via Martin Lewis Energy Club !!!

dunkrose

I moved my electricity to Symbio Energy on the suggestion via MLESC.  Biggest mistake ever.  Firstly, I followed a link via Martin Lewis Energy Club stating it had no exit fee, but now signed up, it does have an exit fee.  The service has been shocking and the prices a joke.  I was paying c.£45/mth for electricity.  Not only do Symbio bill in advance, they ignore every actual reading provided and use high estimates.  They have now had the audacity to use the month payment in advance tat they say I 'owe' in a revised calculation for a new monthly DD amount, being £96.64...  Outrageous!  I've never paid more than £50/month.  This is quite obviously a scam.  See the average 2.1 TrustPilot reviews, out of 671 reviews, most people saying the same thing.  I think ML should remove this outfit fro the equation ASAP on their Energy Club, before more of us get scammed.
I will be paying the exit fee and leaving now (that's if they let me as some customers are reporting Symbio are refusing to let them leave until they've paid the over-inflated final bill)!

Hasbeen

Sorry some questions.

Did you switch to a fixed tariff.

Did you use actual years usage to switch.

Or did you use DD amount or how many bedrooms.

Do you give them a reading on the last day of month.

Why not cancel when they sent the email with the exit fee shown.

Are you on the fixed or variable monthly DD usage.

They are known for their novel billing system.

niktheguru

Not a scam, but yes, their customer service is pretty awful.
The reason why people stick with symbio is that they are cheap. If you can tolerate their advance billing and horrible bill layout then its actually fine.
Symbio probably isn't for the average consumer, so there probably should be a caveat on the CEC that there can be problems with advanced billing and customer services to warn consumers. But for those of us who read our meters regularly and keep an eye on our billing and usage, it is tolerable to ensure we get the cheapest price. Hell i am paying 10.3p a kwh.
So yes, they use advance billing and they overestimate. If you have a credit balance you can always change the direct debit by contacting them and they will reduce it. 
Regarding the exit fee, you always need to check on the "welcome pack" regarding your tariff and exit fees, to check that they match what was on any comparison site. I have also had this happen to me using CEC with another utility company in the past, but luckily noticed it before the switch completed.

Symbios responses on their trustpilot site are scandalous though. If they actually tried to sort peoples problems out rather than always accuse people of "cyber bullying" then their reviews would be much better. I hate to think how much money they are throwing away in automatic compensation for late final bills!!

If you want a peaceful existence and not to have to worry or bother about your electricity then symbio aren't for you. If you just want the cheapest energy then they are. At the end of the day you will only pay for what you use regardless of how they bill or charge you. But yes, it is hard work!!

CRISPIANNE3

After two years I have got use to their over inflated estimates and for the low price of 10.024p per kw and vat on top they are cheapest around. IMHO I feel over time they have improved. Also tried even to put a more positive review on Trust Pilot to reflect this was got flagged as not a genuine review and was removed. Make of that what you will. 

Benboo

I applied to switch to Symbio from OFTM on the 14th Jan and immediatley received emails confirming my DD had been set up and welcoming me to Symbio with an attachment of their T&Cs and my tariff details with a estimated switch date of the 28th Jan. They also included the name of my dedicted account manager so I thought great they are on the ball.

28th Jan came and went but no word from Symbio so I emailed asking what the situation was, no reply so I phoned them on the 29th Jan, eventually speaking to someone in what sounded like a call centre in Delhi.  The guy I spoke first said he had no record of my swich and asked for my customer ref no which I said I haven't been sent so he went and checked again for maybe 15 mins and then came back saying there seemed to have been some problem registering the move with Foxglove (OFTM) and would OFTM block the move?  I said I could not see any reason why OFTM would try and block the move as my account is well in credit with them so he said leave it with them and he will check further.  Today I receive an email from Symbio customer services saying they "did not receive any request any request to take over your switch to Symbio Energy and hence your supplier liability is still with your current supplier (Foxglove)."

I have now replied copying the emails they sent on the 14th Jan informing them that they are totally incompetent and I have cancelled my DD and will not persue the switch to them any further and informing them I would give feedback on my experience to the UK comaprison sites, hence this post. Having read some of the posts onn here about the way they handle the bills etc I think I have just had a lucky escape - I wouldn't touch them again with a barge pole!

I will add I applied to switch on Symbio's own website not through MSE or another comparison site.

 

Hasbeen

Op appears to post every 5 years or so? So looking forward to reply in 2025? 

falabella

Not enough stress in your life? Try Symbio Energy!

Earlier LAST year we had cut any future involvement with 'Look after my bills', or so we thought, as they were a joke.
BUT this year we found we had been switched to Symbio from Octopus Energy with whom we have been happy.
We emailed Symbio TEN TIMES telling them, in no uncertain terms, that we did not want to switch. They completely ignored us and went ahead. They now 'thank us for choosing Symbio'.
Can you imagine what it must be like as a customer with a bill problem? They will just ignore you.
We WILL stop this cowboy outfit from being our electricity supplier, if required by legal action, but it is a nightmare and very stressful when they just ignore our protests.
The impression is of a business that is run by one person in their bedroom!
Do NOT go near them - should have their licence revoked.

The more reviews I read the more I am convinced Symbio is one person in their bedroom.
Hopefully they will not be allowed to continue for much longer.

UPDATE we have managed to stop the switch by telling 'Look after my bills' we will hold them responsible if this goes ahead. They managed to stop it - Symbio just ignored us.

But - 'Look after my bills' ignored us till we threatened legal action.

spot1034

falabella said:

Not enough stress in your life? Try Symbio Energy!

Earlier LAST year we had cut any future involvement with 'Look after my bills', or so we thought, as they were a joke.
BUT this year we found we had been switched to Symbio from Octopus Energy with whom we have been happy.
We emailed Symbio TEN TIMES telling them, in no uncertain terms, that we did not want to switch. They completely ignored us and went ahead. They now 'thank us for choosing Symbio'.
Can you imagine what it must be like as a customer with a bill problem? They will just ignore you.
We WILL stop this cowboy outfit from being our electricity supplier, if required by legal action, but it is a nightmare and very stressful when they just ignore our protests.
The impression is of a business that is run by one person in their bedroom!
Do NOT go near them - should have their licence revoked.

The more reviews I read the more I am convinced Symbio is one person in their bedroom.
Hopefully they will not be allowed to continue for much longer.

UPDATE we have managed to stop the switch by telling 'Look after my bills' we will hold them responsible if this goes ahead. They managed to stop it - Symbio just ignored us.

But - 'Look after my bills' ignored us till we threatened legal action.

So you have not actually been a Symbio customer then? 

bristolleedsfan

falabella said:

Not enough stress in your life? Try Symbio Energy!

Earlier LAST year we had cut any future involvement with 'Look after my bills', or so we thought, as they were a joke.
BUT this year we found we had been switched to Symbio from Octopus Energy with whom we have been happy.
We emailed Symbio TEN TIMES telling them, in no uncertain terms, that we did not want to switch. They completely ignored us and went ahead. They now 'thank us for choosing Symbio'.
Can you imagine what it must be like as a customer with a bill problem? They will just ignore you.
We WILL stop this cowboy outfit from being our electricity supplier, if required by legal action, but it is a nightmare and very stressful when they just ignore our protests.
The impression is of a business that is run by one person in their bedroom!
Do NOT go near them - should have their licence revoked.

The more reviews I read the more I am convinced Symbio is one person in their bedroom.
Hopefully they will not be allowed to continue for much longer.

UPDATE we have managed to stop the switch by telling 'Look after my bills' we will hold them responsible if this goes ahead. They managed to stop it - Symbio just ignored us.

But - 'Look after my bills' ignored us till we threatened legal action.

You could have asked Octopus Energy to object to the switch .....would have avoided any stress ....

rp1974

Hasbeen said:

Op appears to post every 5 years or so? So looking forward to reply in 2025? 

Lets hope so,I'm on the edge of my seat already in anticipation.
I have chuckle when hearing those Martin Lewis this,that,the other piffle when he moved on long ago.

niktheguru

falabella said:

Not enough stress in your life? Try Symbio Energy!

Earlier LAST year we had cut any future involvement with 'Look after my bills', or so we thought, as they were a joke.
BUT this year we found we had been switched to Symbio from Octopus Energy with whom we have been happy.
We emailed Symbio TEN TIMES telling them, in no uncertain terms, that we did not want to switch. They completely ignored us and went ahead. They now 'thank us for choosing Symbio'.
Can you imagine what it must be like as a customer with a bill problem? They will just ignore you.
We WILL stop this cowboy outfit from being our electricity supplier, if required by legal action, but it is a nightmare and very stressful when they just ignore our protests.
The impression is of a business that is run by one person in their bedroom!
Do NOT go near them - should have their licence revoked.

The more reviews I read the more I am convinced Symbio is one person in their bedroom.
Hopefully they will not be allowed to continue for much longer.

UPDATE we have managed to stop the switch by telling 'Look after my bills' we will hold them responsible if this goes ahead. They managed to stop it - Symbio just ignored us.

But - 'Look after my bills' ignored us till we threatened legal action.

No doubt symbio have dubious practices but on this occasion it’s not really their fault
firstly you were with LAMB which are a shambolic switching service who give no care towards who they switch you to.
secondly why if you emailed them 10 times and didn’t receive a reply did you not attempt to call symbio and actually speak to someone. If you had to email 10 times I’m assuming you were emailing every day. (Also symbio arent alone in poor service from emails. It has in the past taken octopus over a week to reply to my emails and sometimes they haven’t bothered, but when I subsequently called them the operator had full access to my said email in front of them)
thirdly, as has been said you would have saved yourself so much trouble by just contacting octopus and blocking the switch.