MSE News: British Gas ignores hundreds of thousands in new PR stunt

barginfinder

I'm on websaver 4 and submit a meter reading every month on-line, as a result my DD have been adjusted within a few days where appropriate, I'm interested to hear click 6 is cheaper than websaver though, I will look into that.
The main advantage of DD as I see it is that you average your bill out rather than seeing higher payments in winter/lower in summer, this energy smart is only really the same as quarterly bills (where you can submit a meter reading and pay for what you use) but monthly, I think the energy companies give better discounts to DD payments as it helps them with cash flow and gives them a more even and predictable revenue

molerat

Did anyone really believe this "innovation" was any more than a publicity stunt. If you get an estimated bill that is way off the mark just take a reading and send it back insisting that you are billed correctly. Simples It does mean you may have to open the cupboard and take a look, which judging by many posts on this forum is far too difficult for some, but at least you will have control over the bills.

liv1975

BG are mouthing off as if this is something wonderful, but in reality, the savvy people are not actually gaining.

I'm on their Online Saver 3 (or whatever it's called) and therefore do not qualify (I can't even move to the new Online Saver 4 without paying!!!). To move to the cheapest account that provides me with one of these gadgets increases my charges by over 30%.

Also, I submit my electricity and gas readings every month without fail - yet it makes no difference whatsoever. I still receive estimated bills and I still have to fight with them every 6 months to stop increasing my monthly DD.

littlerose12345

liv1975 wrote: »

BG are mouthing off as if this is something wonderful, but in reality,
Also, I submit my electricity and gas readings every month without fail - yet it makes no difference whatsoever. I still receive estimated bills and I still have to fight with them every 6 months to stop increasing my monthly DD.

Hi everyone

We do the same... submit readings every month but do not pay by DD. We were considering switching to DD (is it supposed to be cheaper?!) but now wonder whether we should - do they charge a fixed amount each month based on their estimations?! Up until now we have only been paying for what we use due to our monthly readings.. sounds like it's worth sticking to what I am doing?

Bark01

WestonDave wrote: »

Thing is though, Click 6 is cheaper than websaver 4 - you can stay on Click 6 and get this new EnergySaver thingy, so it clearly can't just be a question of ruling out the cheaper tariffs. Perhaps they are using it as a carrot to encourage people on tariffs where customer meter reading is not happening to start doing that. In other words maybe the benefits are going where BG can make cost savings?

The Click Energy tariffs are variable tariffs and have been cheap for a long time. They could be tracked up to core at any time and are not available to new customers.

If I take industry typical consumptions as a base and compare the cheapest tariff Energy smart is available on against the cheapest tariff in each area, I'd be able to save at least £130 by going with another supplier.

Energy monitors only costs £25 - £35 quid to buy outside of EnergySmart so I'm £100 up!

Granted if your already a customer and an old online tariff (not WebSaver) it maybe worth it, but I’d take a punt on the old online tariffs being tracked up closer to core tariff at some point in the next 6 months.

Quality2

Isnt the whole point of this that people like myself who get vastly overestimated bills will be paying less each month.
I am currently paying £103 per month on a fixed DD. By paying for what I actually use my payments should come down to approx £50 - £60 per month, a big difference when you are struggling to find enough money every month and saves the hassle of trying to claim it back when the bill is re-estimated.

Bark01

Quality2 wrote: »

Isnt the whole point of this that people like myself who get vastly overestimated bills will be paying less each month.
I am currently paying £103 per month on a fixed DD. By paying for what I actually use my payments should come down to approx £50 - £60 per month, a big difference when you are struggling to find enough money every month and saves the hassle of trying to claim it back when the bill is re-estimated.

you have missed the whole point of this article.....

the point is that it wouldn't help you as it excludes the cheaper tariffs so you would lose out in the end. If you are on a cheap tariff and overpaying you can at least claim that back.

Most suppliers will adjust your DD amount after 6 months of supply and the provison of accurate readings from the customer.

tonysbt

Could someone tell me in simple terms how much better off I would be if I changed from Standard Dual Fuel (direct debit) to one of the online options.

Thanks.
Tony

greenbee

Quality2 wrote: »

Isnt the whole point of this that people like myself who get vastly overestimated bills will be paying less each month.
I am currently paying £103 per month on a fixed DD. By paying for what I actually use my payments should come down to approx £50 - £60 per month, a big difference when you are struggling to find enough money every month and saves the hassle of trying to claim it back when the bill is re-estimated.

Remember, it may bring it down to £50-60 a month, but you will get a lot of variation throughout the year - so you may get a £10 bill in a hot and sunny august :rotfl:and a £200 bill in a freezing dark February. Monthly fixed DD does help people budget, and the burden of trying to manage it and predict your consumption lies with the supplier rather than you. So if you think you will be able to budget for variable bills, and control your consumption, then this option is a good one for you (although obviously ther is the issue of it not being available on all tariffs).

Otherwise you may be better on fixed DD, but still trying to manage your consumption down.

Rusty!

tonysbt wrote: »

Could someone tell me in simple terms how much better off I would be if I changed from Standard Dual Fuel (direct debit) to one of the online options.

Thanks.
Tony

Look at the tariffs, and work it out from your usage. But in reality, an online tariff will be cheaper than a standard one.