Is SSE taking advantage of OAP without internet connection

Anthorn

There is more regarding older vulnerable being taken for a ride. Age UK a charity concerned with helping older people was found to offer a tariff in partnership with E.on which was £245 more annually than the cheapest deal E.on is offering. A statistic disputed by the charity claimed that 152,000 people signed up for the tariff which gained the charity a whopping £41 per person from E.on.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/69496/age-uk-energy-tariffs-scandal-what-you-need-to-know

System

Anthorn wrote: »

There is more regarding older vulnerable being taken for a ride. Age UK a charity concerned with helping older people was found to offer a tariff in partnership with E.on which was £245 more annually than the cheapest deal E.on is offering. A statistic disputed by the charity claimed that 152,000 people signed up for the tariff which gained the charity a whopping £41 per person from E.on.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/69496/age-uk-energy-tariffs-scandal-what-you-need-to-know

There is a real danger of comparing 'apples' with 'oranges' here. As I understand it, the Age UK/E.oN offer was a 2 year fix which historically have always cost more than a one year fix. It is also fair to say that one year dual fuel fixes are more expensive than using 2 separate suppliers for gas and electricity. The real problem here for Age UK is that they have defended their policy by saying that it generates income for their charitable causes which, inter alia, should include providing best advice for the age group that they profess to support.

The way forward here is for Ofgem to ban referral fees which is just an additional cost on all domestic energy customers.

backfoot

Of course the OP has a solution to his mother's problem. I have managed my mother's and other family energy accounts for many years and obtained the best available prices.

It misses the point though.

Why do we need all this pointless nonsense and duplication? Why does there remain the huge differential pricing that charges the vulnerable massively higher rates than the internet/energy savvy?

The system hasn't worked on the cost side of these businesses and the pricing side is a complete shambles.

The 'I'm all right, Jack' politicians turn a blind eye to the social inequality that the system has introduced unnecessarily.:(

[Deleted User]

Its certainly not the just the old timers paying through the nose. Prepayment meters are very common, and rising ,and just like the standard/variable tariffs or BGs similar "fix and fall " rates, the poorest and most needy are paying an ever widening higher price for their energy. My local MP has started a petition on , what he calls "scandalous rip off prices affecting prepayment meters. Is there a case to allow doorstep sellers, not allied to any suppliers, to visit householders and get them switched off standard tariffs.
In my area BG standard/prepay is 13.2 p/kwh, Npower is 14.4 p/kwh dsc 25 p for both whilst I m paying 8p/kwhr with BG (19 p dsc ) on an online deal..that is a big difference at over 40% lower.... too big.

backfoot

Each company should have it's lowest price only for each supply.

There should be no difference in supply between 'standard' and 'cheapest'. What are they doing different?

They supply gas or electricity. Why does there have to be all these different tariffs for the same thing.

It is profiteering at the customer's expense and falls generally to be paid by those least able to manage it.

Richie-from-the-Boro

IMO

It is profiteering at the UK Governments behest against the consumer. No legislated protection, no effective regulated protection by statutory instrument means the GOV can transfer much of its expenditure to in this case the energy suppliers. It also applies for example to internet providers, bankers, etc etc.

Ofgem & DECC have been forever threatening to institute a so called radical shake up of energy pricing & switching process since the old twelve area boards were sold~for~gold along with telephones, railways, airports, and anything else politicians could flog for their banking masters including the air that we breathe and the rain that falls from the skies.

Nonsense its an installed regulatory system that contrives deliberately to avoid supporting flexibility, price competition and switching. Threats of investigation and non-transferable fines have never materialised and so the conformable relationship between GOV's """'do this for me and I'll turn my jaundiced bucolic blind eye"""' seems to be the eternal decade on decade reality of no legislated consumer protection, no effective regulated protection by statutory instrument, etc.

GlasweJen

Richie, sorry to interrupt a thread but I can't PM you. Could you cast your eye over this and give me your thoughts?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5422850