New build flats classed as business so can not switch provider

Janet_098

Hope someone can help we moved in 13 months ago our tenancy agreement said we had to go with our landlords energy provider so we have paid them all year til September when they stopped billing us tried to switch found out it was classed as business so can't informed letting agent they re trying to sort it out.now eon have sent us a bill (yesterday) from the date we moved in so for a full year(they provide electric to the building which we didn't know)they have set up account in our names and said we were with them since we moved in.we have no contact with eon since moving in we have always paid the landlords energy provider and now eon are trying to say we were always with them.why have they waited til now to bill us and not monthly from when we moved in?also do we have to pay them before our energy stopped billing us or just since they stopped ?as this would mean we wil be paying our bill twice for the year.we are all in the same situation in the flats.this as been going on since end of October we have been trying to sort this out.if anyone can help please

tacpot12

You need to put some full stops are the end of your sentences and capitalise the word at the start of the sentences. I have done this for you below to help me to read your post:

Hope someone can help. We moved in 13 months ago. Our tenancy agreement said we had to go with our landlord's energy provider so we have paid them all year til September when they stopped billing us. Tried to switch. Found out it was classed as business so can't. Informed letting agent. They're trying to sort it out. Now Eon have sent us a bill (yesterday) from the date we moved in so for a full year(they provide electric to the building which we didn't know). They have set up (an) account in our names and said we were with them since we moved in. We have no contact with Eon since moving in. We have always paid the landlord's energy provider and now Eon are trying to say we were always with them. Why have they waited til now to bill us and not monthly from when we moved in? Also do we have to pay them before our energy stopped billing us or just since they stopped, as this would mean we will be paying our bill twice for the year. We are all in the same situation in the flats. This as been going on since end of October we have been trying to sort this out. If anyone can help, please (do so)

tacpot12

What bills did you see when you paid the landlord's energy provider?
What bills have you seen from the landlord's energy since complaining to the Letting Agents about this?

On the bills there should be meter numbers. If you have bill from the landlord's energy provider and a bill from Eon for the same meter, you should be able to argue that some a mistake has clearly happened and as Eon were the second to bill you (their delay is preposterous BTW), they will have to forgoe the money. If the landlord's bills were fake, you can sue the landlord for your money back to pay Eon, but you would hope that the landlord would do this automatically to avoid prosecution for fraud. 

Getting the property reclassified as a residential property is a job ffor the landlord and is urgent. Having it wrongly classified will make it more difficult to resolve issue. Varuous parties smay claim you have less consumer rights as a business. 

Robin9

Is there just one meter for the site ? If so do you have a landlords sub meter.

Don't understand the bit about change change because it's a business -  you can and indeed now been brought in line with the domestic and you no longer have to give existing supplier notice, you only deal with the new supplier.

Janet_098

Thanx
We have monthly billed emails with meter readings etc.We have sent these to Eon.I have been in constant talks with Eon since November to get them to switch us to domestic.I don't understand why this has not happened yet.I am also in constant talks with the letting agent who have had the landlord in for a meeting to get him to give Eon permission to switch to domestic.We all have our own meters. All meters bar 1 come up business on any energy provider website.I am sat here waiting for Eon to ring me back and my letting agent.I rang Eon in the first place when I could not switch energy provider as was told only the supplier to the building can switch it to domestic
Before this we did not know it was Eon supplying the building.We understand we have have not been billed since September as our energy provider as dropped off the face of the earth and will need to pay from September but before that we are all adamant we have have paid to the landlords energy supplier so are not paying again.

QrizB

Janet_098 said:

.We understand we have have not been billed since September as our energy provider as dropped off the face of the earth

Which company was your energy supplier prior to September? You've mentioned them several times but haven't named them yet?

Janet_098

Maxima energy premier energy

QrizB

Janet_098 said:

Maxima energy premier energy

Maxima Energy is a micro company with one director and one employee.

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10327377

Premier Energy are slightly larger:

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03632586

Neither seem to appear on the current list of supply licensees.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/list-all-electricity-licensees-including-suppliers

Exactly who were you paying until September? Were you receiving bills, and did they have contact details for the energy company on them? Ideally a company numbeR?

Janet_098

We were paying maxima.And yes we received bills from them and they had their contact details on the letter.I did Google them when we first knew we had problem and Eon also told me they d never heard of them and they also said they were not on the list of licensed suppliers.The letting agent as got back to me and said they are trying to get eon to go after maxima for money before September.But when they stopped supplying us we automatically went to default supplier Eon the problem is no one told us or sent us any bills til now.If Eon can't or won't we have to set up a payment plan with eon to pay it all when we have already paid til September and we can not switch as still classed as business and even if it switched to domestic another supplier will not take us on with money owing .

QrizB

It seems likely to me that EON have always been the supplier for your flats. Your landlord, for some reason, had you pay Maxima; charitably, the landlord might have been expecting Maxima to then pay EON on your behalf but (as EON are chasing you for the full amount) it seems they weren't.

Exactly where your money is now is unclear.

How were you paying Maxima? Cash, cheque, bank transfer? And was it paid direct to Maxima?

Janet_098 said:

we are all in the same situation in the flats.this as been going on since end of October we have been trying to sort this out.

If it's the entire block, not just you, in your position I'd be wondering whether there's something fraudulent going on here. Can you discuss this with Citizens Advice? It might all be a misunderstanding but on the other hand you might all need to consider legal action against someone.

Janet_098

Yes we ve reached the same conclusion as youThankyou for helping.We paid bank transfer so.cant get our money bank via the direct debit thingy.Yes our next step is citizens advice.Even if we pay eon in full we are still stuck with eon til it's changed to residential we think the landlord won't pay the big exit fee to leave the 3 yr contract he s stuck in with the energy provider that's why it has not been switched and as there's debt to pay it can not be switched til that is paid
But no one is giving us direct answers it's so frustrating we re just going round in circles and the bill is building up in the meantime.We ve been told we all got sent a letter jn September saying they can no longer supply us and we.need to switch to another provider but none of us have received a letter the letting agent are convinced we have