first:utility - new energy company launches

NonGeographicalMan

1carminestocky wrote: »

One of the reasons I would never sign up with an energy company that tie me in to them for a minimum term. To me, that can be tantamount to telling them to take the p***.

But look at ADSL broadband. You can't now avoid a 12 month terms from any of the large suppliers as they have all agreed to hunt in a pack as a cartel. This is even if you are only migrating so they don't have to give you a router or pay for a new connection. You can only avoid a 12 months lock in with the smaller suppliers who charge more per month like IDNet, Newnet and Zen.

The regulator Ofgem is requiring smart meters to be offered by all the suppliers by 2012 and they will all then lock you in to a 1 to 2 year term to try to recover the cost of installing smart meters. But I agree that all of this is uncompetitive in terms of shopping round for the best energy price.

firstutility

NowThenAgain wrote: »

Two weeks after clicking switch on the uSwitch website, I've finally got something through in the post from first:utility.

Not good news folks! The rates quoted in the letter I've received are different/higher than those given on uSwitch.

The tariff I thought I was signing up to (and which is still on the uSwitch site) is:

SC: £0.0688 per day. Units: £0.1225. Termination charge £50.

The actual rates as given in the terms I've been sent are:

SC: £0.1785 per day. Units: £0.1150. Termination charge: £100. Charge for home display unit: £35.

It's irritating that there is some degree of dishonesty in the way this company is operating. The 'new' rates are not actually that much more expensive for my usage (3500KW/Y, £14 per year) but the way that there is no consistency is making me think about taking advantage of my 10 day cancellation rights.

We apologise for any problems you may have encountered signing up with first:utility, we strive to be as transparent as possible with all of our prices and are sorry to hear you feel you have been mislead. As with all new customers we will always honour the original price you were quoted by a switching site. From the information you have provided on your post we are unable to identify which tariff you have signed up to in which region. To resolve this instantly please contact us on 0845 215 5000 and have your uSwitch account number to hand. We will also be happy to answer any other questions you have.

NonGeographicalMan

firstutility wrote: »

To resolve this instantly please contact us on 0845 215 5000 and have your uSwitch account number to hand. We will also be happy to answer any other questions you have.

Or call them instead on 01926 328810 if you are calling them out of contract minutes on a mobile phone or from a BT Payphone or from overseas or on a landline package with a company (eg Sky Talk) that does not include 0845 and 0870 calls in your inclusive anytime call plan.

1carminestocky

I said a while ago on here that they were all over the place on energyhelpline, one day at or very near the top for price, the next day down amongst the also rans. Very strange. I have read that the day they upped their tariff rates was the day they scrapped the installation cost but no idea if this is the case.

1carminestocky

NonGeographicalMan wrote: »

But look at ADSL broadband. You can't now avoid a 12 month terms from any of the large suppliers as they have all agreed to hunt in a pack as a cartel. This is even if you are only migrating so they don't have to give you a router or pay for a new connection. You can only avoid a 12 months lock in with the smaller suppliers who charge more per month like IDNet, Newnet and Zen.

The regulator Ofgem is requiring smart meters to be offered by all the suppliers by 2012 and they will all then lock you in to a 1 to 2 year term to try to recover the cost of installing smart meters. But I agree that all of this is uncompetitive in terms of shopping round for the best energy price.

Even if they all DO lock you in from 2012 it doesn't mean you need to be locked in now, though. There's 3 years before we should be worrying about that.

NowThenAgain

firstutility wrote: »

We apologise for any problems you may have encountered signing up with first:utility, we strive to be as transparent as possible with all of our prices and are sorry to hear you feel you have been mislead. As with all new customers we will always honour the original price you were quoted by a switching site. From the information you have provided on your post we are unable to identify which tariff you have signed up to in which region. To resolve this instantly please contact us on 0845 215 5000 and have your uSwitch account number to hand. We will also be happy to answer any other questions you have.

What is a uSwitch account number?

I accept the apology but I'm going to cancel anyway.

For me to sign up to something with a lock-in like first:utility, I would want the utmost transparency. The fact is that the piece of paper first:utility have provided gives very different rates to those presented to customers to lure them in. This is suspicious and dishonest.

Smart meters are a great idea but the company operating them at the moment is inadequate and untrustworthy. In my opinion. Allegedly.

NonGeographicalMan

Another issue people might want to consider with First Utility is what happens if they move home within the two years?

For instance if no one moves in when they leave then presumably the gas and electricity supply may be physically terminated. In which case they presumably incur the penalty charge for cancelling before two years.

But what happens if someone else is coming in to the property after you and takes over the supply? Presumably they are still supplied by First Utility unless they actively opt to switch to another supplier. In which case I would hope that you do not pay a penalty for terminating before two years? On the other hand First Utility may consider that you have not remained as a customer for two years, even though your replacement is still one of their customers (but perhaps not contractually bound by the two year penalty for moving suppliers early). Hence they may still charge you the penalty for not staying two years.

I note that none of these things are properly explained or clarified in the Terms and Conditions on the First Utility website. Their CEO did promise to give me a call to discuss my concerns about the product and switching to it but so far that call has not been forthcoming.

I also wonder if firstutility is prepared to clarify who exactly at the company they are and whether are the Customer Service Manager (a very pleasant New Zealand chap who understood everything about the product and its technical features for remote meter reading) or if they are someone else at the company?

hippey

I'm with FU for electricity (on the 3 rate tariff) which has been dramaticaly messed up, the wrong times used to calculate the rates etc... took some time to work through. I have been promised that it will all be fine this month, together with some compo (not nearly enough, but beggers can't be choosers!!!

However another problem seems to be waiting in the wings for April's bill, what is the effect of the change from GMT to BST going to be on my 3 rate tariff, so far it appears my meter has moved forward 1 hour, when it should remain at GMT, as when I check my usage profile it appears some screens are 1 hour wrong, but this may all 'come out in the wash' so to speak.

NonGeographicalMan

hippey wrote: »

I'm with FU for electricity (on the 3 rate tariff) which has been dramaticaly messed up, the wrong times used to calculate the rates etc... took some time to work through. I have been promised that it will all be fine this month, together with some compo (not nearly enough, but beggers can't be choosers!!!

Out of interest did you have a strong reason for moving to First Utility as I personally do like your meters being in a locked store room or cupboard to which regular access is either very difficult or almost impossible? Or did you just fancy the business of the cheaper evening and night time tariff?

However another problem seems to be waiting in the wings for April's bill, what is the effect of the change from GMT to BST going to be on my 3 rate tariff, so far it appears my meter has moved forward 1 hour, when it should remain at GMT, as when I check my usage profile it appears some screens are 1 hour wrong, but this may all 'come out in the wash' so to speak.

As the meter readings are all sent back to base by the mobile phone link and then analysed by their computer one would have expected the tariff hours to be GMT in the winter and BST in the summer. They have no excuse for keeping you on GMT all year round such as using a dumb mechanical meter that does not adjust its time to BST in the summer.

My impression of their call centre when I range as a potential customer is that their ladies were all somewhat illiterate on technical matters and that only their New Zealand supervisor chap really knew what he was talking about in terms of the complicated and higher tech aspects of the product they are offering.

Things may still shake out correctly in due course. For instance the Shell Citicard Mastercard I have that gives 3% cashback at Shell petrol stations and 1% everywhere else was initially a nightmare with numerous UK petrol stations classed as in Denmark on their database and so only getting 1% and not 3% cashback. But now it has all been sorted out and the product works very well.

However I do think they need a much firmer price commitment such as always being at least 20% lower than the default legacy electricity and gas supplier's prices in your area. I don't know if 20% is a fair figure without reviewing it in more detail but certainly it needs to be a fair discount to the incumbent legacy supplier prices that prevents them from substantially ripping you off compared to being with the company that is currently the cheapest in your energy supply area.

1carminestocky

Whilst i agree that things may work out OK, IMO in the case of FU and your Shell Mastercard, I'm of the opinion that these things should be sorted BEFORE they are released onto market. It smacks of Bill Gates' marketing - release a product full of flaws and get the public to pay for the 'priviledge' of sorting it out.