MSE News: The 17 DAY Big Energy Switch Event III

Former_MSE_Paloma

We've negotiated cheaper than the cheapest gas & electricity tariffs so millions can save £280/year...

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The 17 DAY Big Energy Switch Event III




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Cardew

Why do you want all my details before you tell me the price of your tariff?

Pincher

Moneysupermarket.com works lightning fast these days.

I did a car insurance quote yesterday, and assiduously made sure the contact boxes were unticked. Within one minute of leaving that page, somebody purporting to be from "Rag Trade" called up, on the phone, offering to transfer me to an insurer straightaway.

Wasn't there some kind of premium rate number I could set up?
Obviously I want to have it on a PAYG basis. The provider only gets paid if some idiot calls it. The provider just has to divert the call to my landline or mobile, and I will keep them talking, at £1 a minute. Instead of pretending to be a hot blonde with big boobs, I'll play the lonely retiree, with lots of cash I want to be conned out of.

I wonder, if I sign up for lots of things, using the premium rate number, how much can I make. Enough for a skiing holiday?

miller

Cardew wrote: »

Why do you want all my details before you tell me the price of your tariff?

+1 on that.

This is for a property in the old Southern Electric region on MSE Fixed 1 Year Collective Sept 2015 Online tariff
Gas Standing charge 21.903p per day (£80 per year) Unit rate All kWh 3.105p per kWh Exit fees £30.00 TCR 3.36p per kWh Electricity Standing charge 16.422p per day (£60 per year) Unit rate All kWh 10.563p per kWh Exit fees £30.00 TCR 11.58p per kWh
Currently on Scottish Power online fix until February 2016. These prices aren't significantly better and I'm expecting prices to go down further/better fixes to be available before then.

redux

Earlier today I went back and re-read a thread about previous MSE big switch promotions.

For those, the trumpeted claims about 'cheaper than the cheapest' and 'for most it's by far the cheapest, with huge savings' were inaccurate, as my existing provider's best new deal was cheaper in my area and about half the other areas.

I said so, and was initially patronised by an MSE staff member who disbelieved that I could see something cheaper amongst what was then available, then he wrongly said there wasn't anything decent with no exit penalty, then when I named the provider and gave sample tariffs in 5 areas he rather surprisingly started slagging off the company.

Back then, for a short while I felt strongly enough about the falseness of the slogan cheaper than the cheapest that I very nearly reported it to the advertising standards regulator.

So this time it is interesting to notice that for the moment the new MSE deal would save about £18 a year here.

But it has exit penalties, and as the previous MSE big switches were superseded by better deals from rivals in 3 days for the first and then minus 2 days for the second I would not be at all surprised to see the next round or two of rival tariffs matching or slightly beating it.

So I just take this as a signal to keep looking, not commit yet.

The current provider at this house has no exit penalties, so I will hope to switch to a nice upcoming tariff with them, and still keep an eye on things, instead of be committed for a year to something that might eventually turn out a bit more expensive.

redux

Pincher wrote: »

Wasn't there some kind of premium rate number I could set up?
Obviously I want to have it on a PAYG basis. The provider only gets paid if some idiot calls it. The provider just has to divert the call to my landline or mobile, and I will keep them talking, at £1 a minute. Instead of pretending to be a hot blonde with big boobs, I'll play the lonely retiree, with lots of cash I want to be conned out of.

I wonder, if I sign up for lots of things, using the premium rate number, how much can I make. Enough for a skiing holiday?

Unfortunately changes in regulatory practice mean that nobody is supposed to use such numbers like that any more. Or they must be registered and have a decent reason, I don't know.

By coincidence I've just had an 0844 one switched off a few minutes ago, which I set up as a call diversion years ago and never intentionally used, but by coincidental mis-dialling once in a while someone would think they were calling a bank. Four times this week.

I couldn't disable it myself, as the website I enrolled on has been offline for 4 or 5 years, though the number still worked. So I managed today to guess my original number and go to the wholesale provider, who of course couldn't accept instructions direct from me but then went to an intermediary I'd never heard of, and they've done it.

More trouble than it's worth, in other words.

footyguy

We've negotiated cheaper than the cheapest gas & electricity tariffs

I'm always interested in the possibility in saving some money so took a look.

Whilst I've only looked at my supply region & usage, I've found some interesting information.

(I've ignored possible cashback and possible tesco points in this)

1. 3 year fix is not for me, not based on the current ca. 10% premium (based on your own figures), early exit penalties and uncertainty on where the energy market is currently heading - my decision (which may not suit everyone)

2. Eon (1 year fix) with E7 is not cheapest either as dual fuel or as electric only.

3. Eon without E7 is currently cheapest as both electric only or dual fuel ... but that is because of the low electricity tariff.
(The dual fuel tariff, whilst cheapest compared to other dual fuel tariffs currently available, does not beat separate suppliers total cost)

4. Eon gas (not available separately) has a high standing charge. I'm not sure if Eon price gas regionally, but feel sure this tariff could be beaten for most if not all regions and usages.


So my advice would be:
1. Continue to check separate suppliers to see if you can get yourself a better deal.
2. If you are considering the Eon deal and you currently have E7, go back to check if non E7 would be cheaper for you on this particular tariff (probably won't be if you use high amounts of low rate electricity e.g. you have storage heaters, but may be if you use say less than 50% low rate)

I think Eon are one of the suppliers that say they will supply non-E7 even if you have an E7 meter. (i.e. without a change of meter)

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

[FONT=&quot]Hi footyguy

Just thought I'd pop on with a bit of information about a couple things you've raised.
[/FONT]

footyguy wrote: »

Eon gas (not available separately) has a high standing charge. I'm not sure if Eon price gas regionally, but feel sure this tariff could be beaten for most if not all regions and usages.

[FONT=&quot]Generally, we don't price gas regionally. There's been odd exceptions over the years but, in most cases/tariffs, our gas prices are the same for each region on any particular tariff.

[/FONT]

I think Eon are one of the suppliers that say they will supply non-E7 even if you have an E7 meter. (i.e. without a change of meter)

You're right. We're happy for customers with Economy 7 meters to go on single rate tariffs. No need to change the meter. We just add the day and night usage together and charge it all at one rate.

Hope this is of interest footyguy.

Malc

RozJC

I must be the only one here that actually got a cheaper deal with 1-year E.On fix.

But that's probably I just moved into my new place and I just used the supplier the old occupants had just so I could be paying for my gas and electricity.

mihaid

I've just received the mse newsletter and they mention that if you're on last year's collective switch, which I think I am since I switched last November or thereabouts, this new switch will happen penalty free. Is that really so or they're wrong because my 49 days period only comes around 3 November this year.
I don't want to just try it only for MSE to come back and say I'm not entitled because I did not exactly understand what they meant by last year collective switch.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

mihaid wrote: »

I've just received the mse newsletter and they mention that if you're on last year's collective switch, which I think I am since I switched last November or thereabouts, this new switch will happen penalty free. Is that really so or they're wrong because my 49 days period only comes around 3 November this year.
I don't want to just try it only for MSE to come back and say I'm not entitled because I did not exactly understand what they meant by last year collective switch.

Hi mihaid

Do you mean the last MSE Collective Switch with E.ON? This was available from 28 October 14 to 6 November 14. If you do and you're already one of our customers, there's no exit fees for changing from one E.ON tariff to another.

Sorry if I've misunderstood mihaid and am barking up the wrong tree.

Malc