EBICO Zero Variable Tariff To Be Withdrawn

Xbigman

wavelets wrote: »

You always, for as long as I can remember, needed to be a very low user if you were choosing Ebico purly for financial reasons.

I think the last time I checked, you need to be using about 1000kWh or less per year electricioty, and/or about 4000kWh or less gas per year for Ebico on a zero standing charge to be chosen purely on financial grounds.

But not everyone choose Ebico purely based on the cost

(Unfortunately, their customner service has been poor as well, imho, since they teamed up with RHE)

Nowadays, Ebico have a range of tariffs to choose from. So they may have something suited today to the not so low users (but it's not a zero standing charge tariff)

But anyone seeking the lowest price deal for them should be consulting a comparsion site, not looking at Ebico (or any other supplier) website..

My gas usage is around 3000 Kw a year and electric about 1300. I've done searches over the years that showed I could save £20 or £30 on the electric but rarely anything at all on gas. The ability to pay on receipt of bill was worth the bit extra on the electric side. If they had put up prices by less I might have stayed with them but 20% and 25% are big increases.
The break even point now must surely apply only to those whose properties are left empty at least part of the year or those who switch to Ebico for gas in the summer. I can't see any no SC tarif being viable long term in those circumstances.



Darren

Graywisdom

As OfGem has stated that the Standing Charge level is set by the energy supplier, if a supplier cannot raise its unit price kwh because of a price cap, what is to stop them just keep on raising the Standing Charge just to make extra profit.
It looks like the lobbyist for the 'Big Six' have got at OFGem!

silver-oldie

wavelets wrote: »

What you've missed is the V1 of this fixed tariff - it was the same prices as Ebico Zero, only fixed for 12 months (and no early exit fees)

If you wait another month, V2 may be V3, V4 or even V5 - who knows?

I have just phoned and agreed the V2 tariff but not starting until 29th Nov.

alanq

wavelets wrote: »

Can't do it online, had this issue previously with a zero usage - says there are no other options available.

The announcement says "We have made this opt-in process easy and straight-forward and customers can switch with a click of a button through their online account ...". Shortly after starting this thread I tried to do so. The appropriate option was there but unlike in the announcement it said that the new tariff had a £30 per fuel early exit charge. I emailed Customer Services pointing this out. I have heard nothing back but now when I login no options are offered. It looks like I will have to make the switch by phone.

alanq

Xbigman wrote: »

This is all news to me as Ebico have said nothing so far.

Is there nothing in your messages? I only found out about the announcement when I logged in to provide my meter readings and saw a message dated 17th October.

wavelets

silver-oldie wrote: »

I have just phoned and agreed the V2 tariff but not starting until 29th Nov.

Well done. I'm glad you found my earlier response useful and acted to apply now rather than in a month's time

wavelets

alanq wrote: »

Is there nothing in your messages? I only found out about the announcement when I logged in to provide my meter readings and saw a message dated 17th October.

No, there was nothing about this in my online messages when I applied on the 18th
Still nothing, but as I now hope I have the transfer lined up for later, perhaps they won't tell me anymore.

Anything posted to the online account, is usually also notified by email. Did you get an email?

alanq

wavelets wrote: »

Anything posted to the online account, is usually also notified by email. Did you get an email?

Yes. Title "Variable Prices Are Changing" on 18th October.

I presume that customers are being informed over a period of time to avoid them all ringing in at once.

Ilona

Well this is a pain in the backside. It was all going swimmingly well for me, just paid a quarterly bill, £40 for both, now they have gone and put a spanner in the works. Now going to have to re think the situation, where to go next. I can do without this aggravation. :mad:

ilona

wavelets

Ilona wrote: »

Well this is a pain in the backside. It was all going swimmingly well for me, just paid a quarterly bill, £40 for both, now they have gone and put a spanner in the works. Now going to have to re think the situation, where to go next. I can do without this aggravation. :mad:

ilona

Think of it as a price increase. Something that we should all have been aware of the possibilty, being on a variable tariff, and prices generally increasing all round.

Some suppliers have already had 2 price increases this year, with a third is on the way for existing customers.

This is only the second price change this year for Ebico, with the first having occurred 01 March 2018, having been advised mid Jan.

What a great time to take the opportunity to check the comparison sites to see what the best deal(s) is for you? If it's still on an Ebico, zero standing charge tariff, the advantage now is that you can rest assured the prices will be fixed for 12 months, but with no early exit fees to worry about, in the unlikely event prices do fall, then there are no charges for for leaving.

As I mentioned previously, I got in early and fixed my rates at the Ebico Zero rates.
This had been available for about the last 6 weeks.

Even if you didn't go to the Ebico website and notice it, you should have received an email early September titled "Have you logged into your online account recently? Things have changed."

In that, there was the indication you could fix rates on a zero standing charge tariff.



I guess we should have guessed something was up that had caused Ebico to suddenly allow us to fix our rates. Now we know why - just a pity they decided to hike the rates before explaining the reason.