Anyone Switched to EDF Blue+ Price Promise?

anotheruser

Has anyone actually switched to EDF?

I have done a couple of comparisons and my current supplier (Scottish Power, fixed until Aug 2013) is suggesting their online saver would be cheaper. However that lasts until July 2014, by which time prices may have gone up again on all tariffs.

EDF has made me a little more positive as they are stating what they will charge for gas and electricity while Scottish Power doesn't openly display that information so I can't actually check.

I'm only renting at the moment so switching supplier would be a little bit of hassle, although I am certain the LL wouldn't care anyway.

EDF predict my annual bill would be £875.
Scottish Power (online saver 22) predict it will be £893.
Last 12 months bills have been £862.

So how are EDF?

Any opinions would be gratefully read.

brewerdave

They are innumerable older threads re EDF:)
PROS :-
1. Their tariffs over the last two years or so have been competitive for many consumers
2.. Their online account information is good once set up correctly
CONS:-
1. Their automated calculation of future DD requirements is seriously flawed in many cases and requires the customer to be proactive to prevent a huge credit balance being built up:rotfl:
2. The annual review date (at which they calculate the future DD) APPEARS to be a moveable feast (at least in my case it has been!!)
3. Some people were waiting many months for their gas switch to complete.However this may not now be the case as I haven't read any complaints re switching lately.

Buzby

I've found them efficient and without compare. The Blue tariff - complete with no lock-in period is a no-brainer, and I'd have no hesitation in recommending them.

[Deleted User]

Hi, im on this tariff. I agree with Brewer Dave on numbers 1 and 2 of his cons list. I track my electric weekly as im all electric anyway. And they under estimated my monthly DD charge. But I had no problems upping it. also on point 2 they said my bill would be sept 2013, but came and read my meter last week and a bill has already been bought up and paid. My electric was actually a lot cheaper (from 24/9/2012 to 6/6/2013 was £443 for a 2bed flat, with only me there). Considering the harsh winter too I thought beforehand it would be a lot dearer. As said I always check my meter and keep on top of the DD. Im pleased with them atm and have had no problems. I will probably ask if I can lower the DD in sept when I have an idea of my annual usage with them. I don't think it will be much more than £500 per year, possibly slightly less, which im happy with. My DD was set by them at £42 I upped it to £65 after the winter period as I would have been in arrears but i will probably lower that to £50 in sept. Im in credit now so quite happy and havnt had any problems at all. Edited just to say I also got 6% discount as usual by paying by DD and a small discount of a single fuel usage of just over £5, which all helps.

anotheruser

Thanks.
Not sure if it will be better / easier to stick with ScottishPower or change as yet, but I know I will be there for a good while and like you say, I can leave at any point.

I wonder if there is any cash back to be had...

brewerdave

Buzby wrote: »

I've found them efficient and without compare. The Blue tariff - complete with no lock-in period is a no-brainer, and I'd have no hesitation in recommending them.

Buzby - genuine query - I'm on Blue price promise April 14- are you saying that you haven't had a nonsensical recalculation of DD after any bill has been issued??
Looking back over the past 22 months I've had to phone them on 5 different occasions to get the DD returned back down to a sensible level -for example,after this May's annual review bill, they wanted to increase the DD by £35 pm EVEN THO' I was only £12 in debt after the abnormally cold Spring (and a boiler breakdown/ replacement)- that would have put me at least £350 in credit by next review date!!:rotfl:

Wywth

brewerdave wrote: »

They are innumerable older threads re EDF:)
PROS :-
1. Their tariffs over the last two years or so have been competitive for many consumers
2.. Their online account information is good once set up correctly
CONS:-
1. Their automated calculation of future DD requirements is seriously flawed in many cases and requires the customer to be proactive to prevent a huge credit balance being built up:rotfl:
2. The annual review date (at which they calculate the future DD) APPEARS to be a moveable feast (at least in my case it has been!!)
3. Some people were waiting many months for their gas switch to complete.However this may not now be the case as I haven't read any complaints re switching lately.

I would agree with the Pros and number 1 of the cons.

Regarding number 2 of the cons, they review the DD payments every six months. There were bang on time with my review, but I couldn't understand their outcome at all (as per con 1.) I do give monthly readings online.
A quick call and they agreed to revert the figures back to what they were.

3. I switched last August. Whilst the gas & electric did not transfer on the same day (despite coming from the same supplier), they did keep me reasonablky informed. I think there was about a week difference.

Daz2009

I switched last month and to my knowledge it went without a hitch

brewerdave

Just to enlarge:-
1.I did say that there hadn't been negative feedback on actual switches lately - but if you look back to 2011/early 2012 they were many people complaining of incomplete gas switches.
2.My annual review date was given to me over the phone as July 11th ( the anniversary date of my switch completing). The "next bill date" online was showing as 22nd June but I then got an email for readings for "annual review" early in May!!!Moveable feast or what!!
3. EDF review my dd after every bill -since the meter man cometh twice a year,my DD was reviewed in August 2012, Feb 2013 and May 2013 - all reviews led to an increase in DD,ALL were too high :eek:and had to be adjusted downwards by phonecall.
I'm not knocking the EDF tariff I'm on - but their admin. of the account still needs to be the subject of careful customer scrutiny ,to put it mildly!:)

Daz2009

I spoke to soon,they've managed to input the wrong gas meter reading even though I gave them the correct one twice !

Wywth

Daz2009 wrote: »

I spoke to soon,they've managed to input the wrong gas meter reading even though I gave them the correct one twice !

How did they (EDF) manage to input the wrong gas reading? :huh:
When I switched I was asked to input the readings myself online.

Anyway, as long as its not too far out, and its the same reading your last supplier uses to create your final bill (Your last supplier should get the reading from EDF), then there's probably not much worth worrying about.