Why do I have to give the details of my existing supplier?

heasandford

Why can't I just find out the cost of the cheapest deals without owning up to who supplies my energy? I know how much I use, I can make the comparison myself. Why is it so difficult to find the actual costs of each company?

Wywth

heasandford wrote: »

Why can't I just find out the cost of the cheapest deals without owning up to who supplies my energy? I know how much I use, I can make the comparison myself. Why is it so difficult to find the actual costs of each company?

Only so that the comparison site can calculate the annual saving (or oncost) of you switching.

You don't have to supply details of your current supplier/tariff; the comparison site will still display a list of currently available options and their annual cost, but you won't know if or by how much they will save you (or cost you!) compared to your existing supplier/tariff.

heasandford

I have just spoken to an unbelievably rude and thick (sorry) person on British Gas who insisted she couldn't possibly quote me unless I told her my current supplier. My own fault for agreeing to speak to someone!

Cardew

Go to a comparison website and enter your annual kWh consumption.

When it asks for your present company, enter any company/tariff you want; it will list the tariffs cheapest first.

heasandford

I know, I did own up that it was my own fault, but I still wonder why individual companies won't publish their tariffs up front

wakeupalarm

Because energy companies like building society accounts have hundreds of different tariffs with similar names to try to confuse customers. If they were forced to publish prices for each and every tariff they would have thousands of queries from customers trying to find the correct tariff.

The comparison websites could easily publish existing tariffs alongside those currently available but choose not to do so as they won't earn anything from sales.

Ofcon could have a central comparison site listing all these tariffs but that would be in the consumers interest and completely at odds to what Ofcon is about in protecting the energy companies.

Wywth

heasandford wrote: »

I know, I did own up that it was my own fault, but I still wonder why individual companies won't publish their tariffs up front

Every company does publish it's own prices.

If you use a comparison site, you will be able to see all the prices from all the suppliers on all their tariffs all on one site

Wywth

heasandford wrote: »

I have just spoken to an unbelievably rude and thick (sorry) person on British Gas who insisted she couldn't possibly quote me unless I told her my current supplier. My own fault for agreeing to speak to someone!

If you think the person you spoke to was rude, then by all means make a formal compliant.
Details of the BG complaint process is available on their website.

Your call would have been recorded, so it will be easy to establish if the advisor requires to be provided with any additional training. If your complaint is upheld, BG will probably send you a wad of cash :beer:

heasandford

hmmm, I suppose I might do that, she was very condescending

melbury

It would be so much easier if each company only had a couple of tariffs, why do they have to make it so complicated?

ihateyes

heasandford wrote: »

I have just spoken to an unbelievably rude and thick (sorry) person on British Gas who insisted she couldn't possibly quote me unless I told her my current supplier. My own fault for agreeing to speak to someone!

1) all energy companies have access to tell them who supplies what at a given address.

2) sales advisors want to make sales. so i want to know what tarriff your on so i dont waste time sellin tryin to sell you more expensive energy.

3) at BG when you call in the advisor has a great tool, whereby they put in your postcode.... all prices differ to region. then they will ask who your with..... then they will put in your usage....
this will now tell the advisor what BG tariffs are cheaper or more expensive...

most people dont realise agents are trying to help, and get up tight then accuse the agents of being rude..... however for one moment the customer very rarely feels they were rude....
well if the customers listened back to some calls after the moment has happened, they would cringe.

btw i dont sell energy.