Strange Scottish Power advisor or not?

jonsdad

Hopefully someone can put me right on this one…I’m hoping to be moving house shortly and we have a pretty good deal with Scottish Power costing £135 fixed until the end of Dec for both gas and electric for a 4 bedroom detached house…I’m moving to a smaller 3 bed semi and not knowing the procedure I called up SP…the advisor told me I would have to end the current agreement but then said I had to stay with the current provider at my new house…he said they couldn’t supply my new house by law which I find strange as surely it is preventing them from trading and also asks the question that the current supplier could try and charge me anything as a new customer…he told me the company was Bulb and when I called them the message said they were in special administration whatever that is..and when I asked for a rough idea of my new bills they said approx £188 pm over £50 more for a smaller property…they also said they hadn’t heard (2 different advisors)of any provider regs preventing me from staying with SP.
    Having read what I can am I correct in thinking I only have to stay with Bulb for a month then am allowed to switch?Its strange times I know but being forced to stay with a company that’s apparently “failed” is hardly good business practice!So has the SP advisor just got it wrong or badly explained it to me or is he right and when I have to move I have to stay with Bulb?Very confused…

The_Fat_Controller

You MUST take on a contract with the incumbent supplier, in this case Bulb.

If SP allow you to take your tariff with you (highly unlikely) then you can move back to them later.

If you subsequently want to move away from Bulb you need to be aware there are very few companies taking on new business.

Robin9

You have to go with Bulb when you move in.   You  can try and switch immediately - you don't have to wait a month.

In theory you can switch to another supplier but in practice almost impossible .

You had a good fix in your present house - costs are zooming upward and the quote from Bulb reflects that - and more to come.

macman

When you move, you are in a deemed contract with the existing supplier from day one. Once you have registered with them for an account and given an opening read. you are free to commence a switch (no need to wait a month). Bulb will put you on SVT, they are not offering any fixes. 
But here is no point in switching at present, because there are no cheaper fixes than SVT under the price cap. The only suppliers that might offer to take you on are EDF or Octopus, but these will not be advertised tariffs.
Yes, you will pay probably twice what you are at present, because your SP fix is cheaper than SVT, but SVT will rise by a rumoured 82% under the cap from October.
Don't expect SP tier 1 call centre drones to have much of a clue about this situation.
Some suppliers allow you to port your tariff to a new address, but most don't.

Ectophile

It sounds like you had a very sensible advisor.

1. If you had a very good deal, then they don't want you to take it to the new property, as you're probably paying less than the energy is costing them.  They would rather get rid of you than sell a product at a loss.
2. When you move into a new home, and turn on a light, you automatically become a customer of the existing supplier (that's written into law).  Trying to do anything else fouls up the system, and could lead to months of trying to sort out wrong bills.
   

pochase

1. You have no £135 fixed tariff. Energy does not have all you can eat deals. You have fixed unit rates, and you pay for what you are using. The £135 is your monthly upfront payment, you will see what the cos tis once you get the bill.
2. The contract you have is for your current property. When you leave the property the contract ends. Some suppliers allow you to take the fixed tariff with you, other don't which is fully within their right.
3. You need to register with the current supplier - Bulb - when you move in. That is how the process works. Once you are registered you can switch to another supplier. Another supplier cannot just take over the supply with out you going through Bulb first, the agent is correct, it is just not law, it is how the process works.
4. Once you are registered with Bulb you can start a switch to a different supplier. Just, SP does not want you as a customer. Almost nobody wants you, except for maybe EDF or Octopus if you call them (repeatedly).
5. The SVT rates for all suppliers are nearly identical, so that is no real problem.
6. The estimate for the new house is based on the usage of the former owner. yours might be lower. In general Bulb does not do any fixed tariffs. so their current rates might be  much mor expensive than your current rates.
7. On 1st of October the cost for your energy will increase by another predicted 80%, with further increases in January and April predicted. On Friday we will learn what the increase for October is officially.

[Deleted User]

Usual points worth repeating again here - :

Your monthly fixed direct debit amount is not your energy bill.

Changing your monthly fixed direct debit amount is not the same as changing your energy price.

The price cap is not the maximum total that you can pay, it is the maximum you can be charged for each unit.  If you use more, you will pay more.

jonsdad

Thanks for all the replies…I realise that the 135 isn’t the cost it’s my DD but it just happens to be as near as dammit the correct amount because I’ve not had to pay any extra… in fact I’m a little in credit…I find the comment that they don’t want me as ( even though it is probably correct)very ironic as they’ve been attempting to keep me for years but the fact is that they offered me the fixed deal in the first place.Let’s hope it is sorted out asap because it just can’t keep on going up with no ceiling on the horizon…I thought of gem was in place to protect our interests…I feel that the exact opposite is happening…the other question or worry would be the governmental aid which has been handed over for the power companies to repay via DD…so if I move in NoV I get a couple of payments but as I’m being forced to go with Bulb will they be responsible for finishing off the payments?

As I’m moving from band E to B. Would I be entitled to the council tax refund?
Thanks everyone for the prompt answers.

pochase

18 months ago all suppliers wanted new customers. That has changed now, suppliers losing money on customers on SVT.

I hope there won't be a problem with customers changing suppliers and the £400. I would assume that it counts with whom you are on the 1st of the month, and they will deal with all their customers.

The council tax rebate you won't get. It was given to those who were in the property on the 1st of April.

[Deleted User]

You should be getting towards maximum credit now, not just "a little bit" - we're just about to hit the most expensive seasons