Energy Nightmares : Can't switch, can't top up can't do anything !

Tiggy777

Hi all

Really hope someone could please help or advise me before I have no hair left.

I recently moved into a new property and the previous owner had an old prepayment meter with a key to top up for electricity.  Though out my life I have always paid monthly by direct debit.

I spoke to the provider Boost and they then switch the meter to a generation 2 smart meter about 5 weeks ago so I should have the facility to top up online and via the Boost App. 

I asked to move to monthly payment but they refused saying I had to be in credit for a number of months before they would consider such a move. 

However since then every top up I tried (about 10 so far) have failed to be credited to my meter automatically and even entering the top up code directly into the smart meter also fails.  The only way of then getting it added is the phone boost which is a total nightmare as on average from the start of my contact it takes about 90 minutes of jumping through various hops to get them to add it.  Best one for far was this wanted me to send them a video of me entering the code so they could see I was trying !!!

So as any good person would I decided to try and switch but talking to a new provider (Octopus) they would not take me as my meter was in prepayment mode and they said they would only take me if my meter was in credit mode.  

Spoke to Boost and they said they would not put you meter in credit mode as I had not been with them long enough.  To add insult to injury the rate I am having to pay per KwH on prepayment is double what the rate would be if I could switch.

So why I am being penalised based on the circumstances of the previous owner?

Is there anyway out or I am simply going mad.

Would appreciate any comments or advise.

Many thanks for your time

Kind regards

Tiggy 
 

Keep_pedalling

Who were you with in your previous home? If you had a good record with them maybe they can help with a switch. Never heard of Boost but they seem to be a PSYG only specialist. 

ArbitraryRandom

If you can afford it, I'd suggest you offer to pay a deposit (not a fee) - £300 is the max I've heard people being asked to pay before. 

If they still refuse, I'd make a complaint - They have no reason to think you are a risk (it was a previous tenant who built up debt) and you have been having trouble topping up, and it's preventing you from switching/causing you a financial detriment, and you've been reasonable in trying to use the pre-pay/offering to pay a deposit to cover the risk.