Bulb Energy Reviews: Give your feedback on the energy supplier

ConsumerMatt · 16 May 2019 at 1:20PM

I switched from BG (with smart meter) to Bulb at the end of Feb. The switch was nice and smooth and communication from Bulb was (and continues to be) good. There was no mention of being unable to switch if I had a smart meter, just the expected statement along the lines of "the smart meter will become dumb".

It's been a bit of an adjustment having to read the meters myself but nothing too taxing and the estimates are always fairly close should I miss a reading. My previously smart meters display the usage numbers on the front just as a dumb meter would.

The website is great. Simple, intuitive, stable and fast. Very basic compared to British Gas. Although the extra functionality on the BG website was cancelled out by how buggy it was and the convoluted path to find anything I needed to see (from a visual and user experience perspective).

I was happy with BG on my tariff and wouldn't have switched if my fixed rate hadn't ended but overall Bulb is better in my opinion. All of my utility admin is online and a well designed website is important for that reason.

gatita · 21 May 2019 at 5:29PM

I decided to switch to BULB after my deal with First Utility/Shell was coming to an end. Excellent communication with Bulb. Today I had an email from them saying that Shell Energy had blocked the request!! and that the "probable" explanation was an unpaid bill or a conversion into flats. I was fuming as none of these things were true.
I contacted Shell as they refused to give an explanation to BULB as to WHY they had blocked my move. They, SHELL replied "they had no idea why they had blocked my move." but they would look into it. This is really not good enough, they are just obstructing people from moving. They say I will have to wait at least 48 hours before they rectify THEIR mistake.
Don't these companies drive you insane!

Dandytf · 21 May 2019 at 9:24PM

I've re entered meter readings 10 days since initial readings.
Very simple -approx 100 units both day and night used across 10 days/nights.
Nice to see tonight's readings already visible online -that's where sse i.t. Fell short.
Bulb are off to a nice reliable start -all I need to hope for, is that I'm not too far away from >£60 DD.
Hopefully I'll get an idea from 11th June when 2nd DD is debited.
Maybe the useage chart wil show some info during June.

Benight · 22 May 2019 at 12:19PM

Dandytf wrote: »

I've re entered meter readings 10 days since initial readings.
Very simple -approx 100 units both day and night used across 10 days/nights.
Nice to see tonight's readings already visible online -that's where sse i.t. Fell short.
Bulb are off to a nice reliable start -all I need to hope for, is that I'm not too far away from >£60 DD.
Hopefully I'll get an idea from 11th June when 2nd DD is debited.
Maybe the useage chart wil show some info during June.

Some suppliers take the simple approach an immediately display customer supplied readings as soon as they are submitted

Others take a delayed approach, waiting for customer supplied readings to be approved by the independant meter reading agency first.

If they are displayed immediately but are not subsequently agreed, then the customer can sometimes be left completely confused if such readings remain displayed and not used for billing, or just disappear completely.

Perhaps iSupply have the best, most open approach , whereby any customer supplied reading is posted to the account immedaitely, but below the line.
When the reading is approved by the independant meter reading agency, it is moved above the line.
Only readings moved to above the line are used by the supplier for billing purposes

(other suppliers may have a similar method but I've only experience of iSupply doing this)

Dandytf · 22 May 2019 at 5:51PM

Thanks @benight

Bulbs communication has been excellent though I have only asked two questions since account setup only a few weeks earlier.
Their advice is to enter meter reading possibly twice per month one of which close to my next billing date.
I have since set a reminder for 9th of each month to ensure I get my reading an in by 10th for 11th Billing date.
Your isupply example sound good though I thought for years SP were decent as well -their it.. updated my readings as often as I had entered them and my account debited my useable within a day or two.
I missed that when I switched ton sse during 2018/2019 though I'm hoping to Hue they will update their systems over next few years though their Advisors were excellent over Tel.
Only 2-3 weeks and I'll get an idea of the cost is going to be over summer with Bulb-could be interesting if they beat Sse's £85 per month.

fiftyg · 23 May 2019 at 4:20PM

Using the Energy Club I decided to switch to Bulb. I had been in the place for a couple of years and had used two Energy Club suggestions prior.

The hand over was not smooth, but they kept me in the loop. The first month was £54 combined, which was more or less the same as EDF to be fair. I think I swapped for all the sustainability talk.

Then in October the next I had an email to say that they were raising the amount to £200 as we were going into winter! My usage had not changed, so I was a little annoyed with that, and I called to say that my smart meter can corroborate this. That's when I was told that they do not take smart meter readings! This I think is disgraceful, as nothing was communicated to me on the initial conversation. I even went as far as to tell them that I had just had the meters installed and I was told it's not an issue. In my mind I just thought they would come to some financial agreement with EDF.

Anyway, I had to leave the property quickly in December (It got super mouldy) but I communicated to them that I was leaving and did not want to use them in my new property. Especially,as I had to make monthly calls to tell them that I am not paying £200 a month. Unfortunately, where my meters had been installed, did not allow for me to access the front of them at all. I was not there myself but my other half told me the engineer had to sweat a lot to place them where he did. And as I said previously. If they told me that they could not read smart meters, for my piece of mind I would have just stayed with EDF.

Finally, despite my constant communications that I am no longer in the property, they continued to charge me (£200+) so I now supposedly owe them £1000+

I have opened up a case on resolver, and they are finally communicating with me, not reading the email I sent of course, but at least it is in a medium whereby if it has to go to arbitration they can see that I supplied all the relevant information.

Browntoa · 25 May 2019 at 7:54AM

And this is not the thread for referrals

gatita · 30 May 2019 at 5:38PM

My experience with BULB has and is abysmal, lots of replies but no solution. About 10 days ago I applied to join BULB. A week later I got a message to say my old supplier (ShellEnergy) had objected to my switch!, back to Shell.... they INSIST they have NOT stopped the switch. Bulb then said everything was okay and I would be switched on the 3rd June. Surprise surprise yesterday yet another message saying I would not be moved as.guess! Shell had objected!!
Shell have given me a very detailed explanation saying they have not at anytime objected to the switch, that BULB had WITHDRAWN their demand for the switch. (Can you hear my scream?)
I have given BULB ALL the messages from SHELL to BULB to try and help, but it seems IMPOSSIBLE to move. Who is holding WHO to ransome here?
Has anyone any idea of what I can do? My contract with SHELL finishes in days, so I will be on their higher tariff until I leave I suppose.

mckencf · 31 May 2019 at 4:05PM

I switched to Bulb after having issues with Scottish Power and did the switch through MSE Energy Club - which went very smoothly.

However, my bills have increased nearly 50% from when I joined, despite energy prices falling and I am now paying more than I was with Scottish Power, also they charge in advance and, I have just found out, that they insist you maintain a credit balance at all times. Historically, I built up huge credits over the summer months which took care of the higher winter bills, but would still regularly request refunds as I don't think energy companies should earn interest on my money.
My biggest issue is that Bulb would recalculate my monthly payments immediately before a payment was taken, which made my debit balance appear much larger than it was. Also, when I received the email advising that my payments were jumping up, I selected the link on the email asking them to recalculate as I knew a payment was coming off the next day, which hadn't been factored in. I never heard anything so assumed my payment was remaining at the current level, but then received an email advising that the payment had been increased and couldn't be reduced until the following month, which seems to contradict the fact that when they send you notification of the upcoming payment, they say that if you add current meter readings the bill will be recalculated to take account of actual usage as opposed to estimated usage.
Also, when looking at the Bulb community, alarm bells rang as anyone commenting unfavourably were heavily criticised by other 'members', who I assume get 'rewarded' for their positive comments as it is the same user names which do the praising.
I loved the idea of 100% renewable energy, but this company was not for me and I am now switching again.

Cortinaa_GTR · 2 June 2019 at 5:46PM

No issues, competitive charges and already got 6 others to switch so earned over £300 in referral payments and my account is still over £250 in credit. What's not to like!! :-)

Bulb Energy Reviews: Give your feedback on the energy supplier

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