People that can't afford gas and electric

Mr_Ted

kelloggs36 wrote: »

I went into M and S the other day and was stopped by a man trying to get me to sign up to their energy. I told him that every time I do it, I end up cancelling it as when I sit down and compare the actual price (I don't carry around my tariff info with me) it is ALWAYS more with them. He assured me that this was not the case this time and promised he would save me money as their tariff would be cheaper. So, I signed up, went home, called up my supplier for the breakdown of tariff charges they were charging and did a comparison. Surprise, surprise, M and S were over £250 MORE EXPENSIVE than my current supplier so I immediately called them and cancelled it. It makes me really angry that companies bombard you with misleading information - I made it clear from the outset what my tariff name was and that he didn't have the figures with him as he only had the standard ones. I really don't understand how there can be so many tariffs for a product - when I want to use an appliance in my house, I plug it in and expect electricity to work it, so how can that cost different amounts within the same company? I can understand competition between companies, but within the same company does not make sense - unless it is of course to confuse the customer and hoodwink them into paying more than they need to. Surely a supplier can have a single tariff, they factor in their desired profits, and then charge the consumer. Why should it cost a different amount for the same product?

Totally agree

I have had numerous salesmen at my door, on the phone or been approached and I always get the same "we can save you money" and want to know our usage and who we are with, it sounds like a war zone between suppliers and it is!
But there is always one question I ask, "what is YOUR unit costs" and not one to date has been able to give me that information or send it to me???
WHY

Probably because they dont want the customer to actually know what they are going to be charged as it may be the customer will choose an option that does not have the same BONUS attached!!!

Much as if you go into a Bank and enqiure about a savings account they will always offer you the accounts that have Bank Charges attached and a Bonus for the seller, when there are very good Accounts such as ISA's that have no charges attached and they dont get a Bonus for!!!!
Again as I have previously stated, I know from experience, as i deliberately tested the fact, and the fact that I have an ex Bank employee relative who has told me how they operate!!!

NO ONE IS INTERESTED IN THE CUSTOMER THESE DAYS ONLY THERE OWN POCKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dude89

Mr_Ted wrote: »

Totally agree

I have had numerous salesmen at my door, on the phone or been approached and I always get the same "we can save you money" and want to know our usage and who we are with, it sounds like a war zone between suppliers and it is!
But there is always one question I ask, "what is YOUR unit costs" and not one to date has been able to give me that information or send it to me???
WHY

QUOTE]

I used to find doormen sales people the most laughable. One of their first lines used to be:

"Your direct debit should be £35 per month".

Now I would either go forward 1 of 2 ways depending on my mood:

1. I would just reply well thanks for that as I am only paying £25 per month at the moment so cheers for that.

2. Absolutley let rip about how they dont know what i use, how much i pay, what tariff i am on until the salesman scuttles away.

How i miss them days.

davidgmmafan

I don't really follow what the OP is getting at. Sure lots of people won't switch over the phone, and certainly not out of the blue. Perhaps they've been burned before? Perhaps they do change later but don't want to be nudged to do it there and then.

There are well documented issues within the industry that need to change, the plethora of tariffs being one, the general confusion marketing being another. Some things are complicated, like the way NPower charges the higher rate unites for gas or the way you convert cubic feet to Kwh's. However I think on some level the companies like this level of complexity because they know a certain percentage of customers will just put it to one side as they don't understand it.

If I can work out that one cubic foot on an imperial meter is about 32 Kwh's (its not exact but it will give you a ballpark figure) why is this never mentioned in the information they send out to explain stuff?

The main reason why I think the OP's point fails is many people HAVE switched and still been bitten by the massive price increases in recent years. Those who have NEVER switched before could make a decent saving but its a one off and they will get nailed later on.

ollski

Mr_Ted wrote: »

As I said in a previous post, we are all supposedly equal but the companies themselves create inequality due to ability, that is not fair!!!

Are you suggesting discounted rates for elderly and other vulnerable customers should be removed?. We are not all equal, not by a long shot and if you are capable of buying a product at a lower cost to your provider why shouldn't you benefit?

Ben84

Mr_Ted wrote: »

As I said in a previous post, we are all supposedly equal but the companies themselves create inequality due to ability, that is not fair!!!

Fairness isn't so much the issue here. I believe internet tariffs are cheaper because there are lower costs associated with advertising them, setting them up and maintaining them. Much less stuff to print and post and less staff too when more is done by a computer. Accessibility to lower prices is still an issue though.

Phils_debt

You got to love caller display and google ;when our phone rings a quick google of the number so we dont have to answer it

Ben84

Phils_debt wrote: »

You got to love caller display and google ;when our phone rings a quick google of the number so we dont have to answer it

The vast majority of unwanted calls I've had in the past were commercial calls, which you can opt out of with the telephone preference service at:

http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

It's not terribly well know or advertised, but unsolicited marketing callers from the UK are legally obliged not to call people who have registered with the TPS. Anyway, it has worked well for me. Asking cold callers to remove my number from their database unfortunately didn't work.