EDF fixed term just ended. Worth switching ?

hubb

I have been pretty happy with EDF the last few years. Thie online service and phone customer service has been very good. However, their new fixed term offer works out at £50 more than First Utility/Extra Energy which one has appaling customer service and the other is very new with no reviews as yet. The next option that works out 31 cheaper is OVO which has very good reviews.

The question is will it be worth switching to OVO for £1 ? are they better than EDF for service ?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

You've said it yourself, OVO get decent reviews.

I'm not sure what you mean by "better", I don't expect a birthday card from my energy company, as long as they don't completely [EMAIL="f@rk"]f@rk[/EMAIL] it up like npower/first utility/spark I'll go with the cheapest.

hubb

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

You've said it yourself, OVO get decent reviews.

I'm not sure what you mean by "better", I don't expect a birthday card from my energy company, as long as they don't completely [EMAIL="f@rk"]f@rk[/EMAIL] it up like npower/first utility/spark I'll go with the cheapest.

Better in the sense of service. I will get £30 cashback for switching so in all £31 for a better service is worth the switch I suppose.

Bark01

hubb wrote: »

Better in the sense of service. I will get £30 cashback for switching so in all £31 for a better service is worth the switch I suppose.

Only you can answer that question.

OFGEM did an investigation last year that showed the average person wanted >£100 saving to swap, EDF seem to think its £52.

Don't forget to factor in any cancellation charges that OVO might charge should you want to leave

KierBrook

Switch to a company that's not only cheaper but also offers the best services and seems to be doing well. Forget about the big 6 and look harder and deeper into the smaller companies that may appeal to you a lot more. The market is highly competitive and many offer cashback opportunities or other incentives to get you to switch. Try not to get tied into anything would be my opinion.

lstar337

KierBrook wrote: »

Switch to a company that's not only cheaper but also offers the best services and seems to be doing well. Forget about the big 6 and look harder and deeper into the smaller companies that may appeal to you a lot more. The market is highly competitive and many offer cashback opportunities or other incentives to get you to switch. Try not to get tied into anything would be my opinion.

Why 'forget the big 6'?

The big six can be just as competitive.

Comparison sites for my location and usage show NPower as cheapest, followed by First Utility, then EDF, the EON.

Should the Big 6 be 'forgotten' even if they are cheaper than the smaller companies?

My advice is do a comparison, look for the cheapest supplier that is least likely to stuff everything up, and pick them.

KierBrook

The Big Six suppliers make up 90 of the energy market - but despite their size they may not actually be your best-value option.
Currently, all of these top providers have pledged to freeze energy prices until next year, with SSE even promising a freeze until 2016. But the best-buy tariffs and cheapest fixes are still to be found with some of the smaller suppliers.
In recent months, providers such as First Utility, Ovo Energy, Spark Energy and Co-operative Energy have been dominating the best buys tables.
They also are renowned for offering a much better service. While the Big Six average a satisfaction rating of just 40 per cent between them, the top rated small energy suppliers scored much higher.
Good Energy and Ecotricity lead the field with an impressive 82 per cent score, closely followed by the likes of Utility Warehouse, Ebico and Ovo Energy,

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

KierBrook wrote: »

The Big Six suppliers make up 90 of the energy market - but despite their size they may not actually be your best-value option.
Currently, all of these top providers have pledged to freeze energy prices until next year, with SSE even promising a freeze until 2016. But the best-buy tariffs and cheapest fixes are still to be found with some of the smaller suppliers.
In recent months, providers such as First Utility, Ovo Energy, Spark Energy and Co-operative Energy have been dominating the best buys tables.
They also are renowned for offering a much better service. While the Big Six average a satisfaction rating of just 40 per cent between them, the top rated small energy suppliers scored much higher.
Good Energy and Ecotricity lead the field with an impressive 82 per cent score, closely followed by the likes of Utility Warehouse, Ebico and Ovo Energy,

Why would you categorise energy companies by market share and then arbitrarily nail your colours to one of two masts like that? It's the same product they're all offering.

Just bung your details into a price comp site, and choose the cheapest.

lstar337

KierBrook wrote: »

In recent months, providers such as First Utility, Ovo Energy, Spark Energy and Co-operative Energy have been dominating the best buys tables.
They also are renowned for offering a much better service.,

Can't take anything you say seriously after that.

The big six may not be the cheapest, nobody is denying that. It is not a good reason to discount them completely.

Use a comparison site, and pick the cheapest with a level of service you are happy with. It really is that simple.

No no need to discount a company because they happen to have a big market share!

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

lstar337 wrote: »

Can't take anything you say seriously after that.

The big six may not be the cheapest, nobody is denying that. It is not a good reason to discount them completely.

Use a comparison site, and pick the cheapest with a level of service you are happy with. It really is that simple.

No no need to discount a company because they happen to have a big market share!

When you're a UW distributor, it's probably good for business....

vuvuzela

Anyone thinking of going with First Utility may want to read their reviews beforehand https://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/www.first-utility.com