Ebico/Southern Electric - Is This Right?

bengarton

Hi

I am currently with Ebico and get billed through Southern Electric. I have just received my first electricity bill, and noted that the tariff I was being charged was not the same as the advertised one on the Ebico website. So, I sent Southern Electric an email as follows :

"I currently have my power supplied by EBICo via yourselves. I have just received my latest electricity bill. It shows a night tariff of 3.78, and a day tariff of 11.12 per unit, before VAT. However on the EBICo website it shows a night tariff of 3.73, and a day tariff of 10.97, and those figures are AFTER tax(East Midlands region). Please can you explain why I am not being charged EBICo's advertised charge?"

An today received a reply as follows :

"Thank you for your email.

Southern Electric bill you on behalf of Ebico, our billing system is set up to calculate a 6% direct debit for Southern Electric customers. Ebico customers do not receive this discount. Therefore, when calculating Ebico customer bills the price is increased on the bill so that when the 6% discount is applied, the correct price is reached.

Please contact us again should you require further information."

Is this right?

Hazzanet

From the ebico website

My bill says that I’m getting a discount for paying by Direct Debit – but I thought the whole point was that everyone paid the same on EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER?

In some circumstances billing procedures automatically deduct a percentage from the bill for Direct Debit payment. In these circumstances the work-around we use is to ADD a percentage to the bill first so that when the deduction is made it comes back to the correct EQUIGAS or EQUIPOWER bill. Sorry, we know it sounds a bit daft, but that’s computer systems for you! We are working to remove this oddity.

Back to top

http://www.ebico.co.uk/en/open/pages/faqen.php

Hope that helps.

JohalaReewi

Yes.
See post number 13 in this thread.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=131201

Why pay by DD? Ebico charge the same regardles of payment method.
I pay in full when the bill arrives so no messing about with DD and discounts.

Ken68

Ebico (Equigas and Equipower and Equiclimate) are a revenue gathering arm for Southern Electric, much as Age Concern is for Powergen and Help the Aged is for British Gas. They have an ethical policy to die for, and the prices are good. Area differences tho.

bengarton

I'm with them for their ethical policy, and I like their uncomplicated billing as well. Just wish they would drop their prices a bit like all the other companies - they were the cheapest when i first went with them but now they are not. I will stick with them though for the ethical aspect.

oldwiring

bengarton wrote: »

I'm with them for their ethical policy, and I like their uncomplicated billing as well. Just wish they would drop their prices a bit like all the other companies - they were the cheapest when i first went with them but now they are not. I will stick with them though for the ethical aspect.

But the upside is that they seem to go for once per year price adjustments. IMHO that seems a better option for the clientele EBICO is geared for.

sammyjammy

It'll be worth the wait I'm sure and its the right time of year as well. I think there will be a dramatic reduction.

Sam

malcolmwilliamson

I'm sticking with EBICO /Equigas through the summer in the expectation that they will have an annual review and amend their prices in September.After all they kept their prices down last year when the big energy companies were regularly raising theirs.

In a recent price comparison they were (only)a few quid dearer than the best deal. I won't lose any sleep over it, or much money, during the less intensive gas usage until the autumn + I like to support them for their ethical policy.

icefall

I am staying with Ebico too, for the same reasons as described above, I like their ethical policy, they were much the cheapest when I went to them, and are only slightly more now than some companies that have recently dropped their prices. I like their customer service, so far it has been top notch.

I like their transparent price policy, none of that one price at one level, and a different price at another level etc! I also like the fact that no matter how you pay, the price is the same.

CFC

malcolmwilliamson wrote: »

I'm sticking with EBICO /Equigas through the summer in the expectation that they will have an annual review and amend their prices in September.After all they kept their prices down last year when the big energy companies were regularly raising theirs.

In a recent price comparison they were (only)a few quid dearer than the best deal. I won't lose any sleep over it, or much money, during the less intensive gas usage until the autumn + I like to support them for their ethical policy.

Me too. I hope they drop their prices, but most of all I like their ethical policy and if it costs me an extra tenner a year I can cope with that/