Michael Poole - Billingham

I used Homebox(CheaterBox) to manage all utility bills at my rental property from July 2025. I am writing this review to share my experience honestly so others can make an informed decision. Unauthorised British Gas account on my credit file- In October 2025, I specifically requested that both my gas and electricity be managed under Octopus Energy. Instead, Homebox opened a British Gas account in my name without informing me, without my consent, and without any notification — no email, no letter, no phone call. I only discovered this account existed in May 2026 when I checked my Experian credit profile. When I raised this, I was told their terms allow them to switch to any supplier they choose. That may be the case, but there is no excuse for not notifying a customer when an account is registered in their name on their credit file. Bills not being paid to suppliers__ Despite paying Homebox every month by direct debit, I had to repeatedly chase them after suppliers confirmed they had received no payments. On one occasion, Eon told me directly they had not received a single payment since my tenancy began. Every time I raised this, I was told funds were "being processed" — only for the same issue to arise again. Undisclosed charges__ I identified discrepancies between what Homebox recorded as paid out to Octopus Energy and what Octopus actually received. When I questioned this, I was informed that a £30 monthly commission is deducted from energy payments — on top of the £10 monthly service fee I was already paying. This was never clearly communicated to me directly. Poor customer service__ Getting a straight answer required repeated follow-ups across several months. Phone calls went unanswered. I was frequently directed to an AI chatbot or told to check the dashboard — a dashboard that, as I later found out, does not accurately reflect what suppliers actually receive. I have now raised a formal complaint and am escalating to the Energy Ombudsman and the Information Commissioner's Office. I have already resolved my accounts directly with Octopus, Affinity Water, and Luton Borough Council, and I am working to resolve the British Gas situation Homebox created. I trusted Cheaterbox to manage my bills. That trust was not honoured. Update in response to Homebox's reply: Thank you for your public response. I need to address each point you have made, as they are either incomplete or misleading. **"Supplier details were clearly visible on your customer portal"** This does not address my complaint. My issue is not that I could not find supplier names on a dashboard. My issue is that a British Gas account was opened in my name and registered on my Experian credit profile without me receiving any prior notification — no email, no letter, no phone call. Visibility on a portal is not the same as being informed that a new account is being opened in my name. **"Your account history does not reflect successful monthly payments"** I paid Homebox by direct debit every month from July 2025. My final payment was on 5 December 2025 — a date your own team confirmed in writing. I stopped paying after repeated failures to forward funds to suppliers, including Eon confirming directly to me that they had received no payments at all. I did not stop paying arbitrarily — I stopped because I had lost all confidence that my money was reaching the correct suppliers. **"Gas supply could not be moved due to an outstanding balance"** This is the first time I have been given this explanation — it was never communicated to me at the time, despite multiple contacts with your team in October and November 2025. Had you informed me of this reason, I could have taken steps to resolve it. Instead I was simply told the switch was "in progress." The failure to communicate this is exactly the problem. **"Switched to the most competitive tariff available"** Choosing a tariff on my behalf is not the same as having permission to open a new account in my name without telling me. I was never informed before or after the British Gas account was created.