Neo energy billing "Scam"?

YBR

There's quite a back story, but the summary is Neo Energy are trying to bill me for providing nothing, what more can I do?

I was with Yorkshire Energy and transferred SOLR to Scottish Power, initiated a switch to Neo which was due to happen at the beginning of February. 
When it didn't show in the industry databases, I phoned several times over the course of about 10 days and always the lovely lady on customer services (knows nothing herself but very polite) says someone will call me back, but never happened. On 12th February I told them I was blocking the switch unless I could speak to someone about what was happening, guess what! At this point they'd taken my DD 10 days before, and invoiced for the next month, and were (from my point of view) behaving like scammers. I followed up cancelling the switch by email and received a rude response blaming me for initiating multiple switches and asking me for bank details. Instead I cancelled the DD agreement and used the bank guarantee to get the initial payment back.

So I initiated a new switch from SP, which was successful early this month, with a lot of work from me waiting hours on the phone to SP, then having to phone the new supplier and sort it out myself (SP are worse villains but that's not the point here). After that hassle I'm convinced that SP blocked the switch to Neo.
My credit from YE is now in my SP account and I'm waiting for a final bill; I was hoping that the whole thing was going well enough to no longer keep me awake at night but ...

I've received emails from Neo on 19th March with an invoice and another requesting me to set up a DD. I emailed back a complaint the same day but haven't even received an acknowledgement. Today again an email: "late payment notification", and it's a total scam from my point of view. Neo were never my supplier - I've checked so frequently since YE collapsed I'm sure of this.
I'm finding it draining, and makes me anxious that I'm being chased for payment.
I mainly want them off my back, although some recompense to focus their minds on knowing who their customers are ...

Is there anything else I can do, other than wait until they either react to the complaint or I can escalate to the ombudsman?

daveyjp

From what I have picked up on its safe to say Neoenergy are a disaster of a company.

I would simply keep the emails they send and not respond at all at this stage, they don't have a clue.  They appear to work by simply taking your expected annual bill and dividing by 12 and invoice you for that amount each month.  Their bills don't have the info you would expect, including MPAN etc.

They appear to have no systems in place for taking updated readings, acknowledging readings, updating accounts and their credit control doesn't exist.  If you don't pay them absolutely nothing happens. 

I expect them to be history quite quickly.

Joe9090

daveyjp said:

From what I have picked up on its safe to say Neoenergy are a disaster of a company.

I would simply keep the emails they send and not respond at all at this stage, they don't have a clue.  They appear to work by simply taking your expected annual bill and dividing by 12 and invoice you for that amount each month.  Their bills don't have the info you would expect, including MPAN etc.

They appear to have no systems in place for taking updated readings, acknowledging readings, updating accounts and their credit control doesn't exist.  If you don't pay them absolutely nothing happens. 

I expect them to be history quite quickly.

If what you say is correct how were they given go ahead to operate?

Gerry1

Joe9090 said:

daveyjp said:

From what I have picked up on its safe to say Neoenergy are a disaster of a company.

I would simply keep the emails they send and not respond at all at this stage, they don't have a clue.  They appear to work by simply taking your expected annual bill and dividing by 12 and invoice you for that amount each month.  Their bills don't have the info you would expect, including MPAN etc.

They appear to have no systems in place for taking updated readings, acknowledging readings, updating accounts and their credit control doesn't exist.  If you don't pay them absolutely nothing happens. 

I expect them to be history quite quickly.

If what you say is correct how were they given go ahead to operate?

Dozy Ofgem, no doubt.  IIRC correctly, in recent years more than a score of energy companies have gone bust or had to be rescued by another company.

Tallerdave

Were you trying to cancel a switch outside the cooling off period?

YBR

Yes, it was outside the cooling off period, go on ...

Tallerdave

YBR said:

Yes, it was outside the cooling off period, go on ...

So you couldn't cancel the switch at that point and Neo thought you were a customer? 

Tallerdave

YBR said:

Yes, it was outside the cooling off period, go on ...

So you couldn't cancel the switch at that point and Neo thought you were a customer? 

YBR

I can cancel the switch and I have, not because I have "cooled off" but because they broke the contract.
The contract is for them to supply me energy, which they accepted they had failed to do,
   and for me to pay for that energy, but as they supplied none there is nothing owed.

I do have an email back (the rude one blaming me quite without evidence) which makes it clear they have accepted the cancellation. 

UnclaimedEnergy

Gerry1 said:

Joe9090 said:

daveyjp said:

From what I have picked up on its safe to say Neoenergy are a disaster of a company.

I would simply keep the emails they send and not respond at all at this stage, they don't have a clue.  They appear to work by simply taking your expected annual bill and dividing by 12 and invoice you for that amount each month.  Their bills don't have the info you would expect, including MPAN etc.

They appear to have no systems in place for taking updated readings, acknowledging readings, updating accounts and their credit control doesn't exist.  If you don't pay them absolutely nothing happens. 

I expect them to be history quite quickly.

If what you say is correct how were they given go ahead to operate?

Dozy Ofgem, no doubt.  IIRC correctly, in recent years more than a score of energy companies have gone bust or had to be rescued by another company.

 I wouldnt' really blame Ofgem on this one. Neo Energy don't have their own supply license and are a white label of Euston Energy (associated with northumbria energy).

Euston Energy have had their supply license for a now and Ofgem don't normally step in over white labels anyway. The only real reason why this could be Ofgems fault are either:

• Allowing white labels to be a thing (suppliers using other suppliers licenses, e.g. Outfox the Market, Co-op, M&S, Neon Reef)
• Not being tougher on suppliers like Euston Energy and just removing them from the market without hard evidence as to why

YBR

They're back again! I thought I'd finally got rid of Neo 3 months ago when the admitted they'ed cocked up and said they'd fixed it.
Now it's "Thank you for being a valued customer."

Customer - Never!
Valued? - Quite the opposite.
 
and 

"We will shortly be generating your annual reconciliation bill on your account and to avoid estimated usage being used we would like to request that you provide a meter reading to us at your earliest convenience."

I'm now annoyed and frustrated. Part of me wants to have a go (Childish petty revenge) and then part thinks it's likely not worth it.
Perhaps I can get them on GDPR - they've no right to use the data of a non-customer, surely?