Cheap Energy Club inaccuracies

chanz4

go via compare the market you get a meerkat which you can sell

LesD

This is so obviously stupid!

I've just had the email saying I can save nearly £100 by changing - even staying with the same supplier and going to a new fixed tariff.

But all the savings come from comparing the new fixed tariff with the standard tariff. In fact, of course, the new fixed tariff is at a higher rate than my current one - which still has many months to run!

And as for that comment earlier that..."the standard tariff is what the vast majority of people will end up paying"...politeness makes me refrain from commenting. Anyone who's into switching and ends up on the standard tariff really does need to go back to school for some of Mr Lewis' Financial Literacy lessons!

matelodave

I would that any sensible person would actually do a tariff comparison rather than just looking at the headline savings figure.

However I do believe that the CEC should make it much clearer how they are doing the savings calculations without you having to root around. The information should be in the header banner.
It should also be much easier to compare the actual tariffs side by side so you could do your own sums. The info is there, it just takes more effort than it should to get to it.

I'm not sure that it's stupid to give you a heads up as it's a reminder to check your tariff and see if there's anything about that could save you on your present one. In some cases it can be worthwhile to jump tariffs half way through although you've got to make sure you cover any exit fees in your calculations. I usually have a quick check once a month to see what's available

victor2

As already pointed out, CEC is just a business, providing a service for profit.
In my case, it missed the approaching end of my tariff, but told me I could switch and save after it had ended - and not to the supplier I had already switched to. I didn't bother to update CEC after I switched anyway, should cancel my account really. I used uSwitch to identify suitable suppliers, then switched to the one I preferred via a cashback site.
If you are able to do the research yourself, you will get a more appropriate result by just using the comparison site(s) as pointers.

LesD

Isn't it somewhat disingenuous to still be sending out emails touting the CEC when the calculations are so obviously misleading?

SonOfPearl

I have just realised, after almost switching supplier but thankfully stopping to double-check the supposed "savings" myself, just how misleading the CEC comparisons are, and then I found this thread with a quick search of the forums.

I'm shocked that such a misleading method of making comparisons is being used, and have lost all trust that I had previously placed in the CEC service. In future I will use the CEC service just to get ideas for possible cheap tarrifs, but will do the calculations carefully myself. I don't mind doing that in order to make a saving, but wasn't the CEC supposed to do that for you? If not, what's the point of it? At the moment as things stand, it's not fit for purpose.

RMS2

I gave up using the switch sites years ago, when I started calculating the usage, charges and standing charge for myself.


Quite often, companies that charge a lot less, either don't appear or appear much further down the list.

teddysmum

I became suspicious when it told me that my provider's next fix tariff would save me about £200 over my present one; impossible as prices have risen.

LesD

Just to clarify.....my problem is not with the switch sites themselves. They are merely responding to questions from searchers. There are many reasons why their 'answers' may be dubious. In that case it's caveat emptor.

My gripe is with the CEC which sends out emails SAYING 'you can save money'! And, even after this thread, and the MSE response above that "We don't think it helps at all...", the emails keep coming.

This just smacks of putting financial gain before the interests of consumers.

Is this what this site is coming to now it's not 'independent' any more? Perhaps it's time for Mr Lewis to explain.

victor2

LesD wrote: »

This just smacks of putting financial gain before the interests of consumers.

Is this what this site is coming to now it's not 'independent' any more? Perhaps it's time for Mr Lewis to explain.

He sold control of it some time ago, for quite a tidy profit. No problem with that, he built something very successful and has got his reward.
The whole site is now a business from which the investors expect a healthy return.