Glow power / BE Energy

westgolf · 14-08-2020 7:11pm #1

Anyone any experience of either of these companies ?

Mods. Please move to appropriate category if necessary

Muahahaha · 17-08-2020 2:25pm

Just saw your thread after a search for Glow Power as Im a new customer of them and was wondering if others are having problems with them.

In my case I signed up end up April, expected my first bill two months later at the end of June and it didnt arrive by post, email or on their online portal for customers. I emailed them twice about it through their online portal- both times there was no reply. So then I rang at the end of July when the bill still hadnt arrived, I got all the apoligies in the world, gave them a meter reading while on the phone and was told it would be sorted in 5 working days. That didnt happen either so now Im just off the phone to them again and have been told it will be sorted in 5 working days.

I'm now almost four months without a bill so I said to the CS agent if it doesnt arrive by the end of next week I'll be changing electricity provider. Must say I find it pretty remarkable that an electricity company is providing you with a service and you are trying your best to give them money for it yet they dont seem to want it or have a system in place to collect it. They have been a bit of a joke for me so far anyway.

DrPhilG · 12-10-2020 3:01pm

Hi, have you had any more joy?

They're offering a fantastically low rate from November 1st, only 5.07c night rate.

New company though so I'm a little sketchy on them.

Muahahaha · 12-10-2020 3:19pm

My saga with them continues on. After a few emails the country manager finally sent me a bill which I paid. One email said he would definitely, definitely have the Billing Manager send me a bill and 5 days later still nothing! I was laughing my head off at the incompetence at this stage.

But since I paid that first bill (which was 4 months electricity) there has still been no new bills, its a farce really. Also their customer portal doesnt seem to work at all whatsoever, when I paid the bill there was no indication I had or a receipt by email, I had to ring up to confirm for sure they had got it. I send emails through their portal system and all four went unanswered. They're a bit of a joke really, I'm crying out at them to take my money but their systems dont seem to work.

All that said they could be a good choice for someone who wants to get electricity for months without having to actually pay for it. But I dont want to get hit with a massive bill in six months time or whenever they get their act together (or go out of business due to not collecting money).

So if you want electricity now but dont want to pay for it until months and months later then say I go for it!

DrPhilG · 12-10-2020 3:56pm

Might give them a miss. Energia have a slightly better day rate but 6.82 night compared to 5.07c.

They're consistent though, reliable online billing etc. I wouldn't be arsed dealing with eejits like Glow seem to be.

Muahahaha · 12-10-2020 5:03pm

yeah the head wreck with me on Glow is not being able to get bi-monthly bills and compare it to what I paid last year with Energia. I like to know where I stand with these things but their billing system being a complete sh1tshow means I cannot.

Its really been a farce that you have to chase Glow Power to actually give them money. I never thought Id see this kind of messing from an electricity company, you expect it from broadband/mobile phone operations but not energy companies.

When I left Energia they rang me back a week later trying to persuade me to stay but I had already signed up to Glow so left it. Im regretting that now even though Glow works out cheaper for me as Im not a heavy user- if only I could get a bill!

But like said if people want 6 months or maybe even 9 months of electricity without having to pay for it then Glow Power is the company for you!

ethernet · 13-10-2020 9:42am

westgolf wrote: »

Anyone any experience of either of these companies ?

Mods. Please move to appropriate category if necessary

I get the impression it's a tiny operation.
Have to email/phone with meter readings. Their email says they have an online portal but when I try to login, I get redirected to an Australian site. When I phone, they say the portal isn't up and running yet.
Then they send whopper estimate bills despite getting meter readings and fairly recent actual readings:

Wearb · 13-10-2020 11:29am

ethernet wrote: »

I get the impression it's a tiny operation.
Have to email/phone with meter readings. Their email says they have an online portal but when I try to login, I get redirected to an Australian site. When I phone, they say the portal isn't up and running yet.
Then they send whopper estimate bills despite getting meter readings and fairly recent actual readings:

In your situation, I'd complain to the energy regulator.

DrPhilG · 13-10-2020 11:49am

Wearb wrote: »

In your situation, I'd complain to the energy regulator.

And in my situation, I'm signing up with Energia, lol.

Wearb · 13-10-2020 12:11pm

DrPhilG wrote: »

And in my situation, I'm signing up with Energia, lol.

Meant to reply to other poster.

BullBauld · 13-10-2020 1:09pm

Signed over to Glowpower in March from Electric Ireland expecting savings

Was paying around €170 - €210 every 2 months with EI.
Bills with Glowpower came every month and were up on €170 for the month!!

Had to send on meter readings which saved me a month or 2 without a bill but we're back to high bills again now.

Certainly no savings here!

Muahahaha · 13-10-2020 1:28pm

ethernet wrote: »

I get the impression it's a tiny operation.
Have to email/phone with meter readings. Their email says they have an online portal but when I try to login, I get redirected to an Australian site. When I phone, they say the portal isn't up and running yet.
Then they send whopper estimate bills despite getting meter readings and fairly recent actual readings:

yeah I get the impression that they are a tiny operation as well who launched on the market too quickly before they had a proper billing system or online customer portal working, its a bit of a farce really.

Id nearly complain to the Energy Regulator but I just want a bill out of them on a bi-monthly basis. But instead I would prefer just switch back to Energia or similar, does anyone know when you sign up to an electricity company are you locked in for 12 months or can you hop without penalty at any stage?

Muahahaha · 13-10-2020 1:35pm

BullBauld wrote: »

Signed over to Glowpower in March from Electric Ireland expecting savings

Was paying around €170 - €210 every 2 months with EI.
Bills with Glowpower came every month and were up on €170 for the month!!

Had to send on meter readings which saved me a month or 2 without a bill but we're back to high bills again now.

Certainly no savings here!

I think with choosing electricity companies to save money you have to work the figures of unit costs and standing charges and look at your previous 12 months bills and usage.

In my case Im not a heavy user so the main objective was getting a lower annual standing charge even if the unit rate was slightly higher than other companies. When I looked standing charges across companies ranged from 127 per year (Glow) up to 238 per year (Electric Ireland), its quite a difference. If you're a heavy user its all about getting the lowest possible unit price.

Dunworley1 · 21-10-2020 12:47pm

Avoid avoid, I signed up on Feb this year and all I've had is inaccurate bills and no bills. Since day one they have being using estimated readings and on my first bill it was double my usual bill.

I am in the process of trying to close my account and switch provider , a complaint with the CRU is on the way if they don't sort immediately

salonfire · 24-10-2020 6:44pm

Dunworley1 wrote: »

Avoid avoid, I signed up on Feb this year and all I've had is inaccurate bills and no bills. Since day one they have being using estimated readings and on my first bill it was double my usual bill.

I am in the process of trying to close my account and switch provider , a complaint with the CRU is on the way if they don't sort immediately

So send them an actual reading then. If you've already overpaid on the double bill, your actual bill will be nothing.

There you go, problem solved for you without resorting to the CER

Muahahaha · 24-10-2020 7:20pm

I finally got my second bill off them 6 months in and that was a bit of effort but it did arrive after I gave them meter readings. I had paid the first bill using their customer portal and that didnt send me an email confirming payment, their portal just doesnt work full stop from what I can see. Anyway second bill should be by direct debit so will keep an eye to see how that goes through.

They're a disaster of a company though really. Only good thing I can say is my bills are definitely cheaper- the most recent one was 130 for 3 months electricity. My first one was also 132 reduced to 112 after they gave me 20 quid credit for all the messing around. So I've had 6 months electricity for 260, cant complain really. Im a light user so the lower standing charge they offer does have good benefits for me as I dont use massive amounts of units.

Only thing is they sent an email saying prices are going up 4.6%, anyone know can they do that when you're supposed to be in a 12 month contract? Or it might allow you out of the contract without penalty?

wush06 · 24-10-2020 8:48pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

I finally got my second bill off them 6 months in and that was a bit of effort but it did arrive after I gave them meter readings. I had paid the first bill using their customer portal and that didnt send me an email confirming payment, their portal just doesnt work full stop from what I can see. Anyway second bill should be by direct debit so will keep an eye to see how that goes through.

They're a disaster of a company though really. Only good thing I can say is my bills are definitely cheaper- the most recent one was 130 for 3 months electricity. My first one was also 132 reduced to 112 after they gave me 20 quid credit for all the messing around. So I've had 6 months electricity for 260, cant complain really. Im a light user so the lower standing charge they offer does have good benefits for me as I dont use massive amounts of units.

Only thing is they sent an email saying prices are going up 4.6%, anyone know can they do that when you're supposed to be in a 12 month contract? Or it might allow you out of the contract without penalty?

I also got that mail and I asked the question and they said I can’t leave for some reason so would also like to hear other people’s opinions.

irishgeo · 25-10-2020 10:29am

wush06 wrote: »

I also got that mail and I asked the question and they said I can’t leave for some reason so would also like to hear other people’s opinions.

a quick scan of the terms and condition says you can only move if your on a fixed price contract and they put the price up.

Monthly bills are pain when the esb only read your meter 4 times a year.

Juts going to have to create a reminder when to submit a reading when the time comes. There was an 80 euro difference in the estimated bill they sent and the actual bill when i submitted the reading. So just beware to submit a reading every month.

The website is amateur hour and submitting a reading is a joke of having to give them everything including account number etc as its just a webform and doesnt remember anything.

Muahahaha · 25-10-2020 4:53pm

irishgeo wrote: »

a quick scan of the terms and condition says you can only move if your on a fixed price contract and they put the price up.

What does a fixed price contract mean compared to just having a unit kwh price? Seems a bit dodge them saying you cant get out of a 12 month contract if they put the price up, Id always though its one of the only scenarios where you can. I remember signing up for Energia a couple of years back and six weeks later they put their prices up, I rang and disputed this and they kept me on the rate I signed up to.

The website is amateur hour and submitting a reading is a joke of having to give them everything including account number etc as its just a webform and doesnt remember anything.

yeah that website is a complete farce, plus on the bills it denotes the amounts in dollars rather than euros. I'll happily pay them in dollars if it means a further 10% off :pac:

irishgeo · 25-10-2020 4:57pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

What does a fixed price contract mean compared to just having a unit kwh price? Seems a bit dodge them saying you cant get out of a 12 month contract if they put the price up, Id always though its one of the only scenarios where you can. I remember signing up for Energia a couple of years back and six weeks later they put their prices up, I rang and disputed this and they kept me on the rate I signed up to.

I think where they guarantee the rate won't change. Some of the companies offer.

Muahahaha · 25-10-2020 5:08pm

Ok I didnt know that. Still seems dodgy to me that you sign up at X price for 12 months and then they raise the prices half way through. I know all companies are putting their prices up but not seeing how that allows them to break contracts carte blanche

WhoamI2022 · 26-10-2020 12:03pm

Just joined Glowpower. Was with Energia and they f**ked around not giving me the same offer as they had new customers. Anyway I think I shot myself in the foot. Soon after I joined I got an email nearly a week later saying they had increased prices by 4.8%

Now billing, no bills. Complained and said I didn't want them building up a huge bill and then forcing me to pay. Before I had a monthly fee I paid. Got email back first saying they had escalated to Billing Manager but no date. Then I emailed again and more or less said tough, if you want to move give us 50 quid and you can break contract.

Think these guys might be VERY dodgy. Who can you complain to? regulatory has to keep control of these companies

Muahahaha · 26-10-2020 1:06pm

WhoamI2022 wrote: »

Just joined Glowpower. Was with Energia and they f**ked around not giving me the same offer as they had new customers. Anyway I think I shot myself in the foot. Soon after I joined I got an email nearly a week later saying they had increased prices by 4.8%

Are you still within your 14 day cooling off period, it could be a way of ditching them if you want to. As said I had similar with Energia, signed up with some door to door seller into a cheap rate and then 6 weeks later they go and jack up the prices. I argued my case and got restored to the rate I had actually signed up to. Now with Glow Im 6 months in and they've hit this 4.6% increase so in the same boat as yourself.

Now billing, no bills. Complained and said I didn't want them building up a huge bill and then forcing me to pay. Before I had a monthly fee I paid. Got email back first saying they had escalated to Billing Manager but no date. Then I emailed again and more or less said tough, if you want to move give us 50 quid and you can break contract.

Think these guys might be VERY dodgy. Who can you complain to? regulatory has to keep control of these companies

Complaints go to the Commission for Energy Regulation. However before doing this you have to complain officially to Glow and say as much in an email and also ask them for a complaint reference number which the CER will then ask you for. So in other words you officially have to give them a chance to resolve it before escalating it further.

I've emailed the CER yesterday asking about the legality of them increasing prices while you are in a contract. Its news to me that they can do this as anytime the likes of Sky, Vodafone, etc has done it in the past they have to allow you break the contract without penalty, we've had threads on Bargain Alerts about this before. I've a feeling they are breaking consumer law here regardless of what the contract says and what customer service are saying about wanting 50 euro to exit. A contract is a contract and if they increase prices then they are fundamentally altering it. Will report back here what they say in a week or so.

irishgeo · 26-10-2020 1:07pm

WhoamI2022 wrote: »

Just joined Glowpower. Was with Energia and they f**ked around not giving me the same offer as they had new customers. Anyway I think I shot myself in the foot. Soon after I joined I got an email nearly a week later saying they had increased prices by 4.8%

Now billing, no bills. Complained and said I didn't want them building up a huge bill and then forcing me to pay. Before I had a monthly fee I paid. Got email back first saying they had escalated to Billing Manager but no date. Then I emailed again and more or less said tough, if you want to move give us 50 quid and you can break contract.

Think these guys might be VERY dodgy. Who can you complain to? regulatory has to keep control of these companies

here but you need to complete the suppliers complaints procedure first

https://www.cru.ie/home/complaint-form/energy/

WhoamI2022 · 26-10-2020 1:28pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Are you still within your 14 day cooling off period, it could be a way of ditching them if you want to. As said I had similar with Energia, signed up with some door to door seller into a cheap rate and then 6 weeks later they go and jack up the prices. I argued my case and got restored to the rate I had actually signed up to. Now with Glow Im 6 months in and they've hit this 4.6% increase so in the same boat as yourself.

Complaints go to the Commission for Energy Regulation. However before doing this you have to complain officially to Glow and say as much in an email and also ask them for a complaint reference number which the CER will then ask you for. So in other words you officially have to give them a chance to resolve it before escalating it further.

I've emailed the CER yesterday asking about the legality of them increasing prices while you are in a contract. Its news to me that they can do this as anytime the likes of Sky, Vodafone, etc has done it in the past they have to allow you break the contract without penalty, we've had threads on Bargain Alerts about this before. I've a feeling they are breaking consumer law here regardless of what the contract says and what customer service are saying about wanting 50 euro to exit. A contract is a contract and if they increase prices then they are fundamentally altering it. Will report back here what they say in a week or so.

In my contract they can increase the price. I read it

irishgeo · 26-10-2020 2:56pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Are you still within your 14 day cooling off period, it could be a way of ditching them if you want to. As said I had similar with Energia, signed up with some door to door seller into a cheap rate and then 6 weeks later they go and jack up the prices. I argued my case and got restored to the rate I had actually signed up to. Now with Glow Im 6 months in and they've hit this 4.6% increase so in the same boat as yourself.

Complaints go to the Commission for Energy Regulation. However before doing this you have to complain officially to Glow and say as much in an email and also ask them for a complaint reference number which the CER will then ask you for. So in other words you officially have to give them a chance to resolve it before escalating it further.

I've emailed the CER yesterday asking about the legality of them increasing prices while you are in a contract. Its news to me that they can do this as anytime the likes of Sky, Vodafone, etc has done it in the past they have to allow you break the contract without penalty, we've had threads on Bargain Alerts about this before. I've a feeling they are breaking consumer law here regardless of what the contract says and what customer service are saying about wanting 50 euro to exit. A contract is a contract and if they increase prices then they are fundamentally altering it. Will report back here what they say in a week or so.

General Terms and Conditions
Section 9

09. Changing Pricing and this Agreement Unless you are on a fixed price contract, we are entitled to change the price of electricity. If we do so, you will be given 30 days notice in advance of the date the variations are due to take effect and notified in two ways from the following methods: • In writing on or with your bill, • By email, SMS text message or by letter • Mass Media (TV, radio, newspaper advertisement) • Website Any such notice will state the date from which the price change will become effective. If we amend your terms and conditions we will send you the revised Terms and Conditions 30 days before the changes come into effect. This notice will indicate where you may view or obtain a copy of the new Conditions. If any variation, addition or amendment is unacceptable to you, you may end the Agreement in accordance with our terms and conditions, otherwise you will be deemed to have accepted the new Conditions. Any changes to these General Terms and Conditions shall be notified to you on your bill, by email, by letter or by way of public advertisement.

exaisle · 13-01-2021 12:19pm

I entered a one year contract in December 2019 and changed supplier one year and a day later (I change supplier EVERY year). All was ok in terms of billing until I got the last invoice today. They had charged me a €50 exit fee even though I was out of contract.

The person in support apologised, said it was an error and assured me that they will rectify. Mistakes happen and no harm done.

I'm posting this just in case it's a systematic error and it's happening to more than once.

So when you leave out of contract, check your bill!

E.

Muahahaha · 13-01-2021 1:12pm

Good point exaisle. Where did you switch to out of interest. Like yourself I always move every 12 months, loyalty costs you money in the electricity market.

Wearb · 13-01-2021 1:14pm

exaisle wrote: »

I entered a one year contract in December 2019 and changed supplier one year and a day later (I change supplier EVERY year). All was ok in terms of billing until I got the last invoice today. They had charged me a €50 exit fee even though I was out of contract.

The person in support apologised, said it was an error and assured me that they will rectify. Mistakes happen and no harm done.

I'm posting this just in case it's a systematic error and it's happening to more than once.

So when you leave out of contract, check your bill!

E.

How did you manage to not end up in credit at the end of your contract?

wush06 · 09-03-2021 6:04pm

Just got an email today saying they are putting up the price again.

Muahahaha · 09-03-2021 6:36pm

Yeah got an email yesterday, thats the second price increase theyve had in the space of four months. now.

In my own case they are putting the day/night unit prices up by about 0.3/0.7c cents per unit which I would have tolerated. However the daily standing charge is going from 29 cents up to 59.xx cents per day. I calculated that it is going from the current charge of 108.50 per year now up to 215 per year in a single hit. Its basically a 100% increase. As Im a light user of electricity its important I get the lowest standing charge possible even if it means paying a slightly high per unit rate so them doubling the standing charge was an eyebrow raiser for me.

Im out of contract at the end of April so I will be moving likely to a new company called Bright Future. Checked them out last night and their unit costs are more or less the same as what Im paying Glow now and their annual standing charge is 147 for a rural day/night meter. compared to the new cost of 215 Glow are asking for. It works out at a 68 per year cheaper by switching so I'll be doing that at the end of next month.

Also of note when I was looking around last night was that standing charges across the board seem to be gone crazy. When I scanned the market in April last year the highest standing charge of all companies was 248 per year, last night I was seeing them as high as 339 per year.

Glow power / BE Energy

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