Avro Energy Nightmare

heskethbang

Help!
We have overpaid on our energy bill by around £1300 I have been trying to contact Avro Energy for 5 weeks, via email and Twitter. They have not replied at all. Their phone lines are closed. It is impossible to get hold of them. 

They have at no stage during the 12 months we’ve been with them issued us with a statement. 

We got so frustrated we have switched provider, but Avro are still billing us regardless.

I feel like we’re lost in the system. 

Is it time to go to the ombudsman? Is anyone else having the same problem, or can anyone offer any advice or tips? 

JohnB47

If they haven't issued you with a statement, how do you know you've overpaid? If you've done your own sums you'll know how much you owe them and will have put that amount aside.

If you have moved supplier, what is the problem? You will have stopped the Avro Direct Debit. Just wait for Avro to get around to sending you a final bill and pay it. Why are you chasing them?

You will have taken final Avro readings and supplied these to your new supplier?

keithgawler

Suggest you leverage Twitter. This got Avro's attention for me when all of the usual channels including emailing the CEO had failed.

Robin9

@JohnB47 OP has overpaid by £1300 and wants his refund.   (Quite how you overpay by £1300 I don't know)

JohnB47

Robin9 said:

@JohnB47 OP has overpaid by £1300 and wants his refund.   (Quite how you overpay by £1300 I don't know)

Darnit. And my post started so well.

heskethbang

JohnB47 said:

If they haven't issued you with a statement, how do you know you've overpaid? If you've done your own sums you'll know how much you owe them and will have put that amount aside.

If you have moved supplier, what is the problem? You will have stopped the Avro Direct Debit. Just wait for Avro to get around to sending you a final bill and pay it. Why are you chasing them?

You will have taken final Avro readings and supplied these to your new supplier?

When logging into the Avro Energy account, you get a balance on what has been paid so far. When clicking on statements, there are no statements to show. Yes, our final Avro readings are with the new supplier, and they have been supplying since the start of the month. We are now paying 2 providers.

Ah, you say! Why not just stop the DD with Avro? Well, it's generally inadvisable to stop DD's prior to final bill (although receiving a bill full stop would be an innovation!), as this is means by which they refund overpayments. This is a company that over a 6 week period cannot answer a phone, reply to an email or even a tweet; therefore my confidence in their ability to get an actual person to print and post a cheque is, as you'll appreciate, somewhat diminished. 

Have used Avro in the past and they've been an excellent company. Somethings gone wrong.

2010

1. Stop the DD immediately (you have more then enough in your account to cover the final bill).
2. Avro have 6 weeks to send you the final bill.
3. If no refund by week ten then go here.(someone owes you money and won`t pay, summons them).

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

JohnB47

I have no experience of it but have you tried Resolver (resolver.co.uk). If you go to their site and scroll down, you'll see that there is actually mention of Avro, so presumably you won't be alone in using that route. Definitely worth a try.

oldagetraveller1

"Well, it's generally inadvisable to stop DD's prior to final bill (although receiving a bill full stop would be an innovation!), as this is means by which they refund overpayments."

I cancelled the D.D. after they took a payment after I changed supplier. That doesn't appear to have caused an issue with regards final bill and refund of credit.

This "Any credit remaining in your account will be refunded and this will be sent back to the bank details we hold on record for you"

From the e-mail I received. In spite of the D.D. cancellation they have bank account details for the refund.

But yes, it is generally inadvisable to cancel the D.D..

They have taken it right to the wire in generating the final bill. And any refund will take up to 10 days to credit my bank from the end of the week that bill was issued!

2010

Cancelling a DD doesn`t stop a refund being paid.
Avro know your bank details and can pay a refund into it.
This happened to me with both Scottish Power and Avro when I left them previously.

heskethbang

2010 said:

Cancelling a DD doesn`t stop a refund being paid.
Avro know your bank details and can pay a refund into it.
This happened to me with both Scottish Power and Avro when I left them previously.

I wish I had your confidence.

This is a company that can’t issue a statement, pick up a phone, answer an email or respond to a tweet. 

They are not the same Avro energy I first joined in 2017.