Is Cheap energy club a SCAM ?

SpanishBlue

Robtsmx wrote: »

I am with Bulb on the Vari-Tariff.
Energy club suggests I can save £104 a year switching to PurePlanet.
However, I have checked my annual consumption figures are correct, and PurePlanet have both a higher Electricity tariff and a higher standing charge.
The Gas standing charge is higher and although the Gas tariff is lower, I still calculate probably paying £20 to £30 a year more !!
So where on earth does Energy Club think I would save £104 ??
Robert

I am also with Bulb and just had a look at Pure Planet via CEC. Their figures look correct to me.

When you click on "Tariff Information" for Pure Planet on CEC, at the bottom you should be able to see exactly how much you would pay for both Gas and Electricity for your usage.

Also, remember the £104 saving includes £25 as a one off payment for using CEC.

MothballsWallet

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Odd that you paid so much .
That can only be from a higher tariff or extra usage .


Or failure to understand the OFCOM rules on price comparisons .

Mister_G wrote: »

I assume you mean OFGEM

Well, they are both about as useful as a chocolate fireguard against a plasma rifle :whistle:

MalMonroe

I foolishly switched to Bulb because they told me I'd be paying £25 less than I was paying my previous supplier per month. I was delighted! However, three months later they said I needed to pay £25 more than I had been paying my previous supplier. With my previous supplier I was in credit, I'm now somehow in debit with Bulb. Simply because they didn't charge me the correct prices in the first place. Had I been paying the same as I paid my old supplier, I'd not be in debt with them now. I just wanted to save some money but I have come to realise that it isn't possible. I need to pay a certain amount each month, and it doesn't matter who the supplier is, that's the amount I need to pay. I'm heartily sick of the switch energy company culture. I only switched because I listened to Martin! And his advice about switching being the best way to keep costs down. Believe me, it isn't. I know what my energy should cost me per month and that's what I will be paying my new energy company from now on and won't be in any debt to them, thank you very much. Bulb is NOT the innovative company I was led to believe they were. And the kicker is, they are blaming ME for giving them 'incorrect information' before I switched. Absolutely unbelievable. I simply copied the figures from my previous suppliers statements and bills. Now it's my fault I've been hoodwinked. Apparently.

[Deleted User]

I don't think it is a con. Your DD amount isn't a reflection of the cost of the energy, you need to ensure you supply monthly readings (never let allow an estimated bill to be generated) and calculate your actual savings on tariff not DD amount. You may have been in credit with previous supplier leading to a lower monthly DD for example but starting with a new supplier with £0 balance will need a higher payment even with a cheaper tariff.

Note that some comparison sites will quote your saving based on the price that comes into play after your current tariff ends - keep an eye on this because it can be misleading.

I find doing my own maths on the various tariffs available is the best option, I use various comparison sites and then crunch the numbers in a spreadsheet to decide who I'm going with. I've just moved house so trying to find the best tariff at the moment, weighing up dual versus separate and taking into consideration exit fees and cashback to come up with the best price. All done using kwh for usage. I'll happily spend a few hours doing this.

I'm now down to a shortlist that is +/- £45 per year and more importantly £700 cheaper than my default BG tariff at the house I've moved into.

Different factors come into play, lower kwh is more important than lower standing charge as we are entering winter months for comparable suppliers as I will use a lot more gas in the winter and if I pick a zero exit fee supplier I can jump after winter anyway and maybe pick up a low standing charge for the summer months.

I've switched supplier 6 times in the last 2 years to chase the lowest prices and about to do my 7th switch. I've managed to keep driving down the elec price each time but currently struggling to beat the last gas price since moving house as the previous tariff is no longer available.

I also get 2% cash back on my energy direct debit with Nat West rewards so I tend to over estimate my usage when I go on board with a new supplier and pay more than I need to benefit from the 2%, carry a large credit balance then just take a refund when I switch suppliers. So far so good.

Monkey_B

I also get 2% cash back on my energy direct debit with Nat West rewards so I tend to over estimate my usage when I go on board with a new supplier and pay more than I need to benefit from the 2%, carry a large credit balance then just take a refund when I switch suppliers.

This made me smile I've just done the same thing, although I can't claim it was premeditated.
I previously had a mobile phone deal that was £15pm, effectively down to £10pm when you claimed cashback from the contract provider every three months (they were obviously hoping I'd forget), and got great satisfaction from the extra 10p I was getting from NatWest every month!
One scenario I've found the NatWest cashback doesn't work in my favour is paying for Plusnet monthly line rental up front, on an annual basis. Still worth doing for the saving, but it irks me that I don't get my extra 2%..

Maxwell007

Which is the least worst energy supplier to go with, all the non exit fee suppliers are too costly at the moment, thanks

Scottish Power £952 yr. £60 exit Cashback £25
Super Saver November 2020 B2

EDF Energy £956 yr. £70 exit Cashback £25
Simply Online 1 Year Fix Nov20

E.ON £964 yr. £60 exit Cashback £25
Fix Online Exclusive v10

JohnHenry

What I found the other day when I was comparing the energy club pricing was that the tariff that was showing on the energy club for my current supplier was higher than what my supplier was telling me I was paying. The comparison was telling me my plan was higher than what it was.

Gerry1

JohnHenry wrote: »

What I found the other day when I was comparing the energy club pricing was that the tariff that was showing on the energy club for my current supplier was higher than what my supplier was telling me I was paying. The comparison was telling me my plan was higher than what it was.

If you're comparing Direct Debit amounts and/or have used any estimated readings, that may well be the case. Always use annual kWh and figures from actual meter readings to compare annual costs.

JohnHenry

No. I am actually talking about the tariff. The amount my supplier tells me I pay per kWh.

EthicsGradient

Is Cheap Energy Club still functioning? I got an email today saying "We see you're on a standard tariff for gas and/or elec (not right? log in to update your details), so it's likely you're overpaying – check if you can save." When I did log in it showed, correctly, that I'm not on a standard tariff for either, and says "Congrats, you're already on a cheap deal". I clicked on the "Get an up-to-date comparison" button anyway, just to check if it really has compared my current deal with others, and get either a blank list or a never-ending "Please wait while we load you results ..." message (OK, I just left it for a few minutes, but that is effectively never-ending, in computing terms).

It seems to me the software is broken, but sadly sending out pointless emails. Maybe they need to put it out of its misery?