Priorty services register - are they a scam???

pascal30

M0nica

I googled their website and my gut instinct says it is a spam.

To go on an energy suppliers priority list, you just contact your supplier directly you do not need to go through a third party. Your utility supplier will deal with you direct if there is any problem. It does not need an intermediary.

The site is very cleverly designed with the type faces, layout and general presentation that you get with government websites, thus giving you the comfortable feeling that this is an official site.

It gives an address in London that is a very new, not fully let, office and hotel developmeent in the city. I have both googled the address and looked at the building very carefully on Streetview and I can find no sign of any company with this name, although there is a company called the Powering Improvement, the Energy Networks Association, at that address. The purpose of this organisation si to improve HSE in the energy industry.

I wonder whether someone is trying to 'piggyback' a scam site on a perfectly legitimate organisation in the energy industry.

It talks about people joining the organisation, but no money seems to change hands, but I am pretty sure if you responded they would ask for lots of personal details to pass on to their ut ility 'partners', that would get no further than a team ofn scammers waiting to use the data for fraud.

Very good and helpful post Monica

Monica's post gives totally incorrect information.
The site is legitimate as outlined in my earlier posts.

M0nica

I googled their website and my gut instinct says it is a spam.

To go on an energy suppliers priority list, you just contact your supplier directly you do not need to go through a third party. Your utility supplier will deal with you direct if there is any problem. It does not need an intermediary.

The site is very cleverly designed with the type faces, layout and general presentation that you get with government websites, thus giving you the comfortable feeling that this is an official site.

It gives an address in London that is a very new, not fully let, office and hotel developmeent in the city. I have both googled the address and looked at the building very carefully on Streetview and I can find no sign of any company with this name, although there is a company called the Powering Improvement, the Energy Networks Association, at that address. The purpose of this organisation si to improve HSE in the energy industry.

I wonder whether someone is trying to 'piggyback' a scam site on a perfectly legitimate organisation in the energy industry.

It talks about people joining the organisation, but no money seems to change hands, but I am pretty sure if you responded they would ask for lots of personal details to pass on to their ut ility 'partners', that would get no further than a team ofn scammers waiting to use the data for fraud.

Very good and helpful post Monica

Thank you, Old Frill for taking the trouble to respond to my query.

"^The Energy Networks Association (ENA) is the industry body funded by UK gas and electricity transmission and distribution licence holders^."
It'll be funded by you, me and anyone else paying utility bills.
If you read the ENA link above it gives the reasons for the PSR - a Scottish initiative rolled out nationwide. Ultimately expanding by feeding information from other sectors, NHS etc.
All the info is in my posts or on ENA's website.

I am curious as to where the funding comes from to run this service. Is it the energy companies?
However, it does look genuine. I just don't see the need for it, when you can go straight to the energy company.

Exactly that, OldFrill

My conclusion is it's legitimate and has been set up to help people register, so customers need only register once and not every time they change company. You can still register with your existing supplier.

Here's a link to ENA in Companies House
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04832301/officers

Here's a link to the ENA for anyone wondering about it's legitimacy
www.energynetworks.org/

The Priority Service Register was set up in 2023 by the ENA to make it easier for customers to register for the service.
www.energynetworks.org/newsroom/new-website-makes-signing-up-to-the-priority-services-register-easier-than-ever

M0nica

ferry23

I think some posters are not understanding the OP.

Yes, registering directly with your own providers is a good thing. But the OP was asking about a specific organisation that styles itself PSR (Priority Services Register) - quite different from registering with each of your individual providers.

From the post that followed yours ferry23, you are wasting your time!

Still as long as muddleheaded people realise the site mentioned in the OP is amost definitely a scam and should be avoided, then this thread has done its job.

Lol - yes, that was a bit of a "I give up" moment.

ferry23

I think some posters are not understanding the OP.

Yes, registering directly with your own providers is a good thing. But the OP was asking about a specific organisation that styles itself PSR (Priority Services Register) - quite different from registering with each of your individual providers.

From the post that followed yours ferry23, you are wasting your time!

Still as long as muddleheaded people realise the site mentioned in the OP is amost definitely a scam and should be avoided, then this thread has done its job.

I'm on EON next priority list and receive updates .

I think some posters are not understanding the OP.

Yes, registering directly with your own providers is a good thing. But the OP was asking about a specific organisation that styles itself PSR (Priority Services Register) - quite different from registering with each of your individual providers.

M0nica - yes, of course. I was trying to work out what they could gain from it given you can register directly with your own providers.

Harvesting all personal details and then selling on. Makes complete sense.

I googled their website and my gut instinct says it is a spam.

To go on an energy suppliers priority list, you just contact your supplier directly you do not need to go through a third party. Your utility supplier will deal with you direct if there is any problem. It does not need an intermediary.

The site is very cleverly designed with the type faces, layout and general presentation that you get with government websites, thus giving you the comfortable feeling that this is an official site.

It gives an address in London that is a very new, not fully let, office and hotel developmeent in the city. I have both googled the address and looked at the building very carefully on Streetview and I can find no sign of any company with this name, although there is a company called the Powering Improvement, the Energy Networks Association, at that address. The purpose of this organisation si to improve HSE in the energy industry.

I wonder whether someone is trying to 'piggyback' a scam site on a perfectly legitimate organisation in the energy industry.

It talks about people joining the organisation, but no money seems to change hands, but I am pretty sure if you responded they would ask for lots of personal details to pass on to their ut ility 'partners', that would get no further than a team ofn scammers waiting to use the data for fraud.

Twice recently when we have had our water cut off for major works those on the register had bottled water delivered to their door instead of having to drive to a distribution centre to collect it.
I also get faster call-out to deal with boiler problems in cold weather.
Definitely worth registering,

I had to report a water leak last week and the service advisor asked if we had dogs.

. I thought how nice to consider them, but she carried on saying they must be kept indoors in case the engineers had to come in the garden!

This PSR referred to in the OP seems to be a generic organisation that, as far as I can see, shares your details as a vulnerable customer with utility companies.

I'm really not clear why it exists unless it gets some kind of "cut" for signing you up but I don't know where that would come from - it's not like there's any profit involved.

You can register with your individual providers as a vulnerable customer. It's useful if you're eligible. I had a gas leak this week and I had to have my gas capped off. I was provided with a fan heater straight away and within a few hours they delivered a 2nd fan heater and a 2 ring electric hob. Then I got a phone call the next day to see if I needed more heaters. Probably wouldn't have got them all so quickly had I not been on the priority register.

I think you are right to be suspicious, but this is run by the energy and water suppliers. I am surprised there is a separate entity though.

I am on the priority register with both Scottis Gas and Scottish Power.

I can tell you that it works! I rceive notification of outages etc.

Why don't you just Google it to get more idea of what it is.
Same with unknown phone numbers.

Franbern you are right to be suspicious of email links but if you make direct contact with your energy provider customer services you could ask them to include you on their priority services register.

I have both gas and electricity via British Gas and I’m on their priority services register. They suggested it years ago when I had to phone them about a problem. During a power cut last year I received a reassuring phone call from their team to say it was expected to be a short outage and they would keep in touch by text message with updates.

Yes, DH is on this register for our utilities. He was put on after he started treatment for cancer during the first lock-down.