To HATE this company? Utilita - help me deal with them and in near future switch to someone else?

[Graphista]

I'll TRY to summarise

Stuck with these idiots since I moved in here almost 3 years ago.

At the time I tried to switch and was told by both them and the companies i was potentially switching to that it would be difficult and expensive for me.

So I was put off.

Recently erroneous transfer of gas supply caused by cock up by scottish power. Erroneous transfer registered and I've been monitoring.

Today got text from utilita that I'm back with them.

Tried to top up - couldn't!

Numerous phone calls, most call handlers useless/didn't understand situation. 1 was very aggressive and rude.

Eventually got through to one that seemed sensible.

They told me their top up service is down across the board (a common occurrence with them and another reason I want AWAY from them) and they're not expecting it to be fixed until around 6pm today.

Assured me that their emergency credit mode will kick in until tomorrow morning 10am, advised me to call 8am to get everything sorted.

Previous experience means I am extremely worried that

1 the top up service will either still be down or will come up temporarily and then crash when overwhelmed by customers rushing to top up.

2 this will mean the phone lines will be clogged with angry/frustrated/worried customers

3 I will lose supply of hot water which with my ocd panics me greatly

4 I will lose heating - it's below freezing here and being cold makes my physical disability a lot more painful.

I really really HATE this company. They're incredibly unreliable, expensive and the customer service is usually shite!

So any tips on dealing with them from other utilita customers, more useful phone numbers (pm if you wish) would be very gratefully received.

Secondly I'd really like to switch away from them to a credit company.

I have smets1 meters apparently, I'd like to still use the/a smart meter if I can as I do find that useful and don't cope well with meter readings having to be taken by another person. Though I could deal with that if I had to.

Comparison sites don't compare prepay to credit which is annoying.

I've done some "dummy" comparisons pretending to be a scottish power customer currently (don't fancy switching to them after their incompetence with the erroneous transfer) and did this on several sites.

I know my kw/h usage

Eon and edf are the companies that came top usually, occasionally a new company would but I am reluctant to use a new, untested company I'd rather go with a name I recognise especially with new/smaller companies regularly going bust.

I want a credit contract but a fixed or capped price as I am on a budget and don't want to be locked in to a contract and get a big price hike to deal with.

But I wanted to know if anyone else has done this and how they found the switch worked, any tips etc.

What questions should I ask potential new company?

Hoping some of you can help

Can not help much but just wanted to agree that Utilita are nasty bastards. I switched to Bulb and found them much cheaper.

Surprised you say you've been stuck with utilita tho. Changing is easy.

I think you need to tell them about your disability, can they not add credit as a loan? SSE did that for me once when I was stuck

I had the same problem re top ups, been on the phone to them they don't want to know. I was told my money would go back into my bank but couldn't tell me when. The app is working for top ups now recently tried mine again and it was accepted. Hopefully you'll get yours sorted soon.

@ChocolateQuiltedShitPig they know I'm disabled! I'm down as a prioritised customer or whatever they call it - seems to make precious little difference to me!

Sorry to worry you but I've heard bulb are going bust? This is why I'm reluctant to switch to "new" companies.

When I was doing the comparisons there's a shit load I've never even heard of! Wouldn't go with a company I've never heard of no matter how cheap.

@GuessWhoBoo Just tried again I've done the min £5 just in case (I go through about £3 a day usually) and it has registered on smart meter too, hoping it's worked but it's hard to know.

@Butterer

"What's the reason you're being told it'll be expensive and difficult?"

I was initially told I'd have to have the meters in the cupboard ripped out and replaced at a cost to me of almost £1000 and that it takes up to 8 weeks for switch to work.

Re waffle don't worry. It seems necessary when discussing this because the energy industry makes things a damn sight more complicated than it needs to be!

I feel very sure that's to discourage people from switching...but it also makes it harder for them to gain new customers so I don't think overall it serves them well.

SSE I was with before at last place. No problem whole time I was there (8 years) but when I left they disputed last meter read, old landlord did a load of refurb work (it needed doing but they wouldn't while I was there, I think they found it hard to relet and realised it was because lots needed brought up to date and potential tenants weren't willing to pay his required rent without that being done) which involved I'm sure lots of power tools etc and so lots of electric used and they tried to charge me for that! Because the new tenants meter read was obviously higher than my leaving one.

It got sorted eventually (they finally accepted landlords word that he'd used the electric!) but they were arses about it!

Ugh it's so hard! All the energy companies if you google/check sm there are so many complaints! It's hard to know who provides good, reliable service and doesn't charge a bomb!

Hi, I work for an energy company.

Re switch time, a CoS (change of supplier) takes a Max of 3 weeks to go through. Also you won't have to have your meters removed for a switch, particularly if you have SMETS1 as most energy suppliers are able to connect to SMETS1 meters.

I would just contact your preferred supplier and advise them that you would like them to takeover your supply. They will deal with Utilitia. As you're in PPM, your meter will automatically go into credit mode at the point of switch, and will not go back to PPM unless you specifically request this of the new supplier. And also, ensure you get any credit that is left on your meters refunded back to you by utilitia once your switch is complete.

HTH! X

@grinandwave that is helpful thank you.

While I accept you may have a bias to your employer any tips on working out who to switch to?

Cheap is nice but I also want good, reliable supply and good customer service which I acknowledge means paying more than getting simply the cheapest.

Can I be a bit cheeky and ask if anyone is a which? Subscriber? If so have they a recent survey/chart on best for customer service?

@Graphista not a problem- glad I could help!

In all honesty I find that shopping around is the best bet, sites like Uswitch would be helpful!

I'm currently with bulb, and have found them the cheapest and most reliable (I don't work for them, just as a disclaimer!) and have previously been with EDF, Eon and Scottish Power.

When you sign up to a new supplier, they will give you what's called an estimated annual consumption (EAC) which is an estimate as to what your fuel costs will be annually, this isn't always 100% accurate straight off so don't worry if it seems slightly higher than expected at the start. The best way to make sure you're paying the right amount is to always give regular meter reads- but as you have a smart meter your reads will be pulled automatically so you'll only be billed for what you use. It's also worth asking for an in home display unit if you don't already have one- this will show you exactly how much energy you're using and what the cost is. Ask them what tariff options they have, and they'll be happy to run through them with you :)

I am eligible for the warm home discount but stupidly haven't applied as I INTEND to switch and as I understand it you have to stay with that company for a year after receiving the discount?

Plus it's Ltd and I seem to forget until I see sm posts saying they've stopped paying out.

I am TRYING to use sites like uswitch but they don't provide genuine comparison from prepay to credit accounts even with kw/h usage as the measurement not price per unit which I find odd.

I also get confused because you'll get "results" that eg say eon cheapest - but a particular contract/tariff with them (usually the cheapest seems to be a variable deal so could shoot up in price)

Then there's the palaver of trying to work out which deals tie you in so if you tried to switch again there's an exit fee

Then there's the lack of info on quality of customer service.

Very confusing I think it needs to be much simpler.

I'm gonna have to do a spreadsheet to work it all out aren't I?

We get a large number of customers saying octopus energy are good, as well as Avro. Their customer service is apparently very good and certainly if I've ever had to liaise with either company they've always been more than helpful.

I would avoid British Gas like the plague, they're useless and robbing buggers to boot! Whenever I've dealt with EDF they've also been useless. Might be worth researching a few companies and seeing how you get on- you can always give them a call too and they can help over the phone- sometimes I find it's easier speaking to an actual person!

With the warm home scheme, you need to be with the same supplier between when you apply for it and when you receive it - if you switch in between that point, it won't be paid to you.
I applied for mine on 1st Sept and received it at the beginning of December (although they do say it can take any time up to March for them to pay it).
Once it's paid to you, that's it - you're under no obligation to stay with that supplier just because you've received it.

I've recently switched to Octopus and it was incredibly smooth with no issues. There are no exit fees which is a bonus. They also run a referral scheme whereby you and the person making the referral get £50 off their bill each.

I will give my link in case you are interested:

share.octopus.energy/aqua-race-453

www.which.co.uk/reviews/energy-companies/article/energy-company-reviews/octopus-energy

Good to know about warm home discount for future reference. I think the time for warm home discount is over for this winter? But I'll make sure I apply next time (and hopefully be with a different company by then!)

@grinandwave I'm very wary of using companies I've never heard of or are "new" (By which I certainly mean 5 years old or younger) or quite small companies. They feel far more vulnerable to going bust or price hikes.

British Gas are rip off merchants though I do know that!

@dementedpixie it's still a VERY young company though only 4 years.

I feel the younger companies haven't had time to cock up yet is all!

I've friends and family recently moved to Octopus and apparently it's a smooth move. All rate it-so far!
I'm with Utilita and tbh I've had no issues.
We had a lot of hassle with Scottish Power who somehow started charging us without us having switched. This is a few years ago now but I'd keep well away from them.
I'm also sick of the incessant calls from them. Won't take no for an answer and hound me despite me asking them to remove my number from their call lists.

I’m with Bulb and I’m super happy with them.
I used to work for Eon!

Here is my switching code if you or anyone else wants to use it and get both of us £50
www.bulb.me/kate6795

I’m not sure how it would work with switching you from a pre payment to a credit metre though.

Oops- just to contradict myself on the warm home scheme, some suppliers say you need to have been supplied by them in July to get that year's discount if you're in the broader group; if you're in the core group I think it sorts itself out automatically if you switch (I'd double check tho).

I've just moved to Avro and am paying £25/month on a fixed tariff (checking old bills, I was paying twice that a few years ago on another supplier's standard variable tarrif). They seen fine so far, and I hot my finalled accounts/refunds from my old one within a fortnight of switching.

Hope it worked for you. Just an update I've received a message from them saying refunds to bank are taking 14 days, longer than I expected but nothing I can do about it. They said its all back to normal now.

I got an email today from Bulb to say they are dropping their prices!