HELP - Energy Provider Change Without My Permission or Knowledge

eastlad

So the 29th September we moved house. Before the move I contact my supplier, British Gas, and informed them of the move. We were on a fixed tariff until June 2023 and therefore I expressed concerns about the move and having to take out a new contract/tariff. I was told not to worry, you can take you tariff with you, just get in touch again once the move is complete. So far great! On the day of the move I took meter readings at both old and new houses ready for when I spoke with British Gas again.

Firstly, after the move, whenever I clicked the "Moving House" link on the British Gas website, it would say something like, "Oops, something's wrong right now, please try again later". It did this for about a week, when I finally got through on web chat. Here's where things take a turn... The agent on the chat tells me that I am no longer with British Gas, the account is closed and I'm now with E.on. I asked multiple times how can this be without my knowledge or permission, especially after I was told a week prior, no problem at all. I expressed multiple times that I am now with an unknown supplier, on unknown rates, being charged god knows what. How is this even possible? The excuse given was something like, "Sorry, the guidelines are set by Ofgem, there is nothing we can do." I immediately asked to log this as a complaint and the chat continued. Around 10 minutes into the chat I realised I had not been given the complaint ID. When I asked for it (bare in mind that conversation was still going), they gave me the number and disconnected the chat. Not even, "I'm sorry, can I assist further" etc

Bemused, I attempted to make contact with E.on explaining the situation and until today I heard nothing from them. All I got today was a bill, no acknowledgment of my first email. I truly believe it has fallen on deaf ears. I have emailed E.on back a copy of the bill and stated given the situation I am not handing over any money until my dispute with British Gas is resolved.

I have also got in touch with Citizens Advice Bureau and explained the situation, they were the most help I have got so far. But the best thing is when I informed them that British Gas said their hands are tied due to Ofgem, Citizen's Advice said, "this has nothing do to with Ofgem but is a business decision". So I now believe I have caught British Gas in a blatant lie.

I have gone back to British Gas to call them out on this, where the plot thickens even further. I asked to be put through to the complaints team to add more details to the previously requested complaint ID I mentioned. Only to be told that ID does not exist! I am now so called waiting for the complaints team to contact me, but it could take 21 days. Whilst I have nothing to do but wait, and quite likely rack up a huge bill with E.on, is there anything else people can suggest I do/find out to strengthen my case. I can provide more information, but believe it or not, this is the short version of the story.

Thank you in advance

QrizB

When you move into a new house you start a new account with whichever supplier is already supplying the property.

House move services like the one BG offered you are meant to arrange that you switch suppliers in the background on the day you move in. It looks as though this failed and so you've defaulted back to having an account with the incumbent supplier E.ON.

E.ON are your supplier, you have an account with them and you have to pay them for the energy you have used since taking possession of the property. E.ON don't care about your complaint with BG and it has no bearing on your account with E.ON.

EssexHebridean

When you move into a new property you immediately become a customer of the property’s current supplier. You take the initial readings as soon after getting in the door as possible ideally, contact the incumbent supplier, explain you are the new occupier and set up an account with them. Only once all that is done can you then switch the supply to the supplier you would prefer to be with. It’s a shame that British Gas didn’t bother to take the time to explain this to you. Whether they are willing to allow you to port your old fix to the new property when that switch takes place is another question. 

jbuchanangb

The act of moving house caused you account with British Gas to close, with your permission and knowledge. The act of occupying your new house instituted your new account with E.ON, for which they did not need your permission, and your lack of knowledge had no bearing on it. Now that you know that your supplier is E.ON make sure they have set up your account with the meter readings you took when you moved in. You will be on the deemed tariff, which at the moment is determined by the Energy Price Guarantee.

[Deleted User]

eastlad said:

I asked multiple times how can this be without my knowledge or permission, especially after I was told a week prior, no problem at all. I expressed multiple times that I am now with an unknown supplier, on unknown rates, being charged god knows what. How is this even possible? 

Because that's how moving house works.  There have been services that would 'shortcut' the official process, or hide it away in the background from you, but it has always been the same.  Moving house is a big thing - understanding how utility bills transfer should be part of the normal research of this sort of life change.

And it's not an "unknown supplier, on unknown rates, being charged god knows what" - it's E.ON (which you had already been told), on the deemed tariff (because that's the whole point of the deemed tariff), at the EPG price cap rate from 1 Oct (and the April OFGEM cap from 29 September).

eastlad said:

I have also got in touch with Citizens Advice Bureau and explained the situation, they were the most help I have got so far. But the best thing is when I informed them that British Gas said their hands are tied due to Ofgem, Citizen's Advice said, "this has nothing do to with Ofgem but is a business decision". So I now believe I have caught British Gas in a blatant lie.

Citizens Advice are wrong.  This is the standard and legislative procedure for moving house.  BG's house move scheme hasn't worked in this case, but that would only be hiding the details if it had worked properly and what has happened is the correct and normal thing.

eastlad said:

Whilst I have nothing to do but wait, and quite likely rack up a huge bill with E.on, is there anything else people can suggest I do/find out to strengthen my case. 

Why are you waiting to "quite likely rack up a huge bill with E.on"?  You are E.ON's customer, on a deemed contract, and using energy that you should be paying for.  Set up your E.ON account and start paying your bill.

EssexHebridean

Allowing that we have established that the OP was unaware of the process here, and that process has now been explained, how about we lay off and accept that people don’t always know the things we know (that in almost every case, we only know because, you know,  somebody told us?)

[Deleted User]

Deleted_User said:

Moving house is a big thing - understanding how utility bills transfer should be part of the normal research of this sort of life change.

This is probably the more important part of my post.  It's much easier to help someone that actually shows some interest and does some limited (and trivial) research, rather than blundering through a massive and expensive life decision then jumping to complaints.

The first time I moved house, I didn't just wander up to an estate agent and say "here's some cash, give me a key", I tried to work out what I'd need to do, when, with which other companies, in what order, etc.  I did comparisons, I considered alternatives, I knew what I would try next if something didn't work.  When I couldn't find the information, I asked somewhere that might know (including the 'old here') to see if they could tell me.

Having said that, I don't think the 'help' that the OP has got from BG, E.ON or Citizens Advice (after the fact, when it had already gone wrong) has been particularly good in this case. 

EssexHebridean

I did those things too Sparky - but there were still things I missed.  I was lucky, they weren’t as important as the energy provider thing - but I still missed them, because I simply didn’t know to look out for them! Someone else said in another thread - it’s OK not to know things. It must be wonderful to be a person who has no gaps in their knowledge, but you’ll have to cut the rest of us some slack because unfortunately 99.99999999999999+% of the population just aren’t fortunate enough to know everything! 😉

I agree that the energy companies involved here should have been a lot more helpful - and goodness knows what the CAB advisor was on that day! 

The “pile ons” that seem to increasingly often  happen in these sorts of threads really do need to be stamped on by the forum team. We all sometimes post on a thread without realising that the OP’s question has already been answered, but in threads of this nature it’s the same old people queuing up to deliver their well worn lectures in ever increasingly judgemental tones. If someone has already been told that they’re mistaken, and this is how the system works, then is there really any benefit from another 10 people joining the fray and adding to the useful information already given with suggestions that the OP might be some sort of idiot? Stop and think who you’re posting for the benefit of perhaps - if it’s to help the OP and those echo come after then constructive advice is what’s needed. Adding missing information is clearly helpful. Otherwise though, maybe ask yourself why you get a kick out of giving someone else a kicking like this? 

[Deleted User]

You're right - it's fine not to know things.  Nobody can be expected to know everything, but in my (perhaps harsh) opinion they should make best efforts.  There was a repetition of a similar post to this thread where the OP expected that gas and electricity would be cut off when they moved in and not restored until they found a supplier - finding information about the process of moving house is not a deep academic subject.

I think the tone (and title) of the original post on any thread has a large impact on the following responses.  We see so many here with 'over the top' descriptions and shouting in block caps.  There was the (now deleted) thread in the last couple of days where the OP was accusing people of being criminal and shouting down anyone that posted if it wasn't just agreement with their point - until they calmed down, read the information provided, and got a much better understanding of the situation that they then could deal with.  Sometimes a repeated and brusque commentary is required to break through the initial wall of frustration to that sort of poster.

A better approach - and one that I think is much less likely to result in the accidental 'pile ons' that you identify - is for people to say "this has happened, is it correct", rather than the "end of the world, everyone is out to scam me, who do I sue"

eastlad

Thank you for all those that took to the time to respond, I have taken the advice on board and started on some of the measures.

But I must have my say on some of the points made...

• Stating that I should have done my research and 'not just wonder into estate agents'. As pointed out by someone, I did all I could. Over the course of the 5/6 months the sale took, I got in touch with everyone from energy supplier, life insurance, internet/phone line (which in my eyes is no different to energy supply, but treated differently), redirecting post etc. And given that I didn't know the situation with energy, I spoke to my supplier, who said, "don't worry, we'll sort it". Why would I assume anything else would happen? 
• Completely agree with not laying into the OP. When someone posts in here, they need help, myself in concluded. This has caused a massive amount of stress to me and my family, the last thing I, or anyone, need/s is a barrage of abuse. Be a bit more sympathetic, politely explain that this is how things are and offer advice on how to turn a bad situation into a good/more positive one.

Spoonie_Turtle

^ All of that is true Deleted_User, but regular posters here can still refrain from being riled up by a cantankerous tone to a post.  Often people are genuinely confused, scared, and lashing out because of it.  We see it on the benefits board all the time, and the rules for that board very helpfully include 'no judgement'. 

Given that the energy situation is starting to affect people on similar ways to how benefits issues are affecting people, maybe as human beings we could extend some grace and patience.  I don't mean coddling people (you'd see there are often very straightforward answers on the benefits board, seeming very detached and unemotional) but I do mean not berating them.  A simple 'you're not being ripped off, this is how it works' would tend to suffice.