Sent an energy bill addressed to the occupier, despite moving with provider.

michael32253

I moved into a new home October last year and in advance I moved my energy provider with me. Since moving in I've been paying E.On for energy. However, despite the previous owner settling an electricity debt and closing that account. The company SSE still had a gas account open. They've sent me a bill for £600.

I've called them before despite being passed around 6 people I still got another letter. They could all see from the national database that my servcies have been with E.On for the billed dates. I've reached out to their WhatsApp web chat as they've changed their customer support process. I was told to ignore and not worry as it was not sent to my name. 

The question is should I reach out to citizens advice or chase again to get this cleared. They seem unwilling or unable to cancel this debt that isn't owed. Last thing I want is debt collectors coming round in 6 months to a years time.

MWT

michael32253 said:

I moved into a new home October last year and in advance I moved my energy provider with me.

That isn't how it works, you have to register with the existing suppliers at your new address first, on the day you complete the purchase of the property, and then switch to your previous supplier...

Some suppliers offer to manage this for you, but it is a bit hit & miss as there is no formal mechanism for doing this...

I would suggest you check who is registered as your energy suppliers and go from there...

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/finding-your-energy-supplier-or-network-operator

michael32253

Checked the register with the link above and it is E.On who is registered under gas. When I called them they could see this themselves and the date of the switch. 

mac.d

What date is the gas bill for, does it cover any period while you owned the house?

I'd send them evidence of the gas meter readings and the date from when you took over the house. You may find you are liable for some of the bill on a deemed contract until the date Eon took over the supply, or if it's all dates prior to you taking over the house, then they need to chase the previous owner.

MWT

Note that the liability for the energy used at the property starts on the day you completed the purchase, not the day you actually moved in...

Raxiel

Be reassured, you still only pay for what you use, if it turns out the switch didn't go through when expected and you do in fact owe SSE for some of your usage, that means you don't owe it to Eon and they'll refund it.

And since the EPG price is the same for every supplier (on single rate) you won't be out of pocket (possible exception: direct debit discount)

macman

You can sometimes port your tariff to the new property, but you always start a new account there, rather than 'transfer it', and you must register with the deemed supplier on day one and pay them until the switch has occurred.
This system has been in place for 33 years now but it's still not universally understood.

macman

You can sometimes port your tariff to the new property, but you always start a new account there, rather than 'transfer it', and you must register with the deemed supplier on day one and pay them until the switch has occurred.
This system has been in place for 33 years now but it's still not universally understood.

michael32253

MWT said:

Note that the liability for the energy used at the property starts on the day you completed the purchase, not the day you actually moved in...

When I got in touch with SSE they confirmed that the switch over to E.On did occur on the move-in date. They did get this from the national database too. This means SSE have never supplied the property since I took over ownership. 

michael32253

macman said:

You can sometimes port your tariff to the new property, but you always start a new account there, rather than 'transfer it', and you must register with the deemed supplier on day one and pay them until the switch has occurred.
This system has been in place for 33 years now but it's still not universally understood.

I think I misunderstood how archaic their systems and processes are. I'm surprised there is nothing in Ofgem regulations or Consumer protection that would make switching like other industries (e.g. switching broadband). If only their system actually communicated with publicly accessible databases or that communication between suppliers was better. I just wasn't aware I had to create an account on the day of moving in and close it the same day (it's laughable). 

michael32253

I have successfully closed the account. However, I've been told by SSE on the last interaction (via online chat) to ignore it surprisingly. They said since it's not in my name (the occupier) it shouldn't be a problem. I don't think this is really the case, but they clearly can't do anything on their system to cancel the debt. I contacted a direct line for citizens advice for energy-related issues and was told to get back in touch if it goes to debt collection. Nothing much else to do, but get on and wait really. Hopefully doesn't affect my credit score since it's not in my name, but we shall see.