Future Energy Administration

jooliver71 · 4 July 2018 at 8:48PM

Yes, paid by sending a cheque as their bank account had the wrong number and I couldn't reach anyone on their phone to pay by card. I feel they have handled this very badly. Other peple are being asked for much more money than we were, and as we know we had some credit on the close of Future energy I suspect they are hoping to make a killing off the back of this company closure by picking random figures to charge people. They can't be reached to be challenged.

Cossack · 5 July 2018 at 3:04PM

I contacted them via email and received a reply from a "*Removed by Forum Team*" who offered me either a 20% discount or for me to send them my meter readings for when I started and left Future Energy. I do have the meter readings but decided to just give the money as it was under £40 and is probably around what I estimated I owed them anyway.

I sent the money via bank transfer as the email from them included the correct account number (as opposed to the 7-digit one in their letter).

I have twice asked for them to confirm that this is a full and final settlement of the account (via email), but as yet I have received no reply.......

Pat_M_in_Durham · 5 July 2018 at 5:25PM

A statement from CDS is well worth close inspection. They said future energy had supplied me with fuel for 175 days, but their dates covered only 146 days. Their estimate of my electricity usage was excessive. I don't understand their estimate of my gas usage (they seem to use neither kilowatt hours nor British thermal units) and have asked them to clarify.

nicolane · 7 July 2018 at 4:17PM

I recieved one of these letters this morning - but they seem to have got my tariff wrong! They are trying to charge me £160 - but actually owe me £40!.

So I urge anyone to check that they are not trying to charge you at a higher tarriff than you were on - especially as they say that as a gesture of goodwill they are going to charge at the tariff you joined on!

Hoof_Hearted · 7 July 2018 at 5:02PM

Alas, Future Energy have none.....

jooliver71 · 10 July 2018 at 5:30PM

I've tried to pay by phone. .no reply. Tried to pay by bank...non existent bank account. Finally tried to pay by cheque. They sent that back as EVERYThing in their letter demanding money has been obstructively wrong.

jooliver71 · 10 July 2018 at 6:18PM

I'm just really upset that a small amount of money seemingly thought up from nowhere, is causing me so much stress.It's the fact they have made it so difficult to pay, and they are so hard to find..I say "they" ..I think it's just *Removed by Forum Team*.

jooliver71 · 10 July 2018 at 7:45PM

Just for a final thought...has anyone managed to pay CDS "Global" and managed to get a receipt from them? I'll be back when I finally get mine..If I have to I'll drive down there and put the cash in her flipping hand!

Hopejack · 12 July 2018 at 1:13PM

I am in the same situation. Wish I'd never touched FES as they were a nightmare when I was with them and are a nightmare now I'm not! My contract ended a few days after they went bust and I was in the process of trying to escape!

I received a bill back in June from RSM Restructuring via CDS Global like everyone else. Mine isn't for as much as some but it is incorrect and in my mind that is the issue. I have meter readings (and photos) and I was on a SMART meter so how they can base a final balance on 'annual estimated usage' is beyond me. I emailed CDS all this, and finally grew impatient with them as they don't help at all, just say they need to refer it back to RSM. I then contacted RSM direct with all the information/meter reads etc, but still nothing!

What makes it worse is I had a bill from FES on 25/1/18 which showed I was over £50 in credit. When I asked CDS what happened with the credit I was told to contact Green Star Energy (GS). I was only with GS for a short time as they were terrible as well, I'm now with another provider and despite the initial teething problems, all seems to have settled well.

I contacted GS yesterday regarding my missing credit to be told it was applied to my account in February, only to be removed again in March under the instructions from RSM Restructuring. At no point has this been communicated to me either by a bill or letter or anything. I actually left GS in March and it took them a long time to sort out my bill despite the fact I'd only been with them from 1 February!

The whole thing has been a shambles and despite emails and phone calls to both CDS (who know nothing) and RSM (who just don't want to speak to you and tell you to contact CDS), I am no further forward.

I've contacted the Energy Ombudsman and they tell me I can't complain to them as FES are not trading and so it's not an energy provider issue! I've contacted Citizens Advice who haven't given much concrete help either (only to lose my initial call reference notes so I had to go through it all again with them!). Ofgem just refer me to Citizens Advice. No one wants to take ownership or ensure customers are getting a fair deal here at all. Despite Ofgem's empty assurances that all would be well and credits would be applied etc when FES went bust!

I have finally found the details of a complaints handler for RSM and I am firing off a formal complaint today for the way this has been dealt with, or not as the case may be. I asked for copies of my FES account data, in accordance with my rights under the 'data access request' channels via GDPR. However, this has been ignored, I've had no acknowledgment of anything whatsoever!

My complaint will be going off recorded post today. I feel sorry for people who haven't the time to keep meticulous records and are maybe vulnerable and don't understand their bills. It makes you wonder if it's worth switching suppliers at all when you see the difficulties that can occur. Or maybe that's the point, people may be put off switching, so companies can charge higher prices!

It really is odd that there are people on here who are disputing inflated bills and know them to be incorrect. And I'd love to know where my credit/my money, has gone too! Has anyone else had their credit taken away with or without their knowledge?

can'tkidakidda · 12 July 2018 at 9:16PM

I recently received a slightly different letter from CDS Global to those described previously, which appeared to show a valid email address, account details and claimed to be requesting a balance due based on accurate meter readings, which do agree with my opening Future Energy readings and those that I took and passed to Green Star Energy which they have used as my opening readings with them.

While the readings are correct, the letter purports to show the total energy used during my time with Future Energy using 'a standard industry formula' multiplied by my Future Energy tariff rates, to give the total owed for my period of supply, less a value of 'Total Payments Made', to give a balance due.

Great, in theory, however:

1) The end date does not correspond with the start date of my Green Star Energy account (so while meter readings OK, standing charge based on number of days is not)
2) The unit rates are not those per my Future Energy tariff, they are circa 5% higher
3) The 'total payments made' is a single value with no supporting detail or mention of what happened to my previously significant credit balance - I cannot get back to this value
4) My first Green Star Energy bill shows the transfer in of a credit from Future Energy, but then the transfer of this amount back out. It also refers to a 'Future Energy Final Bill 23 March' which I never received (I await a response from an email Green Star Energy customer services asking for clarification on these points)
5) I emailed the contact email address on the letter from CDS requesting a copy of my final bill or further detail to support the values in the letter - I received a very prompt reply from '*removed by forum team*' stating that they are a collection agent with no access to my account or bills and that the information they have was provided by the administrators. This despite the letter stating that all queries relating to the account should be directed to the CDS email address I used.
6) I would suggest downloading a set of CDS Global Limited's latest financial statements, publicly available for free via the Companies House website - interesting reading

I am happy to pay whatever balance is due, as long as it is correct. I would even prefer to pay a larger amount knowing it was correct, than blindly pay the small balance requested but be left wondering if I and countless others are being requested to pay what could be incorrect and in some cases excessive amounts.

Given the large number of people affected by this issue, it is likely that this will include many vulnerable and / or less well off individuals and my broader worry is for their welfare.

Future Energy Administration

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