Hidden costs that no site will tell you

kat2_2

Hidden costs that no site will tell you
I have recently signed up with southern electric, and was most supprised to find hidden charges that no switch company seem to warn potential switchers about.
on my confirmation sheet it has the following section
INDEPENDENT GAS PIPELINE CHARGES
if your property is not connected to Transco gas pipelines, the extra daily charges listed below will apply
independent pipelines 12.60p
British Gas Connections 7.87p
Gas Transportation 6.82
ES Pipelines 1.44p

why do no providers give out this information until you are ready to switch, whilst I take on board the majority might well be with Transco, some may not be and the prices charged per day are very high. I have spoken to energy watch and they say the charts (comparision are nothing more than that) and the libility falls on the customer to check. I was then given a contact number by energy watch to try and find out who owns the pipes that connect my house to the mains gas for those that do not know this, it is as follows, they apparently go off your meter reference point number and post code.
I tried to complain to energy watch but they would not accept my complaint and said it was up to the individual to find out for themselfs, but, my question is, is it fair? how do you really know whom you are connected to from a pipe point of view? why are you not warned that there could be charges, in some cases as much as twelve pounds sixty pence per day? this warning should be made as a sticky
regards KAt2

bunking_off

I couldn't agree more. Those of us on private lines are a minority, but not, I believe, a tiny one as from what I can see, most new housing estates are like this. I'm served by British Gas Connections and know that I am, but it's only after I've signed on the dotted line - from past experience sometimes weeks after - that I find out how much the surcharge is going to be.

It winds me up that none of the comparison sites take this into account, and really does make a mockery of them. The differential between what suppliers surcharge for using a private line can easily outstrip the difference in headline prices. Even worse, in my experience some suppliers just plain won't provide service.

I've mentioned this in a past thread in the hope that Martin could put pressure on the sites which he deals with (or perhaps find a single website that does the job properly for those of us in this situation), but didn't get a response.