Pitfalls of switching...

SPlatten

We have switched are Electricity provider often and many times, after watching one of the recent TV programmes recommending **Look After My Bills** we signed up, unfortunately we are learning the very hard way that when being switched there are pitfalls, for example the new company we have been switched to is "People's Energy" they have fixed a direct debit and it appears they don't take readings from our smart meter.  We have checked the smart meter and the current reading this month is just over £250, yet the direct debit for Peoples Energy is set at £452.

It just means more telephone calls and more stress.

Tallerdave

Your first mistake is using Look After My Bills, who will only switch you in return for backhanders that you must pay for. 

Switch yourself and you have access to all available suppliers/tariffs.

SPlatten

"Look After My Bills" was the result of a recommendation on the Money Saving Expert TV programme.

Neil_Jones

SPlatten said:

"Look After My Bills" was the result of a recommendation on the Money Saving Expert TV programme.

And if a TV programme recommended you jump off a cliff would you do that as well?

LAMB may be useful in some circumstances but it doesn't do anything you cant do yourself.  A company will always have vested interests which may not be in your own interests.

SPlatten

Thats fair isn't it, since the TV programme I'm referring to is headed by the same person behind this web-site.

Hasbeen

SPlatten said:

Thats fair isn't it, since the TV programme I'm referring to is headed by the same person behind this web-site.

Do you mean the person who sold this site in 2012 for £87 million to Money Supermarket?

His nominal role as chair is kept there for publicity purposes.

SPlatten

I didn't know that either, would be helpful if Martin could announce that detail on TV.

roddydogs

Been said many times before, if you look at the referrers thread theirs several £50 s on offer with no withdrawal fees, until youve used up all these don't even consider using lamb, or CEC !

MWT

SPlatten said:

We have checked the smart meter and the current reading this month is just over £250, yet the direct debit for Peoples Energy is set at £452.

Do not rely on the ££ shown on the In-Home Device (IHD) or any monetary amounts you see on the meter itself once you start switching around, especially if you move to a supplier that doesn't use smart meters as the tariff information will not have been updated.

Neil_Jones

SPlatten said:

I didn't know that either, would be helpful if Martin could announce that detail on TV.

Why?  The details are on the website.  See the site's About page.  Not a state secret.

Anyway coming back to the original post:

SPlatten said:

We have switched are Electricity provider often and many times, after watching one of the recent TV programmes recommending **Look After My Bills** we signed up, unfortunately we are learning the very hard way that when being switched there are pitfalls, for example the new company we have been switched to is "People's Energy" they have fixed a direct debit and it appears they don't take readings from our smart meter.  We have checked the smart meter and the current reading this month is just over £250, yet the direct debit for Peoples Energy is set at £452.

It just means more telephone calls and more stress.

First of all I'd suggest reading up on how energy direct debits work:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/

Also direct debit details to get going are based on what you tell the gaining company.  If you tell them you use a country's worth of energy, that's what they'll set it to initially until a few readings are in and they have a better idea of where your account is going and it will balance out.  As above, if the supplier doesn't use smart meters ignore the monetary figures, its like looking at how much charge there is in the car battery - interesting, but totally irrelevant for the most part.

I would also go so far as to suggest next time, don't use LAMB.  In fact I dare say you can log into their website and say don't switch me again.  Then when your deal runs out (if its a good one, which I doubt because these companies work on what's good for them and not necessarily for you) hit USwitch, Citizen's Advice, Energy Club etc and find your own deal.

SPlatten

Ok, finally got an email from People's Energy, the reason we ended up leaving was because we started getting very high bills with no-one to discuss this with, at the time we decided to leave we were according to People's Energy over £1000 in dept.  However, in the final email we received yesterday it turned out that People's Energy actually owed us £405.80 GBP which they have now transferred back into our bank account.  Shame we couldn't talk to them, but its done now, so if anyone is in the same situation don't panic it could just be a !!!!!! up.