Eon - Customer loyalty??

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

theboylard wrote: »

Didn't know this thread was here, but just to add my groat...

Firstly, why do E.on make it so difficult to find a usable phone number on their site?! It's almost as if they don't want to talk to cutsomers?!

I'd found this eon saver plus plan mentioned on a couple of minor comparison sites (no sign of it on Cheap Energy Club?) and so phoned E.on up.

After holding to a variety of scratchy music - really - I eventually chat to a a guy who's name I didn't catch but could only offer the 3 tariffs on line, and really didn't care what I did!

So, another customer lost.

I also run money saving sessions in the local village hall, usually about once a quarter - guess who's gonna be mentioned in dispatched, rather than dispatches!!

Any suggestions for East Midlands leccy? Sorted for gas!

Afternoon theboylard,

I'm really sorry that you're so unhappy with us.

You can see the phone numbers on the website by clicking contact us at the bottom, then clicking on telephone numbers on the right. It'll bring you up a list of the different departments with their number.

[FONT=&quot]At the moment, the only tariffs we've available for sale to existing customers are those listed on our website.

The new tariffs are for new customers wanting to join E.ON and you can only sign up to these via the third party comparison sites.

I'm sorry you had to hold when calling us and that you don't feel you got the customer service we should be providing.

Malc and I care and it's one of the main reasons we send feedback about our threads and what our customers are saying.

Thank you [/FONT][FONT=&quot]theboylard
[/FONT]
Helena

apt

Helena there isn't a clear telephone number for customers wanting to discuss their tariff on the website. The telephone number in the terms and conditions of current cheap tariff is also out of date. Like others I will be switching elsewhere rather than paying 20% more for the crime of being an existing customer.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

apt wrote: »

Helena there isn't a clear telephone number for customers wanting to discuss their tariff on the website. The telephone number in the terms and conditions of current cheap tariff is also out of date. Like others I will be switching elsewhere rather than paying 20% more for the crime of being an existing customer.

I'm sorry that you'll be changing away.

But I'd like to say thank you for the feedback and it's something I'll be passing back.

Helena

Micron

Cardew wrote: »

Your assumptions are incorrect in the above quote. Eon have not said they make 4.7% profit on every customer's bill. On some bills they will be making a loss and on others way more than 4.7%.(20%??)

I have only used the figures that E.on quotes in their promotional video, this shows how every £1 is spent from residential bills, at the end only 4.7p remains.

Perhaps a simpler way to put it would have been, for every customer E.on gains on the new tariff they will make a loss or little profit and for every disgruntled existing customer they lose they will make no profit at all.

That still sounds like a double whammy loss situation to me.

Cardew

Micron wrote: »

I have only used the figures that E.on quotes in their promotional video, this shows how every £1 is spent from residential bills, at the end only 4.7p remains.

Perhaps a simpler way to put it would have been, for every customer E.on gains on the new tariff they will make a loss or little profit and for every disgruntled existing customer they lose they will make no profit at all.

That still sounds like a double whammy loss situation to me.

Every gas/electricity/water/telephone company/supermarket can calculate their profit and express it in terms of a percentage on their revenue. That is all Eon have done.

If they have, say, 5 million customers they can hardly work out the profit on every individual customer. They are simply saying that if the revenue raised is, say, £100,000,000 their expenses are £95,300,000 and their profit is £4,700,000

molerat

And how a multi level organisation massages those figures with cross company costs and payments to come out with a figure they want the public (and HMRC) to see is another subject altogether.

Tertiian

I have been with EON for 7.5 years. I have been offered renewal of my current 'fix' (expiring 31 Oct) at an increase of 30%. I cannot access any of the special deals on comparison sites as they are restricted to new customers. I have spoken at length to EON Customer Services and they offer nothing except 'Tesco points' (worth £5 annually against a £219 increase). The economics of this marketing strategy escape me. So I have actioned a switch to SSE which will cost only £747 annually against my current £716 and an EON offer of £935

Addendum: Loyalty is a two-way relationship. Would have accepted a small increase to stay with EON on basis of past dealings/prices but they have made this impossible. So much for the fine words about 'customer ethos'.. Pure BS!

fredandwilma

Cardew wrote: »

I have a particular hate of firms - banks, Sky etc - who offer attractive deals that are not available for existing customers. - a kind of 'reverse loyalty'!

IMO Eon should be ashamed of introducing this practice of excluding existing customers from the cheaper tariffs - especially in light of Ofgem's declared policy of simplifying tariff structures.

I think it's naive to think energy companies are any different to other large companies / big industries.

Business is all about profit / making money / cost cutting and it seems E.on have decided to take the road of attracting new customers, as will other energy companies.

The days of loyalty to customers (and rewarding loyal customers,) ended decades ago, and as a consumer, I'm only loyal to a company if they are providing me with the best deal. It works both ways.

There are millions of people who have never switched energy supplier. This reached a low in 2013. There has been a 47% increase in people switching from May last year.

E.on is just shifting it's target market, and i suspect they won't be alone.

Conversely, what we see on MSE is a very small proportion of consumerism, and those who are already driven to obtain the best deal.

Tariffs like the saver tariff (or from collectives,) aren't going to reach the E.on consumers who would benefit the most, for example the elderly who have never changed supplier, who believe in "company" loyalty, who find it all too confusing / don't have the technology / don't wan't the hassle, and are still paying the most expensive rates for their energy, (and other goods or services.)




http://www.independent.co.uk/money/the-big-six-energy-companies-really-don-t-deserve-your-loyalty-a6863596.html


http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/press-releases/338-2016/5806-two-million-customers-switch-in-the-past-five-months.html


https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/22/more-than-6m-households-switched-energy-supplier-in-2015


http://www.gocompare.com/press-office/2015/10/switching-energy-supplier/



NB - I'm in no way affiliated to E.on and I'm just saying it as it is. I'm only loyal to E.on for the duration of my 2 year fix, (at best.)

Cardew

fredandwilma wrote: »

I think it's naive to think energy companies are any different to other large companies / big industries.

Business is all about profit / making money / cost cutting and it seems E.on have decided to take the road of attracting new customers, as will other energy companies.

I am far from naïve about company motives.

I was pointing out that this practice of excluding existing customers from cheaper tariffs is new in the gas/electricity industry and it should be given as much adverse publicity as possible.

Because the same disreputable practice is widespread in other industries doesn't make it any more acceptable.

Micron

Tertiian wrote: »

I have been with EON for 7.5 years. I have been offered renewal of my current 'fix' (expiring 31 Oct) at an increase of 30%. I cannot access any of the special deals on comparison sites as they are restricted to new customers. I have spoken at length to EON Customer Services and they offer nothing except 'Tesco points' (worth £5 annually against a £219 increase). The economics of this marketing strategy escape me. So I have actioned a switch to SSE which will cost only £747 annually against my current £716 and an EON offer of £935

I'm with you 100% Tertiian, I have been a long time E.on customer and why have I not switched from E.on before now because there has always been an E.on tariff which was within a pound or two a week of the competition, albeit usually a few pounds more.
If I were to stay with E.on this year it would cost me at least £295 extra on my bill, that's not just a few pounds.

Addendum: Loyalty is a two-way relationship. Would have accepted a small increase to stay with EON on basis of past dealings/prices but they have made this impossible. So much for the fine words about 'customer ethos'.. Pure BS!

One of my main gripes about E.on is the hollow and weasel worded marketing speak on their website and in the many company reports, such as;

** "E.on we're on it" (never been exactly sure what E.on is on)
** "Helping all our customers pay less, we're on it."
** "Putting customers first.".
** "Earn the trust of our customers,"
** "Our customers want to know they are paying a fair price for the energy they buy from us."
** "Our customers are at the heart of everything we do."
** "Continuing to put our customers first"

The list goes on but I suppose the above could be easily covered by, ** Applies to new customers only.