PfP Energy ceases trading - here's everything you need to know

danielson81

Cancelled my DD yesterday, today PFP emailed me saying:

 "Set up a new Direct Debit to keep your discount

We have been unable to take your monthly payment as you have cancelled your Direct Debit with us. To remain on our cheapest tariff you will need to set up your Direct Debit again" 

Assume its automated and I can ignore! I am in credit anyhow! 

TomDolan

danielson81 said:

Cancelled my DD yesterday, today PFP emailed me saying:

 "Set up a new Direct Debit to keep your discount

We have been unable to take your monthly payment as you have cancelled your Direct Debit with us. To remain on our cheapest tariff you will need to set up your Direct Debit again" 

Assume its automated and I can ignore! I am in credit anyhow! 

same here, its an automated generated letter. Just wait for the new provider to contact.

Neruda

danielson81 said:

Cancelled my DD yesterday, today PFP emailed me saying:

 "Set up a new Direct Debit to keep your discount

We have been unable to take your monthly payment as you have cancelled your Direct Debit with us. To remain on our cheapest tariff you will need to set up your Direct Debit again" 

Assume its automated and I can ignore! I am in credit anyhow! 

I received an email saying that they are having trouble taking payment. My last payment left at the end of August so the next is not due for three weeks.

Gerry1

TomDolan said:

danielson81 said:

Cancelled my DD yesterday, today PFP emailed me saying:

 "Set up a new Direct Debit to keep your discount

We have been unable to take your monthly payment as you have cancelled your Direct Debit with us. To remain on our cheapest tariff you will need to set up your Direct Debit again" 

Assume its automated and I can ignore! I am in credit anyhow! 

same here, its an automated generated letter. Just wait for the new provider to contact.

The problem is that the PfP system may have been programmed to detect a DD cancellation and to charge the expensive default tariff from the date of the last DD payment.  That happened to me when Robin Hood Energy was taken over by British Gas very soon after I had joined them; IIRC I cancelled the RHE DD as soon as I saw that the BG DD had been set up (but not yet collected).  There seemed no point in having two DDs permitted, the takeover was so quick that an RHE DD had never been collected.  There was no notification as such, only the description of the tariff and rates tucked away on the bill.

BG did re-bill when challenged, but I wonder how many people did the same and didn't notice that they'd been surcharged.

greenguppie

Gerry1 said:

TomDolan said:

danielson81 said:

Cancelled my DD yesterday, today PFP emailed me saying:

 "Set up a new Direct Debit to keep your discount

We have been unable to take your monthly payment as you have cancelled your Direct Debit with us. To remain on our cheapest tariff you will need to set up your Direct Debit again" 

Assume its automated and I can ignore! I am in credit anyhow! 

same here, its an automated generated letter. Just wait for the new provider to contact.

The problem is that the PfP system may have been programmed to detect a DD cancellation and to charge the expensive default tariff from the date of the last DD payment.  That happened to me when Robin Hood Energy was taken over by British Gas very soon after I had joined them; IIRC I cancelled the RHE DD as soon as I saw that the BG DD had been set up (but not yet collected).  There seemed no point in having two DDs permitted, the takeover was so quick that an RHE DD had never been collected.  There was no notification as such, only the description of the tariff and rates tucked away on the bill.

BG did re-bill when challenged, but I wonder how many people did the same and didn't notice that they'd been surcharged.

We had a similar experience with EDF a few years back. Hopefully they have since amended their billing system.

For us, we left EDF after our fixed period had ended.
We received our final bill and that was settled (iirc, EDF paid us a small credit)
We then cancelled the DDI as we thought the contract was over and done with.
Shortly thereafter we received a revised final bill from EDF now claiming we owed them a load of money because we had cancelled our DDI.
They had rebilled us on a different tariff (that did not require a DD in place) and that was rebilled not just back to when we last paid our monthly DD, but way back to the previous EDF bill, and EDF did not issue bills very freqently. (an up to date balance was available online instead whenever meter readings were submitted)

We did eventually get it resolved, but not until we followed their complaint procedure. EDF admitted we were not at fault, cancelled the re-bill, and reverted to the original final bill they had issued.

As a general rule (not where a supplier ceases to trade), I don't cancel any DDI until a final bill is settled.
By then I find a number of suppliers will have already cancelled the DDI on my behalf anyway.*


Any DD is covered by the DD guarantee. It would depend on the exact terms, but I would say any supplier who expected payment in advance (especially where you are confident your account will be in credit after accounting for what you will owe to that supplier) is not entitled to collect a payment from you if they have ceased to trade.


*Edit:
OutFoxTheMarket is one notable exception.
Their advice is to cancel your DDI yourself as soon as they cease to supply you, and before they issue you with a final bill - they inform you to do so in their 'sorry you are leaving' email to avoid them taking further payments (which they will do if you don't cancel the DDI)

SamDude

I jumped from Neon Reef to PFP in July, now the cheapest deal is with... Neon Reef (approx £260/year more than PFP).

If that's the best case option right now, I'm cringing about what options will be available once the SoLR situation has settled.

gt94sss2

Personally, if someone hasn't already, I would download and keep local copies of your PFP bills.

SamDude

gt94sss2 said:

Personally, if someone hasn't already, I would download and keep local copies of your PFP bills.

I've done this - downloaded all two of my PFP bills...

I've spent a bit more time looking at fixed deals, and am considering going back to Neon Reef on the Neptune v4.
It is showing on the energy comparison sites, but not listed on their own site (they are only offering v3).
I know this is against advice, but this is the first time I've had to deal with SoLR - what is the pitfalls of not waiting for SoLR to complete?

tux900

SamDude said:

I know this is against advice, but this is the first time I've had to deal with SoLR - what is the pitfalls of not waiting for SoLR to complete?

My only personal experience has been that the attempt to switch away fails, however I have read about others finding themselves double-switching i.e. switching to their preferred supplier and then the SoLR swtiching them back. I suppose as the SoLR is granted authority to take over your supply that's what they do; not maliciously to prevent you leaving but rather as a result of what must be a heavily automated process to trawl through the list of PFP customers and switch them over in whatever database exists to show who's with who. It might be more nuanced than that but regardless of the motivation and process the end result is the same.

greenguppie

SamDude said:

gt94sss2 said:

Personally, if someone hasn't already, I would download and keep local copies of your PFP bills.

I've done this - downloaded all two of my PFP bills...

I've spent a bit more time looking at fixed deals, and am considering going back to Neon Reef on the Neptune v4.
It is showing on the energy comparison sites, but not listed on their own site (they are only offering v3).
...

Then unfortunately you will not be able to get it.
V4 was on their website and was better than V3 for those on a single rate meter and were high users (i.e. lower unit rate but higher standing charge)
@DiseasedBunny seems to have secured it
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78590996/#Comment_78590996

Looks like NR have since pulled it and reverted to V3.
Perhaps they realised their error with V4
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78590421/#Comment_78590421

Neptune (any version)  is not available through any comparison site - you have to go direct.