I can’t get hold of my £197 Igloo energy balance

theguardian.com:

I transferred my gas and electricity accounts to Sainsbury’s Energy a few days before my supplier, Igloo, went into administration.

At the time, I was told my outstanding Igloo balance of £197 would be applied to my account. In December I kept chasing and was eventually told a cheque had been sent on 31 January. It has not arrived. All subsequent emails have been ignored – including those to the CEO’s office.

LR, by email

We have been getting a great many letters along these lines in recent months, but I have to say I think you are being a bit harsh on Sainsbury’s Energy. More than 25 suppliers have collapsed since the energy crisis hit, with all the affected customers moved to one of a handful of suppliers that have, in effect, been paid to take them on by the regulator Ofgem.

Inevitably, it takes a great deal of work to move a whole customer base from one business to another, complete with credit and debit balances, and direct debit payments that arrived before and after the day the supplier failed.

I’m all for consumers asserting their rights, but in this case, it was fair to give the supplier time to resolve this.

Your balance was always going to be credited to your new account under the Ofgem rules, and Sainsbury’s Energy told me this week that this has now happened.

Spare a thought for people whose transfer was not so straightforward – those who dispute what they owe, or are owed by their old supplier that is now managed by administrators. Many of them face long waits for a resolution.

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