Well, I have Finally Gone With British Gas...

Popperwell

Thanks,
I am in a cooling off period with BG and First Utility says they'll do everything and I have nothing to do. That they will sort the DD and close my account with NPower and BG...

Joyful

Popperwell

You have been misinformed.. YOU must cancel the contract with British Gas otherwise you will find yourself being supplied by them while First Utility take money from your bank.

Terrylw1

Suppliers don't talk to each other in this circumstance as there is no way to other than phoning/emailing them and Bgas won't be obliged to cancel a contact on their say so.

What they mean is that they will send a notification of interest but this goes to the current supplier.

If you do something like this, its entirely possible that FU will get there first and Bgas will take you over afterwards. This would then need unravelling based on contract signing dates bit you don't want the hassle of this as the suppliers won't be very interested.

It can't be blocked on the basis of having 2 contracts signed like this as long as the suppliers have an 11 day gap between the switch dates but tbh this is worse for you. If one registered inside the 11 days, the distributor would knock it back but you still have the hassle of sorting it all out.

macman

Popperwell wrote: »

Thanks,
I am in a cooling off period with BG and First Utility says they'll do everything and I have nothing to do. That they will sort the DD and close my account with NPower and BG...

How many times hae we heard tales of woe when the incoming supplier (who's only concern is to get their sales commission) said this? It always ends in tears.
I don't understand why (when you say what a tight budget you are on) you signed up with FU by phone? Quidco is paying up to £50 cashback for an online sign up with them at present.

Popperwell

I'm sorry...I can cope with most things and am usually not easily confused but I am now panicking and worried if I have made the choice again and where to proceed...

EDF are out the picture as I cancelled during the cooling off period. And was ages ago...

So I signed up to NPower for duel fuel...

I don't know or have forgotten what I had to pay for gas from them they could not really say as they could not take readings yet and had not taken over the supply of gas but it has not yet been sorted anyhow as I was waiting for the BG account to close and pay the final bill(anything still not paid for)but...

NPower were charging from the little bit of paperwork I received on the Electric a Unit rate of 9.66p Daily standing Charge of 32.30p fixed rate until October 2013.

Offered £100 annually and £45 for going paperless and doing every online...

British gas(verbally said)£125 for coming back to them from NPower, £125 annually if I stay with BG, waived the standing charge £72 annually. But said that they were 6% more expensive than NPower on gas and 11% cheaper on the electric but they only offered Standard Tariff even though everything was on line...

First Utility offer fixed tariff until Dec 2013

Standing charge for electric 21.00p Unit Rate 9.973
Standing Charge for gas 24.15p Unit Rate 3.242

VAT has to be added to all the figures...

And they were all using National Averages on a three bedroom semi...but I use much less of both so my bills could be even lower still...certainly keep the use of gas CH low(when that goes on)I have to use electric because I thinkit uses an electric pump to move the water around the system...

Whatever happens I use more electric than gas and I am a devil for switching off all that I can and my main energy use is a pc and a DAB radio, the fridge/freezer and once a month a full load in the washing machine(try to avoid the tumble drier)but the washer is so good at spinning I can usually get away with using the tumble for only 15 mins, whilst in this property I can usually use the washing line weather permitting to dry clothes.

I don't understand all about Quidco and cashback and I don't want to get any more messed up about things...

No matter how I put in details to any comparison site and I tried all different ways...First Utility kept coming up to the top of the list as being best for me, trying to compare bills when Mum was alive and due to illness a lot of gas CH(electric useage hasn't changed much)was used.

Most days I don't put the gas on at all(or just for hot water)not for heating and if I don't run the water off it can stay hot for a couple of days so I just put the gas on to reheat water already quite hot.

Most meals if hot are quickly done in a microwave or quickly on a hob. I have avoided the main electric fan oven. As the combo micro is smaller when I start to use that function I assume it will cook food quicker so save energy. The slow cooker uses similar energy to a lightbulb so again be cheaper than a main oven. And ditto the halogen oven and small George Forman Grill.

So I may stay put with First Utility unless anyone thinks I can improve on things but again all the comparison sites brought FU to the top of all the charts...

Only disadvantage I can see is that they do have a penalty clause which others don't £30 per Gas and Electric...so that would cost me £60 but I was told that would only be envoked if I switch to another supplier in the period I have signed up to(it would nit be charged if I had to move to another property andit was not my choice to move)I would pay the penalty only if I was changing supplier through choice.

I still have 6 days cooling off period with First Utility and could still stay with BG but all what they offered was said verbally and as has been said here Standard charge is probably not good...

First Utility say that they charge the penalty charge on leaving but in reality I save that because if I saty with them I actually save that because their prices are fixed and lower than their competitors...

If I am happy to stay put I won't worry about the possiblity of losing the £60 penalty charge as hopefully that won't happen...

I am out of the cooling off period with NPower but still probably in the cooling off period with BG and still have six days with FU...

In the end I think it's going to have to be that I stay with one of these three suppliers as I think they will all hike their prices up and end up much the same, at least the FU tariff is fixed which BG was not!

If I could stay with them until the end of the contract I could always change again which may be easiest option...

ollski

First utility put loads of cashbacks and rebates into their prices which mean you need to stay with them and pay on time to get them at the end of a period of time, you will always lose something when you change away....and trust me once you have any sort of issue with them you will want to change away!

penrhyn

FU do appear to have a lot of complaints against them on the site, are they the ones who fit smart meters as part of their package?
I see they got 4/10 for customer service on Money supermarket.

Joyful

If I am reading you correctly. You were with BG then signed up for npower but had not received a final bill from BG.

You then agreed to go back to BG . This is a verbal contract which can only be cancelled if you call them in the cooling off period if you have changed your mind.

One problem with moving suppliers like this is you will get caught in the middle of the different suppliers trying to get the final and start readings correct on your account.

If I was you I would advise First Utility to cancel the Contract, call BG and ask them to cancel the contract also and then wait till you have a final bill from BG.

Once you receive the final bill from BG make sure Npower have started your account to the same reading as BG closed theirs.

Only after this would I change suppliers and also with One company for each energy supply at a time.

Popperwell

Basically I am out of the cooling off period with NPower so In teory they are suppying gas and electric. The gas supply starts and the billing from 1st week of September and I already get my electric from them. The fixed tariff runs until October 2013.

BG have offered incentives to go with them and are slightly cheaper but it's a standard tariff but I am in a cooling off period for a few more days...

Now there is First Utility cheaper on unit price and cheaper on standing charges but I have approx 6 days cooling off remaining.

I am wondering as it was all arranged whether to stay with NPower for both and cancel First utility even though the comparison sites say they are cheaper and as BG are likely to hike their prices maybe just stay with NPower as it's all arranged and think about things again when the contract goes up for renewal... in October next year.

I can always save on the prices with NPower by using less it kind of defeats the reason for having both gas and electric but...it seems most utility companies charge standing charges and the only one that waived them was BG but if they increase their charges in general I'll be no better off...

FU fixed tariff runs a little longer than NPower until dec 2013.

Think I'll get on the phone and cancel BG and FU...and stick with NPower who I had gone with anyhow...

Can't talk to BG they are closed untoil Tuesday because of the Bank Holiday...

macman

Standing Charge vs No Standing Charges is a complete red herring unless you are a very low user, the overall difference is at most few pence a year, as a comp site comparison will show.