BG just emailed but I'm meant to switch to Sainsburys on 7th Oct

elfounctildl

Another ex-People's Energy customer here who jumped ship on 20th Sep to sign up for Sainsbury's 2 year fix.

Sainsbury's emailed me on 28th Sep with:

We've contacted your old supplier and your switch to Sainsbury's Energy has been approved. We expect to start supplying you on 7th October.

and another email from them since saying that my first DD will be taken on the 7th. 

However, British Gas have emailed me tonight with:

We recently contacted you to let you know that People's Energy has stopped trading and Ofgem, the industry regulator, has appointed us to take over the supply of gas and electricity to your home. [...] We’ll shortly be sending out your Contract Pack

Should I be worried? I thought my switch to Sainsbury's was pretty far gone I'm meant to submit meter readings to Sainsbury's on 2nd Oct 

Has anybody else who has British Gas as their SOLR and is due to move to another supplier soon received this above BG email? Is it just an automated message sent to everyone, regardless of switching status?

MWT

Keep an eye on who is listed officially as your supplier as it wouldn't be the first time that a SoLR transfer has pulled back a customer who was in the middle of a switch.

Odds are you will may it to Sainsbury's but the bulk switch process can result in another switch back to the SoLR, this is why all the advise says not to switch until after the transfer to the SoLR completes.

bagand96

This is exactly why the official advice is not to switch whilst an SoLR is underway as it can cause this sort of situation. 

Agree with @MWT it sounds like you will make it to Sainsbury's. But it could be the case that another switch will happen quickly. Might be worth talking to Sainsbury's to see if they can block any switch out. 

You might have to have some relationship with BG though for energy between People's going bust and October 2nd. 

elfounctildl

Thanks for your comments, I've heard what you describe (being switched back to SOLR after switching away) happening to some people here. I appreciate that I've gone against the advice but I didn't have much credit with PE so I thought I'd take the chance but I know it may not work out 

If BG try to switch me back after I've moved to Sainsbury's, would I know about it happening somehow? Or is it a matter of checking the supplier register regularly?

Annoyingly UK Power Networks who list my electricity supplier seem to have an old database of addresses as my flat isn't listed in the list on their website (house converted into flats sometime in the last 20 years, lots of websites use the old address data still) so I can't look up my electricity supplier. The gas register in my understanding lags 72 hours behind so isn't so useful for finding out the current supplier.

FreeBear

MWT said: Keep an eye on who is listed officially as your supplier as it wouldn't be the first time that a SoLR transfer has pulled back a customer who was in the middle of a switch.

Yup. Happened to me. I had managed to switch gas away from Toto a few months before they went bust, but the burgers kept blocking the electricity. Eventually, after repeatedly quoting from their OFGEM licence conditions, electricity was transferred the day they went t1ts up.

EDF very kindly claimed ownership of my supply, which I promptly disputed. In all credit to them, they relinquished control back to my chosen supplier and didn't bill me for the couple of days I was on their books. Should have pursued them for erroneous transfer compensation, but to be honest, I was just glad to see the back of Toto the clowns.

My advice to the OP - Write a stern email to BG telling them that you object to them taking over your supply as you are in the middle of a switch to another supplier.

MWT

FreeBear said:

EDF very kindly claimed ownership of my supply, which I promptly disputed. In all credit to them, they relinquished control back to my chosen supplier and didn't bill me for the couple of days I was on their books. Should have pursued them for erroneous transfer compensation, but to be honest, I was just glad to see the back of Toto the clowns. 

All the usual compensation opportunities are off the table when it is part of a SoLR process, so wouldn’t have been worth trying for it anyway.

The good news was them reacting quickly to sort it out without fuss.

johnbhoy70

I was gonna say I'm in a similar position receiving Octopus stuff after leaving Avro. However, I left Avro on 20th September BEFORE they announced and I'm guessing you did it just after PE  did and that's the difference. I'll still keep an eye on mine though and expect an Octopus bill for the circa 2 weeks in between. I have enough balance at Avro and I tend to cancel DD on 7th after my move hopefully completes. Not due to come off till 12th so should be enough time.

Ps- good luck to you if you managed to get out onto a half decent tariff and ignored industry ''advice'' not to switch. I hope it goes through ok. 

zoonyx

I'm in a similar position having started a switch from Avro to BG Evolve on 24th.  I contacted Evolve and told them I knew it was dicey, against advice, but do what they can.  I also contacted Octopus this week with a similar email - aware the industry may well block things, but confirming that I do still want to move away, and could they do whatever possible to make it happen.

I love octopus, but given the circumstances need to get the best deal - BUT the big thing here is that trying to move just before, after or during a SOLR transfer is pot luck.  It might happen, it might not, but I wouldn't read too much into receiving emails from various companies - it's all automated.

johnbhoy70

zoonyx said:

I'm in a similar position having started a switch from Avro to BG Evolve on 24th.  I contacted Evolve and told them I knew it was dicey, against advice, but do what they can.  I also contacted Octopus this week with a similar email - aware the industry may well block things, but confirming that I do still want to move away, and could they do whatever possible to make it happen.

I love octopus, but given the circumstances need to get the best deal - BUT the big thing here is that trying to move just before, after or during a SOLR transfer is pot luck.  It might happen, it might not, but I wouldn't read too much into receiving emails from various companies - it's all automated.

Yup. I've done everything, i think, Octopus asked of in that email a couple of days ago. I advised them as requested that i had applied to leave Avro before they announced and also plugged in a couple of readings in the link in email they provided. There was already readings from 24th and 26th in there anyway with Avro so can do more really other than keep an eye on.

Que sera sera!!

molerat

MWT said:

FreeBear said:

EDF very kindly claimed ownership of my supply, which I promptly disputed. In all credit to them, they relinquished control back to my chosen supplier and didn't bill me for the couple of days I was on their books. Should have pursued them for erroneous transfer compensation, but to be honest, I was just glad to see the back of Toto the clowns. 

All the usual compensation opportunities are off the table when it is part of a SoLR process, so wouldn’t have been worth trying for it anyway.

The good news was them reacting quickly to sort it out without fuss.

I got £30 compo x2 from the SoLR.  My switch date was the actual date my supplier went bust.  The SoLR stole me back once and then tried again after I was switched back.  I also didn't pay for electricity for about 45 days

MWT

You were fortunate then, they had no obligation to do that.