Any Experience with Co-op Energy?

Resnam

Hi
We are being canvassed in our letters from the Midlands Co-operative Society to switch to them for gas and electricity. Has anyone experience with the Co-op as energy suppliers please. Thanks
David Manser

Fairzo

Just switched - or at least I think I have. The switch date was 3rd October but have had no request for final meter readings. Emailed but no reply. Initial thoughts are that Co-op customer service is not particularly good and I'm seriously considering switching straight back to Ovo.

macman

The only consideration that applies is if they are any cheaper than your existing supplier-which a comp site will tell you in seconds.

veggieblob

I switched recently. They were not quite the cheapest but their customer care and response on the telephone has been great and I took other things than price into consideration. My request for meter reading came through by email fine.

roddydogs

Yes, only been with them 1 month, and they've just announced a Price Rise!, surpised I havent noticed any posts on this yet.

meggsy

roddydogs wrote: »

Yes, only been with them 1 month, and they've just announced a Price Rise!, surpised I havent noticed any posts on this yet.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3517017=

Still cheaper for me than npower (hopefully I will have lower blood pressure as well)

I emailed them and received a reply the following day, all fine so far

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3322700

Fairzo

harrowing. wrote: »

So they are better and nicer at keeping you informed on how they are screwing you just like the rest of the utility industry.

Or not in my case.

Stuart_W

macman wrote: »

The only consideration that applies is if they are any cheaper than your existing supplier-which a comp site will tell you in seconds.

This is where I will disagree with you.

Are they the cheapest in my area for my usage, according to a price comparison site? No.

However, I've been down that road, and to date have experienced

- inaccurate billing which Eon refused to correct, and just kept sending a meter reader round on a regular basis (weekly for a few months)

- total lies from a Scottish Power salesperson outside Sainsburys, which lead to my switch being reversed as they couldn't provide me with the deal I'd signed up to

- British Gas making a right pig's ear of trying to bill on the wrong meter and wanting me to prove I wasn't using the energy from the meter connected to the downstairs flat underneath ours.

- Powergen refusing to either refund my significant credit balance OR reduce my monthly payment (since discovered this is illegal but didn't know that back then)

How difficult is it to bill properly?
How difficult is it to take the amount you say you will, when you say you will?
How difficult is it to answer the phone?

I've been a Co-op Energy customer since their pre-launch sign up last December and have received accurate bills, payments taken on time for the right amount, always got through quickly if I've needed to call. Very happy with the service. Even get divi points for submitting my meter read each month!

I personally would recommend them. They do exactly what they claim, and that's all I want from an energy supplier.

Troff

Inputted my Annual KWh consumption figures and they came out £324 pa more expensive than my present supplier. Either their calculator is not working properly or they are a very expensive utility company. The £324 did not include the £33 pa divi. I am presently paying £63 per month for gas and electricity on a fixed contract through until 2012.

Ben84

macman wrote: »

The only consideration that applies is if they are any cheaper than your existing supplier-which a comp site will tell you in seconds.

Customer service matters too! Some of my experiences with cheaper suppliers (ISPs and telephone companies being the worst) have not been worth the hoped for savings. Either extra unexpected costs devoured the savings and/or troubles with unreliable service and poor customer support ended up causing more problems than I felt the savings were worth. I now buy services from companies I trust (some are the cheapest I know of, but not all are) and I am just happy for things to work most the time, cost what I expect and to have some kind of resolution if there ever is a problem.

kar999

harrowing. wrote: »

So they are better and nicer at keeping you informed on how they are screwing you just like the rest of the utility industry.

They're not screwing me. It depends where you live and your consumption. I got the highest "guaranteed" cashback going for a single fuel switch - £50 discount off first bill when Scottish power put up my electricity by 40% in the summer. I've also banked 4 months of significant savings before thier new prices kick in

They were bound to put up their prices, like all the others, but even post increase the comparison sites still show the Coop is the cheapest for me except for OVO fixed which is £17 cheaper but with a £30 exit penalty. But I woouldn't be getting Coop Divi which earning me c. £12-£15. A few of the big six's many tarifs were within just a couple of quid but not worth the bother or had too many strings attached as I definitely dont want to fix or have any exit penalties.