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“Sneaky Southern!”

written by somersetsally on 29/01/2013

Over 20 years with the Southern Electric, on an incentivised online billing and direct debit tariff of 7% discount, I received notice that the tariff I was on was changing on October 15th, giving a measly £20 a year discount rather than 7%. My bills are high so this meant a vast increase. I phoned to ask whether I could be transferred to a better tariff. The answer was no, so I decided to switch. I was £500 in credit at the end of the month before the switch so I phoned on October 17th, when I'd made my final meter reading to ask when my refund would be paid. A very helpful call centre operator suggested that, as I was so much in credit, she should cancel my direct debit to save me being even further in credit. How kind I thought, but, when the final bill arrived, the 7% discount that should have been applied until 15th October, was not! Several very long phone calls ensued and I was gradually escalated to a more senior person. Eventually, after much wrangling, the refund was properly made, but I felt they were trying to punish me for moving my account. When the contract with my new supplier ends at the end of this year I shall not be returning to Southern Electric!