Add your feedback on energy supplier Powershop

Tafrock

For me my saving needs to be 30.1% over the year for me to achieve the top shopper rate.

Looking back to last winter a huge chunk of my savings came when the winter jumbo packs were released. Those savings were 37.2%. Powershop will have to repeat such massive savings for me to come close to my top shopper rate. I won't be buying any more future packs (I've not bought January yet) as I expect the future discounts to increase inline with other baseline tariff users rates when my tariff is switched in October

soberton

My experience of PS to date is that they have NOT mislead me with any claims made since I joined them in June 2017. If PS say that I will achieve Top Shopper rates (if that is what they tell me) by buying all the PowerPacks (which I have done to date) then I will accept that AND if that rate is the best available tariff in my area then I will be staying with them. Until PS mislead me I will accept their promises (after all that is the Contract with them) - this is a business transaction, PS know what happens if they mislead customers - we leave and probably sue.

Tafrock

What people are trying to say though is that at current discount rates it's looking highly unlikely the top shopper will be achievable even if powershop say it will be. In My case I need to achieve a discount of 30.1% over 12 months. Recent packs have been no more than 18%. Future packs only 27.6% for a very small amount of energy. Therefore to achieve a 30. 1%discount I need packs of more than 30.1%. Last year my top shopper was easily achievable due to higher quantities of energy being available to purchase via future packs. I even beat my top shopper quote. Time will tell. I've been very happy with powershop up til now. But I have to admit I am starting to check rival prices regularly anticipating the need to jump ship soon

fewkeste

As soberton previously posted, we are buying Powerpacks now (Future Packs) that will be used at a time when we will be on a Baseline Tariff. They (PS) have stated to me that discounts will be higher and presumably a greater amount and value of discounted Powerpacks will be made available. Presumably to enable us to achieve the savings we will need to make to successfully achieve the relevant Top Shopper rate down from the Baseline Tariff (BT) when we are moved over to a BT.

I just don't know how they will achieve it. Other than releasing massive one-off Jumbo Powerpacks each month to bring the overall discount to the 28-30% level I don't know what else they could do.

Any thoughts/ideas any one?

Could they for example change the discount on Future Packs that have already been purchased? i.e. the January Future Packs that some of us have already bought (not me yet) - could they magically jump from 27.6% to a higher % discount figure?

I really do hope they are able to manage the transition to BT for us long time customers as I'm now fully on top of the PS model and would like to stay with them as long as I don't lose out.

As others have stated, PS customers are savvy and if they find the Top Shopper discounted rate is unlikely to be achieved with the Powerpacks on offer when moved to the new BT, then they will reluctantly move to a more competitive supplier I imagine.

Tafrock

I know due to their glitch earlier in the year that different versions of monthly future powerpacks exist depending on the tariff tour on. These differ greatly in discount amount hence why I won't be buying any further future powerpacks before my tariff transition. I expect an enhanced discount to appear on the packs already on offer for January onwards. I cannot see how buying all powerpacks will achieve a 30.1% discount when lower packs on offer are as low as 8%. I've never bought and used any powerpack lower than 18% hence I guarantee a minimum discount of 18%. The months I'm using now are last years packs with 23.7% discounts.. We have one more future pack left (February) before future discounts start reducing again going on past performance. I shall wait and see. I'm in credit til end October

Tafrock

When I took out my powershop tariff my quote was 498.76 standard 473.87 eaSy saver promise 411.20 top shopper

A difference of 87.56 which equates to a discount by buying powerpacks of 17.55%. I not only achieved this I beat it and achieved a 12 month discount of 23.53%.

However this year's quote has a far greater differential.
Baseline 529.81. First year promise 514.80 top shopper 370.16 resulting in a discount of 30.1% having to be achieved to make the top shopper quote. Meanwhile powerpacks are consistently around the 13 to 15% mark. The sums don't add up

What also concerns me is my last statement says my standard price at current usage rate is projected to be 423 94. My achievable top shopper rate would be 72. 64 less if I bought all powerpacks giving a price of 351.30 or a discount of 17.13%

So my new baseline quote is 105.87 dearer than what powershop say my current tariff would cost me. A huge increase of over 25% on my standard prices

fewkeste

Tafrock wrote: »

...resulting in a discount of 30.1% having to be achieved to make the top shopper quote. Meanwhile powerpacks are consistently around the 13 to 15% mark. The sums don't add up

.... So my new baseline quote is 105.87 dearer than what powershop say my current tariff would cost me. A huge increase of over 25% on my standard prices

Yes in one sense it doesn't matter what they increase the Baseline Tariff to or by as long as the discounts are there to bring the net cost down to a reasonable level.

The problem is - how long does one give them before deciding that the required discount (in your case 30.1%) is unlikely to be achieved with the Powerpacks on offer?

Wait too long and you end up paying more than a cheaper rival supplier; jump ship too soon and you might regret it if/when the discounts do materialise.

soberton

Remember the PS model. PS set the tariff (presumably BaseLine) and they also set the discount rate (presumably TopShopper) The contract between PS and the customer is that the TopShopper rate will be achieved OVER A 12 MONTH PERIOD if all the PowerPacks available to that customer are purchased. That is a legal contract and it is up to PS to make the PowerPacks available at the correct discount for each individual customer to achieve the TopShopper rate for their estimated energy usage providing they purchase all available PowerPacks. All the customer is concerned about is that the TopShopper rate is the best tariff available in our individual area - It doesn't matter to us what PS call a PowerPack or how much each PowerPack contains or what the discount is, PS are contractual liable if they do not provide sufficient discount to meet the TopShopper rate for that customers estimated energy usage. Providing each customer buys ALL the available PowerPacks in the 12 month period then the discount will be achieved, if not then PS will have, by law, to refund the difference - it is a contract. This is absolutely no different that having a Stamdard Tariff and an EasySaver Tariff, PS provided the discount against the estimated usage and it worked out, we all beat the EasySaver tariff last year. The only concern we have is that the new discounted tariff is the best tariff available in our area NOT HOW PS WILL ACHIEVE THAT TARIFF.

bri160356

I’ve recently been considering a move to Powershop but having perused this thread it seems quite a complicated affair to keep on top of your account;

…is it really difficult to manage and do the sums etc?

Unfortunately, maths has never really been my strong point.

neilsedaka

It is easy to get started. Join Powershop. Buy all of the Powerpacks that are offered to you. You can apply for a refund at any time if you need to. That's it in a nutshell.