MSE Poll: What puts you off / frustrates you about switching energy?

Gerry1

swd80 wrote: »

Since I've had a smart meter, I'd never want to go back to not having one. It's not just the hassle of having to take the readings, it's having to remember to do them in time to get an accurate bill. Furthermore, if you forget and then get an estimated bill, you can suddenly find you're either paying too much or too little.

You won't be quite so pleased when there's not enough juice one cold winter's evening ! They'll just flick the remote kill switch and you'll be left dark and cold while all your neighbours stay warm and bright. I bet they kept very quiet about that.

Despite having a smart meter, you're still likely to be paying too much or too little. Most suppliers insist that you pay by fixed direct debit rather than variable, so you won't be paying for the exact amount you use each month.

Smart People have Dumb Meters, Dumb People have Smart Meters !

Consumerist

Gerry1 wrote: »

Smart People have Dumb Meters, Dumb People have Smart Meters !

Now, thats a sentiment I can wholeheartedly subscribe to.

MaggiB

'You could save £000's by switching to us.' Then when you look into it (if you can) and find out that they've based the comparison on the highest tariff of your existing supplier. Sorry, this is NOT on!

happyinflorida

When we changed supplier once to E.on we got our neighbours bill - how this happened when we live in detached houses I do not know.

Luckily I'm on the ball and I complained immediately to the CEO and got them to apologise and sort it but it took months. Cost them big time in the end as I demanded compensation and got £hundreds

Have also had problems with the Co-op - again they managed to screw everything up big time when we went with them and when we left, so again I got £hundreds compensation.

I do pursue my complaints big time, I do not let these multimillionaire companies get away with trying to rip me off but I can heartily say I am sick and tired of the complete balls up most companies make when you change supplier.

Why they cannot get it right I do not know.

Is it poorly trained staff or deliberate as most mistakes seem to cost me, the customer, far more - so is it a way to deliberately rip us all off and this is adding to their enormous profits? I suspect it is as nearly every time we've changed supplier there's been problems.

Cannot be that every company is badly run by idiots surely?!!

Nozz

As previous posters have mentioned, it is a pain to have to input your details and usage on every site to find out the unit and daily charges. Will they be different depending on your name and how much energy you use? Surely this is not acceptable? Also, having to try out different combinations with 10 different companies (dual fuel, gas only, etc.) and make a very complicated spreadsheet in order to work out for yourself (with a pen and calculator) which combination / company would be cheapest (while also taking into account their customer service reputation). In the internet age this is really not on but then at least I can trust my calculations, unlike those of the comparison sites / energy companies.

The other problem is that people (mainly elderly or disabled) who do not have access to or do not know how to use the internet are unable to find out which energy company is best for them without calling each one individually and having to go through the same information umpteen times verbally and then having to do all the calculations. Then call the company again to switch.

Could all energy companies please follow the example of the Musketeers: "All for one and one for all" and have one rate (the cheapest possible) and apply it to everyone. And have no early exit penalties. Simples!

And Greg Clark is a numpty.

EricDeeson

... is that now the firms concerned seem to use estimated readings rather than asking you the readings for the switching date. Who does the estimation? - why, the old firm, of course. Therefore they charge for a few weeks of fuel they've not supplied, whereas the new firm loses a few weeks of income.

When I switched a couple of months ago, the old firm would have made about £35 by this scam. I can't yet estimate* what that much fuel would have cost me with the new supplier, but one can see a good chunk of MSE's switching payment is lost.

* "I can't yet estimate" because the new firm won't tell me the tariffs I'm now on, as others here have remarked.

All the best - Eric

BaldacchinoR

A problem I have had more than once is when using comparison sites or getting quotes, energy suppliers often don't meet the savings they offered. One problem is being able to prove what they offered. If signing up online, be sure to keep a copy of the quote so that if you need to make a complaint, usually at the end of the normally at least 12 months contract period, you can prove what you say. Otherwise you are unlikely to obtain any compensation. This applies to quotes for other goods and services as well.

stmartinsdiver

We've switched twice - Sainsburys Energy to British Gas then British Gas to Sainsburys Energy. Despite having Smart meters both times I have had to tell the 'new' provider (Both are actually British Gas!) that they have got the meter readings and/or the change over dates wrong and it can take weeks for them to correct the figures. I have also reported to Sainsbury Energy that there are inconsistencies on their website and parts of it do not function at all. The British Gas website is fine and works well. I hear you ask "How can this be if they are both British Gas?" A good question which I've asked but never had an answer. When you call Sainsbury Energy they now seem to answer 'British Gas' - they don't seem to know who they are - oh yes, one last thing - our Smart meter stopped updating once we switched to Sainsbury Energy and despite an engineer visit it's still not working properly.

carleeds

I had so much trouble trying to switch to Scottish Power. It's taken from February to this month to sort it out and I'm actually still with British Gas. In the meantime I've been billed by SP for energy I haven't used. Been told I'm with them, then I'm not. Completely useless company. I had to get the ombudsman to sort it out. Scottish power have an ombudsman dedicated to them. Says it all really. It hasn't put me off switching though. I'm now switching to EDF

ThriftyL

I agree with Ectophile and . It is quite difficult to make true comparisons as each company has several tariffs with different standing charges, unit rates and length of time fixed for. The headline "savings " given by comparison sites assume you are on current suppliers standard tariff, so actual savings are much less for most people. Despite this I do change my suppliers regularly.