Would you switch now and pay £60 exit fee

Skint_yet_Again

Have been spurred on to look at my current fixed tariff following the Moneysaving Email - "Urgent the cheapest energy deals are disappearing" and I am getting in a bit of a panic.


1. should I switch now


My current deal with EON is ending 31 Jan so I will not be in the exit fee free window until mid-Dec. Dual fuel £30 exit fee each.


Best deal around for me is currently CO-OP Festive fix tariff with £30 money off vouchers - so I suppose I can use the vouchers on food and will only be £30 out of pocket ? There is also the potential for money off vouchers for the amount paid for fuel and providing meter readings which will reduce the exit fee too I suppose...


If I miss this deal my annual price will increase by more than the £60 exit fee if there are no cheap fixes around.


I think after writing it all out it makes sense to switch now and pay the £60 to EON if there are unlikely to be any cheap switches around mid-Dec. If I wait too long the COOP deal may have ended.


2. I am sure when I was looking at this tariff last night it said no telephone support - the only wording I can find today is in the T&C it states you must:


...provide us with a valid email address upon sign up through which we will issue all online communication
d) register your personal online account and accept all communications via email. (large print / braille print available


Has anyone ever been in a totally online tariff with the COOP or any other provider before ?


Sorry to sound so vague any help or advice will be appreciated - feel I need to decide today...

csgohan4

Why not wait until December/Jan for other deals so you don't get hit with the exit fee

Skint_yet_Again

Because according to MSE there may not be any cheap deals then


http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/latesttip/?_ga=1.38922603.936691022.1446221616


I feel I should switch NOW as outlined by the words "Urgent" and "act NOW" in the latest blog and these phrases are getting me in a panic as I am on a tight budget


I cant find any cashback on co-op but their customer service doesn't seem so good and the tariff I have found is online only - so appears to only be email communication

ASavvyBuyer

To avoid the e.on exit fees, switch to their other tariff that does not have an exit fee and then a day later start the switch to a new supplier.
Also, worth looking at separate suppliers for gas & electric as they are usually cheaper than a dual fuel deal.

Skint_yet_Again

hadn't considered that - would EON allow that ? Could do with EON rep feedback - should I post on one of their threads ?


My current usage £679.02 pa - direct debit currently £58 per month


Next cheapest EON tariff £888.80 pa - d/debit £74.04 pm E.ON Energy Fixed 1 Year v20 no exit fee.


How long does it take to complete a switch to another provider as I would be paying the higher EON tariff from the date I switch so I think I need to factor this in to the savings ?


I did look at separate gas and electric but it didn't come out cheaper

Eric_Disley

I'd wait until mid-December. I doubt things will change so much in the next couple of weeks that you'll be £60 worse off waiting until then to switch.

If you're particularly worried about increases, you could switch now. However, I think "URGENT" and "ACT NOW" are aimed at the majority of households who are paying way too much on standard tariffs and have never considered switching.

It takes a few weeks to switch provider.

I think my tariff with OVO is email-only. I've not had any reason to contact them so it's not been an issue.

I had a terrible experience with Co-Op and wouldn't switch back to them under any circumstances. Their customer service feedback in MSE polls continues to be poor. I think, if a company's customer service is poor, it doesn't matter how you contact them, things still won't get resolved efficiently.

Skint_yet_Again

Thanks Eric - I think its the "switch NOW" that is getting me anxious and the message that all the cheap deals are disappearing.


I was with co-op a couple of years ago and had no need to contact them everything went smoothly. I guess its hard to tell whether things would be the same this time.

elsien

The co-op have had some issues this year - they struggled with a new online system and increased demand. I had a lot of trouble getting hold of someone to talk to when online wasn't showing the meter readings I'd sent. It did get sorted but I'm not a fan of their online system, it's not the easiest to follow.

Skint_yet_Again

thanks for all your comments.


The festive tariff online account is a worry to be honest - all communications will have to be by email and no phone calls allowed.


The other tariff they have with the same TCR does offer phone support but does not offer the £30 voucher so is not as tempting considering I may have to pay £60 exit fees if I switch now.


My other concern after reading the feedback on co-op on this site is that if I switch to more expensive tariff with EON to try and avoid the exit fees it may then take months to complete the switch to co-op costing me more than £60 on a higher tariff


Oh .... what to do !!

ASavvyBuyer

Skint_yet_Again wrote: »

thanks for all your comments.


My other concern after reading the feedback on co-op on this site is that if I switch to more expensive tariff with EON to try and avoid the exit fees it may then take months to complete the switch to co-op costing me more than £60 on a higher tariff


Oh .... what to do !!

E.on do allow you to switch to one of their tariffs without an exit fee. Malc, one of their reps has confirmed it many times on this forum. We have done that already.
If you switch to one of the companies that have signed up to faster switching, then it can complete within 3 weeks. However, be aware that not all companies have signed up to that, especially some of the smaler companies, but the most they should take is 6 weeks.

Skint_yet_Again

thanks ASB. I have switched tariff within EON before but not to a higher tariff with no exit fee specifically to avoid the exit fees when leaving - and then requested a transfer to another provider the following day.


If I transfer to the higher EON tariff and it then takes 6 weeks max worse case scenario to transfer to another provider, the cost of the higher tariff with the time of year being as it is and the heating on, it would seriously erode the saving of £60 exit fees.


I guess I will need to take a look at my bills for usage this time of year to try and get an idea of whether it would be worth doing.