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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Who has been providing my electricity?

49 replies

EachDubh · 02/03/2021 20:45

Just found out the comany that was supplying my gas and electricity on a fixed price contract apparently cancelled the electricity account over a year ago, never let me know and continued to take full joint payment. My question is who is providing my electricity? How do I find out as my dd have all been paid to this one company. Also, actually really annoyed as I am sure this will somehow cost me a fortune.. My fault for not checkong bills but surely they should have let me know?

OP posts:
foreverold · 02/03/2021 22:15

@dementedpixie I make time as i cannot afford a cock up like this to happen. Simply can't afford it so would rather spend the hour per week (sometimes less depending on call volumes)

@Akire ....to avoid the exact situation which happened to the OP obviously? 

@EachDubh yes, I'm sure it will get sorted and good for you seeing the silver lining. As you say, lesson learned for next time Smile

dementedpixie · 02/03/2021 22:15

Who is the company so we can all avoid them?

I'm with Octopus and every month they email me to send readings. I send readings online and they send me an up to date balance on my account and how much gas/electricity I have used

foreverold · 02/03/2021 22:18

I wouldn't post the company's name @EachDubh, it may land you in hot water legally.

dementedpixie · 02/03/2021 22:19

What rubbish. She is stating facts so what legal implications could it have?

EachDubh · 02/03/2021 22:25

I won't post the name, just now anyway, they may sort the issue and I have to take responsibility as well. I coupd enter onlinebreadings and have done but they have all vanished for both accounts and often the system was down or faulty. As long as I can get it sorted it will work out in the long run, just stress just now.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 02/03/2021 22:26

They sound crap. Once you sort it out I'd switch away from them

foreverold · 02/03/2021 22:29

@dementedpixie it seems you just want to argue with me tonight and I won't rise to it.

@EachDubh I think that's the best decision for now OP. Really do hope you get it sorted and not too expensive. How amazing if it worked out cheaper for you!

Iwantitidontwantit · 02/03/2021 22:31

Suppliers don't cancel accounts, the supplies are taken over by another supplier - called change of supply or COS. As you weren't aware of this it's possible the new supplier has taken over your unique supply number in erorr. Call the national database tomorrow to confirm who supplies. They can complete a process called an Erroneous Transfer which sends your supply back to your original supplier. But always possible your original supplier has made an error and they do still supply. Sadly not uncommon for payments to be collected when a customer is no longer supplied too.

EachDubh · 02/03/2021 22:37

Have checkedbsome recwnt reviews of the company and I am not the only one going through this. At least 3 others are payingbfor electricity but not being billed for it and quite a few have missing monthly meter readings. Unfortunately when I joined them reviews were good, ah well...

Who has been providing my electricity?
OP posts:
EachDubh · 02/03/2021 22:38

Sorry for typos, my phone is glitchy tonight so difficult to see what I have typed. Again thanks everyone, I will follow up links etc.

OP posts:
TalbotAMan · 02/03/2021 22:42

I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry. You had a contract with the company to supply you with electricity. They 'cancelled' the contract, but did they have any right to do so? If it's their mistake then they should sort it out and if you were on a particular tariff and you do owe money to someone else, then they should make up the difference.

Once upon a time you could only buy electricity from your regional electricity board, a man came round every three months to read the meter, and shortly after that a paper bill arrived in the post which you took to the showroom, post office or bank and paid, as like as not in cash. Progress means we read our own meters, don't get paper bills and are encouraged to give them direct debits from our bank accounts. All that is in the name of saving the suppliers' costs, but in my view that means they have corresponding duties to get it right.

The successor to the local electricity board is now the default supplier where there is no other supplier, but they use that position to charge on a very high tariff. If they try that trick I think you should be asking for compensation from the company.

I once found myself in a position where I moved into a newish property and it turned out that the meter had never been registered on the system, so that the previous occupant had had several years free electricity. Being reasonably honest, I got the meter registered, and took out a contract with my supplier of choice, only to have the default supplier jump in and send me a very high bill based on the default tariff. I pointed out to them that the bill was based on estimated readings and the meter had never been officially read, so they didn't have any evidence that any electricity at all had been used during the time I was in the property. Funnily enough, they stopped chasing me after that.

TalbotAMan · 02/03/2021 22:45

@EachDubh

Have checkedbsome recwnt reviews of the company and I am not the only one going through this. At least 3 others are payingbfor electricity but not being billed for it and quite a few have missing monthly meter readings. Unfortunately when I joined them reviews were good, ah well...
Leave them now. That kind of chaos suggests they will be going bust. I spent two years fending off debt collectors and solicitors acting for Economy Energy who went bust owing money to me! (They kept putting up the direct debit till we were over £300 in credit and as DW said, we keep our money in the bank not the electricity company.)

Can I say LTEB?

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 03/03/2021 01:12

Is it EON?

SheilaWilcox · 03/03/2021 01:39

Take meter readings, cancel direct debits, put the money aside each month.
Someone will contact you when they want paying!

Laggartha · 03/03/2021 02:14

@foreverold that level of mistrust is unwarranted and unhealthy.

MercyBooth · 03/03/2021 02:58

We are on a pre payment meter. We have ALWAYS kept it well topped up. We were told to make double sure of it at the start of the first lockdown. So we did. But two months ago EON got hacked. People couldnt top up on the app or with keys or cards. Our key took the money in the shop but it wouldnt go on the meter. EON were telling people to keep going round different shops to try and get new keys making a mockery of stay at home They also told my DH to share his mobile phone with the shop assistant so they could give instructions. In a pandemic. None of the shops we tried had a key so EON sent one out to us. Which they could have done in the first place. NOW here is where they change their tune about us keeping topped up NOW we have to run our electric right down before we try the new key as it may wipe out what is already on the meter. We are nearly there but what if the new key doesnt work. They have already left a disabled man without electric for five days. They kept sending someone else blank cards.

Many more cases here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4143223-WTF-is-going-on-at-EON One woman had to sit in her neighbours house with her phone on charge so she could talk to EON

Why the fuck are members of the public being fined while that shower of shit gets to act like this and put people at risk. Sending ppl all over, leaving them without electric , and yet this company arent being fined.
Its not fucking good enough. Especially now.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 03/03/2021 03:23

I am absolutely amazed that forevervoid spends an hour each week phoning up all their suppliers to check they are still supplying her. Who has time for that? I've had multiple accounts in several countries over thirty years and have never once had an issue with this, certainly not enough to spend this much time on it! That's absolutely bonkers!

DanielRicciardosSmile · 03/03/2021 05:40

I would love to see the internal notes on foreverold's accounts at her suppliers. I can just imagine the call handlers' faces when they realise it's her again.

eaglejulesk · 03/03/2021 06:36

I phone and speak to someone each month to ensure they are still providing my service hence deserve payment.

I've never heard of anyone doing this! Don't you get a monthly bill for these things? (Not in the UK btw, but each month all my utility suppliers email me an account showing the amount owing).

sunflowersandbuttercups · 03/03/2021 06:43

[quote foreverold]@dementedpixie I phone and speak to someone each month to ensure they are still providing my service hence deserve payment. [/quote]
Oooookay 🙄

Meanwhile in real life, nobody actually does that.

FlyingBurrito · 03/03/2021 06:56

[quote foreverold]@dementedpixie I phone and speak to someone each month to ensure they are still providing my service hence deserve payment. [/quote]
During te pandemic have you really wasted the time of overstretched call centres by phoning them every month with needless questions?

There is absolutely no way that has only taken you an hour a month. I had to call my phone provider and it took 20 minutes for them to even answer the phone. I'd say that they must be busy with callers like you but as no one else does that I know thats not the case. That is seriously paranoid Grin

BarbaraofSeville · 03/03/2021 07:20

Don't panic OP, I'm sure it can be sorted and I certainly wouldn't accept an increase in prices, certainly not hundreds of pounds over some sort of admin error.

Tell them you want the contract reinstating and a correct bill for the last year. Make sure you speak to the complaints department, not general customer service.

Get the dispute registered as a complaint as soon as possible, because then if they don't resolve the issue to your satisfaction - a correct bill for the rate you signed up for, including discounts for direct debit and dual fuel, you can go to OFGEM after a certain period (8 weeks I think).

Look on the OFGEM website for advice about making a complaint and follow what it says. Make it clear to your supplier that if they don't sort this out, you will go to OFGEM. This costs them money, so focusses their minds that you know your rights and will do what you need to do to get them.

Good luck. In future, always worth taking your own meter readings at least a few times a year and checking that you are being billed correctly and the direct debit is set at approximately the right amount, so you don't build big debts or credits, both of which can cause problems.

leiaskye · 03/03/2021 08:32

Hopefully you can sort this out.

A few years ago I rented a house, & on moving in I was told who the suppliers were. I contacted said company who were supplying electricity but not gas.

I rang all the main suppliers & Ofgem. No-one knew who was supplying my gas, but I was getting it no issue.

After 18 months of living there, we moved. I never received a gas bill in all that time. I did wonder for a while if they would catch up with me, but they never did.

That was almost 10 years ago now, so haven’t thought about it for ba while til your post.

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