Atlantic - Energy Prices

JohnCoyte

Atlantic customers will have received a letter recently from Atlantic. It states that your current deal with Atlantic will end. At present if you pay by direct debit the 'deal' includes 1 months gas and electric payments being rebated every 12 months - e.g. Direct Debit for gas at £100 per month, Electricity at £50 per month, rebate after one year will be £150. Approximately eight and half percent.
This letter from Atlantic is not transparent. The ominous detail is in what they do not explain. I fear Atlantic intend to cancel this rebate - Permanently. This means that Atlantic will pocket considerably more cash each month.
The smoke screen that they throw up is that they are offering to fix your energy prices for one year but with no rebate and give you £50 if you quickly switch to sister brand S.S.E. but they state you must do this quickly - by this sunday 11th August - why?
The outcome appears to be that customers will have energy prices fixed for one year but lose the rebate e.g. £150, so nothing will be gained. What happens next year after 12 months - another rise? Perhaps eight and half percent - a seventeen percent increase in two years.
Phone them - ask them if you will be losing your rebate permanently - I had to squeeze this information out of Customer Services. The £50 plus one years energy price fix appears to disguise the real situation. Phone Atlantic on 08009122291 - question them.
Watch out for an Atlantic letter in the near future confirming what I believe - the rebate cancelled permanently. Time to visit price comparison sites perhaps. It would be great if you could post any communication you have with Atlantic.

espresso

JohnCoyte wrote: »

At present if you pay by direct debit the 'deal' includes 1 months gas and electric payments being rebated every 12 months - e.g. Direct Debit for gas at £100 per month, Electricity at £50 per month, rebate after one year will be £150. Approximately eight and half percent.

Although the 'Loyalty Bonus' tariff has not yet ended, Atlantic effectively shafted their customers on this tariff last year by increasing the daily standing charge to cover most of this annual 'Loyalty' rebate. The unit price is the same but quarterly billed customers pay 16.45p per day standing charge and the 'Loyalty Bonus' customers pay 27.41p per day standing charge. This extra £40 per year standing charge wipes out most of the 8.3% annual 'Loyalty Bonus' for many customers i.e. not many customers actually pay £100 per month.

This slight of hand 'Loyalty Bonus' tariff scam would have no doubt continued if they had not been forced to offer fewer, simpler tariffs by the end of this year.

Silent_Dancer

Have just moved to NPower after being with Atlantic for 5 years. Up to this point loyalty bonus meant that they were still there or about the cheapest. However, when I checked this time they were £100 or so out.

flyingjock1

espresso wrote: »

Although the 'Loyalty Bonus' tariff has not yet ended, Atlantic effectively shafted their customers on this tariff last year by increasing the daily standing charge to cover most of this annual 'Loyalty' rebate. The unit price is the same but quarterly billed customers pay 16.45p per day standing charge and the 'Loyalty Bonus' customers pay 27.41p per day standing charge. This extra £40 per year standing charge wipes out most of the 8.3% annual 'Loyalty Bonus' for many customers i.e. not many customers actually pay £100 per month.

This slight of hand 'Loyalty Bonus' tariff scam would have no doubt continued if they had not been forced to offer fewer, simpler tariffs by the end of this year.

Where you getting your figures from? The Loyalty Bonus you talk about is for the Atlantic Internet Tariff which was withdrawn about Nov 2011. At that point the Atlantic Standard tariff was introduced where customers have basically paid the same unit prices as Southern Electric and got the same £40 a year DD discount on each gas and elec tariffs. Spoke to Atlantic last week and they advised that the Internet tariff is being withdrawn at the end of the year and that customers will probably get moved over to the southern electric standard rate.

The max DD discount which replaces Loyalty Bonus means that anyone will a combined DD payment of more than £80 will lose out, conversely anyone who currently pays less than £80 will gain. This means that come the end of the year everyone gets the same DD discount regardless of how much they pay.

And SSE brands now only have 2 tariffs. A standard variable rate and a 1 year price fix plan which is fixed at the standard variable rate. The discounts are £40 a year for DD on each gas and elec and paperless £6 each for gas and elec. The annual standing charge is also the same £100 a year for each gas and elec.

So for everyone who moans about transparency, any suggestions as to how they can be any more transparent.

espresso

flyingjock1 wrote: »

Where you getting your figures from?

Customers bills and the Atlantic/SSE website.

The Loyalty Bonus you talk about is for the Atlantic Internet Tariff which was withdrawn about Nov 2011.

Irrelevant as some customers are still on this tariff and getting the so called 'Loyalty' bonus payment.

At that point the Atlantic Standard tariff was introduced where customers have basically paid the same unit prices as Southern Electric and got the same £40 a year DD discount on each gas and elec tariffs.

Incorrect, that may be the case for new customers but not those currently on the 'Loyalty' tariff.

Spoke to Atlantic last week and they advised that the Internet tariff is being withdrawn at the end of the year and that customers will probably get moved over to the southern electric standard rate.

They already are on the SSE standard tariff but at present get the 'Loyalty' bonus payment.

The max DD discount which replaces Loyalty Bonus means that anyone will a combined DD payment of more than £80 will lose out, conversely anyone who currently pays less than £80 will gain. This means that come the end of the year everyone gets the same DD discount regardless of how much they pay.

They are only giving back what they have already taken due to the increased standing charges!

And SSE brands now only have 2 tariffs. A standard variable rate and a 1 year price fix plan which is fixed at the standard variable rate. The discounts are £40 a year for DD on each gas and elec and paperless £6 each for gas and elec. The annual standing charge is also the same £100 a year for each gas and elec.

Customers on the 'Loyalty' bonus tariff were put on the Quarterly Billing tariff:



Why? This means that they are taking back the 'Loyalty' bonus via the £40 extra standing charge.

So for everyone who moans about transparency, any suggestions as to how they can be any more transparent.

How is it transparent to deceive customers into believing that they are getting a 'Loyalty' bonus payment when they are actually paying a much higher standing charge to cover it!

You do appear very biased and you are required by the forum rules to declare your interest in any energy company when posting here.

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flyingjock1

espresso wrote: »

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If sticking up for my supplier who ive never had any issues with is biase then so be it. Your entitled to your opinions and im entitled to mine.

peachyprice

Has anyone pressed them on when 'later this year' actually is?

My rebate is due first week of December, if I jump now and take their £50 off my bill + fixed rate offer I'll lose out on a £173, but if I leave it I could lose out on the rebate and the £50 and the fixed rate.

Although the cynic in me says they're just trying to get people to move now to avoid paying out the rebates.

espresso

peachyprice wrote: »

Has anyone pressed them on when 'later this year' actually is?

My rebate is due first week of December, if I jump now and take their £50 off my bill + fixed rate offer I'll lose out on a £173, but if I leave it I could lose out on the rebate and the £50 and the fixed rate.

Although the cynic in me says they're just trying to get people to move now to avoid paying out the rebates.

Haven't you already missed the deadline for the switch to SSE fixed rate with £50 off offer?

Wait until you get your annual rebate that is due to you and then find a better deal with an alternative supplier with cashback etc.

They will obviously lose many savvy customers due to this shabby treatment, as they are no longer competitive.

Who do you think will pay the largest ever fine imposed on an energy company found guilty of management failures that led to "prolonged and extensive" mis-selling? see here - not the shareholders!