ScottishPower huge increase with DirectDebit

djohn2002uk

wearside wrote:

This is exactly the reason why it is virtually impossible to change supplier and be 100% satisfied that you have chosen the right provider.

It's not even remotely impossible.
I switched to Scottish Power and for 18 months have been 100% happy with my decision.
Most of the gimicks aren't worth bothering with because they will be clawed back somehow. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
What you can do if you have some realistic consumption figures at hand, is to use ALL the comparison sites to give you an idea of the best 4 or 5 companies, then you ring them and get their costs per KWh for gas and electricity with no incentives. Then you ask what discounts are applied for dual fuel, direct debit, etc. Also what capped scheme they have and the cost, and whether you can get out of it in the event of prices dropping.
From this you can get an accurate idea of the best company to go with.
But, to do this you do need some accurate meter readings (not direct debit payments, they mean nothing) to start from. Failing this, the whole exercise becomes pure guesswork.

Cardew

djohn2002uk wrote:

It's not even remotely impossible.
I switched to Scottish Power and for 18 months have been 100% happy with my decision.
Most of the gimicks aren't worth bothering with because they will be clawed back somehow. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
What you can do if you have some realistic consumption figures at hand, is to use ALL the comparison sites to give you an idea of the best 4 or 5 companies, then you ring them and get their costs per KWh for gas and electricity with no incentives. Then you ask what discounts are applied for dual fuel, direct debit, etc. Also what capped scheme they have and the cost, and whether you can get out of it in the event of prices dropping.
From this you can get an accurate idea of the best company to go with.
But, to do this you do need some accurate meter readings (not direct debit payments, they mean nothing) to start from. Failing this, the whole exercise becomes pure guesswork.

Whilst I would agree with most of that, although it is a lengthy exercise; I would make a couple of comments.

Some tariffs are only available via switching sites and phoning the company will not get the prices per kWh.

In the 18 months you have been with Scottish Power I would think that they have had 3 or 4 rises in their tariffs. Also with all companies having their increases at different times to ensure you had the best deal you would need to work it out almost weekly to determine the best deal.

djohn2002uk

Cardew wrote:

In the 18 months you have been with Scottish Power I would think that they have had 3 or 4 rises in their tariffs. Also with all companies having their increases at different times to ensure you had the best deal you would need to work it out almost weekly to determine the best deal.

Ah, but, after all my calculations, (I was so glad to be shot of Powergen and Staywarm) I chose Scottish Powers capped rate so I am still well below most other schemes, and will be untill next October. Hopefully there will be some reductions by then to cussion the impact in time for next winter.

Cardew

djohn2002uk wrote:

Ah, but, after all my calculations, (I was so glad to be shot of Powergen and Staywarm) I chose Scottish Powers capped rate so I am still well below most other schemes, and will be untill next October. Hopefully there will be some reductions by then to cussion the impact in time for next winter.

Ah but that wasn't the 'exam question'!

You, like me(I am on BG fixed to April 2010) didn't take the best tariff available at the time. We gambled that a capped/fixed tariff would be a good bet in the longer run - and of course it has turned out that it was a good bet.

However that doesn't mean that to take out a fixed/capped tariff now will be a good bet - it is still simply a gamble.

djohn2002uk

Cardew wrote:

Ah but that wasn't the 'exam question'!

You, like me(I am on BG fixed to April 2010) didn't take the best tariff available at the time. We gambled that a capped/fixed tariff would be a good bet in the longer run - and of course it has turned out that it was a good bet.

However that doesn't mean that to take out a fixed/capped tariff now will be a good bet - it is still simply a gamble.

Ah, But, I didn't want to gamble that far ahead. 2 years seemed to me to be enough, but only time will tell which of us was right...

Sweet_Pea_2

Scottish Power tried to increase our direct debit by a considerable amount a few months back. (Cant remember the exact figures.) We were always in credit with them, in fact had had £100 refunded a couple of months before. I rang them straight away and agreed that we were not paying quite enough, but it didnt need to be increased as much as they said and they agreed, but said they like accounts to be in credit especially with winter approaching.
To this I replied, if Im in credit it will be in my bank account earning me interest and not in yours, and have changed to quarterly billing. I know we probably lose a small discount for not paying by direct debit any more but I am quite happy about that as I feel I am in control of my own money and not them.
I worked out how much I think my monthly usage is and save that amount, (I keep a record of the total amount in money) and then pay the bill online when it comes, (making sure the reading is correct first)
It seems increasing direct debits is a sneaky tactic of SP, perhaps they think that the majority of people wont even notice. If they werent the cheapest supplier in my area Id think about changing.

Cardew

The Regulator has stated that the utility companies are, on balance, owed far more money than they owe customers. i.e the cusomer's debit balances are more than the credit balances. Certainly going by the posts on this forum that would appear to be true as there are loads of people who appear to owe £hundreds/thousands.

Obviously how you run your account is up to you. However even if you have a credit balance of £100 for a whole quarter(a most unusual situation), you will have lost £1 in interest. On a money saving forum it must be poor advice to suggest giving up a Direct Debit discount which is likely to be a far bigger sum than lost interest.(yes I know some companies like Ebico have the same price for all forms of payment) In financial terms it must be a case of 'cutting off your nose to spite your face!'

Niki1981

Hi everyone,

Some advise would be really appreciated.

I moved into my terraced house on 27th june 2006 and i have just received a bill for £548.51 from powergen. Am I naive in thinking that is is very high considering how mild the weather has been ( I did not even have the heating on). I have storage heaters but i only ever use the one in my bathroom and the one in my hall and it's only just got cold enough to keep those on all the time, I've never used the "boost" either. When i moved into my property my cooker and fridge freezer broke down :mad: so they were not using any electricty for the first month. I have rang powergen and they said the bill is right

Cardew

When you moved in are you sure that your meter reading is the same as it states on the bill? i.e. could you be paying for some of the previous occupant's electricity?

Is the latest reading actual or estimated?

What is the split between Economy 7(night) and daytime usage in kWh?

The average household uses £1,000 pa for heating and electricity. Given that storage heating is one of the most expensive forms of heating(as you pay more for daytime electricity) £548 is probable below average for a period of nearly 7 months.

mikeD

I agree with Cardew, under £250 per quarter is not bad especially if you are all electric.