SSE to lower Gas prices tomorrow

oldwiring

and received email today, that my complaint has been passed to director level.

Cardew

oldwiring wrote: »

and received email today, that my complaint has been passed to director level.

Keep us informed please.

oldwiring

Here is the taxt of an email received today
Dear...

Thank you for your email dated 13 March. The Director of Customer Service, Tony Keeling, has asked me to look into this matter and write to you.

I appreciate the concerns you have raised over the timing of our price decrease. I hope it will help if I explain that, technically, we were unable to implement two price changes within the same quarter. Therefore, as we had already increased our prices on 1 January we could not arrange for a pro rata price decrease for 1 March/1 April. However, we took the decision to put the new lower prices in place as quickly as possible and thus avoid further delays of another full quarter. Whilst not ideal we wanted our customers to benefit from the new prices as soon as we could. In the meantime we will, of course, give individual consideration to any concerns raised by our customers about the price change.

I would like to assure you that we remain the most competitively priced dual fuel supplier in the UK and are determined to maintain our excellent levels of customer service. If there is anything further we can do to help please let us know.

Yours sincerely

It is not what we hoped but at least the matter is clarified. I wonder if customers can force a bill out of the normal sequence?

Cardew

oldwiring wrote: »

Here is the taxt of an email received today
Dear...

Thank you for your email dated 13 March. The Director of Customer Service, Tony Keeling, has asked me to look into this matter and write to you.

I appreciate the concerns you have raised over the timing of our price decrease. I hope it will help if I explain that, technically, we were unable to implement two price changes within the same quarter. Therefore, as we had already increased our prices on 1 January we could not arrange for a pro rata price decrease for 1 March/1 April. However, we took the decision to put the new lower prices in place as quickly as possible and thus avoid further delays of another full quarter. Whilst not ideal we wanted our customers to benefit from the new prices as soon as we could. In the meantime we will, of course, give individual consideration to any concerns raised by our customers about the price change.

I would like to assure you that we remain the most competitively priced dual fuel supplier in the UK and are determined to maintain our excellent levels of customer service. If there is anything further we can do to help please let us know.

Yours sincerely

It is not what we hoped but at least the matter is clarified. I wonder if customers can force a bill out of the normal sequence?

Thanks for this.

I may be thick but I am still totally unclear why this is happening.

Firstly I cannot accept that a computer program cannot be written to change prices weekly if required. 'Technical Reasons' seem something of a lame excuse to me.

There is still going to be unacceptable injustices in the system.

As I understand it if I had a bill on 02 January 2007 and get a bill on 02 April I will start paying the new lower rate from 03 April.

However if you get a bill on 31 March 2007 you won't get a bill until 30 June and you will be paying at the old higher rate until the. i.e. you will be paying at the old higher rate for 3 months more than I.

That is frankly a disgrace. More so because the vast majority of their customers will not be aware they are(frankly) being scammed.

If for 'technical reasons' they can't have 2 price changes in a quarter(which I don't accept) Why can't they produce bills for everyone on the 2nd April or estimate a reading on the 2nd April and charge for old and new rates pro-rata.

I have never ever heard of a tariff where existing customers will move to a new rate on dates up to 3 months apart; or I would cynically suggest even longer than that period.

They know full well that this 'scam' is too technical for the majority of their existing customers to understand. If I were a customer I would report them to the Regulator.

P.S.
"In the meantime we will, of course, give individual consideration to any concerns raised by our customers about the price change."

That means if you catch on to our scam, we will change it for you; but we know the vast majority won't catch on.

Imagine the outcry if the wicked BG acted like that!!!!

oldwiring

Cardew, when I posted the reply, it was late and thr tired old brain was disengaging, but, yes, you are right. Technicla problems are no reasons for not acting equitably. They could make adjustments: they did when the issue of a short period bill followed by one in normal time caused the wrong no of higher rate units to be charged on my account. The fact that I was a one-off and they will have a lot to deal with is their problem not mine or yours. ???Time to take it further???

rosscobley

I dont know what is going on with the price decrease but i know that the billing system they use will only be updated once every 3 month and that they can only change 10 things in one go. All i can advise is that you have a reading around the time of the price decrease and when you get your next bill call them and discuss an adjustment. I know its not the best way but i think the price decrease court everyone out. Staff did'nt know until the day before. Im sure they will be fair if you call the call centre and speck to an adviser

Cardew

rosscobley wrote: »

I dont know what is going on with the price decrease but i know that the billing system they use will only be updated once every 3 month and that they can only change 10 things in one go. All i can advise is that you have a reading around the time of the price decrease and when you get your next bill call them and discuss an adjustment. I know its not the best way but i think the price decrease court everyone out. Staff did'nt know until the day before. Im sure they will be fair if you call the call centre and speck to an adviser

I think you are missing the point we were trying to make.

The vast majority of people simply do not get down to this detail on their billing. It even took some time for us 'anoraks' to work it out, and that required correspondence by oldwiring to find out.

Customers will have seen that prices for existing users are to drop on 01 April and take that at face value. What they will not appreciate is for some existing users all gas/electricity they use up to 30th June, or even later, will be charged at the old higher rate.They won't find that out(even if they notice) until after then.

It is a tried and tested procedure to estimate consumption before and after a price change. They do this all the time when prices rise; why can't they do it when prices fall?

It is simply a scam to grab extra money off unsuspecting customers. As said previously, they may get away with it as they have 'explained' it in a letter.
(I use the term 'explained' in its loosest possible connotation as none of us were sure what it meant!)

Cagey

Cardew wrote: »

Thanks for this.

I may be thick but I am still totally unclear why this is happening.

Firstly I cannot accept that a computer program cannot be written to change prices weekly if required. 'Technical Reasons' seem something of a lame excuse to me.

There is still going to be unacceptable injustices in the system.

As I understand it if I had a bill on 02 January 2007 and get a bill on 02 April I will start paying the new lower rate from 03 April.

However if you get a bill on 31 March 2007 you won't get a bill until 30 June and you will be paying at the old higher rate until the. i.e. you will be paying at the old higher rate for 3 months more than I.

That is frankly a disgrace. More so because the vast majority of their customers will not be aware they are(frankly) being scammed.

If for 'technical reasons' they can't have 2 price changes in a quarter(which I don't accept) Why can't they produce bills for everyone on the 2nd April or estimate a reading on the 2nd April and charge for old and new rates pro-rata.

I have never ever heard of a tariff where existing customers will move to a new rate on dates up to 3 months apart; or I would cynically suggest even longer than that period.

They know full well that this 'scam' is too technical for the majority of their existing customers to understand. If I were a customer I would report them to the Regulator.

P.S.
"In the meantime we will, of course, give individual consideration to any concerns raised by our customers about the price change."

That means if you catch on to our scam, we will change it for you; but we know the vast majority won't catch on.

Imagine the outcry if the wicked BG acted like that!!!!

You say if you were a customer. If you are not a customer why are you getting your knickers in a twist.

I am a customer & am just happy that they held off last years increases as long as possible & can live the fact that it has caused them a problem adjusting their bills. I have no idea if I am a winner or loser as far as bill due is concerned but I have had no problems with them in all the time I have been with them & am willing to give them the benifit of the doubt in this instance.

Cardew

Cagey wrote: »

You say if you were a customer. If you are not a customer why are you getting your knickers in a twist.

I am a customer & am just happy that they held off last years increases as long as possible & can live the fact that it has caused them a problem adjusting their bills. I have no idea if I am a winner or loser as far as bill due is concerned but I have had no problems with them in all the time I have been with them & am willing to give them the benifit of the doubt in this instance.

Everyone is a loser with them in this situation. Its just that some will lose more than others.

If being a customer is the criteria for commenting adversely on a company, perhaps you should tell Martin that he mustn’t expose any scams on this forum.

I also note that you have been scathing in your criticism of BG, Scottish Power, Southern Electricity and others on this forum. So presumably you feel justified in getting your ‘knickers in a twist’ with all the other utility companies, but nobody must expose or criticise a company that finds favour with you.

I further note you are gracious enough to admit you have “no idea” on winners or losers; May I suggest it might have been more constructive if you bothered to find out that information, rather than springing to the defence of the company on the grounds you have faith in them; and are prepared to give them the 'benifit(sic) of the doubt'. Although you haven't defined that 'doubt'.

Cagey

Glad to see you noted the few posts I have made on this site. I don`t think I had scathing criticism of these suppliers I just responded to requests for thoughts on them.
I do not wish to spend time trying to find out how much I may be losing out on whether my bill is due in April or June as I am just happy that my bill was kept as low as possible for as long as possible & it would serve me no benifit to try to change supplier now.