Scottish Power contract renewal -watch out

davidfthorn

Dear Forum,

I am existing SP customer and my Online Energy Saver (OES) 8 contract came to an end recently, just as they increased their prices. They offered an automatic extension to their OES8 (DEC 2010) which saw my annual cost jump by about £200 pa

Time for comparison I thought, there must be cheaper.

Eventually I discovered that SP offer new customers a much better deal called OES12. If you go to the SP web site as an existing customer you will not see this offer. Go in as a new customer.

I phoned SP and told them I want OES12

Saving about £200 pa against what they were offering me.

New contract is till 29/2/2012, with penalities if I leave. I'm prepared for that risk.

I feel pretty annoyed that they treat existing customers so poorly, but understand that they are trying to gain new customers.

Just hope I have avoided the latest price hikes for this winter!

Premier_2

I suggest you use a comparison site to compare the whole of the market.

You could possibly be saving a whole load more! :beer:

davidfthorn

Thanks for comment, not that silly!

Actually found my new tariff via ukpower,co.uk when uswitch didn't show it all.

In the process of doing this, I actually found that on the date of the price increase announcement ScottishPower published incorrect tariff information (regarding number of units at the first rate for gas), which they subsequently corrected without uttering a word.

You might figure out that i don't totally trust comparison sites.

I take the view that comparison sites are great for what they do, but don't limit your checking to them and look at direct and cashback opportunities too.

mcgsp

Just had the same experience with Scottish Power. I had come to the end of my online saver 7 deal and had found that online saver 11 would be about £200 a year cheaper (I used a comparison site) so I phoned them and switched to that.

Yesterday had a postcard from them saying that I would be automatically transferred to an extension of online saver 7 (about £200 dearer than online saver 11) or I could go for their standard tarriff which was dearer again!! No mention of their currrent best deal - online saver 12 (same price as online saver 11 in my area)!

I phoned them and they confirmed I would stay on online saver 11 as I had already been switched to that. The postcard was only sent to me because I was on their mailing list.

Disgusting that they are ripping people off by not letting them know what their best deal is! Only 2 options offered on their postcard both massively more expensive than their best deal.

lancasterchelsea

my online saver 7 was coming to an end a month ago. I phoned them to say I was moving. That way they couldn't put my rate up pending my move. But by post and online they moved me to online saver 7 extended to end 2011.... whatever that means. So I didn't get what they offered me. Everything they do is designed to confuse and obfiscate. Even the website won't tell me the cost of extended saver 7. Next I will phone and complain. Still got to Jan 17th to move without penalty or price rise

t0rt0ise

Are you sure that doesn't simply mean that your current saver 7 tariff has been extended while you leave them?

lancasterchelsea

absolutely no idea........ SP website/ my account isn't clear. They offer an estimate service online, but don't tell you where it is. That way I could see the cost change...
just looked... my current product is...Online Energy Saver 7 - December 2011 (No Standing Charge).... so you are right, they have switched me.... and got me where they want me.
I think I will move now anyway... just to spite them. I will calculate what my charges would have been, and argue it out with them. I am in credit by £100 plus, which weakens my position