Switching for Customer Service

MoonbowDerby

I know the advice is to stay put, but having been switched at the end of last year from Igloo, I'm at my wits end -- nearly every month since when the energy statement arrives, there is some error, each time slightly different, and I have to contact them about and each correction seems to have just caused more errors. 

They keep charging me for gas even after I've discussed with three separate people who each time assure me it's been handled that my property doesn't have gas, it's been disconnected and capped at the meter for nearly a year now. Each time I've told them the meter reading, even sending in photos, but at first I was still charged estimates and then it seems one of them entered in something wrong or something and now there is a weird lower reading and I'm being charged even though the previous reading from when I was switched is there and the same (though is listed as an 'estimate', where as the wrong reading is listed as a meter reading which is odd as meter readings I put in are listed as manual).

I've now sent them an email with all the previous discussions on it attached asking for the charge to be removed and the meter reading information to be corrected, but I've little faith on this getting and staying resolved. 

It's just been so stressful, compounding my health being weak over the alst couple of months. I'm not even sure why I'm posting other than I need to get this out of my head somewhere and I'm wondering if others have noticed more customer service issues or any idea where to switch to in a few weeks when it's all mostly going to be at the price cap anyways as I just can't take what feels like a constant going round and round for something that I never thought would take over four months to resolve as it was always just a quick conversation before.  

Farway

Have you formally complained, using pen, ink & a stamp?

There is a formal procedure they must follow once you complain, but it must be plain it is a complaint, so head your letter COMPLAINT

Should it not be resolved then off to the Ombudsman and some cash for you trouble

What company are you talking about BTW? No harm in naming them, you never know someone may have found a Golden Key to resolve matters with them

Ultrasonic

Personally I wouldn't switch until the issues have been resolved, as I'd guess it may be even harder to do so as a ex-customer.

Escalating your complaint as suggested above sounds like it's the way to go.

MWT

MoonbowDerby said:

They keep charging me for gas even after I've discussed with three separate people who each time assure me it's been handled that my property doesn't have gas, it's been disconnected and capped at the meter for nearly a year now. Each time I've told them the meter reading...

If the meter is still there then you are still liable for the daily standing charge, that can only be stopped if the meter is removed.

I would suggest being proactive and just supply the same correct but unchanging meter reading each month.

Gerry1

How do you heat your property?  Did you have Gas Central Heating?

If you had a GCH system but switched to electric heating to save money it will have been a false economy: gas is significantly cheaper and will remain so, unless there's government action (which would be electoral suicide).

If you own the property and intend to stay there for a reasonable time then installing or recommissioning a GCH system could be a good investment, increasing the property's value and making it easier to sell.

Robin9

Is this the same house that you moved into in May 2021 ?

At that time did you have a gas supply ?  Did you have gas heating and then switch to electric ? 

Northern_Wanderer

If you have a gas meter then you still have a supply regardless of the fact the internal pipework has been disconnected from the meter. I've been in this situation before but got round it by being on a zero standing charge tariff and speaking to the supplier. I do know however that the supplier intimated that for safety they would want to the meter removed.

As mentioned already, you are still bound to pay any standing charges. Utilita have zero standing charge as far as I know if you did want to switch. But perhaps if you don't want to reinstate the supply to any appliances in your property, you may consider having the meter removed for safety and to stop any billing issues like you've had. There would likely be a charge for removing the meter.

Northern_Wanderer

NB - I don't know if Utilita are taking on new customers right now....

MoonbowDerby

Thank you all for your responses. Like other former Igloo customers, we were transferred to E.On Next. I am waiting for this to resolved, but I don't expect it to stay that way and I can't keep doing this every month. I've not yet sent a complaint letter, but I likely will soon, thank you. 

I've been trying to be proactive in giving listings and contacting them over the issues when I spot them on my account. They list my first reading as an estimate, then when I contacted them about mischarging me from their own estimate shortly after that, someone put in a wrong lower number which I contacted them to correct so I can reput in the reading and I am now being charged the difference even though it's exactly the same to original numbers I've given them in every reading, conversation and given photographs of which they've had me do repeatedly. In my latest email I've sent copies of all those conversations. The only additional proactive step I can see is moving onto the complaints procedure. 

Yes it's the same property we moved into last year. It's a concrete build heated with electric.

The only gas heating appliances in the property when we moved in were two already disconnected gas fires that the gas engineer said were likely disconnected because they don't have the appropriate safety measures. Neither would be installed now. There is no gas boiler in the property (in fact, behind one of those heater is a defunct coal boiler still connected to a radiator hiding in a cupboard, it's like new heating has been bolted on but rarely removed so it's a pretty cobbled system we've been untangling). There is also a wall gas grill that the gas engineer had never seen anything like before, said we should put it on an antiques website, but couldn't certify it was safe and as the disconnected gas appliances need removed, it was deemed safest to cap at the meter a few days into owning the property. We were told they should be removed before making changes to the heating system or getting the meter removed, which is another situation. 

Neither the company we were with when we moved in nor Igloo had this issue and neither of them (both had us on electric only accounts) nor E.On Next have charged me a gas standing charge since being informed which seems odd with E.On Next trying to charge us for gas use. In fact, on their account dashboard which lists the usage and standing charges, the one for gas is now gone though the use charge is still there. I wouldn't mind the standing charge if they were clear about it, but every time I get a different 'solution' to being mischarged for has use which I'm then told the next month was the wrong solution or that they new evidence to prove my reading/lack of use which I've been providing. I have since posting this been refunded a previous mischarge and then charged another higher one, yet to get a response from them.