Collective Energy Switch Feb 2nd

MSE_Dan_L

redux wrote: »

If the current CEC deal is in 12th place here, and previous ones came about 5th here, and other people above are sounding rather underwhelmed as they see cheaper elsewhere, how about re-approaching British Gas and say that in order for you to describe it more confidently as the cheapest, you'd like them to revisit the tariffs in the areas where it is not.

We don't all live in London.

Hi Redux

The tariff has been reviewed against other tariffs available on the market and it consistently came out top based on Ofgem's average usage figures of 12,500 kwh gas and 3,100 kwh electric.

The auction for this category was extremely competitive and involved renegotiation of the winning tariff to make it even more compelling. We look at high medium and low usage in each of the energy regions and have continued to review this in the period from auction to the point it went live on Tuesday night.

Absolutely it can be beaten, which is why we stress the importance of making a comparison, but we're happy that it is a strong and competitive option for many Cheap Energy Club members.

As part of the alert service which we offer, we monitor all user accounts to see which tariff works out cheapest based on their region and usage - the British Gas tariff is definitely the best option for the majority of our members.

Happy to look into your own account if you'd like to make sure there isn't anything unexpected happening. Just email collectiveswitch AT moneysavingexpert.com and we'll take a look.

jrsga

Hi

Can somebody please confirm:

- Is a FULL credit check carried out for the BG fixed 12 months deal? There is contradictory information
- When cashback is offered is that taken into account AFTER the price comparison?

thanks

dave52

Received confirmation from British Gas last night ref February 2017 Collective Tariff switch (presently with Scottish Power).

Thanks for choosing us as your gas and electricity supplier. This is your contract and it contains everything you need to know.


Your estimated supply start dates

Gas
22nd February 2016

Electricity
22nd February 2016

(British Gas Tariff very big saving for me (esp. E7 as 90%+ Electric)

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

phillw wrote: »

So if I switch electricity today to the collective and leave gas with v19 (that I switched in the last few days) and then next week when v20 comes out I can switch electricity, gas or both to v20 (depending on what you come up with) without any hassle?

Hi phillw

You can certainly switch to the MSE Collective Electric Only tariff and leave the gas as it is. This will also mean you'll continue to receive the dual fuel discount. If, though, version 20 turns out to be better for you, you'll need to switch both the electricity and gas. We don't offer a gas only option on this tariff.

Hope this helps.

Malc

phillw

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Hi phillw

You can certainly switch to the MSE Collective Electric Only tariff and leave the gas as it is. This will also mean you'll continue to receive the dual fuel discount. If, though, version 20 turns out to be better for you, you'll need to switch both the electricity and gas. We don't offer a gas only option on this tariff.

Hope this helps.

Malc

Ok, could I gamble and see what v20 is on Tuesday and switch to that for both gas and electricity and then switch the electricity only using the collective switch?

redux

MSE_Dan_L wrote: »

Hi Redux

The tariff has been reviewed against other tariffs available on the market and it consistently came out top based on Ofgem's average usage figures of 12,500 kwh gas and 3,100 kwh electric.

The auction for this category was extremely competitive and involved renegotiation of the winning tariff to make it even more compelling. We look at high medium and low usage in each of the energy regions and have continued to review this in the period from auction to the point it went live on Tuesday night.

Absolutely it can be beaten, which is why we stress the importance of making a comparison, but we're happy that it is a strong and competitive option for many Cheap Energy Club members.

As part of the alert service which we offer, we monitor all user accounts to see which tariff works out cheapest based on their region and usage - the British Gas tariff is definitely the best option for the majority of our members.

Happy to look into your own account if you'd like to make sure there isn't anything unexpected happening. Just email collectiveswitch AT moneysavingexpert.com and we'll take a look.

As I said, mid range use here.

I've looked at the last 3 of these CEC collective deals, and not one has been the best tariff in what the local supplier company says is one of the larger regions in the country. This most recent one is the least competitive of the series, 11th to 13th place here for minor variations of usage around the median.

It's disappointing that you haven't yet had the winners competitive in this area, and I don't think it's due to me entering any numbers incorrectly. As I said, on one previous CEC deal I searched all supplier areas, and it was the best in only just over half of them, though presumably as London was one it's true to say this happens for the majority.

Yes, it's great than the force of MSE's evangelising overcomes the inertia of people who have been on standard tariffs and we see savings of £300 or £500 a year highlighted, but this doesn't quite vindicate the repetitive use of slogans "by far the cheapest" and "cheaper then the cheapest" when these are not universally true and may be wrong to up to 40% of the population, and nor is the underlying rhetoric that collective deals are bound to be the best.

current order of results here, for 12500 + 3100

First Utility
Npower
Avro Energy
Extra Energy
Gnergy
E.On
E.On
GB Energy
GB Energy
So Energy
British Gas, MSE collective
Places and People Energy
Extra Energy
Flow Energy

It's strange to me that Scottish Power doesn't appear there, as they have always been cheapest here or within £4 a year on any search in the last few years, so I'm hoping they bring out a new tariff in the near future, before I make up my mind.

ladyday

Hi, I'm new to collective switching so please forgive me if I ask an obvious question.

I am trying to persuade an elderly relative to switch from a British Gas fix and fall tariff that ends in March to the new British Gas Feb 2017 tariff on cheap energy club which should save them about £350 a year. The problem is that they pay their bills by monthly direct debit for the full amount each month, they won't consider paying a set amount each month due to a previous problem a few years ago when the monthly payment was hugely increased. Is the collective switch available to people who wish to pay the full amount owed monthly by direct debit ? If so how do I choose this as I can't see an option for it.

Also, I read in the FAQ's that changing from British Gas to British Gas you have to be careful to make sure the account name is identical as it can cause problems. When they login to their British Gas account it's in the name of 'Mr A. Surname' but the bills are in the name of 'Mr & Mrs A. Surname' - so which is best to use or will it still go through ok if it's different?

Thanks for any help.

Steve_C24

Has anyone else had a problem with the Big Switch 4? Using the figures the MSE Cheap Energy Club has my new payment should be £65 a month. I have had an e mail from British Gas saying they will be charging me £100 a month?!! I'm trying to switch from Sainsbury's Energy who are actually British Gas from the MSE Big Switch from February 2015. After 10 months while I am actually in credit Sainsbury's (British Gas) wanted to raise my direct debit from £75 to £116?!! Am I the only one who is having these massive increases?

frost1979

Steve_C24 wrote: »

Has anyone else had a problem with the Big Switch 4? Using the figures the MSE Cheap Energy Club has my new payment should be £65 a month. I have had an e mail from British Gas saying they will be charging me £100 a month?!! I'm trying to switch from Sainsbury's Energy who are actually British Gas from the MSE Big Switch from February 2015. After 10 months while I am actually in credit Sainsbury's (British Gas) wanted to raise my direct debit from £75 to £116?!! Am I the only one who is having these massive increases?

I've had the exact same from Sainsburys Energy. My payment for the last 11 months has been £79.50 and I'm currently in credit by around £120, my last bill being on the 5th Feb, so all up to date. Had an email last night to say they had refunded me the credit balance and we're increasing my payments to £112 per month! That means my bill is going up by around £500 this year, I don't think so, it just seems an easy way for Sainsburys/British Gas to get a lot of cash sitting in their bank.

MSE_Dan_L

Hi Steve C24 and frost1979

British Gas has told us that the £100 figure, isn't indicative of your direct debit payment and is actually just an illustration of how its direct debits work.

My post from Friday should help clear things up.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5406900