* New MSE energy collective? Math done, now fingers crossed . . .*

hybernia

Cardew wrote: »

There are several threads on exactly this subject e.g.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5697892

I posted this:

We have time yet!

Hi Cardew: thanks for this. Mea culpa: it was only after I'd posted that I appreciated the number of different threads on this sub-board relating to the same topic but under different headings. God knows though how I managed to miss your particular post, which says it all in terms of facts and figures. Apologies!

As to "we have time yet" . . . well, that's what I'm hoping. BUT. . . thanks entirely to Hengus, who at this rate is on track to be deified, I've got Zog's stats for gas supply charges in front of me, clear and simple (the stats, not Hengus) and the situation shapes up like this:

British Greed email to me, gas supply:

Your current tariff
Unit rate: 2.57p per kWh
Our Standard tariff
Unit rate: 3.80p per kWh

Your current tariff
Standing charge: 21.81p per day
Our Standard tariff
Standing charge: 26.01p per day

Your current tariff
Discounts: £15 Dual Fuel
Our Standard tariff
Not applicable

Zog website, supply of gas:

Zog Mercury 12month Fixed term
Unit rate: 2.8877p per kWh
Standing charge: 10.5p per day.

As a consumer, one really would have to be even thicker than Centrica HQ's boardroom table to give even a moment's consideration to British Greed's prices.

What concerns me though is that whilst I'm hopeful MSE can come up with. . . something . . . It may not. And then where am I, and everyone else in the Cheap Energy Club???

"We’re hoping to run another collective switch very soon. We currently don’t have a date, and with challenging conditions in the energy market there’s no guarantee it will happen.

We’ll always aim to beat the cheapest tariff out there, but today’s cheap deals may not be around when our next collective starts - so you could fix and lock in your prices now to be safe, or hold on and see if we can negotiate a better deal." (email I've received from CEC; my emphasis added.)

The if's, the but's and the may's are understandable. As is the absence of reassurance. But when there are fixed deals out there already -- like Zog's -- which, amazingly enough, seem marginally cheaper even than the gas supply component of the British Greed collective fix I'm already on, then, then, then . . .

I'm beginning to waver. Just a bit . . .

System

hybernia wrote: »

Hengus: I really hope you're not going to regret raising your head above the parapet on this thread to help others! It does seem as though I'm intent on harassing you . . . :eek:

However: re Zog CS. Me and mine are now expert on energy supply company CS departments. We had an especially instructive teacher: Spanish Power. (And, via Ofgem, a not-so especially useful "goodwill payment" in settlement of our multiple complaints as well as repayment of monies owed to us by the aforesaid lying, cheating Scottish, sorry, Spanish company.)

Your experience of Zog CS is as good an endorsement as it gets. Thank you, then, for taking the trouble to recount it here. At risk of further. . . harassment, two questions, yes?

1) Like so many others here, the MSE Cheap Energy Club collective tariff I'm on is for dual fuel. I'm now within the window to exit from that deal without penalty but, but, but . . . If, hypothetically, I go to Zog, that's only the gas account. Zog doesn't supply electricity.

Being a dual-fuel customer, am I, by virtue of contract terms, actually able to notify British Greed that I'm changing to a different gas supplier for one fuel only?

If I am, then presumably that renders the existing collective tariff contract null and void, and that the instant Zog takes on the gas supply, British Greed will switch me onto its Standard Tariff for electricity. You think???

2) Go on. Do tell. Which of the Big 6 is currently under Ofgem investigation for licensing breach?? I think we should be told.

Let me answer Q2 first:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/energy/2017/07/ofgem-to-investigate-british-gas-after-mse-campaign

Normally, you can switch from a dual fuel tariff to separate suppliers without any issues but you will need to look at your contract terms and conditions. You may lose your dual fuel discount but I doubt that BG will move the other fuel on to its SVT. The best thing to do is to select your electricity and gas suppliers, and then initiate the switches on the same day.

There is no need to inform BG that you are switching as the gaining supplier/s manage/s everything. They will use industry systems to inform BG that a transfer/s is in progress. They will also ask you for meter readings at the appropriate time. Provided BG is informed that a transfer is in progress in the period up to contract end plus 20 days then you will remain on your present tariff until the transfers go through. The 20 day period is important as you could wait until the end date of your present contract and then initiate a switch/es. Provided you chose a supplier/s that is signed up to 17 day switching, then I can almost guarantee that the 20 day rule will not be breached. (some suppliers may argue about it but this protection is in the Supply Licence)

You can find the suppliers that offer gas and electricity only contracts by using the filters on MSE CEC. You need to do your own comparison as your usage and postcode will determine whether separate suppliers will work for you.

Finally, if I wasn’t with Zog, I would probably be looking hard at Bulb as they offer a single tariff with no exit fees; they get excellent reviews and a simple Google search will reveal the £50 discount that I have mentioned in other posts. They will also pay exit fees to existing suppliers: I appreciate that this won’t apply in your case.

hybernia

Ah. Hengus. . .

Thank you so much for posting that link. It's about as important as any link could be at this time:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/energy/2017/07/ofgem-to-investigate-british-gas-after-mse-campaign

Quote: "MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis said: 'The rules are very plain; you cannot and should not be charged exit penalties if your switchover takes place within the last 49 days of your energy fix.

'At least two firms – British Gas and Npower – have wrongly put that they would charge in their official literature. At best they are careless in the way they treat customers; at worst they are trying to bully them into staying, with misinformation.

'How can you trust firms who pump out such crap? I'm delighted that Ofgem is getting tough with them following our investigation."

Clearly, there'll not be another Cheap Energy Club / British Gas Collective Fix then: MSE is hardly going to get into bed with a supplier which pumps out crap and, at worst, deliberately bullies its customers by downright lying. . .

I was naive enough (because I was unaware of the information you've provided) to think that CEC was possibly working with British Gas to create another good deal. Obviously. . . not. Time, methinks, to go find my own best deal -- as you've been advising all of us here for some time now . . .

Pedro1877

"We hope you'll decide to stay withus but, as your fixed contract is ending, you can move to a different supplier without any notice or paying an exit fee

If you decide to switch you will keep your current prices until:
1. you switch to one of our other tariffs ...... You have got to be joking!:D
2. you switch to another supplier and they tell us you'd like to switch within 20 days after your current tariff ends. The switch then needs to be completed in a reasonable time.

You can move to a different supplier without paying any exit fees from the 13th August

We may refuse the switch if you owe us money unless you pay what you owe within 30 working days of our refusal."

Pedro1877

Just found this on YET another thread on the same subject posted 10th August from MSE Laura

The team here at MoneySavingExpert has been working hard with suppliers to try and get things prepared for a collective later this year. Of course we’re well aware that we’ve lots of Cheap Energy Club users who are coming to the end of a collective deal and have run collectives during September for the past couple of years.

That said, the energy market is pretty tricky right now. We tried and unfortunately failed to secure a national collective in November 2016 and February 2017 and in April could only get a winning deal from a less well-known supplier, Green Star.

We really hope to be able to pull something off, but this is far from guaranteed just yet and as such we can’t confirm the dates of a collective. As soon as we have more information to share, we’ll include it in the weekly email and on the site (our editorial team are working on a guide to go up in the next few days).

I understand this may be a little frustrating, but I can assure you the lack of news on this isn’t because we’re not working away on this.

I hope that helps to reassure you.

MSE Laura

hybernia

Hi Pedro: Thanks for the updates, much appreciated.

I've decided -- in view of the information Hengus so generously placed on record at post #23 -- that there's now not the slightest prospect of MSE Cheap Energy Club doing another collective fix with British Gas.

(MSE CEC has never said it was doing anything of the kind, but I had entertained the notion that as so many of us on MSE were with that supplier, another collective fix with British Gas was not improbable.)

Given MSE's complaint to the regulator about British Gas, not only can I not see Cheap Energy Club dealing with it ever again, I can't see CEC getting any kind of collective fix agreement with any of the other Big 6.

The major suppliers aren't exactly covered in glory and I can think of three right now that I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole. So why would MSE?

That leaves the smaller suppliers, but CEC may already have exhausted that route -- and so many of 'em have such appalling reputations that who on earth would want to go anywhere near them anyway? I wouldn't. And I can't see MSE being daft enough to risk its hard-won reputation on any kind of deal where guilt-by-association is a major hazard if (when) it all went wrong.

So. That's it. I've given up.

Hengus has -- in my personal opinion -- done a remarkable job of offering excellent advice, in light of which I've now checked out the suppliers he mentioned, their kWh per hour unit prices . . . and their customer feedback.

I can see no reason to wait for Cheap Energy Club to come up with a deal which might, in truth, never materialise, and I wouldn't want CEC to feel obligated to do so anyway: the British Gas fix was a major achievement, so well done to all those behind the scenes at MSE who arranged it.

For our household though, we're leaving British Greed forthwith. I'm initiating the switching process right now. Good luck to everyone here though who decides to hang on in hope of better news!

gitch01

when I spoke to BG, the guy on the phone said that the only thing he could say in favour of staying with BG was that they were more available on the phone for any problems than the smaller companies. when I said I could save between 305 - £338 with Tonik, Avro, One Select, Green Network Energy, Iresa hisreply was that's a good deal.....

jmnathan

Interestingly, if I sply my supply I would be paying the following (based on my current usage calculations):

Gas - £425 with Economy Energy (a saving of £12 on my current BG projection)
Electricity - £520 with Iresa (an extra £90 on my current BG projection)

This is slightly better than a projected extra £109 by sticking to Dual Fuel.

Still holding out for an updated Collective though and selfishly would love to stay with BG as I quite like my Smart Meter!

mikeyorkie10

footyguy wrote: »

Welcome back after 3+ years away :cool:

The search function is still available - try searching for the feedback thread; there should be one for every supplier

Good luck!

Tried that, couldn't find 'owt :-(

System

gitch01 wrote: »

when I spoke to BG, the guy on the phone said that the only thing he could say in favour of staying with BG was that they were more available on the phone for any problems than the smaller companies. when I said I could save between 305 - £338 with Tonik, Avro, One Select, Green Network Energy, Iresa hisreply was that's a good deal.....

They are getting desperate.