utility switch scam

uSwitch_company_representative

rogsax wrote: »

I followed the advice on MSE to beat the impending gas price jumps. Decided to use Uswitch dual fuel with the free case of wine.
First Gas bill in March showed a price hike of 234% from what I paid per KWhr last year!

The complex tarrifs by shippers are obviously way more complicated than the simple comparison the Uswitch does. Whole thing is a con.

I'm sure Uswitch have made a nice commission on my switch as has MSE. And I get to pay over £100 more for gas than last year (even though I used less gas!)

I emailed Uswitch without reply and MSE email just gives an automated reply.

Be very wary of these deals. And still no wine!

Hi,

If you'd like me to look into this please feel free to drop me an email at the address in my profile.

I will need your consumption details and the name of the tariff you switched from and the tariff you switched to.

As the other posters have mentioned, things like seasonality and two-tier tariffs do make a big difference for your bills. It's also worth checking if the bill is based on a real meter reading or an estimated one.

Thanks

Lauren

elektra

rogsax wrote: »

Just for your info JasX, complete annual energy expenditure figures were plugged into USwitch and the comparison I made fully evaluated before I posted. I presume you are rather bored to spend time on a forum insulting people's intelligence and making pretty obvious statements of how something works.

I am not interested in a debate and do not require a second opinion of my analysis, but am purely highlighting that the USwitch comparison is not infallible.

You said yourself, you appeared to put in expenditure figures rather than usage figures.

As a newbie, please accept that people were posting here to help you which they could have done more if you had posted the info asked for.

Mrs_Arcanum

Would always say check the prices suggested by the comparison site by a direct check on the suppliers website. It is very rare the comparison site will say someone is already on the best tariff with their current supplier as the switching process is how they make money. You can still use the switching site for actually managing the switch and getting the offer you want. However by comparing directly you do get a more realistic idea of the switch cost.

t0rt0ise

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

It is very rare the comparison site will say someone is already on the best tariff with their current supplier as the switching process is how they make money.

Rubbish! If I use the uSwitch now it tells me that there is no better deal for me. All the current deals are more expensive than the tariff I'm on. It's not in their interests to fix anything. They tell it like it is.

System

[QUOTE=rogsax;42189696

Be very wary of these deals. And still no wine![/QUOTE]

ive just used uswitch for moving suppliers,as long as you entered the correct data there shouldnt be a problem .i used my current suppliers estimate of what i will use next year and it came out i could potentially save £370 by switching.
i believe the wine is sent 90 days after the completed switch.

Mrs_Arcanum

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Rubbish! If I use the uSwitch now it tells me that there is no better deal for me. All the current deals are more expensive than the tariff I'm on. It's not in their interests to fix anything. They tell it like it is.

They still make their money from people switching though! Would not be able to run the site otherwise.

Would be interesting to check other switching sites for their results.

nomoneytoday

Maybe the original supplier would have cost £200 per annum more as their prices rose too?

The cost per unit is available for both suppliers, as is their current price, which with your annual KwH useage will give you an accurate number

molerat

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

They still make their money from people switching though! Would not be able to run the site otherwise.

Would be interesting to check other switching sites for their results.

It tells me the cheapest available is £140 pa dearer and the other sites come up with the same figures within a few pence. The biggest problem is the user, !!!! in !!!! out.

Richie-from-the-Boro

The last time the O/P logged on to the forum was a half hour after 22-03-2011 10:51 PM, so s/he read JasX's #4 and hasn't reappeard since.;)

JasX

CHRISSYG wrote: »

ive just used uswitch for moving suppliers,as long as you entered the correct data there shouldnt be a problem .i used my current suppliers estimate of what i will use next year and it came out i could potentially save £370 by switching.
i believe the wine is sent 90 days after the completed switch.

you on the other hand should be careful CHRISSYG, your best bet is to use ACTUAL readings on what you've used over the course of a year, some companies deliberately bump up their 'estimates' so they can charge you more for no real reason at all *ahem* *npower for one* the two effects being

1- You're making a skewed comparison based not on actual useage figures but fanciful ones your energy provider wants to take elevated DDs against

2- by overestimating your useage the 'savings' total will be exaggerated too. if nothin else this skew's the effect of the value of cashback on the comparison (which is often fixed)