£60 cancellation charges with British Gas

roger56

Cardew, I think this issue here seems to be one of the way that BG gained the business by what appears to be hard selling by cold calling.
Cold callers are only interested in a sell. It is a dispicable way of gaining business, especially from people on low incomes whose aim is quite reasonably to minimise their expenditure on the basics of life. By the time the first bill comes round and things are seen to be wrong, the 14 day cooling off period is passed and nothing can be done.

Tapping in £200pa for gas and £150 for elec on the energy helpline website
shows Ebico as the cheapest supplier with estimated spend of £350pa (I selected Ebico as the current supplier).

BG green energy came out as £362 pa
BG click energy also came out at £362 pa
BG fix and fall 2 came out at an inflated £505 pa
BG Capped 2010 did not appear for whatever reason, but I doubt if it is much less than the fix and fall option.

So did BG really give the best deal? - Cardew, can you find a comparison including BG capped 2010, I and I'm sure other posters would be interested to see. BG on their web-site state their best deals are Click Energy and Fix and Fall 2, the comparison service shows two quite different costs (£362 or £505pa) with the example I've selected.

Ebico are simple, fair trade and not for profit with 1 tarriff for any payment method, no catches, no gimicks, no traps, to tie ins, no cold callers. People on low incomes with limited means need help and support to keep costs down, and especially elderly need consideration.

Cardew

roger56 wrote:

Cardew, I think this issue here seems to be one of the way that BG gained the business by what appears to be hard selling by cold calling.
Cold callers are only interested in a sell. It is a dispicable way of gaining business, especially from people on low incomes whose aim is quite reasonably to minimise their expenditure on the basics of life. By the time the first bill comes round and things are seen to be wrong, the 14 day cooling off period is passed and nothing can be done.

Tapping in £200pa for gas and £150 for elec on the energy helpline website
shows Ebico as the cheapest supplier with estimated spend of £350pa (I selected Ebico as the current supplier).

BG green energy came out as £362 pa
BG click energy also came out at £362 pa
BG fix and fall 2 came out at an inflated £505 pa
BG Capped 2010 did not appear for whatever reason, but I doubt if it is much less than the fix and fall option.

So did BG really give the best deal? - Cardew, can you find a comparison including BG capped 2010, I and I'm sure other posters would be interested to see. BG on their web-site state their best deals are Click Energy and Fix and Fall 2, the comparison service shows two quite different costs (£362 or £505pa) with the example I've selected.

Ebico are simple, fair trade and not for profit with 1 tarriff for any payment method, no catches, no gimicks, no traps, to tie ins, no cold callers. People on low incomes with limited means need help and support to keep costs down, and especially elderly need consideration.

I totally agree with you about the tactics of cold calling.

BG fixed to 2010 is now excellent value.
The only way to compare prices is to look at the tariff.

For Gas it is 3.013p/kWh(for first 1,143) then 2.113p/kWh - all including VAT

Obviously for Electricity it is regional but I in the Midlands pay 11.907/kWh(for first 225) then 7.157p/kWh which is about average.
The cheapest tier 2 price is 6.563p(East Midlands) and the most expensive is 7.992p(SWALEC) - all including VAT

Try to beat those prices now - with anyone.

So whoever got her on BG fixed to 2010 did her a favour(and got their commission) and the conditions do spell out a penalty for leaving early.

The culprit is whoever got her to leave BG.

So why the anger at BG?

roger56

Ebico charges:
2.55p per kWhr for all gas units inc VAT
9.32 to 11.35 per kWhr for all elec units inc VAT

so Ebico could be a bit cheaper if you are a low user, then BG will start to give a better price than Ebico for medium to high user.

Crazydaisy, I hope this info helps you sort the issue out.
Thanks Cardew

Cardew

roger56 wrote:

Ebico charges:
2.55p per kWhr for all gas units inc VAT
9.32 to 11.35 per kWhr for all elec units inc VAT

so Ebico could be a bit cheaper if you are a low user, then BG will start to give a better price than Ebico for medium to high user.

Crazydaisy, I hope this info helps you sort the issue out.
Thanks Cardew

You would have to be a very low user for Ebico to show any advantage and as the OP's parents are at home all day that hardly seems likely. Also with BG you get dual fuel discount and can have paperless billing.
If you use more than approx 9,000kWh of gas and 1,800kWh electricity annually BG would be cheaper now.

Also with that BG tariff you will not get any price increase for another three and a half years. I wonder what Ebico and the other companies will be charging then?

My point is that these cold calling salesmen are employed by agencies not the Utility companies.

Whilst not defending the salesman who originally sold the BG 2010 tariff, it has turned out to be an excellent deal. I had several letters telling me that I was to go on that tariff, and was now on the tariff. All of these letters spelt out the cancellation charges. This was not in small print, but in a largish box.


All of the invective is directed at BG, who have done absolutely nothing wrong as far as I can see.

tripled

roger56 - the reason price protection 2010 doesn't show up is becuase it is an old tariff no longer available, since it was withdrawn bg has put their prices up twice, as have most other comapnies.

*edit: ok energyhelpline list the tariff, a few stats from them:
for the average user (20500kwh gas, 3900 kwh ele) in the Swalec region if you switch from price protection 2010 the next cheapest tariff - npower online - is £85 per year more expensive, the nearest standard tariff - equipower- is well over a hundred pounds more. It is also £302 per annum cheaper than bg's standard variable tarrif.