Can i escape British Gas Contract ??

liamb2001

Hi, i have been with British Gas business over the last year or so and untill recently have been very happy with it, they have been competative and a lot cheaper than npower who i used to be with, problem is my recent electric bill was 70% higher than usual with BGB with my old rate 10.5 pence per kwh and now its 13.6 p per kwh.

When phoning them i expected them to apologise and ammend it but rather shockingly i was told that in my t&c if i dont phone them 90 days before each contract they auto assign my rates and that i am now bound to a contract which im not allowed to cancel till 120 days before feb 2011.

My question is what would happen if i found an alternative supplier and changed to them, where would i stand law wise, is theyre charges you have to pay for leaving a supplier early

any advice would be appreciated

thanks

Premier_2

You won't be allowed to change supplier.

liamb2001

very sly that, you think theyd want to keep their customers happy

but thanks for that

Premier_2

They want to keep their customers, that's for sure

nifflespink

Yep beware folks who are on a business tariff - pretty much all of the big 6 have conditions that can be pretty ruthless when it comes to renewal. They usually send a letter telling you when your cancellation period is (kindly stating at the top, "You need do nothing now") and posting it several days after it's dated giving you not a lot of warning. If you don't tell them you want to cancel within this time frame they renew your contract and usually, as liamb2001 discovered, at a less favourable rate. Unfortunately as you are in a contract again, even if it isn't to your choosing, if you did try to change providers BG will either object the transfer, or let it go through but charge you a hefty cancellation fee. Check your Ts&Cs and find out what the cancellation fee is - and work out if this will be more than the extra 3p per unit on your consumption. And if you are stuck with them, diarise to cancel in time and go to someone less ruthless! good luck~

spiro

nifflespink wrote: »

Yep beware folks who are on a business tariff - pretty much all of the big 6 have conditions that can be pretty ruthless when it comes to renewal. They usually send a letter telling you when your cancellation period is (kindly stating at the top, "You need do nothing now") and posting it several days after it's dated giving you not a lot of warning. If you don't tell them you want to cancel within this time frame they renew your contract and usually, as liamb2001 discovered, at a less favourable rate. Unfortunately as you are in a contract again, even if it isn't to your choosing, if you did try to change providers BG will either object the transfer, or let it go through but charge you a hefty cancellation fee. Check your Ts&Cs and find out what the cancellation fee is - and work out if this will be more than the extra 3p per unit on your consumption. And if you are stuck with them, diarise to cancel in time and go to someone less ruthless! good luck~

Some time ago someone quoted their cancellation charges and it was based on there expected consumption for the remainder of the contract i.e. you paid twice for the elec, once to old supplier (as penalty) and once to new supplier (for what you use).

liamb2001

thanks for the comments, i guess ill just stay with them and be more prepared for when my next contract runs out

thanks again

undaunted

It's high time these sharp practices were curtailed. It seems to me that if you were not made aware of it at the outset or given warning the contract was due to expire new rates would be disadvantageous etc then it may constitute an unfair term in a contract. You could always ask a solicitor for their thoughts on this.

spiro

undaunted wrote: »

It's high time these sharp practices were curtailed. It seems to me that if you were not made aware of it at the outset or given warning the contract was due to expire new rates would be disadvantageous etc then it may constitute an unfair term in a contract. You could always ask a solicitor for their thoughts on this.

The auto renewal will have been included in the T&Cs of tghe original contract, thats when any business should check them not 12/24 months later when they get caught by them.

This is the 2nd or 3rd thread of this sort recently.

Domestic customers not reading the small print, businesses are supposed to be more assute.