Beware price comparison sites

Andysm_2

We switched our gas and electric back in September from Ebico to NPower as according to the comparison sites we would save over a £100.00 and as we thought luck would have it we fixed until 2013 just beating the price rises thinking we had saved evenmore.
But all is not as it reads we have today got our first winter bill from Npower the cost for 4087 kwh of gas at pre increase prices is £272.80, the cost at todays price from EBICO would be £186.90 where do the comparison sites get the information from and how can they get away showing savings that don't exist

rogerblack

You're comparing savings now, as compared to savings in September.
The savings sites clearly can't predict the future!

Did the site provide the correct rate for the supplier you were switching to?
Did you check your existing rate was correct?

foreversummer

It is also very important that you put your up-to-date usage figures into the comparison site and not your current direct debit amount. Maybe you did, but I think that trips a lot of folk up.

dogshome

That £100 saving with n'power is accounted for by their Cash-back credit after you have been with them for a year, but to qualify you have to have made 12 consecutive D/Debit payments in the previous 12 months - change supplier before then and you lose it

Your monthly D/D's are geared to collect the value of the Cash-back credit from you over a year, so it's only till you have been with them for a year and got the credit, that n'powers billing is cheaper than Ebico

No Standing Charge tariffs operate by chargeing a fixed number of Kwh a year at a higher price, whilst most suppliers evenly ration these out over the year, n'power are unique in chargeing more in Winter than in Summer.

In essence, to make that £100 saving you are locked into n'power for at least a year and suffering Winter high bills

Andysm_2

When we switched I put in the full usage figures that we had for 12 months from EBICO so I know that these were correct, also, we never pay by monthly direct debit but quarterly direct bebit on receipt of the bill.

As the difference in price on just one bill is £94.66 does this mean that all future bills from Npower pre October price increase will be cheaper I don't think so, how can Npower be cheaper over 12 months if we have 9months to go on their contract.

When we switched in September it was on Npowers fixed price until 2013 so by comparing prices now I should be saving even more.

I still think it is a con and that Npower must be paying the comparison sites.