Can I swap electricity supplier whilst owing money to another?

Zannie73 wrote: »

I currently have an electricity account with EON. Due to a massive delay last winter/spring with our LPG supplier we had to rely on electric heaters, sending our bills sky high. I am still paying off the backlog £1399. Unfortunately EON are basing my current and future usage on the past year’s usage, which is making it extremely hard to get the cost down (I’m paying over £250 a month) and I’m struggling to keep up with the payments.
I’ve looked at other tariffs with other suppliers and based on my actual usage, I can cut my bill down to £70 per month (not including what I owe, which will be extra, but will bring the overall monthly payment down).
So could I change supplier, still owing another? I would set up a payment arrangement to clear my debt with EON. EON won’t let me change to one of their cheaper tariffs until this debt is cleared.

Hello Zannie73 and sorry for the late reply. Only just spotted your question.

It depends how much is still outstanding when the new supplier applies to take over the account. Usually, objections for outstanding balances come about where the balance is over £200, the debt is over 28 days old or we've sent a formal request for payment more than 28 days ago (this doesn't include a first reminder). If we do object, we'll write to let you know the reason and what needs to be done to remove the objection.

As others have said, having a debit balance doesn't stop you from changing tariff. You can do this at any time either online, over the phone or, if available, through a Price Comparison site. We don't charge exit fees when moving from one of our tariffs to another. They do apply when changing supplier outside the renewal window (49 calendar days before the tariff end date until 20 working days after).

Should you switch supplier, the outstanding balance becomes due immediately. We'll be happy to look at setting up a payment plan if you talk to us at this point. If not and your Direct Debit is live, we'll collect payment automatically through this arrangement on the date stated on the final bill.

You're right, we do base payment arrangements on past usage and current prices. Totally understand your exceptional circumstances last year and would suggest you talk to us about this. Ask for a 'Change of Circumstance' review. This lets us look at different situations to see if we're able to change payments based on unusual circumstances. We'll need up to date meter readings.

If this is possible, we'll write to confirm the new payment amount and that it's been amended because you told us things have changed. We won't review again for six months so we can build a record of your new usage.

It might also be possible to spread the amount owing over a longer period.

Much will depend on the existing arrangement on your account. I'd suggest using the Live Chat service on our website. Advisors are online from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 8am and 6pm Saturdays.

Hope this is useful Zannie73 and sorry again for the late reply. Let me know if I've missed anything or you need any more information.

Malc