Fixed deal ending Jan 2014 do I switch now ?

joe_bloggs1

We have a Scottish Power fixed price deal ending Jan 2014
We used 6849 units in the 12 months to the end of September 2013

So the question is do we switch now or leave it a little longer

I know it takes 6 to 8 weeks to swap over
(I just realised its fixed *until* January, not to the *end* of January)

If I switched to another supplier tomorrow, does that start from that day, ie do I lose the benefit of the rest of the fixed deal I have until Jan 2014?

I have used the comparison sites and am baffled as to what to do for the best

According to the Cheap Energy Club
my present deal = £817pa
Scot Power standard deal = £1050pa

It says "Lock into a cheap fix now"

But all are way more than I am paying now

I would really appreciate some advice as I can't see the wood for the trees

Paul_Leonard

I had the same concern Joe but pulled the trigger today with EDF March 15. My deficit was -£59 compared to my SPJan14 but as that is running out in a few weeks and as you said the deal will take 4 to 8 weeks to complete.They will start billing you from the day they take over which will not be today but in 4-8 weeks time.

If you are looking at the EDF March 15 deal then you may want to get on it asap as, if I understand correctly, Martins email says this deal was meant to be pulled on the 23 of Oct. That said I managed to still sign up for it today and it is still showing on their web site. I just hope I it is still accepting new customers.
If anyone can confirm that deal is still active that would be reassuring as I have only had the congrats email from the energy club but nout from EDF directly. Anyway I came to the conclusion that the time is now as Scottish Power's fix for until March 15 was still marginally for me, (1 bed flat) more expensive than the EDF deal and really that is the one you should be comparing with.

I feel your pain Joe.. What a nightmare all this is. Best of luck.

buggu

You probably in the best situation, as it might just take them 8 weeks to transfer with everyone on the transfer bandwagon, fitting nicely with your january end date. Understandably you going to pay more coming out from a fixed deal, just use your yearly usage to work out the best fixed deal going.

DragonQ

Switch now. Best case scenario is the best tariff disappears tomorrow and you've "won". Worst case scenario is the best tariff still being around in 2 weeks' time, in which case you can simply cancel your switch (within the 14 day cooling off period) and apply again.

LongTall_2

Hi all, I have the same issue and don't know what to do....I am on edf fixed energy that tuns out in march 2014.... It's cheapest on the market. If I move to edf's march 2015 fix... I pay 100 quid more a year... A 10% increase on what I pay now. If I move to the march 2017 fix...I pay 200 quid more a year... A 20%increase a year. What is best. Will prices of up again? Will these fixes still be about in march so I. Can have this winter on the lowest fix possible,,,?? Advice welcomed...

ScoobyZ

buggu wrote: »

You probably in the best situation, as it might just take them 8 weeks to transfer with everyone on the transfer bandwagon, fitting nicely with your january end date. Understandably you going to pay more coming out from a fixed deal, just use your yearly usage to work out the best fixed deal going.

I'm with Scottish Power and have just selected EDF March 2014. I figured it will take about 8 weeks and will start just as my SP Jan 2014 (Dec 31st) deal ends.

rolyb

Hi Paul Leonard. You will be ok, the March 2015 deal is still available. Also the March 2017 Freeeeze Tariff is still available. But be careful, both of these tariffs have dropped the dual fuel discount and the direct debit discount. But they don't tell you that!

Kitch71

rolyb wrote: »

Hi Paul Leonard. You will be ok, the March 2015 deal is still available. Also the March 2017 Freeeeze Tariff is still available. But be careful, both of these tariffs have dropped the dual fuel discount and the direct debit discount. But they don't tell you that!

Hi Rolyb, Paul Leonard here, just found my old login.
Thx for the info. This is a bit of a concern, when did they do that and any idea of how much more that will be costing us? Any links regarding dropping of the discount?
Im not sure I trust these comparison sites, Im with Scottish power and my bill for the last 12 months was apparently £680 (1 bed flat) but according to comparison sites it should have been £502. Thats a massive discrepancy and considerably higher than my quote for this EDF deal. Sooo confusing.
If no DD or duel fuel discount is not applied that could mean a 6%+ hidden extra?! Pffft.

Kitch71

Just found this on their website. Our latest Blue tariffs do not include a 6% Direct Debit discount, but do offer a lower unit rate for Direct Debit customers. Paying this way is still cheaper because the unit rate is lower compared to paying by Cash.

Do we believe this?

matelodave

You can check their tariffs & the cost per kw to see if they are telling the truth.

No one should totally believe either the supplier or the comparison site without checking the sums themselves to make sure that any discounts or other incentives have been included in the overall costs.

You should also then check the contracted tariff (ie the one you get offered/agree when you sign up) to make sure that it agrees with the tariff that you were originally offered and still includes all the incentives

Andy_WSM

Kitch71 wrote: »

Just found this on their website. Our latest Blue tariffs do not include a 6% Direct Debit discount, but do offer a lower unit rate for Direct Debit customers. Paying this way is still cheaper because the unit rate is lower compared to paying by Cash.

Do we believe this?

It's no wonder people find the energy markets so confusing. OFGEM haven't "fixed" anything with the latest changes, the energy companies are just finding new ways to make it hard to compare like for like and it seems to me they have managed to creep prices upwards with standing charge changes even before they announced price rises.