Gas and Electric tariffs

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Mo
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by Mo »

I was listening to Money Box. They said that if you are in credit when you change supploers some don't give a refund unless you ask.
Seems like fraud to me.
I had a major struggle to get my SO reduced, as I got confused with past/present SOs when swapping and it started out too high.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by lancashire lass »

I'm finding this a real dilemna - you are encouraged to switch energy suppliers to save money (and told just how easy it is), but often the new supplier has a bad reputation ...

Mo wrote:They said that if you are in credit when you change supploers some don't give a refund unless you ask.


Yesterday I spent some time looking at comparison sites, then at reviews of the suppliers - to be honest, most only get a 1.5 star out 5 rating for one reason or other, but the "cheaper" rate ones seem to have very poor customer service
Totally Scrambled
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by Totally Scrambled »

Apparently the reason that BG now have a daily standing charge rather than a quarterly one is because Offgem decided that it should be done this way so that comparisons between companies would be easier.
Dom
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Meanqueen
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by Meanqueen »

Totally Scrambled wrote:
Meanqueen wrote:
Up to now there have been no standing charges with Brit Gas, but they have just brought it in, 25p a day for gas, 25p for electricity.
Ilona

Just been looking at ours, we're with BG. BG have always had standing charges applied quarterly which I worked out as being 24.77P a day, so an increase to .25p a day is an increase but a small one.
Looked at Ebico and for us it would cost more on their tariff as the unit price for gas is higher, which even though they don't have a standing charge, would cost us more overall. About £5 a month more.
Dom


You have prompted me to check. I have been with BG for many years, and there are no standing charges on my quarterly bills.

Example. Summer 2013. 30th May to 21st August.
Gas used kWh 155.89 x 7.621p = £11.88.
less 20p prompt payment discount. plus 58p VAT = £12.26 paid.

Electricity used 109 kWh x 20.851p = £22.73
less 75p prompt payment discount. plus £1.09 VAT = £23.07 paid

I don't know why you have been paying standing charges.

Ilona
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Richard
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by Richard »

Hi

Interesting all this.

I am at a stage where although still thinking frugal I want to stay warm. For me food and body temperature comfort are the most important things.

This is based on the more if you can afford it, do it. There are better and easier things to save money on, car costs being the major one.

I can afford a bit more to stay comfortable in my own home but was amazed at the Direct Debit adjustments I received. It shot up from £89 per month to £189 per month for the last two, so I rang them.

It appears I was undercharged last year and these two adjustments rectified it. Fair enough to a certain degree.

After speaking to a very polite women on the phone she suggested I changed Tarif. If I did so the Direct Debit would go down from £118 this year to £104.
Obviously I took this up.

She then said it was all explained in the Leaflets sent to me in December.

Now call me old fashioned but they send you a five page Bill which you can't make head or tail of plus bumph for which you need Doctorships in English Literature and Advanced Mathematics to understand!

My point is that if there are cheaper Tarifs, why on earth don't they just have one Tarif at the lowest amount?

I know this rings on anti-privatisation and to a degree it is but there are some Privatisations which have worked quite well and brought about good competition. I can't agree with this one though.
I feel sorry for many old people who simply can't get a grip with it all, plus many aren't on the internet which makes it even harder!

The other thing I can gripe about is the lady was obliged to look at other Competitors prices to make sure I would be getting the best deal, which she did and said they were, for my postcode, the cheapest.

Again this rang through me again that if they have to do this, why have so many Companies, the more expensive Companies will end up getting zero business and we'd be a pre-privatisation situation anyway!

I hope you catch my drift on this. I do try and stay non political if I can, but both recent Governments have done little to make it easier, they just have Select Committees who hammer the Bosses who do little or nothing to change it.

Really needs something done by someone - too much paper, too much supposed competition and too much of Mr & Mrs time spent forever trying to work out what's best for them.

Ah., I feel better for that, but I write in a nice warm cosy Shed :-D

Richard

PS. I'm all electric by the way, there are no gas pipes down the Lane.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by lancashire lass »

Richard wrote:After speaking to a very polite women on the phone she suggested I changed Tarif.


Richard wrote:The other thing I can gripe about is the lady was obliged to look at other Competitors prices to make sure I would be getting the best deal, which she did and said they were, for my postcode, the cheapest.


crazy >dum<

I can quite readily have a rant about the situation we are in with the fuel providers and how we got here in the first place ... but might not go well with some people
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perchy
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by perchy »

We are now June 2014 and after the massive hike in our standing order, I have today received a large rebate and my monthly DD is now £80 instead of the original £106 that went up to £166, so I think they have all had a good Christmas and holiday and have now decided to give me my money back!

Anyone else still have a bit of bother with these charges?
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perchy
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by perchy »

perchy wrote:We are now June 2014 and after the massive hike in our standing order, I have today received a large rebate and my monthly DD is now £80 instead of the original £106 that went up to £166, so I think they have all had a good Christmas and holiday and have now decided to give me my money back!

Anyone else still have a bit of bother with these charges?



Thank you Dom for finding it!
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Re: Gas and Electric tariffs

Post by Totally Scrambled »

We aim to please )t'
Dom
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