Help! High cancellation fees!

youandiaredominoes

I'm with southern electric for both gas and electricity.

Currently paying about £65 for gas and £18 for electricity each month. I live in a one bed flat with my partner, but this seems expensive.

I want to shop around but cancellation fee for both utilities is £60 each! This seems like a lot. Any suggestions on how to mitigate against this high severance fee? I've been with SE for 2 years...

ic

Wait till the tie-in period ends? Have you actually compared your prices based on annual kWh usage? You're likely paying more at the moment to cover the last long winter - I know I am (£120 per month for two people in a two bed house).

Wywth

youandiaredominoes wrote: »

I'm with southern electric for both gas and electricity.

Currently paying about £65 for gas and £18 for electricity each month. I live in a one bed flat with my partner, but this seems expensive.

I want to shop around but cancellation fee for both utilities is £60 each! This seems like a lot. Any suggestions on how to mitigate against this high severance fee? I've been with SE for 2 years...

I agree it does seem rather expensive in comparison to most ETCs, however you did agree to them.

Short of moving home, I'm afraid there's probably little way out of the contract you willingly entered into.

You can mitigate their effect by taking advantage of the best cashback deal you can find when switching to your desired supplier.

Which tariff are you on exactly that charges this level of ETC?

youandiaredominoes

Yeah, so I pay a flat rate of £66/+18pm and we use more in the winter so are in more credit/debt but now we're in august, the debt is negligible - so it kind of evens itself out.

I just checked my bill and the tariff I'm on ends in Jan 2014 so might be worth waiting until then and breaking the contract if I see any other deals. But from what you're saying the rate I'm paying isn't too bad at the moment...

Wywth

youandiaredominoes wrote: »

Yeah, so I pay a flat rate of £66/+18pm and we use more in the winter so are in more credit/debt but now we're in august, the debt is negligible - so it kind of evens itself out.

I just checked my bill and the tariff I'm on ends in Jan 2014 so might be worth waiting until then and breaking the contract if I see any other deals. But from what you're saying the rate I'm paying isn't too bad at the moment...

Your thread from about a year ago

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/55864477#Comment_55864477

I think that answers your questions if you are not prepared to divulge the answers to the questions posed then by those hoping to help you.

One thing I do notice though. You say here you have been with SSE for 2 years, so that is one year before you made that thread ... but in that thread you said you were new to being a utility payer :huh:
Also that you had a £100 debt after being with the supplier for what we know know to be 1 year approximately, and that was at the end of the low cost summer period/start of the high cost winter period ... which last year eded up for most even higher cost than anyone could have foreseen at the time.

:cool:

youandiaredominoes

Hi Wywth

Apologies for not supplying more info on the original thread. Is it best to share that info on that thread or this one?

I started being a gas and electricity payer from Sept 2011, and been with SSE for two years and at the time of the original post (Sept 2012) I had been a utility payer for one year, but still not really in the know....

StuC75

Also look to work out what the usage is in Kwh for Gas & Electricity - as that will show if it is the Consumption that is high or the Tariff that is uncompetitive..

as you are now nearing the end of the second full year - will get better idea of whether it is Year on Year Usage pushing up your costs or straight price increases..

My Year on Year usage is slightly lower, but the price increases means it is about the same..

youandiaredominoes

Gas
Aug 2012 - Feb 2013 = 7,442.65 kwh
Feb 2013 - Aug 2013 = 5,047.68 kwh

Electricity
Aug 2012 - Feb 2013 = 774 units
Feb 2013 - Aug 2013 = 528 units

Let me know you need any other info