First Utility - Any users or reviews

KimYeovil

For the average user the current cheapest FIXED price tariff is less than three and a half percent more expensive than the cheapest VARIABLE tariff. If you didn't want to risk a variable tariff...

engineer350

bluestick wrote: »

Just got an email from FU today with the normal 'submit your readings' but also with a 'price update' link. Clicked the link as I foolishly thought there might be a price drop ..... Oh no, everything went up by about 15-40% with my gas standing charge going from 31.5p/d to 70.9p/d an amazing 125% increase - !!!!!!!

Noticed this increase ties in with having just completed the 'no price rise in the first 3 month guarantee' - coincidental?

Has anyone else experienced this kind of price rise - especially when they are advertising much lower rates on their website. Phoned Customer Services and was informed that this was across the board for all iSave Dual Fuel V2 customers.

Yes they have done the same to me after 4-months I have told them to stick their account I am changing, everyone should think twice before switching to them:mad:

engineer350

KimYeovil wrote: »

The standing charges are not outrageous. (And comparison sites do tell you about them.) They may not be suitable for your consumption.

Ovo have a smaller number of tariffs than other suppliers. Their costs are not magically lower. As they do not have swathes of sitting mugs on standard tariffs to subsidise top-of-the-table tariffs inevitably their prices seem more expensive.

There is no honour amongst money-savers - otherwise you would all be praising the supplier's fairness.

I have looked at all the posts on First Utility you seem to be the only one with a good word for them, do you work for them?

Look at the facts is a 200% rise on your standing charge fair?

If they put the cost of you TV Licence up by 200% would you be happy with this, I dont think so, get real no wonder people on this site are angry with First Utility

I will on every Forum I can find warn people not to switch to First Utility.

I have complained to Ofgem but they are another totally usless.
organisation with no power, all they tell you is tell you what every man, woman, cat and dog in the Country knows we pay TOO MUCH for our gas and Electricity:mad:

KimYeovil

engineer350 wrote: »

I have looked at all the posts on First Utility you seem to be the only one with a good word for them, do you work for them?

Look at the facts is a 200% rise on your standing charge fair?

If they put the cost of you TV Licence up by 200% would you be happy with this, I dont think so, get real no wonder people on this site are angry with First Utility

I will on every Forum I can find warn people not to switch to First Utility.

I have complained to Ofgem but they are another totally usless.
organisation with no power, all they tell you is tell you what every man, woman, cat and dog in the Country knows we pay TOO MUCH for our gas and Electricity:mad:

Why is a trebling* of your standing charge unfair?

If your useage is genuinely so low that the change in standing charge significantly affects you then you would have been mad to choose First Utility in the first place. Prices change, tariffs are restructured, <shrug>. As I said, fixed price tariffs are available if you dislike variable tariffs.

As to TV Licences, the annual cost of electricity with First Utility has not been trebled so it does not make sense to cost about Licences trebling.

Why are you wasting Ofgem's time by complaining to them? What possible grounds for complaint do you have?

Personally, it is difficult for me - I mostly only use tier 1 energy so am continually faced with genuine massive fluctuations in total costs and impossible decisions and gambles <shrug> - that is life. But First Utility was clearly always was too expensive for me - so screams of '200% increases' are completely misleading as no-one affected would be on such a tariff in the first place.

*Ah, I see from the figures you posted in #153 that, in fact, there has not been a 'more than 200% rise' - it is a 'more than 100% rise'. If you make typos (or misunderstandings) like that then no wonder you get angry and are unable to choose a sensible tariff. Perhaps you should contact a third party for some help choosing your next supplier and tariff?

MASTERSHOT

If you are a lower user go to NPOWER and look at their NO STANDING CHARGES .The price per unit will cost more but you may find that it works out a lot cheaper over a year.You may have to use a calculator to work it out.
I am now changing from First Utility to npower - Sign On-Line 19. I will still be saving a lot over a year even if I am charged £100 for leaving.

TrustMe

MASTERSHOT wrote: »

I am now changing from First Utility to npower - Sign On-Line 19. I will still be saving a lot over a year even if I am charged £100 for leaving.

Mastershot, you won't be charged £100 for leaving if you let FU know within 10 days of a price increase which is to your disadvantage - clause 15(b) of FUs T&Cs. Let them know by phone and also my email to confirm - I and several other posters on here can confirm that FU have said they will not charge. In my case the 10 day deadline will be today, although I cancelled my contract and switched 8 days ago.
Also, make your switch immediately after you tell FU that you are leaving, as clause 15(b) also states that they must be notified by the new supplier within 15 days, but the new supplier will only contact FU after the statutory 14 day cooling off period. Best of luck with your new supplier.

TrustMe

In my previous post I correctly stated that clause 15.1(b)* of their T&Cs gives you 10 days to cancel following notice of any price increase which is to your disadvantage.

However, I have just noticed that they say they give you 20 days to cancel on this FAQ page: first-utility.com/residential-energy/frequently-asked-questions/leaving-firstutility-0

Confusing - do you follow their FAQ page 20 day limit, or their T&Cs 10 day limit (where the T&Cs form part of your contract)?

*not 15(b) - sorry, an error in my previous post.

TrustMe

Even more confusion. When I signed up to FU it was under a 2 year contract with a £50 per smart meter repayment termination fee - although this fee doesn't apply under clause 15.1(b).

Now having read more carefully the FAQ page I just posted I find:

"Customers who sign up to our Smart or iSave tariffs are not contracted to first utility and therefore will not have to pay exit fees"

but further down the page it states:

"If you are on a two year contract and have been with first:utility for less than 2 years, an exit fee of £50 per fuel may apply."

Now how can I be on a contract, if I am not contracted to FU?
Baffling!

Also the 20 day (or 10 day?) cancellation limit only stops the price increase from being applied to your account - that is, they won't backdate the increase to the 1st July if you cancel within which ever time limit actually applies.

hippey

I'm still having problems with FU, I called them yesterday as I had not heard back from them ( only an email saying my complaint was being looked into) and the agent was very nice and helpful. I asked why I had not received the statutory 65 day price increase notification, she replied informing me' that prices only increase from July, so why did mine increase in June? She said it didn't and then must have checked my bill and found it did! But had no answer, I asked to speak to whoever is dealing with my complaint - left on hold for about 15 mins.

The the agent came back to me and said someone would call me' back in the afternoon, of course no one did!

NonGeographicalMan

hippey wrote: »

The the agent came back to me and said someone would call me' back in the afternoon, of course no one did!

So FU by name and FU by nature it would sadly appear.......;)