The Scottish Power Con

LauP

So I note on my latest bill that it says I can switch to a cheaper tariff saving me £150 a year. Great I think, and I go straight to the Scottish Power app, click on the 'change your tariff' button only to find all the tariffs are more expensive.

Hmm....so I start a web chat (which I later find out from them is not actually a web chat and is not live! Uhh?). I explain the situation, state the tariff name that they have specifically mentioned on my bill and asked to be changed over to it. I wait 15 minutes for a reply to be told it is an exclusive tariff only available on a third party comparison site and if I wish to switch I can do so from there. !!!!!!!

So I insist that is ridiculous and that you should be able to match it, switch me over now please, how can you be advertising these tariffs but not offer them to existing customers blah blah blah. As you guessed after an hour and a half of wasting my life I get no where.

My question is, if I were to go on say Uswitch, and find a cheaper deal with Scottish Power, will I get charged the early exit fees as I'm not actually switching suppliers? Uswitch comes up with a big warning saying I will as my current deal doesn't end until April. It all seems like a big faff if I have to go through the process of 'changing' suppliers, when in fact I'm actually not, just the deal.

It just doesn't make any sense to me. Its the old chestnut of looking after their existing customers.

Anyone else experienced this?

Gerry1

Read the Ts & Cs of your existing contract very carefully and see what it says.

The_Fat_Controller

They are required to tell you about the tariff, however they do not have to offer it directly.

I had exactly the same scenario with EDF a year ago and ended up staying with EDF but changing tariff through the MSE Cheap Energy Club, getting cashback in the process.