Switching Energy Suppliers

[KARL]

I am getting conflicting advice regarding this.

If on Monday I tell both the existing supplier and the intended new supplier I want to switch as of that date, I understand that it takes the two of them up to 28 days to arrange closure of the former account and the activation of the latter - I can't understand why (in this day and age) but that is the way it is, so that is that.

What the confusion revolves about is that I am sometimes being told that even though they know my changeover date, the former supplier will continue billing until the account has been closed (up to 28 days later) and only then will my preferred supplier take over. On other occasions the story is that the billing will actually switch to the new supplier as of the changeover date so I only ever deal with my preferred supplier from the changeover date onward. The "final reading" can only be reported once the switch date arrives so it's not as if one can set the thing in motion 28 days in advance.

Has anyone recent experience of switching and which of the two billing scenarios was your experience ?

[fiction-factory]

It's always been straightforward. I'm not sure I follow what your query is. You will continue to pay monthly DD if it falls before changeover until the account is closed. At closure you should get a final bill or refund notice based on the final/changeover reading. Your new payment arrangements iwth new supplier then kick in

[bhg481]

A few days into November I realised the EDF had not changed my tariff as I thought I had asked them to do. I contacted them and they said they had no records of my request so I would have to choose from the current list of available tariffs. The tariff of choice had disappeared and none of the others were suitable so I told them I was changing supplier. I opted for Octopus and on the 19th November I became an Octopus customer ie, the switch had been completed.

[fiction-factory]

The two companies will agree on changeover readings. They may be estimated based on known readings you gave recently or they may arrange for someone to call and read it.
Don't worry- it will go smoothly

[emmie]

i told B Gas that i was leaving and switching to EDF it was easy peasy, calls to British Gas then calls to EDF to say i would like to switch, they then did the rest, letter in the post from B Gas to say sorry i was leaving, then letters from EDF thanking me for custom, as i said it was as simple as that.

[KARL]

Fiction, the question is: Will I be paying the former supplier at his rate past the switchover date (until the accounts are sorted) or not ? I have been asking for confirmation that my chosen new supplier takes over billing at/as of the switch date and the previous one disappears from my life (never mind how long it takes for them to get their act together) but I can't get consistent replies. While the energy suppliers tell me conflicting descriptions of what will happen I have no confidence that it will go smoothly. I am not worried about paying the two separate/different direct debits for an overlap period - this will no doubt be sorted afterward ("final bill" of former sorts out credit or debt on his account) as I would presumably/hopefully not end up paying twice for anything.

[4candles]

You don't need to tell your existing supplier anything. In my case I'm switching from Co-op to Bulb.
On 15 Nov I signed up online, and the confirmatory email said takeover date will be 6 Dec. I therefore submit my readings to them on that day, and Bulb pass on the readings to the Co-op so they can prepare my final bill - which can be up to 42 days.

[Jackdaw33]

Things were so much easier 40 years ago. I got my electric from the Electricity Board, my gas from the Gas Board and my phone from the GPO. That was it.