Woman Fined for low power use

Tim_Nicholas

Has this country gone even more mad !!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/7906528.stm

KimYeovil

Lot's of suppliers charge consumers who use a small amount of fuel relatively more than their more spendthrift or reptilian customers. I presume you only shop with Ebico? Of course you don't. It is not the duty of suppliers to subsidise customers' supplies. This is moneysavingexpert. We are not going to reward companies with loyalty if they charge us extra to provide free supplies to the frugal.

JohalaReewi

Maybe she should dump BG and go to Ebico?

moonrakerz

This actually happens when the price goes up generally. The Primary units are usually increased by a much higher percentage than the secondary units.
The result is: the less energy you use, the higher the percentage increase you suffer !

samtheman1k

I like the last quote, "We will speak to Mrs Pracy to ...discuss any other energy efficiency measures for which she may be eligible".

Garz

This is completely daft.

KimYeovil

What is completely daft?

tripled

I can't see anything about it in their tariff...

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/pdf/Standard%20Electricity%20prices.pdf

If it's not there, surely they can't charge it? Unless it is in their t&c, which I can't find. It should surely still be in the tariff though.

SwanJon

When BG dropped their electricity PP prices in December there was actually an increse in Tier 1 prices and a drop in Tier 2 prices For the vast majority of customers this worked out as a price drop
Despite the tabloid headline, this isn't a fine, it's a price change. As such when you look at their prices, it is included in it.
Yes it doesn't encourage frugality (?), but the plan was to bring PP in line with quarterly bills (as encouraged by many on here, in the media and at Ofgem). If you look at the prices for quarterly and PP you'll see that they are now pretty much the same (some rounding is involved I think)
This is a side effect of that move.
PS - I work for BG

DaisyNelson

It's quite simple really - the energy companies want you to use less of the fuel to conserve resources, but pay more for it, to protect their profits.

Cardew

All of the Utility Companies have argued that pre-pay accounts cost them far more to administer and hence they set the charges higher than those on credit meters.

However in Parliament, many consumer groups, MSE etc there has been pressure for all Utility companies to bring pre-pay tariffs in line with credit meter tariffs as, in general, those on pre-pay are less well off and least able to pay higher energy bills.

So under that pressure the energy companies complied. In reality it really doesn't matter a hoot to the energy companies as they simply get other customers to pay slightly more and provide a cross-subsidy - Robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Now that pre-pay customers are to pay the same as credit meter customers, the vast majority of pre-pay customers will be better off.

However that ain't sexy news - so once again the media latch on to the tiny percentage who have lost.

It is quite easy - the Utility companies acting together could easily allow pensioners, unemployed, low income families have their energy at half price - it would not affect their profits as they would put up the prices for the rest of us to compensate.