Scottish Power retrospective price rise

downshifter

I changed to SP in the autumn and budgeted really carefully for the electricity I use (I can't get gas so am stuck with electricity and oil - clobbered all ways it seems) but have just received an email saying the electricity is going up by nearly 10% but retrospectively back to November. I knew what I was using at the time and as it was so absolutely totally freezing before Xmas, used quite a lot - though not a lot by many peoples standards, only heating one room etc, - but put the money aside for it. Now I'm told, not in advance, but in arrears, that I should have budgeted for more. I feel desperate about all these rises, - petrol, oil, now electricity. Even logs have gone up. Is there anything we can do? I feel so depressed about it all, and really desperate. At least if I dig a hole 6ft down and bury myself it will be warmer and cheaper. I really don't think I can go on with all of this. I can't afford to stay in and can't afford to go out.

I want to say surely they can't put prices up retrospectively, but presumably they can as they have. The only option they offer is to change supplier but I'm sure they're all the same. Why is gas going up 2% but electricity by nearly 10?

Sorry, rhetorical questions really, but things really are desperate now.

Rant over.

DS

MarkyMarkD

If you start the process to switch to a new supplier immediately upon receiving notification of an increase, you can notify your supplier that you do not accept the increase in rate and they have to switch you back to the old rate until you leave them.

So, go to a price comparison site, find the cheapest supplier for you now, and start the switch.

Even if the new supplier is only a few pence cheaper, it's worth it because you avoid the retrospective increase for (by the time you have switched) around 3 months.

uptomyeyeballs

I thought this price rise email was strange as well. Price went up in November, email was sent in mid January. For a minute I thought SP had raised their prices again, but it was the same one.

MarkyMarkD

I'm pretty sure that they send them out late because most people don't realise that they can get the increase reversed. So maybe 90% of people pay the higher price through the winter, whilst 10% cancel and get it rebated.

macman

They have to inform you within I think 50 days of the increase. However, all the increases were widely reported both on MSE and in the national media.
Edit: Premier is correct, it's 65 days.

Cardew

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3017034

Premier_2

downshifter wrote: »

...I want to say surely they can't put prices up retrospectively, but presumably they can as they have.

That is correct, they can. They have up to 65 working days to notify you.

downshifter wrote: »

The only option they offer is to change supplier but I'm sure they're all the same.

That is incorrect. Use a comparison site to see the huge range of costs the same electricity can cost. Who knows, you might be able to save a bob or two?

downshifter

Premier wrote: »

That is correct, they can. They have up to 65 working days to notify you.


That is incorrect. Use a comparison site to see the huge range of costs the same electricity can cost. Who knows, you might be able to save a bob or two?

I did that just a few months ago and changed but it wasn't exactly hassle free so am not inclined to do it again in a hurry - do people really change every few months? I thought the benefits were only worth it the first time you switched.