EBICO - "We are currently reviewing our prices."

Heinz

Having changed to EBICO (Equigas and Equipower) last year, I discovered that they re-sell Southern Power's gas and electricity when I received my first bills.

So, when Southern Power announced price reductions recently but Ebico did not, I thought I'd try to hurry them along:

From: Heinz
Sent: 05 March 2007 10:17
To: EBICo
Subject: Equigas and Equipower prices

I see that your gas and electricity suppliers have reduced their rates:

http://www.southern-electric.co.uk/home/Faq.aspx

We are lowering our prices
Earlier this year, we promised that we would decrease our prices if the reduced wholesale gas price was sustained, and we are pleased to announce that both our gas and electricity prices will decrease over the coming weeks.

• From 1st March gas prices will decrease on average by 12%
• From 1st April electricity prices will decrease on average by 5%

How will it work?

• All new customers from 28th February 2007 will be billed at the new gas and electricity prices from their first bill.
• All existing gas customers will be charged at the new rates in their first full gas bill which covers a period after 1st March 2007.
• All existing electricity customers will be charged at the new rates in their first full electricity bill which covers a period after 1st April 2007.

Please advise when Ebico rates will reflect those decreases.

Their response received this morning was disappointing, to say the least:

Thank you for your enquiry, I apologise for the delayed reply.

We are currently reviewing our prices and will decrease our prices as soon as we are able to. At this stage we do not have a set time scale, but all our customers will be informed of any decrease in gas and/or electricity beforehand.

Regards

Lauren Ottley
EBICo Ltd.
0800 458 7689

dc

Ebico, unlike the rest, have put UP their prices only twice in the last couple of years.
Even now they are still competetive without a decrease. No doubt a decrease will come, they generally charge less than Southern, they wont hurry as they presumably have signed contracts to honour, being a re-seller.

It is the price you pay that matters, not % swings.

Woby_Tide

quite agree with the above, even with all the much advertised 'price drops' of the other companies, Ebico was still competitive as they had worked their figures over the last year with only 1 increase. Their aim is to be 'profit' neutral over a year, changing prices often isn't going to help them do that(we also don't know the terms of their agreement with eth supplier, that might have been fixed for an amount of time). If you want immediate 'gains' then change supplier. if in the long run you wanta supplier that's fair and generally one of the cheapest (and also one that allows you to budget fairly accurately because they don'tc hange prices so often) stick with Ebico.

wills34

They generally do an annual price review september 1st and i am happy to wait. Ebico prices have never followed southern's lead as regards timing. Give them time they are still competitive and they should reduce soon enough. They recently announced that they figures showed a small profit which they put back into the communtiy so hopefully we will see an increase sooner. It's EDF and Scot Power customers who should be the unhappiest about price cuts not Ebico's

Cardew

Let me say right away that I agree that Ebico seem to be a very good company with competitive gas prices, and reasonable electricity prices; I particularly like their uncomplicated tariffs. If I were not on BG tariffs that were much cheaper than Ebico, I would probably switch to them.

People who have changed to the company spring to their defence with(admittedly valid) reasons why they haven’t announced price cuts – bought ahead, contracts to honour, only just in profit etc.

However I do find it rather ironic that there wasn’t this objectivity when BG(and other companies for that matter) similarly had contracts to honour, were losing hundreds of millions of pounds, and were constrained by the Regulator from cutting their gas prices.(BG)

alared

I switched to Ebico last year and will be sticking with them no matter what.
Even if they wait `til Sept to alter their prices,I feel they will "do the right thing"as and when.
Unlike BGas,who couldn`t do anything right except rip people off with all their different tariffs.
I find it extremely hard to believe that BG are cheaper than Ebico.
All the big players have reluctantly announced price cuts but not `til the winters over!
Wholesale prices have gone down 50% so they had to pay "lip service" because of fear of an inquiry by Ofgem,if they had not reduced slightly.
Prices have increased 104% over the past four years,with BG always leading the way.

Cardew

alared wrote:

I switched to Ebico last year and will be sticking with them no matter what.
Even if they wait `til Sept to alter their prices,I feel they will "do the right thing"as and when.
Unlike BGas,who couldn`t do anything right except rip people off with all their different tariffs.
I find it extremely hard to believe that BG are cheaper than Ebico.
All the big players have reluctantly announced price cuts but not `til the winters over!
Wholesale prices have gone down 50% so they had to pay "lip service" because of fear of an inquiry by Ofgem,if they had not reduced slightly.
Prices have increased 104% over the past four years,with BG always leading the way.

You are rather proving my point - hardly an objective post IMO!

Why do you find it "extremely hard to believe that BG are cheaper than Ebico" ? Do you think I am mistaken or not telling the truth?

For Gas I pay 2.113p/kWh for Tier2(the majority) (3.032p/kWh Tier1 -1,143kWh per quarter)

For Electricity(Midlands Region) I pay 7.157p/kWh tier 2, (11.907p/kWh tier1-225kWh per quarter)

The above prices include VAT. In addition I get a discount off the above prices for dual fuel and another for paperless billing.

I would add that the above are not the cheapest prices that BG currently have, although obviously not available for new customers.

penrhyn

Just had a look on Energy helpline and yes Ebico is no longer the cheapest.
Fortunately I'm a fairly low user (9855kwh gas/2012kwh electric) the difference is only about 5%
Annual Comparisons:
British Gas Click Energy 2 £415
British Gas Green Click Energy £432
Atlantic Internet No standing Charge £437
Equipower/Equigas £440

If you are a high energy user Ebicos single tariffs will be less competitive, but you may be using them for their social agenda rather than personal money saving.

melbury

penrhyn wrote: »

Just had a look on Energy helpline and yes Ebico is no longer the cheapest.
Fortunately I'm a fairly low user (9855kwh gas/2012kwh electric) the difference is only about 5%
Annual Comparisons:
British Gas Click Energy 2 £415
British Gas Green Click Energy £432
Atlantic Internet No standing Charge £437
Equipower/Equigas £440

If you are a high energy user Ebicos single tariffs will be less competitive, but you may be using them for their social agenda rather than personal money saving.

I am with them already for gas and my changeover to them for electricity takes place on Monday. I don't care if they are a few pounds dearer, their billing is simple, accurate and transparent unlike many other companies.

Stormy

penrhyn wrote: »

British Gas Click Energy 2 £415
Equipower/Equigas £440

If you are a high energy user Ebicos single tariffs will be less competitive, but you may be using them for their social agenda rather than personal money saving.

I am finding at the moment is better being split. My Electric is with BG Click Energy 2 and my Gas with Ebico. Click Energy gas prices are a bit extortionate for my usage levels. I would actually be a few quid (and its just that) better off with Atlantic but I am loathed to put both my Electric and Gas at the mercy of ever changing DDs.

The thing I love about Ebico is nice quarterly bills, straight up what I use I pay for. British Gas Click is nice because its cheap but its a total pain in the behind compared. I have to keep on top of meter readings (where as with Ebico I just update it when my bill comes, I have to keep on telling BG to LOWER the DD when they keep raising it every few months, and it seems getting my massive credit balance back from BG seems like getting blood from a stone. I hate DD when it comes to utilities, too easily abused.

I have been tempted to kick Click Energy into touch a few times, but it is consistantly cheaper so I will put up with it for now.

Ebico quarterly billing is a breath of fresh air for me though, so much less hassle. Maybe when the prices get reviewed in September and if Ebico comes a bit closer to second tier pricing on Click 2 I will move over and rest easy.

Mike

Jeannine

I agree wholeheartedly with the last posters. I switched from BG to Ebico last month:j and I don't really care if Ebico isn't quite the cheapest - I want to be able to pay for exactly what I use and accurate bills sent out on time...

I am SO pleased to be shot of BG. Mind you, BG still have to sort out a horrendous muddle with my final gas bill (the mess is of their making of course...) - but that's another story:rolleyes: