Gas and electric prices

[Kiddleywinks]

Oh me oh my, what a palaver!

My current 'dual fuel deal' was coming to an end, and I was offered to go on another discounted deal for 2 years.
Searched the price comparison sights, and the deal seemed reasonable at the time, so agreed to the offer.

Today, had a letter saying I was on the standard tariff as the deal I'd been on has ended.... 'erm, what about the new deal I agreed to?!

I cannot believe that it has taken nearly 3 hours, yes 3 hours, to get this sorted out, and, in addition, the 'offer' wasn't the best deal after all anyway!

In the three hours I discovered:
1. My DD would go from £120 per month to £176 per month on the new deal
2. That the automated call back operators hang up as soon as they answer the call
3. That someone, today, had put in a meter reading on both gas and electric meters of over 1000kwh more than there should be, therefore making my current balance a debit - I hadn't even taken a meter reading at that point!
4. My DD wasn't increasing to £176 after all.....
5. My DD WAS increasing to £167 instead!
6. That the energy consumption for the previous year quoted in the letter I received today, was actually more than was used in the first place
7. That using the readings I NOW supplied, my DD would be £148 instead
8. The call centre staff don't have the cheapest tariff available so you have to know what you're talking about BEFORE you ring them for advice
9. That the cheapest deal on offer actually makes my DD £113 per month (£7.00 pm CHEAPER than I have been paying)
10. That I'm actually £102 in credit
11. And finally, next year, when this deal runs out, I'm having my gas and electric cut off and am moving to the woods!


Ah well, rant over

[snufflepuff]

Oh my goodness! It's such a minefield isn't it! I wish it could just be made simple and clear.

We are paying £81 at the moment, but prices have increased so i'm expecting our DD to go up next time they send a bill

[Kiddleywinks]

£81??!!

Who are you with?! 6 years ago I was paying £70 combined!

I should mention I'm in a 3 bedroom property and I use an energy monitor to keep track on usage, energy bulbs, showers not baths, and do all the other cost saving stuff, so at least on the electric don't feel I'm a high user.
With the gas, just heating and cooking... I only put the heating on 3 days ago, thermostat at 18, and only for an hour till 7am, and 2 hours of an evening 6-8pm
(just call me scrooge lol)

[snufflepuff]

Southern electric. We are in a three bed- but the boiler is 'A' rated and fairly new, plus the house had new insulation a couple of years ago which helps alot.

[AliceK]

My direct debits are horrendous. I pay £120 per mth for electric and £90 per mth for gas . This could have something to do with me having 3 fan heaters on in the garage last winter to keep it warm for the rabbits . This year they can get cold!!!

xxx

[The Juggler]

oh hon, I totally sympathised. we moved once (on false pretences that we were paying too much!) took me a year to move back to original company, owing lots of money to new company and trying to sort out old and new readings. cost me a fortune in phone calls and time.

I would NEVER move again. i think basically you can move, save a few hundred on a deal but then end up basically where you started. I'm staying put, my company offer £100 rebate every year for usuing dual fuel so I reckon that'll outweigh any savings we'll make anywhere.

If you do want to move again I've heard those independent eco companies are quite good

[mushpea]

we are on meters,, gas because i got in to debt with them so they put me on one and electric cause i much prefer to be on a meter as I feel more in control,, i know I may pay a bit extra each year but I am happier this way knowing that I am more in control and at the moment we have about £100 on the gas to get us through the winter as well as what i put on each week

[Noodles]

we are on meters by choice and i much prefer it and to tell u the truth we dont find it any more expensive

[Chimps Childminding]

oh hon, I totally sympathised. we moved once (on false pretences that we were paying too much!) took me a year to move back to original company, owing lots of money to new company and trying to sort out old and new readings. cost me a fortune in phone calls and time.

I would NEVER move again. i think basically you can move, save a few hundred on a deal but then end up basically where you started. I'm staying put, my company offer £100 rebate every year for usuing dual fuel so I reckon that'll outweigh any savings we'll make anywhere.

If you do want to move again I've heard those independent eco companies are quite good

This could be me writing! I moved to NPower as some VERY NICE man told me I was paying far too much on British Gas. He could save me quite a bit of money!! Fair enough he did, but not having asked any questions like how many bedrooms did we have, how many people lived here (4 teenage lads who used the shower constantly) and not having a bill for 6 months I ended up owing loads as I wasn't paying nearly enough It has taken me almost 3 years to get back into credit, and I am very tempted to go back to BG just out of principal, but worried about getting in a mess again

[The Juggler]

This could be me writing! I moved to NPower as some VERY NICE man told me I was paying far too much on British Gas. He could save me quite a bit of money!! Fair enough he did, but not having asked any questions like how many bedrooms did we have, how many people lived here (4 teenage lads who used the shower constantly) and not having a bill for 6 months I ended up owing loads as I wasn't paying nearly enough It has taken me almost 3 years to get back into credit, and I am very tempted to go back to BG just out of principal, but worried about getting in a mess again

that's awful hon. at least with ours they offered to release us from our deal as though we were never with them and gave us a total refund of what we'd paid, then we moved back to our original company and based it on a meter reading of when we left and one from when we moved back (that was the massive problem as the meter readings seemed to have been lost or not confirmed). It ended up that on our consumption that original company was far, far cheaper per unit. That's why I'm not moving again. I think it's swings and roundabouts and none are much cheaper than others.

However, our salesman was even more unscupulous than yours, we told him we had an old, draughty 3 bed victorian and that I washed clothes and tumble dried every day and had GCH on an old boiler. He still told us it wouldn't be more than £90/month for duel fuel and despite me questioning it several times he convinced me. Like you I then didn' t have a reading or bill for 6 months by which time we owed loads I made a complaint and he was disciplined. I did get £50 back for phone calls and hassle in the end though - but only after nearly having a breakdown on the phone once