New tenant

Rm1505 · 7 July 2017 at 1:08AM

Hi 👋

I moved into my rented flat in mid March, since then I've been trying relentlessly to set up an account with the previously chosen energy supplier.

After sending my details via the new tenancy form on their site and hearing nothing, I then sent my details directly via email and heard nothing, I then began to phone them in June to give them my details and meter readings, and the lady told me they hadn't received a single email or any communication from me at all. She told me my account setup would be fastracked as it was then 3 months I had been in my flat. I have still not heard anything from them.

Two weeks later (i.e. Monday of this week) I decided to phone them again, and lo and behold, this lady told me that they HAD received all my emails and forms as she was looking at them on her screen. She wasn't much help, but said my account was in the process of being set up, and yesterday I received my first ever communication from them, which was just a general email saying they were in the middle of setting everything up.

So, short version is that by the time I go to pay my bill, I will have 4 months of gas and electricity to pay all at once. All because they basically ignored my forms and emails for so long. I have no idea how much this is even going to cost me (new to renting) and I am worried about being landed with a massive bill.

Is there any point in my complaining to them about how long it has taken? Or is there any other action I could take? I am so stressed out about not being able to pay my bill which I wanted to pay monthly for ease as this is the first time living away from my parents and it feels like I am failing.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should do next?

Thanks for reading!

tacpot12 · 7 July 2017 at 7:25AM

i would start saving just in case the bill is bigger than expected. It is summer time so the bills should not be to large at this time of year.

Perhaps you need a second current account to pay bills from? If you setup a standing order from your main current account to the bills account for all your regular bill then next time this problem happens, you will automatically be accumulating something towards the bill each months until the payments start to go out again.

Cardew · 7 July 2017 at 9:28AM

Rm1505 wrote: »

Hi ��

I moved into my rented flat in mid March, since then I've been trying relentlessly to set up an account with the previously chosen energy supplier.

After sending my details via the new tenancy form on their site and hearing nothing, I then sent my details directly via email and heard nothing, I then began to phone them in June to give them my details and meter readings, and the lady told me they hadn't received a single email or any communication from me at all. She told me my account setup would be fastracked as it was then 3 months I had been in my flat. I have still not heard anything from them.

Two weeks later (i.e. Monday of this week) I decided to phone them again, and lo and behold, this lady told me that they HAD received all my emails and forms as she was looking at them on her screen. She wasn't much help, but said my account was in the process of being set up, and yesterday I received my first ever communication from them, which was just a general email saying they were in the middle of setting everything up.

So, short version is that by the time I go to pay my bill, I will have 4 months of gas and electricity to pay all at once. All because they basically ignored my forms and emails for so long. I have no idea how much this is even going to cost me (new to renting) and I am worried about being landed with a massive bill.

Is there any point in my complaining to them about how long it has taken? Or is there any other action I could take? I am so stressed out about not being able to pay my bill which I wanted to pay monthly for ease as this is the first time living away from my parents and it feels like I am failing.

Does anyone have any ideas on what I should do next?

Thanks for reading!

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly you have no choice but to set up an account with the existing supplier(s) to your property when you moved in. This is a legally binding 'deemed contract' as laid down in the Gas and Electricity acts.

You need to send your gas and electricity meter readings, at the time you moved in, to that supplier. That should have been explained to you by the letting agent and hope that they recorded those meter readings - otherwise you might find yourself paying for the previous occupant's gas/electricity.

I suspect the difficulties with your 'chosen supplier' is they had no details of your current(deemed) supplier. They could have found out the details, but as so often with energy companies, your correspondence would have been filed in the 'too difficult' tray.

Anyway you will have to pay for several months consumption to the old supplier, and this will be at their most expensive tariff rate.

You should have had correspondence addressed to 'The Occupier' from the existing supplier if the old occupant had informed them they were leaving.

Rm1505 · 7 July 2017 at 12:49PM

Thanks for your replies!

The current energy company was chosen by previous tenants, and we haven't changed supplier (although due to the problems we have had, the landlord suggested we should change in the future)

The day I moved in, the landlord notified the company about us being new tenants, and told us she didn't know what would happen next but assumed we would get a welcome pack through our door, which we waited around a month for but didn't receive a thing.

That same day, we were given our copy of the lease which had the meter readings at the time, which were definitely accurate because she showed us where to find them ourselves and she pointed out that they were the same as on the lease. I have no worry about paying anyone else's usage, but thanks for pointing that out as it wasn't something I fully understand until recently.

Since May I have been contacting them with the meter readings from when I moved in, which is all the form asked for. It wasn't until June when I phoned them that I was asked for the current ones as well as the old ones since they apparently had no record of my emails/online forms.

I am very willing and eager to set my account up, and finally get this bill paid. I hate owing anyone money and feels like I have a huge weight on my shoulders right now. I do have some money set aside for it but I still worry as we did have the heating on in March and April!

I am also worried because my landlord knows the situation I am in, I hope they dont think I am trying to avoid paying it as I do only have 2 months left on my lease! Don't worry though; I am planning to stay here for at least another year :cool:

Thanks again

trickytree1963 · 7 July 2017 at 1:09PM

Sounds like the company have been very slow. It might be worth complaining as if they were quicker in responding you could have discussed their tariff options and get yourself on their best deal. I can't imagine you are on that as they tend to change it to a Variable tariff on Change of Tenancy cases.

Once you do get set up with them and can see your SC and unit rates, do a comparison with other suppliers.

matelodave · 7 July 2017 at 4:24PM

You should have your meter readings from the day you moved in so all you have to do is read your meter now. Take the orignial readings from today's and you'll then know how much you've used.

Do some sums - multiply your kwh used since you moved in by your suppliers standard variable tariff rates and you should then be able to work out how much you've spent.

Make sure that you've got that amount in the bank (or a jar) then put another £75 a month into the jar (or bank) to add to it. Hopefully you won't be ever so far out and shouldn't get a nasty surprise when you eventually get a bill.

It's a PIA when the supplier mucks up, but by using a bit of intelligence you can make sure you've got the money to pay the bill rather than going into blind panic like some on this forum.

Cardew · 7 July 2017 at 9:43PM

I am still confused about your terminology. Is your 'previously chosen energy supplier.' the same as the existing supplier when you moved in; i.e the 'deemed contract' supplier?

If they are one and the same company, you will have a good case to reduce the amount you owe - due to their ineptitude.

Rm1505 · 7 July 2017 at 10:21PM

Sorry, I do realise I wasn't very clear, my fault for posting late at night!

My landlord said that the company was chosen by previous tenants, and all the tenants they have had since then have experienced problems with the company.

So what I meant was it was previously chosen by someone else. We haven't changed supplier (yet) and I think this flat has been supplied by the same company for a few years. I should've made that clearer, sorry!

In short, we were told the company's name, the landlord told them they had new tenants, I've spent two, nearly three months, trying to get some communication back from them and I have only ever received one very general email saying they were still setting my account up.

Rm1505 · 9 July 2017 at 12:40AM

If I wanted to complain to the company, how do I go about it and what is the best way to word it? It isn't fair for me to be automatically charged the highest tariff because they are taking their time issuing my bill.

WhoIsThat · 9 July 2017 at 11:42AM

Rm1505 wrote: »

If I wanted to complain to the company, how do I go about it and what is the best way to word it? It isn't fair for me to be automatically charged the highest tariff because they are taking their time issuing my bill.

If you wish to complain, the best way would be to follow the suppliers complaint procedure.

The best way to head your letter is "COMPLAINT" which will hopefully ensure there is no confusion as to the subject matter of your correspondence

But to be clear, no one other than you can set up an account in your name (otherwise I would set all my bills up in the name of Teresa May).
Account set up is usually immediately on contact, and in that same call you can usually select whichever of the supplier's tariff you desire (the expensive standard variable one is the deemed tariff if you do not make any other selection), as you can also do anytime therafter.

If you have so far failed to contact the supplier to select an alternative tariff, then you will be charged at that deemed tariff for your consumption since becoming liable - this is as per the rules that apply to all suppliers, and so any complaint about this to the supplier will be without foundation (but if you are not happy, do complain, but expect little more than an answer informing you of this policy)

trickytree1963 · 9 July 2017 at 2:14PM

WhoIsThat wrote: »

If you wish to complain, the best way would be to follow the suppliers complaint procedure.

The best way to head your letter is "COMPLAINT" which will hopefully ensure there is no confusion as to the subject matter of your correspondence

But to be clear, no one other than you can set up an account in your name (otherwise I would set all my bills up in the name of Teresa May).
Account set up is usually immediately on contact, and in that same call you can usually select whichever of the supplier's tariff you desire (the expensive standard variable one is the deemed tariff if you do not make any other selection), as you can also do anytime therafter.

If you have so far failed to contact the supplier to select an alternative tariff, then you will be charged at that deemed tariff for your consumption since becoming liable - this is as per the rules that apply to all suppliers, and so any complaint about this to the supplier will be without foundation (but if you are not happy, do complain, but expect little more than an answer informing you of this policy)

The way I read OP, they did contact the "Deemed supplier" on moving in, the deemed supplier claimed not to have received the moving in forms, then in June , 3 months after moving in, found the forms. As to whether OP was offered a choice of tariffs on calling , that might the bit missing from the puzzle. Still worth a Complaint though!

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