MSE News: EDF Energy price hike to hit thousands

bonzer

Letter in full. The table on the reverse shows the new prices but not the existing ones.

I'm now switching to E-on Save Online v2.

Cozworth806

So are they just scrapping online v5 by other means and is online v6 affected?

Ta

Plushchris

Doesnt happen very often but have to say I'm with Kimyeovil on this one.

Seems pretty clear to me that the average user, not on the online 5 tariff will have been paying £446 more.

dlyricist

I genuinely this or that is irrelevant now, EDF have lost me for many years to come - I spoke to one of their friendly sounding reps today who surprisingly admitted "My manager also thinks this is not a good way to handle this" and also "Yes - many seem upset by this letter judging by our volume of calls" ...saying that I sweet talked her into getting her opinion. Back to EON now on V2.
EDF = ***k**s

Cardew

Plushchris wrote: »

Doesnt happen very often but have to say I'm with Kimyeovil on this one.

Seems pretty clear to me that the average user, not on the online 5 tariff will have been paying £446 more.

Plushchris,

Again it demonstrates to me how badly the letter has been written. The letter deals with future prices on the new tariff and the complaint was that it didn't make clear how much extra customers would be paying.

Kim believes it does make it clear and understands the second sentence as:

that the typical user will be paying an extra £446

Note 'will' - i.e. the tariff is increased by £446

You interpret as:

The Standard user will have been paying £446 more

Bear in mind this is the statement:

As an EDF Energy customer on our Online Tariff Version 5 product, you’ve benefited from one of our best deals. In fact, a typical customer could have saved up to £446¹.

The footnote £446¹. is significant to me.

I believe it means that over the period since January 2007 to August 2010(i.e. over a period of 3.5 years) a typical customer would have saved up to £446 if they had been on Online tariff V5 instead of a Standard tariff. i.e. about £125 a year more.

My understanding is supported IMO by the EDF spokesperson's statement(see Martin's article):

A typical customer on the version 5 online tariff will have saved £446 on average compared to our standard prices since the tariff was launched on 5 January 2007

So between the three of us, we have different 'reading comprehension' and we can't all be correct!

brewerdave

Exactly the same was done by SP last year when they tried to move everyone off of the fixed price deal (which ended August) onto a new capped price deal which was ~ 15% more expensive under the guise of " we thought you wanted the security of knowing what you would be paying!!" The letters and emails wre generally misleading unless you read them very carefully.

KimYeovil

So now we are complaining that a too cursory reading might suggest that the increase in price is higher than it will be?

(Of course I know the £446 was quoted on past performance and not an exact figure predicting future performance. I still don't get the 'like' 'would have' 'will' objection.)

Cardew

KimYeovil wrote: »

So now we are complaining that a too cursory reading might suggest that the increase in price is higher than it will be?

(Of course I know the £446 was quoted on past performance and not an exact figure predicting future performance. I still don't get the 'like' 'would have' 'will' objection.)

Really Kim!! Really Really?

You knew when you wrote that post that the £446 historically covered 3.5 years?

You knew that £446 was the predicted rise(roughly;))? Would that be for 1 year or 3.5years ahead?

So nothing ambiguous about a letter dealing with prices on a future tariff, that gives a figure for historical savings over a 3.5 year period as a guide to future savings ? Of course anyone with normal 'reading comprehension' should have immediately understood - just like you - apparently!

I quite enjoy your acerbic comments, but even you should be a little embarrassed at your faux pas.

When in a hole - stop digging comes to mind!

kar999

"Statistics and more statstics." The numbers and wording is academic. Any politician or marketing man will tell you that you can make them say what you want.

The simple fact is EDF are [STRIKE]shafting[/STRIKE] going to charge their customers more:
"From 1 August 2010, we'll be aligning your prices with our competitively priced standard tariff."

The simple answer is:
Shop around and switch to a cheaper tariff.

Plushchris

The first line of the letter isnt dealing with future prices though..

I'm not an English master but I am aware that "could have saved" and "benefited" are past tense arent they?

So how is that misleading? Its a "true" statement (I use the word true loosely) anyone on the standard tariff COULD have saved that money if they had been on the Online 5.


It then, in a different paragraph, goes on to say "Your new prices are on the reverse of this letter"

I'm not defending EDF here, I do think it could have been clearer but I cant see the cause of all the uproar myself..