Changing name and supplier at same time

craobhan · 29 December 2016 at 1:30PM

I'm currently on Eon Dual Fuel and thinking about switching but I am now married and the account is in my other surname. I never bothered changing it before as it was such a faff to change and I was not willing to send an original marriage certificate to them. My name is changed on my bank account but as the number is still the same, they don't seem to be bothered. I always pay quarterly and even the same on my bank card is updated but again, they happily take payment.
I have been looking see the Energy Club results and see from the feedback for Robin Hood Energy that customers have been having problems with updating names.
Is that a general issue? If I register with a new company in my new name and do an organised switch, will they be unable to handle it as Eon have my previous surname?
Would I be better just paying the Eon bill that came today and registering with another company in my current name and then asking Eon for a final bill once I'm switched?
Sorry if this sounds a bit rambling but I've never done an energy switch before.

System · 29 December 2016 at 6:02PM

I am not sure that it is possible to terminate a supply and start a new supply with another supplier on the same day unless you follow the switching process or accept that you will move to your present supplier's Deemed Tariff. A Deemed Suppy would enable you to initiate a switch which will take anything up to 35 days.

Sending E.oN a marriage certificate could save yourself a lot of potential hassle and possibly two credit checks.

badmemory · 30 December 2016 at 1:41AM

I'm pretty sure eon will do a credit check even (or especially) if they have your marriage cert. They will want to make sure you have not acquired a bad financial association. That may be one for gas and one for electricity.

spiro · 30 December 2016 at 9:21AM

The new supplier does not compare your name with that of your old supplier's account unless you are trying to transfer a PPM debt. Therefore you can sign up with your new supplier using your new name. They will obviously do any credit check in that name,

GingerBob_3 · 30 December 2016 at 12:08PM

Don't tell E.On anything, just pay them off using your previous name. Sign up with a new supplier using your new name, and I would recommend EDF, since they do not smack you up with a credit check at all.

GingerBob_3 · 30 December 2016 at 12:12PM

badmemory wrote: »

I'm pretty sure eon will do a credit check even (or especially) if they have your marriage cert. They will want to make sure you have not acquired a bad financial association. That may be one for gas and one for electricity.

This highlights yet another egregious way in which utility providers sometimes operate, though I must admit, I'm not sure if E.On fall into this category:

Marriage does not cause a financial association, only a joint bank account or mortgage should do that. However, some utility providers have taken it upon themselves to create malicious associations if they get to know the name of your husband/wife.

craobhan · 2 January 2017 at 1:59PM

Thanks folks. Will try EDF in my new name. There are no joint accounts and house was paid off from my early retirement bonus before marriage. Hopefully simple to do then.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena · 3 January 2017 at 11:53AM

Good morning craobhan and I'm sorry for the delay in replying to you.

When you decide to change supplier, you contact the new company and request they start the switching process for you.

They will then contact your old supplier (us in this case) and your account with us will go in to what we call 'loss pending'

The new supplier will then ask you for some meter reads and they'll start your account from these reads, they'll send the reads to us and we'll close the account.

All the information passed on is around meter serial numbers, meter reads and address etc. So your name should be fine.

You can if you wish change your name with us first before starting the switch, if you'd like to, we'll need a copy of the marriage certificate sending in to us. It can be a copy though doesn't have to be the original.

Thank you craobhan.

Helena

Lockardian · 10 November 2018 at 7:43AM

I’m in a similar position - wishing to switch from British Gas to (probably) Octopus via USwitch.

The British Gas account is in my dad’s name, but as he’s signing the house over to me (we live together and will continue to do so) it makes sense to have the new Octopus account in my name.

If I apply for the switch in my name am I likely to encounter any issues?

Robin9 · 10 November 2018 at 8:19AM

Do the name change with BG first

Lockardian · 10 November 2018 at 8:25AM

Is that absolutely necessary? From what I’ve read above, suppliers don’t exchange name information.

Changing name and supplier at same time

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