Southern Electric offering me Fixed Discount

JennyW_2

during a live chat session with SE, they suggested their Fixed Discount April 2014.

It's basically 2% less than the standard variable that I'm currently on then 7% off with the paperless billing/DD payments.

£50 exit fee should I decide to leave.

Energy prices are constantly changing, but our cheapest energy tariff, Fixed Discount April 2014, guarantees you a 2% discount off our Standard Energy rates until 2014 – regardless of whether prices go up or down during that period.

So if prices go up or down, is this tariff worth moving to? If it's 2% less than the standard, why not just automatically move people over to this? :think:

I'm happy with SE, I think they have great cust service so want to stay with them.

ic

JennyW wrote: »

So if prices go up or down, is this tariff worth moving to? If it's 2% less than the standard, why not just automatically move people over to this? :think:

If they go up yes, if they go down by more than the discount, no. It will always be a gamble. I personally chose to take a fixed tariff last year that would last till 2014 as I felt prices would continue to rise - its seems the only way is up these days. I won't be surprised when the news announces a round of "shock" rises ahead of winter later this year...

They could never move people on to these tariffs automatically due to the £50 lock in. However the argument always will be they should do a better job of advising the options. The information is always available over the phone or online if people ask. Comparisons such as Uswitch will include the tariff in their results.

JennyW_2

oooh, it's so tricky isn't it. It always worries me going into a fixed.

This is what they say about their fixed for 2 years:

By signing up for our Fixed Price Plan we will fix your energy prices for two years. You'll pay no more for your electricity as prices will be fixed at today's standard energy rates. Your gas prices will be fixed at just 4.5% more than our current standard gas prices, but you’ll get the peace of mind of knowing your energy prices will be fixed for two years. And you can still save 7% by paying by monthly Direct Debit and choosing paperless billing.

jalexa

JennyW wrote: »

I'm happy with SE, I think they have great cust service so want to stay with them.

Perhaps you should think again. They are trying, and possibly succeeding, in conning (certainly confusing) their loyal customer.

I think it is disgusting that a (self-styled) "great customer sevice" supplier should continue with this misleading "fixed discount":eek: subterfuge.

"Fixed Discount":eek: is not "Fixed Price"

tinkle

jalexa wrote: »

Perhaps you should think again. They are trying, and possibly succeeding, in conning (certainly confusing) their loyal customer.

I think it is disgusting that a (self-styled) "great customer sevice" supplier should continue with this misleading "fixed discount":eek: subterfuge.

"Fixed Discount":eek: is not "Fixed Price"

Fixed discount does at first glance seem like fixed price, I really had to look twice. What do you mean by 'self styled great customer service'?
Thanks

jalexa

tinkle wrote: »

What do you mean by 'self styled great customer service'?

They are always bigging up their customer service. It may be true but this "fixed discount":eek: thing is contemptible.

flyingjock1

Think youll find its independent consumer sites that give SSE all the customer service awards. Its not themselves that make up the scores on the customer satisfactrion surveys.

Secondly how do you consider FIXED DISCOUNT misleading. The discount is as it says on the tin a 2% FIXED DISCOUNT below SSE prices. from their website "Always 2% off our variable standard unit rate". How is that misleading? They did have until a few weeks ago a tariff called the 2 YEAR FIXED PRICE PLAN and funilly enough it was what it said on the tin as well. a 2 year plan where the unit price charged when the tariff was taken out, was fixed at that rate for the 2 year period.

SSE have tried to make things simple by only having 3 tariffs and making these as straight forward to understand as is possible. Why dont you have a go at the other big 5 suppliers who if you look at the comparison sites have 40 plus tariffs each.

jalexa

flyingjock1 wrote: »

... how do you consider FIXED DISCOUNT misleading. The discount is as it says on the tin ...

!!!!!! this thread is four months old. Perhaps you endorse the maxim that "there is no such thing as bad publicity". Or perhaps that "any publicity is good publicity" but I'm not so sure. And you have completely missed my primary concern which was the conjunction of "misleading" and a high standard of service (by whoever's yardstick). Oh, did I mention the SSE Crown Court conviction for mis-selling?

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/utilities/2012/03/sse-mis-selling-conviction-upheld

Let me remind you that this thread's OP was confused (potentially mislead?) by the use of the word "fixed". That's why an OP became a thread. Another poster said "fixed discount does at first glance seem like fixed price, I really had to look twice".

I rest my case. Thanks for a forum heads-up on potentially misleading use of the word "fixed" in Atlantic/Southern Electric/SSE tariff names.