business electricity??

carpqueen

hi there, i am being deluged with phone calls from companies trying to get me to sign up for electricity for my new business. i have taken over premises which were using edf energy (I only have electricity here). i had a lady on the phone this morning from commercial gas and power and she has "password protected" my account with her. she has quoted several different companies and eon was coming out cheapest. but just calculating costs so far, and i have only been here for 44 days, its working out at £1670.43 already. surely this cant be right. i have used 141 units at 8.88 per unit and its been 44 days at 9.508 per day. whats going on? can someone please help me and guide me with this nightmare situation, regards. i have already signed up over the phone for this not knowing quite about the charges but i understand i can cancel this arrangement. please help anyone.

Premier_2

Hopefully the unit price and standing charge are in pence not pounds

That'll make the amount consumed £16.70

carpqueen

phew - thank you for that - thought i was going do-lally ))))) i shall now enjoy turning the light on now hee hee. thanks again. julie

energy_saver

I agree with Premier - the price is quoted in pence.

You say that this company offered you prices from several companies - were they just Big 6 companies or were some little suppliers included?

dogshome

Hi carpqueen - Electricity, (and Gas), for commercial premises is a such a minefield.that Ofgem, the regulator, are considering new rules to control it

Apart from the major distributors who offer these contracts, there are a host agencies acting as middlemen and it's possible that your lady from "Commercial Gas & Power" is one of these.

The scam is that over the phone you have ageed to a contract to which you are legally bound, usually for a year, without actually seeing all the terms and conditions that are in the written contract which you have been told will be sent later by post

This site has had several posts from businesses who have signed up on the phone, but never recieved a written contract in the post whilst the Agency has later sworn it was sent.

These contracts give you fixed prices for a year that are usually competitive, but tucked away in the small print will be a clause that if you don't notify the contractor of your wish to cancel within a small and exact time window at the end of the contract, it roll on for a further year at whatever prices the Agency decides to charge - and they ain't cheap

Keep hassling Commercial G & E for the written contract and when you eventually get it, read it and make a BIG note about the Year End Cancellation notice's in your diary
Good Luck

energy_saver

Ofgem have already introduced new rules which cover most businesses. Type 'micro-business' into the search engine on the Ofgem website.

If you meet the criteria (and most will) you have to receive a written contract within 10 days. If the broker won't provide you with one, contact your supplier or Consumer Direct.