Energy Prices payment methods

[french frank]

he is still arguing with the company he was moved to.

Point of information: In these circumstances, is the customer stuck with the company they've been moved to or can they opt to move to another one (as would be usual)?

[HighlandDougie]

I am just so fed up with the situation I am in at the end of 3 years messing about while SSE transferred to OVO that I have become rather passive -

Well, reading OOO's post has spurred me into being active. I've just abandoned SSE after 29 years as my experience with OVO has been generally unsatisfactory. SSE used to pride itself on everything being done "in house", not least customer service, so the sale of its retail business to the "entrepreneurial" Stephen Fitzpatrick's enterprise has, unsurprisingly, seen that approach being abandoned.

I've switched to Octopus, not least because I have an electric car charging point so Octopus's claim that it can manage overnight charging to take advantage of cheap electricity was somehow more attractive than OVO's advice to "cuddle my pet". I've just received an email from SSE/OVO, imploring me to think again and stay with them. And that they will take "at least 10 weeks" to repay me the credit in my account. Hmm. QED, I think, on why it feels right to have overcome my inertia and made the switch away from them.

[oddoneout]

Point of information: In these circumstances, is the customer stuck with the company they've been moved to or can they opt to move to another one (as would be usual)?

There are mixed messages on the changing supplier issue I think. In theory it is possible to change, but in practice those who have tried have not always succeeded (being refused as a new customer), from what I have read. A combination of so few companies from which to choose now and the matter of PV arrays to factor in probably rules out moving for my son, even if "officially" it is an option.

[oddoneout]

Well, reading OOO's post has spurred me into being active. I've just abandoned SSE after 29 years as my experience with OVO has been generally unsatisfactory. SSE used to pride itself on everything being done "in house", not least customer service, so the sale of its retail business to the "entrepreneurial" Stephen Fitzpatrick's enterprise has, unsurprisingly, seen that approach being abandoned.

I've switched to Octopus, not least because I have an electric car charging point so Octopus's claim that it can manage overnight charging to take advantage of cheap electricity was somehow more attractive than OVO's advice to "cuddle my pet". I've just received an email from SSE/OVO, imploring me to think again and stay with them. And that they will take "at least 10 weeks" to repay me the credit in my account. Hmm. QED, I think, on why it feels right to have overcome my inertia and made the switch away from them.

If, like you, I had other factors involved, such as car charging, I would probably also overcome my inertia, to at least seriously review alernatives. However other parts of my life mean that I have little energy or appetite for such efforts - I have to choose my battles - and since for now I am not being financially disadvantaged by the forced OVO move, and I haven't, so far, had to engage with whatever void constitutes customer (dis)service, it will wait for another day. I continue to have an electricity and a gas supply and the amount of the DD does not exceed my usage costs so that'll do me for now!

[oddoneout]

The day after my previous post I had a "bill" following the 3 month DD review. Surprise, surprise (not) they calculate the monthly DDs haven't covered the cost of the (estimated) winter bill, and they'd like me to stump up in some fashion, in addition to having increased the DD amount. I have bunged them a part payment via my credit card for now, and I've sent a meter reading, which is somewhat higher than their estimated usage, so will wait and see how that changes things.
The stupid thing is that if they hadn't moved me(not my wish or request) onto monthly DD, instead of leaving me on the existing arrangement, none of this would be necessary because the bill would have been paid in full against a submitted meter reading.

[french frank]

The stupid thing is that if they hadn't moved me(not my wish or request) onto monthly DD, instead of leaving me on the existing arrangement, none of this would be necessary because the bill would have been paid in full against a submitted meter reading.

Can understand that changing - or being changed - from a perfectly (?) satisfactory method of payment to one that now causes - even if merely in one's own circumstances - inconvenience is very annoying. For people in other circumstances it might be extremely worrying. I've just looked on my app and there is an option to Make a Payment, which I could do if my DD wasn't covering my usage. I tried it and got a message saying "You have a healthy balance so there's no need to make a payment". Quite. I knew that.

I have had a letter or message - can't remember which - saying my DD which had been considerably reduced because of the various government payouts was to return to the previous, very recent, increased amount. Given that I not only have a £311 balance but we're just getting (I assume) to the end of the cold weather, I wonder how high my balance will get before they decide I'm overpaying them. I shall wait to see, but shall email them for an explanation when they're holding more of my available cash than the bank! I'm quite confident they will be promptly responsive