ScottishPower

examiga

I got an email yesterday from ScottishPower saying:-
We Fixed It For FREE

We thought you'd want another great deal so we'll fix your prices for FREE! As your current PriceFall Energy Offer comes to an end on 31st October 2008, weve created a new product especially for customers like you - Fix
for Free.
You've already had the peace of mind of being on our PriceFall Energy Offer tariff. Now, because youre obviously someone who likes a good deal, weve prepared another great value package just for you. Its called Fix for Free and it means your new prices will be fixed until May 2009. And, unlike many fixed price deals, it wont cost you a penny in monthly premiums. You don't have to do a thing We've made it really easy for you to take advantage of our Fix For Free offer. In fact, you don't have to do a thing. When your existing offer ends you'll automatically be switched over to Fix for Free.

While your new prices will be higher than your existing prices you'll have peace of mind knowing that, whatever happens to the market, your new prices will be fixed until May 2009.

Should I go for this new deal???

stamford

examiga wrote: »

I got an email yesterday from ScottishPower saying:-
We Fixed It For FREE

We thought you'd want another great deal so we'll fix your prices for FREE! As your current PriceFall Energy Offer comes to an end on 31st October 2008, weve created a new product especially for customers like you - Fix
for Free.
You've already had the peace of mind of being on our PriceFall Energy Offer tariff. Now, because youre obviously someone who likes a good deal, weve prepared another great value package just for you. Its called Fix for Free and it means your new prices will be fixed until May 2009. And, unlike many fixed price deals, it wont cost you a penny in monthly premiums. You don't have to do a thing We've made it really easy for you to take advantage of our Fix For Free offer. In fact, you don't have to do a thing. When your existing offer ends you'll automatically be switched over to Fix for Free.

While your new prices will be higher than your existing prices you'll have peace of mind knowing that, whatever happens to the market, your new prices will be fixed until May 2009.

Should I go for this new deal???

I also posted about this last week and would also be grateful for peoples thoughts

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1226699

I'm minded to say no thanks and look for the cheapest online dual fuel deal

Magentasue

I wouldn't unless you could fix without a penalty for switching early. And then, I'd only fix if it came out at about the same as the cheapest deal available now.

The time for fixing was pre-price rises.

Premier_2

Perhaps SP should have read the Express before sending that email yesterday.

stamford

Premier wrote: »

Perhaps SP should have read the Express before sending that email yesterday.

Now they're not doing a Daily Maddy front page the Express headlines get even dafter - I think 10 days or so ago it was "Petrol 79p by Christmas"

Premier_2

stamford wrote: »

Now they're not doing a Daily Maddy front page the Express headlines get even dafter - I think 10 days or so ago it was "Petrol 79p by Christmas"

To be fair, they were singing the same song 2 weeks ago:


and only last week their front page was saying this about petrol:



You need to go back as far as 04-October regarding the 74p a litre claim:


But a closer read does actually state:

THE world’s economy was saved from total disintegration last night when the United States Congress finally agreed the biggest banking bail-out of all time.


The £397billion package means that struggling US banks will be shored up, with massive knock-on effects for the financial markets and, ultimately, hard-pressed families in Britain.


In separate good news, supermarkets embarked on another petrol price war led by Asda and Morrisons, who will today cut pump prices by up to 2p a litre. At the same time, analysts forecast that the price of a barrel of oil could fall to as low as $30 by next year, which would see petrol plummet to around 74p a litre...

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/64488

Interestingly, the day before, they ran this story (not front page):

ENERGY COSTS TO ROCKET AGAIN AS STOCKS RUN LOW

HOUSEHOLDERS face more crippling energy price rises due to winter supply concerns pushing up costs.
Homes could be hit with bills rising as high as 15 per cent next year, one expert warned last night...

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/64399/Energy-costs-to-rocket-again-as-stocks-run-low

However, in a thread on this very subject, it was pointed out that this was based on a mis-interpretation of a report issued by national grid. They believed that, according to the report, there was very little spare capacity in the system should the unexpected happen. As reported by the BBC:

..."The National Grid's forecast has such a low surplus in November, if there is a sudden spell of cold weather, or an unplanned power outage, we could easily see blackouts," said Michael Allen, an energy trader at Inenco...


But according to the National Grid, these surplus figures are not the whole story.
The total "surplus" capacity also includes the standard 4000-5000MW "safety cushion" that the National Grid incorporates in its weekly targets.
The latest capacity forecast shows the UK is on target to achieve that 4000MW minimum, every week, for the remainder of the year.

Nonsense
"It is nonsense to suggest that the UK is at high risk of blackouts," said a spokesman for the National Grid. "The margins of surplus capacity we are forecasting are similar to any other winter. ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7638564.stm

1carminestocky

Say what you like about the Express (and to be honest, it's hardly my favourite rag) but their front page headline 'predictions have proved to be largely very accurate - certainly a lot more accurate than many an expert on here who have been banging on about 'this is the end of cheap fuel, get used to it' for the last few months.

1carminestocky

Premier wrote: »

Perhaps SP should have read the Express before sending that email yesterday.

That's just the thing - I think headlines like that PROMPTED them to send the email. The last throw of the dice before the Govt get tough? I certainly hope so...

examiga

The trouble is after reading all the replies I`m no clearer should I still have this price fix or stop it now before it starts. I`m only on Elec (no gas in my village) its elec`storage heaters. I get a boost sent down in the afternoon do ALL elec` companies do this as I was told only Manweb/Scottish Power did it??

examiga

I`m watching Sky news as I type this OPEC look like there cutting oil production so will wait until they have decided, hope its before this offer date at the end of Oct

terryya

examiga wrote: »

I`m watching Sky news as I type this OPEC look like there cutting oil production so will wait until they have decided, hope its before this offer date at the end of Oct

To be honest I wouldn't be too worried about OPEC - they already announced one cut a couple of weeks ago and that hasn't really impacted on prices.