'When will EDF hike prices?' blog discussion

u109230

The price rise will happen & some time before June this year.

What I'm more concerned about is what they do with their range of online tariff products. They are very adept at closing good value tariffs at short notice, putting you on the standard tariff, & leaving you scrambling around looking for a good alternative deal.

Splats_2

I applied to switch to EDF at the beginning of Dec last year as my fixed tariff with Eon came to an end. Letter from EDF say I start with them on 11th Feb. In the mean-time, I've been moved onto the standard tarriff at EON as cheaper tarriffs all had £££ penalties if I wanted to leave them early. Saving (over existing tarriff I had at EON before Dec) was borderline but £100 incentive plus some more from Quidco made it tempting to switch). Question is, have I lost out over the heavy use winter period whilst waiting to switch to EDF?? Will I lose out even more when they put prices up as I may only have the cheap prices a few weeks if Martin's predictions are true.

Is 9 weeks a long time to be switched??

Also, if I applied to switch supplier before the end of my fixed deal, would I have been liable for the penalty charges for leaving early, even if the switch did not happen until after the end date?? If so, the trend towards penalties for leaving a cheaper tariff are working against consumers since it is preventing them switching without having to move onto the more expensive standard tarriff whilst waiting for the switch - for 9 weeks in my case, making comparisons with the tarriff which is coming to an end inaccurate since you are not factoring in the switching period.

Do the rules allowing you to delay a price rise when it is announced by informing your supplier you are going to switch apply when a fixed deal is coming to an end??

I also had a call from EON asking me to stay with them last week and they said EDF would be putting up prices by a large amount (but they would say that wouldn't they?)

carolsumm

I think Martin's advice to switch energy companies is good advice in order to save money, but beware.....! This has happened to us twice. A couple of years ago we switched to Southern Electric and they were going to save us at least a couple of hundred pounds. However, a few months into the time with them, they wanted to put our DD up by £75 per month (gas and elec). My husband argued with them that he thought it was a ridiculous amount and they agreed to keep it as it was. Low and behold, we were in credit at the end of the year. A few months ago we changed again to Eon. They quoted £89 per month (gas and elec) which saved us around £25 per month, but then in December they said they wanted to put it up to £108 (even though we were in credit) and then yesterday we got a letter saying they wanted to put it up to £153 per month!!! Again, we have told them where to go! All they want to do is get your money in their bank so they can make even more money! Putting the prices up again is outrageous!!

hopeuk

I've been an edf customer for quite a few years. It makes me angry when I see all the headlines and News programmes stating that edf have announced that they will not be increasing their tariffs. Strictly speaking, that may be true, but I used to receive Nectar points as part of my deal and I have been informed that they will no longer be given. So the COST of my gas and electricity has risen in real terms - but they can still advertise that the prices haven't gone up!. Someone from edf actually rang me to 'answer any questions you may have on the recent change' what's to ask?

ajd3

hopeuk wrote: »

I've been an edf customer for quite a few years. It makes me angry when I see all the headlines and News programmes stating that edf have announced that they will not be increasing their tariffs. Strictly speaking, that may be true, but I used to receive Nectar points as part of my deal and I have been informed that they will no longer be given. So the COST of my gas and electricity has risen in real terms - but they can still advertise that the prices haven't gone up!.

I've been an EDF customer for years and have never had any problem with them, I'm surprised you factor in the value of Nectar points to the cost of your utilities, I took the points as a bonus and used them to treat myself. I was a fair bit in credit in 2009 and when I phoned to speak to someone about it (after the winter bill), as soon as they saw my account I was asked if I wanted it transferred to my bank account and they reduced my DD. Same thing happened 2010, though not as much in credit. I phoned last week, just after the winter bill, gas in debt, elec in credit and I was able to transfer the elec credit to my gas debit. Also had my elec DD reduced by £7 p/m.
Unless the prices have a massive hike and are much dearer then all others, I will not be moving

dreamdreamer

We switched to EDF immediately after the BG price hike in November. I applied online, made 2 phone calls (one to EDF and one to BG with opening/closing readings) and we were switched within 2 weeks (switch over date was 05/12). They gave us £100 credit + £80 cashback for the priviledge, which is essentially our first 3 months free. Our heating normally goes off in March anyway so we got most of winter at the lower rate, which was our logic for switching. Plus our costs are £10 a month lower with EDF than they were with BG even before BG's price hike so I they'll still be lower every month even with a 10% hike from EDF in March. We've saved ourselves £200 in the 2 months we've been with EDF, and we'll re-evaluate at the end of summer and go with the cheapest over winter again, but I suspect this will still be EDF.

Judging by the number of increasingly desperate phone calls from British Gas (the latest this morning) I think they've lost a LOT of customers to EDF since November. By fixing their prices over a very cold winter EDF have assured themselves a whole host of new customers. Oh, and for the record I found British Gas customer service APPALLING (it took SEVEN phone calls to get our direct debits taken out when we moved in!) and whilst I doubt EDF are much better, they certainly made the switch easy.

So in short, yes, I think they'll hike by around 7% for both leccy and gas in the first week of March. But it'll still be cheaper than British Gas (esp when you factor in the £180 of credit they gave us!) so I don't really give a hoot!

Gotzya

I have always had good service with them,even getting them to back down when they were insisting I needed to increase my direct debits (which I didn,t as it turned out,neither did I increase them), but they have just stopped the benefit of 'nectar points' so I suppose thatis a small increase already?

Ken68

The Big Freeze has probably paid for the recent EDF promotion, so now on a level playing field.
Am with Guy on this, not too near next winter as it will look opportunistic...so.

September 16th.

jbryce

EDF were the first to hike their prices, back in October. I don't know why they haven't been taken to task for their misleading advertising.

stolt

go on then i'll dabble in this


Announcement date: Friday 18 Feb
Price change: Gas up 7%, elec up 4%
Increase date: Tuesday 1 June


what do i know.... by the way i've just switched from E.On to EDF so EDF please be kind to me....