British Gas Major Price Rise Special Email Discussion

Capyboppy

How on earth are we supposed to keep making cutbacks to our usage when they keep putting the prices up? Use less energy some say, but some of us are already doing that. Also if you are elderly or have health problems where you feel the cold so much more you have to have the heating on. There are only so many layers of clothes you can put on, plus watching tv in your sleeping bag etc.

I have been on SP capped rate which ends next March and I am dreading getting the letter that they will probably send to say it is going up, as I struggle now, and am still paying off the arrears from their stupid calculations of what I had to pay which was way off the mark. I have gone from paying 25 pounds a month to 60 pounds, and I just can't stretch it any further. Out of interest has anyone come to the end of their capped rate, or know anyone who has, who can tell us what happens next? Do they put it up immediately at the end say within 2 or three weeks or what? No doubt they will also want me to take another capped rate out, but what I didn't realise was there was a premium on top for this, so haven't been able to work out if I have saved over the capped period of time.

What I still can't undestand though, is after Martin's advice about moving if you are still with BG and your regional area supplier for electric, why people do still stay. It was on the radio this morning about the elderly who won't move because they don't like change and have been with them all their life and think their service is the best. Yet the guest on the show was saying BG customer service was one of the poorest.

jem16

follows2006 wrote:

have to say bg are always slated the most when edf increased there prices by 19% whilst centrica did make a very large profit british gas residential supplies actually made a loss and british gas buisness profits were down 80% yes i agree the price rises are large but people are too eager to slate bg when its competitors increase their prices often a lot higher(take edf)and yes i do work for bg

The problem is that the public don't see it that way. Centrica makes a huge profit and yet their fuel bill still rises.

As for price rises, BG has risen more than others since September 04

BRITISH GAS Gas up by 76% Electric up by 66%
SCOT POWER Gas up by 68.5% Electric up by 36.6%
EDF Gas up by 65% Electric up by 32%
POWERGEN Gas up by 52.5% Electric up by 38%
NPOWER Gas up by 48% Electric up by 41%

Mikeyorks

follows2006 wrote:

..............and yes i do work for bg

Yes ......it kind of showed through!;)

THFC

jem16 wrote:

BRITISH GAS Gas up by 76% Electric up by 66%
SCOT POWER Gas up by 68.5% Electric up by 36.6%
EDF Gas up by 65% Electric up by 32%
POWERGEN Gas up by 52.5% Electric up by 38%
NPOWER Gas up by 48% Electric up by 41%

The above is a disgrace. Rip off britain. Gas, Electric, Petrol prices are out of control.

Wages increase by 3-5% on average, yet energy prices are going through the roof.

The public pay the price - Time for some government intervention and more focus on green renewable energy i feel.

Feel sorry for pensioners - let's all move to France they sell us their energy - screw this country

danio_2

I would like to know where these power companies expect those on low incomes, The Disabled and The elderly are supposed to get the extra money to pay for all of these increases!, because there sure as hell won't be any increase in their benefits to reflect these rises...Once again it is the most vulnerable who suffer, The elderly will be too scared to use their heating in the winter and the disabled will have no choice, as they need to use extra electricity for medical appliances and they HAVE to use extra gas/electric to keep warm in the winter months. As for a price "Drop" in 2007/08.....I'll believe it when i see it!!

Gambler

THFC wrote:

The above is a disgrace. Rip off britain. Gas, Electric, Petrol prices are out of control.

Wages increase by 3-5% on average, yet energy prices are going through the roof.

The public pay the price - Time for some government intervention and more focus on green renewable energy i feel.

Feel sorry for pensioners - let's all move to France they sell us their energy - screw this country

totally off topic but in Jol we trust THFC !!

Ghost

danio wrote:

I would like to know where these power companies expect those on low incomes, The Disabled and The elderly are supposed to get the extra money to pay for all of these increases!

What about those of us that are on "so-so" incomes? Just because we don't qualify for benefits or because we're not on very low incomes, doesn't mean that we don't feel the pinch - we do!

I can understand a company in a free market (producing luxury and non-essential items/services) making huge profits and nobody questioning it, but what I can't understand is why a company that provides ESSENTIAL services is allowed to get away with holding the 'state' to ransom!

It's up to us whether or not we choose to purchase the latest DVD recorder, facial cream, DIY fad, barbeque equipment etc, and I'm happy to pay accordingly for that choice; but when it comes to essential services such as gas, electricity and water - we don't have a choice as to whether or not to use these - we NEED them. Who's looking after us, the 'common' people? No one.... really.

And another thing (slightly off-topic), with all these energy increases etc etc the Government will exploit this 'civil unrest' and use it as a ploy to push through the builiding of more and more nuclear power stations (whether or not it's a good thing, and ignoring the wind/water power options). We can't win - either way! :mad:

tpac

This has all really bugged me but what really takes the biscuit is that every day for two weeks i had a horrible little BG sales person on my door telling me I should switch suppliers as they are the cheapest 'and all your neighbours have'

Well, I am the one smiling then aren't I as he did finally take no for an answer!

It is all getting too expensive, they are going to price us out soon

Mikeyorks

Petlurcher wrote:

Has anyone analysed whether price-capping energy prices actually saves the customer in the long run? I've considered doing it in the past but wonder whether it is actually worth doing. .

Depends if you know when the rises are going to plateau and / or when the EU words about non-competitiveness among European energy providers .. are going to translate into something more meaningful? A few months ago there was a view that prices would drop by 2007 .... that view appears to have largely dissipated.

Petlurcher wrote:

I have been with EDF for about 2 years now and wondering where to go next.

But you need to be careful with capping. I rang London Energy (EDF) just before their last (now . 'last but one') price rise was announced .. 13th March. And asked what it would cost me to 'cap' until 2008. Was immediately told ... no hesitation ... '£3.80 per fuel / per quarter'.

Signed up immediately at that price. Got my first bill, a few weeks later, to find an increase close to 30% on each fuel !!

Rang them, to find they had forgotten to tell me that my 'online' tariff had no capped equivalent. So I had moved from their cheapest tariff onto a 'standard capped ' ... very much the most expensive. Many apologies - and moved me straight back - negating the last bill at the same time.

Doesn't help your decision - but if you're 'online' tariff, I'd be tempted to stick. I've just done a fresh compare and find EDF still beats the next cheapest (price rise still to come there) by a small margin.

Mind you - with this heatwave. Don't think I'll ever want a radiator on again in my life;)

nenya

i'm just sitting an waiting with this increase because chances are my current supplier will come out cheapest for me in the end, and they raised there prices earlier in July (i'm with scottish power). The thing is everyone appears to be raising there prices in the same bracket - about 8%-10% for elec and about 12%-20% for gas.

So be patient! Everything will even out in the next few weeks.