01253340535

ive had the same problem, my phone has not stopped calling. i also spoke to lilly palmer and lyn barnes, and several other people. when ive asked them to stop calling they have been very rude. God knows what ive signed up to, but this needs stop! ive tried calling 01253340535 and no body is answering.
what a joke. these companies should be stricken off.

Small firms tricked by electric switch scam

By HELEN LOVELESS, MAIL ON SUNDAY ENTERPRISE EDITOR

Last updated at 5:14 PM on 6th June 2010

Start-ups and small businesses that have moved premises are being aggressively targeted by energy brokers who claim to be official meter readers.

The companies later discover that they have been switched to a new supplier without their knowledge or agreement and tied into a binding contract.

The brokers – who claim to be from a range of companies including the Meter Registration Service, Commercial Connections, Benjamin Dexter and Commercial Energy – contact small business owners soon after they have taken over new premises.

A source told Financial Mail the brokers either state or imply that they are officials who need to take a meter reading because the firm's meter is not registered and that as a result they are not in a contract with any supplier and will be paying a very high rate for their energy.

Firms have been told they are paying up to 40% above the going rate.

The broker will then ask for the company's details and say that they are authorised to find the best deal for small businesses.

Despite claiming not to be selling anything – merely giving information about tariffs – the brokers then switch the firms to a new supplier without authorisation.

A spokeswoman for the Utilities Intermediaries Association – a trade association for third-party energy intermediaries whose members have to abide by a voluntary code of practice – says: 'We are aware of the erroneous and misleading sales tactics being used by some brokers, who imply they are official meter readers and then tie customers unknowingly into contracts.

'Businesses must be aware that there is no such thing as an official meter registration body and no one should be using aggressive tactics to force you into an energy deal.'

The UIA website has consumer guidance including questions that firms should ask before signing any deal. See www.uia.org.uk.

Rupert and Liz Jefferson opened fashion boutique Doodie Stark in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, in March. Rupert, 40, is a commercial portrait photographer. Liz, 42, has spent her working life in fashion, most recently with French Connection. When the couple moved in they signed up with existing supplier Electricity Plus. But then they received numerous calls from brokers claiming to be the official meter readers and saying they were supposed to find the Jeffersons the best deal.

Rupert says: 'Days after moving into the new premises we were called by someone claiming to be from a firm called Commercial Connections who told me we were on an emergency tariff and their role was to read and register the meter. I was also told we were paying way over the odds and they could save us money by finding a better deal.'

Rupert has since been called again by Commercial Connections, which is unrelated to reputable firms with the same name.

He said its approach was pushy and aggressive. He has also been called by firms, including Meter Registrations and Benjamin Dexter, though he says that Dexter was not aggressive and 'accepted that I wanted to shop around'.

Rupert feels it is essential that steps are taken to crack down on suspect tactics by some brokers. 'I know my way around the energy market a bit and know there is no such thing as an official meter registration service, but if I didn't I might well have succumbed to these tactics,' he says.
Commercial Connections appears to have no website or business listing.

A spokesman for Benjamin Dexter says: 'We operated as The Meter Registration Service and stopped in 2008 due to malicious and unfair sales practices by competitors. 'We have a code of conduct and we do not use scare tactics such as emergency tariffs or claiming to be a government body.

'We record all calls so we can investigate fully any complaints. We are aware of several businesses that target new firms and give misleading sales presentations. Business owners should be made aware of the situation.'

Thomas Lowe, energy expert at Consumer Focus, which campaigns for a fairer deal for consumers and firms, says: 'There needs to be better protection.'

Had about 5 calls within 4 minutes from these people very rude. I dont normally swear at people but I did this time! The girl rang me back within 30 seconds of my hanging up and started to tell me off about being rude to her I simply hung up again.
Same story about emergency rate etc

Since changing and fixing our domestic energy supply I have been bombarded on my mobile number by these scammers. I'm also a sole trader in business since 2003 and have coincidentally moved my business from home to a nearby industrial unit, with BT taking over my business number and moving it (So far unsuccesfully after 5 months! but that's another utility horror story!).They usually call number-witheld & introduce themselves as "Hi I'm xxxx from 'Meter Registration' " and follow it with a load of pseudo-official waffle intended to get you so worried you'll co-operate. They always get my business name wrong-'Travel & Communication Services' instead of 'Trevor Noon Communication Services', so I suspect my details have been passed on verbally. Alarm bells rang on the first call as 1: My unit has a serviced electricity supply and hence bills are from my landlord, 2/ they got my business name wrong and 3/ I know electricity meters are fitted & registered by the supplying utility infrastructure company. I few probing questions like: " Exactly what does your company do?", "What's you're company's full title & address?" and "Who gave you my mobile no.?" usually brings the call to an end, with a worthless promises to remove my details from their database.
I'm really angry about these people, they are con-merchants who abuse peoples trust to line their pockets by tricking them into high cost contracts. There must be unfair contract legislation that covers this sharp practise. I'm appalled that they're allowed to continue trading and harassing people. Also who gave them my details? I don't want nuisance calls, especially on my mobile phone! The directors of these outfits should be arrested and barred from running companies. Why can't they earn an honest living?  Trev

Yes. "Commercial Registrations". Exactly the same story as detailed above.  They rang 3 times in one day "number witheld" and were very agressive. I didn't give them any information except to say that I was happily in an Energy Supply Contract which they failed to believe as their information suggested that I'd just moved into the premises (wrongly). They persisted with their nonsense until I suggested that they were talking boll*cks and hung up.  On their next call I shall take great pleasure in slowly taking down all their company details before pointing out to them that they are in breach of the "Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations" and that the Information Commissioner has the power to fine companies up to £50,000 for such breaches. http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints/privacy_and_electronic_communications.aspx

Electricity & Gas Fraudsters. Claiming they work for NPower, Tried to change my utilieties by direct debit. ignore them. They have called 5 o 6 times each day. The persons names were Katie and a male line manager.

Got a call from Phil representing Select Energy Direct asking me about authenticating my electricity meter. We are currently moving house and have only notified the post office to redirect our company mail. The information SED had could only have come from this source. Has anyone else redirected their mail and then been contacted by this firm? Maybe Roayal Mail have a leaky ship and we are taking them up on it today.

These calls a from a company called COMMERCIAL POWER/COMMERCIAL ENERGY based somewhere in Blackpool. I had numerous calls from this number when I set up my business and they eventually managed to get me to sign my gas an electricity with themselves as they persisted that they were calling from METER REGISTRATIONS on behalf of THE NATIONAL GRID., telling me that I was emergancy rates!

Its a complete CON!

Please get it right you [***] this company is nothing to do with Commercial energy this number belongs to select energy. Commercial energy/power are a completley different company. SO PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT BEFORE POSTING AGAIN ON HERE.

Oh, so somebody thought it was THAT scam instead of THIS scam.

Bad poster, bad bad!

Had a cold call today from steven smith select energy direct and requested that i move my electric supply to N-power as i was not yet in contract with any energy supplier as i had only been there for five days which was all correct. He informed me that EDF were the previous supplier to my new building and that it would be much cheaper to go with N-power so i agreed and went with them. Aftering ending the call and search there number i came across this post and could not understand what had happened because the person i had spoke to seemed really genuine so i decided to contact N-power myself. The conversation with N-power informed me that although i had signed through a broker that rate was more than resonable (which i have checked and he was correct) and that as long as i was not lied to by steven smith or select energy that everything should be ok because i am indeed not in contract. i did make follow up enquires and EDf energy are indeed more than my N-power rate so unless i am missing something can somebody please tell me what i have done wrong going with this company is there some sting in the tail to come.
i am a first time business owner and would like some advice on what to expect during the length of this contract because unless all parties have lied to me(steven smith,select energy and N-power business team) i fail to see what can go wrong.

I wonder if you could help then, I've been scammed by a provider, a small one. If my landlord was to terminate my lease, would I still be liable for any charges ????

Thanks

I have had the same issues - just deny all the questions they ask you.  Or simply put the phone down.  DO NOT answer their questions, because before you know it you will have been recorded agreeing to them contacting your 'energy supplier' to that they can register your meter.

They are partially telling the truth - they will register your meter.  But on their SHOCKINGLY HIGH TARIFF with a minimum period of 3 years....

I actually look forward to them calling me now, as I question their questions and run them round in circles.  To the point that they start getting abusive and angry with me down the phone.  Brilliant!! :)

This scam has been going on since August 2010 and I have just been contacted today - they told me they would put a submeter in for our neighbours next door so they can pay their own electricity bills as well.  Told me that I was paying twice as much for my electricity than they could supply it from npower and that my contract was about to run out.

Caught them out though - The electricity is paid for by our landlords (the council) and recharged to us so I haven't got a contract - the building next door belongs to the council and houses the headquarters of the area police surveilance CCTV monitoring station so I don't think they would be too happy at someone turning their power off to put a submeter in!

Like to see how they are going to transfer the electricity bill over to me!!

What a bunch of absolute xxxxx.

MY PROBLEM IS - WHAT ARE THE TRADING STANDARDS PEOPLE DOING ABOUT THIS BUNCH OF USELESS SCAMMERS????? - SEEMS LIKE THE TRADING STANDARDS ARE ALSO A HOPELESS BUNCH OF WASTERS AS WELL - I DON'T HAVE ANY SYMPATHY FOR THEM WHEN THEY GO ON STIKE - ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY DON'T DO WHAT THEY ARE PAID TO DO - SHUT THESE [removed:lang] DOWN!! THEY HAVE BEEN CAUSING MISERY FOR LONG ENOUGH.

No number recorded but it was the "meter registration" scam. Soon put her right.

Ok over the last week I have been hounded with calls from M.R.S or so they like to call themselves. I have been through most of the forums on this said subject and discovered that there is no such entity as meter registrations service and that as far as understand it they use this name as a cover to hide that they are in fact brokers. From the start of the week I started getting calls and I stupidly listened to one caller who as I later found out told me a load of b**llsh*t. He told me his name was Steven nightgale and that he was calling from M.R.S to put me on my contracted rates to which replied that I thought I had already done this with EDF. He placed me on hold and told me that he was going to call EDF to double check a few minutes he came back on the line to confirm to me that EDF where in fact currently supplying and had been for a few years but could no longer support my meter and that EDF had indeed passed it on to them to make sure that a change to another company was sucessful :-( I again asked why they were not holding up there end of the contract that I had agreededwith them to which mr nightgale told me that they have no contract with me and that I would be much better with N-power as they are the cheapest in my area and they supply the business customers of EDF (false) do I asked if there were the same company he said that EDF supply residential and n-power handle the business so I asked mr nightgale if I don't change what happens do I get cut of and he answered by saying that yes that would be the case. :-( not wanting to waste any time I gave he all relevant details including bank details to set up my new accounts. I was then passed to a lady called Lilly who started reading some verbal speal to me about n-power during this recording I asked her various about being cut off and my contract with EDF and asked when I had done the contract she then also placed me on hold to contact what she called a rep within EDF (bu**sh*t) she came back on and told me that there was no contract and that I am free to move to a new company which was slightly confusing considering that mr nightgale told me this was the same company but just there business department I questioned this with Lilly and again I was put hold she said that n-power was a completely different company when I asked how long it will be till I get cut off she said I would not be cut off and that I should never have been told this she then told me that she need the go through a recording with me hmmmmmm I told her I have just done this with you she said that she needed to do it again as so software problem on her computer was not working I got suspicious and said leave it till later thank god. After much digging it would seem that this is not the first time Someone has complained about mr nightgale there are previous post on the forum and I have also found out the is no such thing as meter registrations and this company is indeed called select energy I have rang in to there complaints department whom I did not get much joy out of so I went further I have now set up within n-power direct and also discovered that this companyis a broker through bills cutter based in blackburn I am ringing them on Monday to lodge the same complaint that I have lodged with n-power ( who insist they will follow this up ), off gen and I have also had a very interesting conversation with a lady called Helen loveless who has informed me she is aware of the practices of these brokers and she is also hearing this select energy popping up more and more please if you have any information please forward it to helen loveless at the daily mail. Many thanks

Just had the same call from Lisa at Select Energy saying they represented all 26 energy companies.  We too have just done a mail redirect with Royal Mail - bit of a coincidence that we get this call!!   I got suspicious and said we had been here over a year and she then said she'd need to investigate further and will call me back!  She basically said our tariff had been switched over to an emergency high rate tariff.  I don't think so!   Fortunately we record all our calls, so I shall be taken this further!

This just happened to me. I also registered my mail redirect with royal mail - the only notification we have made. The lady who rang me was so brutally rude and confrontational about the fact we were supposedly on an emergency rate, what a load of rubbish. Told her to do one.

This has also happened to me , at first was prepared to listen but then the caller started becoming rude and aggressive , this is the number they called me from 01253340535  Select Energy Direct asking me about authenticating my electricity meter.They are a CON stay away , !!!

I too have had a number of calls from METER REGISTRATIONS on behalf of THE NATIONAL GRID, i think they are based in Blackpool beware of this number 01253340535