New flat, energy supplier is SSE, won't let us set up an account AND its a business tariff.

NamingtonName

Good morning,  

Me and my partner moved into a flat in the middle of October. The current energy supplier was SSE. I rang them up to set up an account and they told me they can't set me up as they no longer do residential energy. We then tried to switch to Octopus Energy but SSE blocked the move. I rang SSE, who told me me they blocked the switch because we have no account with them but because they longer do domestic they will allow us to switch. We try to Octopus and again get cancelled. Fed up I then try OVO, SSEs parent company who do supply domestic, we once again get the move blocked but OVO assure us the change will be put through. We still don't get switched to OVO and after talking to them they say they will force the move from SSE to OVO. That fails and they tell us it is due to us being on a business tariff and we need to switch to an SSE domestic and then try to switch suppliers. I ring SSE, they tell us to fill out a form. Form filled out and no reply. We speak to our landlord and explain the situation, they then try the same thing but we still have no reply.  

After reading another post on this forum from someone with the exact same issues, I'll link that here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6380623/sse-charging-me-standard-tariff-business-rates-for-apartment-which-is-4x-residential-tariff/p2

It would seem like I would be able to ring the supplier we'd like to go with explain the situation to them and ask to be switched to domestic, and we would be able to go from there. 

Any help would be appreciated.

QrizB

Do you have an account with SSE yet? Or with Ovo?

Once you have an account, you should be able to switch.

born_again

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-7057461/SSE-stop-supplying-households-year-Firm-sell-home-energy-supply-business.html

I would go back & ask if you are going to get your usage for free given they will not let you set up a account?
Surely they are going to be billing someone. Sounds like complaint time..

Keep_pedalling

If they have not resolved this to your satisfaction within 8 weeks of you first raising this with them then complain to the energy ombudsman. If they do manage to sort it before then I would also refuse to pay the stupidly high business rates from the day they blocked your switch which again may need to go to the EO.

https://www.energyombudsman.org/

jbuchanangb

Do SSE agree that they are the suppliers to the property? Have you checked the usual "Who is my supplier?" channels to find out what the industry think is your supplier? Does anyone understand why your flat is on a business tariff in the first place?

NamingtonName

QrizB said:

Do you have an account with SSE yet? Or with Ovo?

Once you have an account, you should be able to switch.

We have no accounts with either, OVO say its SSE problem and SSE won't let us sign up due to them no longer supplying residential.

NamingtonName

jbuchanangb said:

Do SSE agree that they are the suppliers to the property? Have you checked the usual "Who is my supplier?" channels to find out what the industry think is your supplier? Does anyone understand why your flat is on a business tariff in the first place?

Both OVO and SSE have confirmed its SSE supplying the property. Our landlord tried to put the change through for us as well, and confirmed who the previous tenants were. So its definitely SSE. 

NamingtonName

jbuchanangb said:

Do SSE agree that they are the suppliers to the property? Have you checked the usual "Who is my supplier?" channels to find out what the industry think is your supplier? Does anyone understand why your flat is on a business tariff in the first place?

Also we've not been able to figure out why the flat is on a business tariff. The only thing we can think is, we've been informed the previous tenants were students (its a one bed flat) and that they possibly somehow signed up to the wrong plan and never notices/cared.

BeerSavesMoney

NamingtonName said:

jbuchanangb said:

Do SSE agree that they are the suppliers to the property? Have you checked the usual "Who is my supplier?" channels to find out what the industry think is your supplier? Does anyone understand why your flat is on a business tariff in the first place?

Also we've not been able to figure out why the flat is on a business tariff. The only thing we can think is, we've been informed the previous tenants were students (its a one bed flat) and that they possibly somehow signed up to the wrong plan and never notices/cared.

From what I’ve read on this forum, some of those companies that offer to manage energy tariffs and split bills with those sharing a property can sometimes use business tariffs so you might be right.

QrizB

NamingtonName said:

QrizB said:

Do you have an account with SSE yet? Or with Ovo?

Once you have an account, you should be able to switch.

We have no accounts with either, OVO say its SSE problem and SSE won't let us sign up due to them no longer supplying residential.

Time for a complaint to SSE, then.

Gerry1

With SSE you have to wait only six weeks instead of eight before going to the ombudsman.  That was agreed because their custom service was so bad.