Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To BEG for anyone who works for utilita to help?

19 replies

Graphista · 02/03/2018 13:40

Top up didn't register on meter, emergency telephone number crashing, not responding on social media, or email. (And there are loads of customers in similar situations)

I'm down to 2p electric if my electric goes I'll have no boiler either and we are snowed in!

I HATE HATE HATE this company and will be switching to literally ANYBODY else ASAP! Should've done it ages ago.

I've tried topping up using alternative method, manually entering top up code... Don't know what else to do!

Getting very worried. I am disabled and so is my dd.

OP posts:
TheStick · 02/03/2018 15:36

I dont work for them or anything but im sure i read a post somewhere saying that if you press the A button on your meter they will credit your account with £16. I have no idea if it works or not but its worth a try.

Graphista · 02/03/2018 15:51

It doesn't - I read it somewhere too.

As it happens it's now registering no idea why it suddenly worked about 10 mins ago - not before it affected my boiler so I'm now without central heating or hot water possibly until Monday Angry (at utilita not you thestick - thanks for replying)

They're an AWFUL company and i will be switching away as soon as this weather clears and a person can get through to switch me over. (There's something needs to be physically done at my property as utilita deliberately use equipment incompatible with other providers - they've been apparently "strongly advised" to stop this but haven't.)

OP posts:
Snowysky20009 · 02/03/2018 16:01

Why has it affected your boiler?

specialsubject · 02/03/2018 16:11

Boiler may need a restart, or have a frozen condensate pipe. Op - repost here if still problems, pigletjohn alert may be needed.

ThisLittleKitty · 02/03/2018 16:11

Why are they awful? Would like to know as I'm with them. Well I had the same problem this morning. Electric went (my fault for forgetting to top up) couldn't find my electric card anywhere. There number wasn't working at all. I tried for an hour and it was like just a dead line but I did eventually get through so please do keep trying. They told me they were very busy.

ShapelyBingoWing · 02/03/2018 16:15

Hi back through your last few top up codes if you're on one I'd those awful freedom units. Mine just stopped automatically putting them on and by the time I realised, I'd topped up 3 times. New codes won't work if older codes are still outstanding.

ShapelyBingoWing · 02/03/2018 16:16

*go back

ShapelyBingoWing · 02/03/2018 16:16

*one of Blush

ThisLittleKitty · 02/03/2018 16:18

I've just realised it's the friendly credit hours now so if your electric does go it won't actually go off until 11am tomorrow. So that leave you with enough time to get through to them as they are open till 10pm

Enuffsenuffsenuff · 02/03/2018 16:20

Christ I hate this company. I've never had a contract with them but they rang me easily 6/7 times per day for weeks on end when they were trying to get me to switch. I spoke to them over and over asking to be removed from their contact list and they kept promising they had but then calling again. In the end I made a massive fuss on social media and it finally worked.

Thesmallthings · 02/03/2018 16:21

Topping up with mobile can sometimes take a minute to show up

You need to turn your boiler of before touching the button on the screen that says restore. Then turn your boiler on and restart

DaisyDrip · 02/03/2018 16:25

When I moved a month ago the previous owner was with Utilita. I wanted to stay with the provider I had at my previous home and to be fair it was all switched over quite easily, certainly no engineers had to come out to switch anything over.

slippynips · 02/03/2018 16:29

We are with Utilita - they seem to be very expensive. Has anyone switched to a cheaper provider and if so who did you go with?

Loonyluna16 · 02/03/2018 16:31

Hi op. I don't work for them but did work for sp for a period of time. If you are disabled and the company knows you legally will be on a vulnerable people list which means you are priority for repairs ECT.. including in weather like this. The company has a matter of hours to get someone too you. Hth

I'd check your boiler doesn't need restarted first there should be a switch next to the boiler like a socket with just the switch and light. Switch that off for about 30 secs and switch on again SmileFlowers

Graphista · 02/03/2018 18:25

"Why has it affected your boiler?"

Because the boiler is switched/kept on electrically so when I lost electricity because the top up wasn't going through the boiler switched off and now won't come on again (don't know why).

Thislittlekitty - I've had ENDLESS problems ever since I moved in (it was previous tenants that chose them).

I hate prepay anyway - it's ALWAYS more expensive.

I've been overcharged, top ups that normally last several days disappeared overnight or within a few hours - I eventually with help got £130 refund when they could no longer deny it. That took around 7 months of calling several times a week.

supply lost even when plenty on meter

TRULY APPALLING customer service (seriously difficult to even get through to a person, constant line dropping, cut off etc - let alone someone who actually listens without being rude or repeatedly insisting it MUST be something I've done wrong - I was honestly asked once if I knew my left from my right).

I've been dealing with a local energy charity who FINALLY got through to someone on my behalf to find out my usage info - which made NO sense - 5 X higher usage at times according to their figures but I KNOW I wasn't using any more than usual. It's been a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE just dealing with them.

As a result I've done some research into them, they've been fined several times but they don't care it makes not one iota of difference to how they behave.

"Christ I hate this company." Me too - and you're not even really with them, interesting though - instead of answering phones to existing customers they're pestering others to become customers - fwiw I'm on tps recommend you try it.

"In the end I made a massive fuss on social media" their social media has gone nuts, up to 1000 posts on most of their Fb posts, I don't know how to calculate stuff on Twitter but it's very busy. They're taking several (I'm talking up to 24) hours to reply on there and even then mostly copy&paste replies, loads of customers saying they're going to leave and complain to ofgem but in my opinion ofgem are toothless! As I said they've been fined before but ofgem are ltd on how much fines are for and in comparison to their profits they're a mere drop in a very big ocean!

"Topping up with mobile can sometimes take a minute to show up" it took almost 2 HOURS lots of other customers having same problems.

"certainly no engineers had to come out to switch anything over" it depends on the type of meter you have with them.

"Hi op. I don't work for them but did work for sp for a period of time. If you are disabled and the company knows you legally will be on a vulnerable people list which means you are priority for repairs ECT.. including in weather like this. The company has a matter of hours to get someone too you. Hth" I appreciate you trying to help, unfortunately with the best will in the world NOBODY is getting through to my location at the moment PLUS they have a serious backlog inc I strongly suspect people worse off than me. I have a mobility issue but am OK in the flat but would be risking a hospital stay if I ventured outside.

"I'd check your boiler doesn't need restarted first there should be a switch next to the boiler like a socket with just the switch and light. Switch that off for about 30 secs and switch on again" tried that - had this happen a few times which is why I was getting stressed when the top up wasn't going through - but thanks anyway.

OP posts:
ThisLittleKitty · 02/03/2018 19:27

I only switched because I was on sse (was here when I moved in) and they didn't do smart metres meaning I had to go to the shop to top up which was seriously annoying with 4 kids in tow. Utilita stopped me on the street and said they were the cheapest but I do seem to be using a lot, not sure who would be better to go with though. Sounds like a nightmare though I'm actually relieved I got it sorted this morning otherwise I would have been stuck!

Snowysky20009 · 02/03/2018 23:04

OP have you googled the name
Of the boiler and faults. I solved ours this way yesterday

Graphista · 02/03/2018 23:39

Beyond turning off/on/reset I'm not allowed to touch it. I'm very lucky sorry should have updated, gas man came at almost 9pm (bless them for working so late!) the company with the contract are based in a town about 45 mins away on a GOOD day but they've made temporary arrangements with local engineers - don't know what that's cost them! I am really grateful and am warmed up now.

OP posts:
Graphista · 02/03/2018 23:42

I'm also lucky that I have a little spare money at the moment so have done another top up just in case - again took about an hour to register but I daren't let the balance drop!

I'm very conscious of the fact that not everyone can do that.

There are some people on their SM saying they have cash but nothing in bank and so can't top up online/text/app and either can't get to a shop or the shop terminals aren't working.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page