Small Supplier v Recognised Supplier

footyguy

TCA wrote: »

Just tried the Energy Helpline and it doesn't look too different to MSE Cheap Energy Club results. For avoidance of any doubt I'm using Scottish Power's Online Fixed Price Energy August 2016 for comparison and it comes in at £533 p.a, which you seem to agree with.

The winner is GB Energy Supply, coming in at £446 p.a., £87 cheaper per year. The next 4 are fixed tariffs from GnERGY, Green Star, Extra Energy and First Utility, which would only save between £28 and £41 per year. Next is Ovo which would cost £507 annually, saving £26. So I'm still not seeing anything wildly different to my CEC results. Feel free to point out the errors.

As for feedback threads, as you said, it's all down to interpretation. My interpretation is that if Ovo are already the supplier of the property I'm moving into, then that would hopefully avoid many of the issues being reported for them and other small suppliers. It's the least of all evils perhaps.

Reading the summaries from the CEC poll results:

GB Energy Supply is a small new supplier – as such, we have little feedback on its customer service. In the past, a few table-topping new entrants have severely struggled to cope with demand. That may or may not happen with this supplier.

GnERGY is a small new supplier – as such we have little feedback on its customer service. Additionally you will be unable to switch if your gas is provided by an IGT (independent gas transporter).

Extra Energy scored an awful 65% poor in our last poll, and users have reported billing issues (see the Extra Energy MSE news story). If you’ve an Economy 7 meter (peak/off-peak rates), Extra can’t switch you to a single-rate tariff as it can't add the two readings together.

Green Star is a small supplier – as such we've had little feedback about its customer service. However, despite a low number of votes, it scored 77% great in our last poll. It was also a winner in our last Big Switch, and we found it good in dealing with issues.

First Utility - Previously, Energy Club users have reported difficulties with First Utility, but it seems to be improving its service judging by our poll – it scored 48% great and 25% poor.

Ovo Energy - In our last poll Ovo were among the best with a whopping 82% rating it 'great' and only 6% 'poor'. The tariff isn't portable though, so you can't take it with you if you move house. Although it has no exit fees, Ovo's rules around 'tariff-hopping' mean that you can't move to one of its own cheaper deals for free if it releases one while you're in contract. But you can move elsewhere without penalty.

Ovo is also a Which? magazine recommended energy provider, so on balance I'm still inclined to favour them to avoid switching or save a few quid.

You could buy exactly the same gas & electricity for just £456pa and avoid all the above mentioned companies you have taken a dislike to.

But I guess you will take a dislike to any other cheaper supplier too. You sound like you have already decided to stick with the current provider and pay over 10% more than needed. Well it's your money and so your choice, so I think we'll leave it at that, save to say that it's "sticky" customers like you that the suppliers just love.

TCA

footyguy wrote: »

But I guess you will take a dislike to any other cheaper supplier too. You sound like you have already decided to stick with the current provider and pay over 10% more than needed. Well it's your money and so your choice, so I think we'll leave it at that, save to say that it's "sticky" customers like you that the suppliers just love.

Are you on the wind up? If not, thanks for the abuse anyway. I'm hardly a "sticky" customer given I'm not anybody's customer yet.

You may have failed to notice but every complaint about energy companies on this board or any other, has to do with customer service and often as not, the switching process. I would like to avoid that pain where possible. Make no mistake, if Ovo Energy turn out to be rubbish, I will switch to another supplier.

Price is not everything. GB Energy (from what I've read) seem to have more than their fair share of issues. Added to that it's a variable tariff, and you can't guarantee me it'll be cheaper than a fixed tariff, which incidentally I prefer for that reason.

Of the remainder, Ovo is only £15 worse than the next best, so I wouldn't consider "switching" to save that amount of money before I've even tried Ovo out. Moving house will be a stressful enough exercise without messing about with energy suppliers for the sake of a few pounds.

Thanks for your input.

Skools_Out

TCA wrote: »

Are you on the wind up? If not, thanks for the abuse anyway. I'm hardly a "sticky" customer given I'm not anybody's customer yet.

You may have failed to notice but every complaint about energy companies on this board or any other, has to do with customer service and often as not, the switching process. I would like to avoid that pain where possible. Make no mistake, if Ovo Energy turn out to be rubbish, I will switch to another supplier.

Price is not everything. GB Energy (from what I've read) seem to have more than their fair share of issues. Added to that it's a variable tariff, and you can't guarantee me it'll be cheaper than a fixed tariff, which incidentally I prefer for that reason.

Of the remainder, Ovo is only £15 worse than the next best, so I wouldn't consider "switching" to save that amount of money before I've even tried Ovo out. Moving house will be a stressful enough exercise without messing about with energy suppliers for the sake of a few pounds.

Thanks for your input.

"abuse" ?!? :huh: :eek:

Unless something has been removed (and I see no evidence from the Forum Team it has) then I see no abuse here.

You asked for opinions on whether or not to switch to a smaller supplier. You said that in 2 months you will move to a new property where the existing supply is provided by Ovo and therefore they will become your deemed supplier.

Footyguy has explained to you there are a number of opportunities you can choose from that could save you significant sums of money for the energy you anticipate consuming, at least one of which which appears to involve a larger company than Ovo - First Utility. You appear to have discarded some of those options, and seemingly failed to investigate others.

"Sticky" is not a term of abuse, but rather a term used within the industry that describes customers who, for whatever reason, do not switch supplier but "stick" to the supplier that already provides them no matter what the cost.

You have described now that despite the possible large savings available to you (and remember this site is all about money saving!) you will "stick" with your deemed supplier when you move because you wish to avoid the "pain" of switching (at least until you deem Ovo "rubbish" too).

Describing you as a "sticky" customer appears entirely appropriate in the circumstances.

You made no mention in your OP wishing to only opt for a variable tariff. Indeed the cheapest Ovo tariff that you quoted previously as costing £507 is not a variable tariff, but a fixed tariff. Confining your choice now to a variable tariff will cost you, and in the case of Ovo, that will be about 15% more than their cheapest tariff (which as footyguy has stated is about 10% more than cheaper options available to you that you have not so far discarded)