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Age Concern and Powergen
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Someone I know received a letter and brochure from Age Concern Energy Services explaining that Age Concern had teamed up with Powergen to provide a Gas and Electricity Package.
The letter and brochure were couched in terms that imply these are special prices that are only available for the elderly. There is a ‘package’ of additional benefits of bulbs, carbon monoxide detectors and a hypothermia thermometer as well as “2 hours free gas fire heating per day”.
The claimed savings were up to £78 per year.
Anyone who wishes to find out the exact details and tariff can ring the number Age Concern give out - 0800 015 2491. Powergen will answer.
On checking I found the tariffs to be some of the highest on the market(there are sufficient experts on this site to confirm my findings) and, as the Powergen operator conceded, considerably higher than other schemes Powergen themselves operate.
I wrote to Age Concern objecting to the wording of the literature which led the less well informed to believe that Age Concern had negotiated with Powergen an unbeatable deal for the elderly. The truth being that there are a host of cheaper schemes available.
The reply from Age Concern I consider to be one of most disingenuous I have seen from a Charity. A few extracts are:
]"The £78 savings are against British Gas quarterly cash/cheque unrestricted dual fuel tariff for 20,500kWh gas and 3,300kWh electricity. Savings include VAT and may vary according to payment method, region and consumption."
"The Cold Weather Payment for 2 extra hours of gas fire heating was (the princely sum of) £9.66 including VAT for the whole of 2004"
"At no time have we claimed that Age Concern Energy Services is the lowest price deal."
Perhaps most telling of all was the statement:
]"In addition, for every customer who switches to the Age Concern Energy Services scheme, Powergen will make an annual contribution to Age Concern to support our charitable work."
I for one am extremely disappointed that a respected charitable organisation would lend their name to a cynical marketing exercise by Powergen. I have no idea how much Powergen contribute to Age Concern’s coffers, but any monies surely come from the excess profits they make from the pensioners Age Concern are committed to help.
The letter and brochure were couched in terms that imply these are special prices that are only available for the elderly. There is a ‘package’ of additional benefits of bulbs, carbon monoxide detectors and a hypothermia thermometer as well as “2 hours free gas fire heating per day”.
The claimed savings were up to £78 per year.
Anyone who wishes to find out the exact details and tariff can ring the number Age Concern give out - 0800 015 2491. Powergen will answer.
On checking I found the tariffs to be some of the highest on the market(there are sufficient experts on this site to confirm my findings) and, as the Powergen operator conceded, considerably higher than other schemes Powergen themselves operate.
I wrote to Age Concern objecting to the wording of the literature which led the less well informed to believe that Age Concern had negotiated with Powergen an unbeatable deal for the elderly. The truth being that there are a host of cheaper schemes available.
The reply from Age Concern I consider to be one of most disingenuous I have seen from a Charity. A few extracts are:
]"The £78 savings are against British Gas quarterly cash/cheque unrestricted dual fuel tariff for 20,500kWh gas and 3,300kWh electricity. Savings include VAT and may vary according to payment method, region and consumption."
"The Cold Weather Payment for 2 extra hours of gas fire heating was (the princely sum of) £9.66 including VAT for the whole of 2004"
"At no time have we claimed that Age Concern Energy Services is the lowest price deal."
Perhaps most telling of all was the statement:
]"In addition, for every customer who switches to the Age Concern Energy Services scheme, Powergen will make an annual contribution to Age Concern to support our charitable work."
I for one am extremely disappointed that a respected charitable organisation would lend their name to a cynical marketing exercise by Powergen. I have no idea how much Powergen contribute to Age Concern’s coffers, but any monies surely come from the excess profits they make from the pensioners Age Concern are committed to help.
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Comments
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That's strange - I was just changing my gas/elec over the other week and found that PowerGen Age Concern was the cheapest for me! (Usage of 20,000KW). Must be the region etc.
Amusingly a British Gas sales muppet came knocking just 5 minutes after I converted - and I had great pleasure telling him which companies I'd converted to... He was stuck for words - knew he couldn't beat the cheapest on the market! (And with £20 cashback too!).0 -
Take care with this tariff. It only works if your consumption is low. I haven't read the details too much as being 31 it really doesn't apply.
I know this, my parents looked at it, as they are on the aged side - and bearing in mind that my dear old Dad would rather not change anything unless he absolutely has to. he has never changed suppliers or tariffs. However, this interested him but when he looked in to it in detail he realised that he would be not better off.
Also, my aged Aunt and Uncles did switch. Now my Aunt is a cold woman (physically, not emotionally - she is a lovely old girl) and tends to run everything non stop. Hence she has Gas and Electricity bills of doom! Powergen reviewed he case after so many months - and then announced that as she was using so many of those little ol electrons they were going to raise her charges as per small print. Her new charges were higher than what she had originally been paying.
I stepped in at this point, used the "uswitch.com" website and was able to transfer her to a genuine decent tariff for her needs. she still pays a fortune, but less than before - but there is no way she is going to turn anything off - ever!
It's a tariff that can work, but watch the small print. The charges ain't great - I think the attraction os the stability they offer. It's ok for some I guess but its more gimick than anything else.0 -
from the sounds of it your getting age concern confused with staywarm.Beware the green?0
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loon wrote:from the sounds of it your getting age concern confused with staywarm.
I take it you mean the previous poster and not myself!
Although the terminology of Age Concern's literature might easily lead someone to think it is a similar scheme to Staywarm as the emphasis is on a special deal for pensioners - Hypothermia Thermometer indeed!
I checked out tariffs today for Age Concern Energy Services and Powergen’s on line dual fuel. I live in the Midlands. All prices include VAT
Gas
Age Concern - Standing Charge £18.96pa - 1.709p per unit
Powergen - Standing Charge £45.99pa – 1.63p per unit
Electricity
Age Concern - Standing Charge £41.08pa – 6.962p per unit
Powergen - Standing Charge £36.71pa – 5.89p per unit
On age concern there are discounts of £22.50pa for Direct Debit and Powergen have discounts of £43pa for Direct Debit, On-line and one bill.
So with the exception of the gas standing charge, everything is a higher cost on Age Concern's tariff than on the other Powergen tariff. I really cannot think of any realistic combination of energy consumption where Age Concern would work out cheaper than Powergen - let alone other suppliers.0 -
I changed to this tariff at the end of last year after NPower hiked their prices and it seemed to have lowered the bill a bit difficult to tell realy as I have only had one and that was not a full quarter and just as I was getting used to it Powergen have just hiked their prices too :mad: so I am now off to Swalec until they do the same.
Still at least the low energy lamps will come in handy!
If more people moved everytime that these greedy companys raised there prices maybe they would learn that rise in price = loss of customers.
And maybe we would get some longer term stability in the price of energy.
IMHO I think that privatising these industrys was a bad move as they now have to make a profit for their share holders at the expense of their customers.
BTW this tarff is open to all not just pensioners I am 48.
Keep saving, M.0 -
As Powergen have a higher tariff for Age Concern than their other tariffs, I would think they would welcome anybody of any age.
All private companies exist to make a profit for their shareholders - nothing new there.
It is Age Concern 'selling' their support to Powergen for a poor value scheme that is the concern.Robert0 -
Age Concern is the cheapest for me, so I rang and asked the obvious question - do you have to be a pensioner?
They said not, but told me they would ring back, then didn't.
I called again and asked for a quote. They sent me a quote for another dearer tariff.
I called again, and they promised to send the correct quote. They haven't.
It all makes me wonder whether this tariff is just a gimmick to get you to call, so they can then get you on another dearer one.
I've had this problem with powergen before, quoting one price then signing me up for a dearer one.0 -
Age Concern is the cheapest for me, so I rang and asked the obvious question - do you have to be a pensioner?
They said not, but told me they would ring back, then didn't.
I called again and asked for a quote. They sent me a quote for another dearer tariff.
I called again, and they promised to send the correct quote. They haven't.
It all makes me wonder whether this tariff is just a gimmick to get you to call, so they can then get you on another dearer one.
I've had this problem with powergen before, quoting one price then signing me up for a dearer one
Getting in contact with powergen is a real pain they keep you hanging on the phone for ages and their best tariff is the online tariff but if you are already one of their customers they will not put you on it!!!! DOH!!!
so Im off to swalec till the end of june and then I'll be back on the online tariff after that!! if it is still competitive then.
Cheers, M.0 -
jack_pott wrote:Age Concern is the cheapest for me, so I rang and asked the obvious question - do you have to be a pensioner?
Can you please explain how(with tariffs) it is cheapest for you. (not Staywarm)
When I checked even Powergen had cheaper tariffs and Age Concern apparently admit to this.Robert0 -
Robert5988 wrote:Can you please explain.
Dunno. I've just used uswitch.com. They're usually reliable. They're quoting powergen and npower prices correctly, but I haven't phoned round to see if all the other suppliers prices are accurate.
My consumption is 3000kWh elec, 13000kWh gas, in Essex/eastern area.
My problem is the feeling that the age concern tariff doesn'ty really exist. It's as if it's a fictitious tariff just to hook customers onto a more expensive one.0
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