People on a fixed tariff complaining

osborn99

Sorry if this has been said but I feel the need to get it off my chest. You see them on tv, they escaped the 15% rise last time but when the prices drop they complain even though they are still getting the cheaper prices than those on flexible.

These people are un-be-li-va-ble

HappyMJ

I'm on a fixed tariff...I am not complaining. Who locks into a fixed rate just after a price rise anyway? I locked in a month before the price rise. Even with the 5% fall in prices my tariff is still cheaper.

ellanutella

Not everyone escaped the price rises last time. I fixed mine after, paying a 5% premium thinking it was a good idea because they were bound to go up again before Christmas....

first and last time I fix them! Was a stupid time to fix but I'm new to this utilities lark.

Cardew

It is worth seeing the penalty for leaving, and comparing that with potential savings. £50 or £100 for leaving might be much less than potential savings, - or it might not!!!!

Taking a fixed tariff is always a gamble, but you must be prepared to accept that you might have gambled incorrectly and have to 'cut and run'.

kittyJ_2

i fixed i know the risk and not complaining

but you are right i shouted at the tv when i saw them it was their choice to fix and now they are moaning but they wouldn't if it went up silly people and the news for letting them moan about it on TV

jalexa

ellanutella wrote: »

first and last time I fix them! Was a stupid time to fix but I'm new to this utilities lark.

You are right about your timing.

IMO it makes sense to "fix" before the winter season. The current decrease takes effect after the peak winter months and not every supplier is (yet) decreasing gas prices.

I hope you will think again about all the benefits of fixing. One of which is peace of mind. I'm fixed until 2014 and definately not complaining.

macman

Seconded. Fixing is about insuring against future rises-not necessarily getting the cheapest tariff now.

ollski

Punters are great aren't they?, I remember the last time there was a price drop in the spring and all the news managed to find was people moaning about why they hadn't done it for the winter.

kondormid

Smoke and mirrors if you ask me. They put up the customers price by 20%, then the wholesale gas prices fall by 27% from the peak and we get a 5% discount.
So if our gas bill was £1000 a year ago, first it rose to £1200. Then the wholesale price became 27% cheaper and somehow we still end up paying £1140.

Never mind people on fixed tarrifs not being happy, why has everyone else got a smile on their face when they are paying more for something that costs less?

When a supermarket raises its prices just so it can crop a minimum amount off later we all know we are being ripped off. Do some people not know how to add up or something?

Can't they see we are paying 14% more for it, yet the companies are paying roughly the same as what they were before the wholesale prices started to rise?

ollski

But wholesale gas and electric prices are only part of the cost aren't they?

kondormid

Remember that line ollski, save it for when they put the prices up claiming it is due to wholesale prices.

I promise you this discount has not come out of the goodness of their hearts. Look at E-on for example, who today announced 6% off Electricity. The fact they had put Electric prices up by 20% in the last 12 months doesn't get mentioned. The fact they put Gas prices up by 21% certainly doesn't as they are not even discounting that.

And just look at how they hand out these discounts, compared to when they rise. Every single rise last year was "Gas AND Electric" at the same time, yet the discount is Gas OR Electric. Not one single company is offering a discount on both, and which you get seems to be totally the luck of the draw. So it is not even a full 5% cut unless you happen to be all electric and dropped by random chance on the correct company. You could get nothing if you picked the wrong one.