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victor2

hedgehogs wrote: »

Hi
Was going to post this under the M&S energy discussion area but it seems quite dormant, so putting it here!
Just had our renewal notice. The present deal is finishing end Sept 2014 and as this was the first deal offered by M&S there must be plenty of others in the same position.
The renewal letter is very unclear and I feel misleading. Check the actual prices well against your usage. Our letter says we can save up to £100 by fixing with them on Fix and Save 2, but this is based on their standard tariff charges. Even going with this option our bills are going to be 10% higher.
They really do need to make it clearer, so be aware. If anyone else has had their letter, can you please comment as to whether you agree with our understanding or not!

Confusing is perhaps a better description than misleading. It's no use comparing future predicted costs against a tariff which is ending. They're almost certainly going to be higher. A fixed tariff may well cost more than a current standard variable tariff, but that is the attraction of fixes - by the end the rate will not have increased, but variable ones will. Nobody really knows by how much. Of course they could fall, but history doesn't suggest that they will in the long term.
It's the dreaded up to clause.... They won't have lied if you save nothing.

busiscoming2

Stompa wrote: »

I'm also a bit puzzled by my last bill from M&S, where the unit rates had dropped by 4-5%. I couldn't find any explanation as to why that was the case.

I had a letter explaining that charges had gone down and they were passing them onto the customer.

I've just been comparing new deals and Extra Energy are coming out the best saving me £203 pa and second are First Utility with a saving of £199.

Has anyone changed to Extra Energy? Apparently they are a new company.

Stompa

busiscoming2 wrote: »

I had a letter explaining that charges had gone down and they were passing them onto the customer.

Ah thanks, I may have had the letter and just forgotten about it. A shame then that they've put the prices back up, and more, for the new tariff.

ztkr

hedgehogs wrote: »

Hi
Was going to post this under the M&S energy discussion area but it seems quite dormant, so putting it here!
Just had our renewal notice. The present deal is finishing end Sept 2014 and as this was the first deal offered by M&S there must be plenty of others in the same position.
The renewal letter is very unclear and I feel misleading. Check the actual prices well against your usage. Our letter says we can save up to £100 by fixing with them on Fix and Save 2, but this is based on their standard tariff charges. Even going with this option our bills are going to be 10% higher.
They really do need to make it clearer, so be aware. If anyone else has had their letter, can you please comment as to whether you agree with our understanding or not!

I have to agree. I've just had the M&S letter and it was as clear as mud. It was so bad that I would entertain complaining if I had time.

For example, they refer several times to an 'evergreen' tariff. I took this to mean that it was a 'green' tariff, but it seems not, 'evergreen' just means an ongoing tariff as opposed to a temporary one, such as a fix. They also detail their DD discount as being £46 per year, but as hard as I try I can't make this tally with my bill. Their bills are pretty opaque. Sadly, they are almost certainly not the only offender.

Stompa wrote: »

I'm also a bit puzzled by my last bill from M&S, where the unit rates had dropped by 4-5%. I couldn't find any explanation as to why that was the case.

Green levies were removed from bills earlier this year. This has reduced prices on my M&S bill by about 4.6%. To add to the confusion, this was backdated to March, replacing some earlier bills.

Stompa

philc27 wrote: »

Green levies were removed from bills earlier this year. This has reduced prices on my M&S bill by about 4.6%. To add to the confusion, this was backdated to March, replacing some earlier bills.

Thanks, there's no mention of anything being backdated on my last bill though, just a reduction in unit cost.

ztkr

Stompa wrote: »

Thanks, there's no mention of anything being backdated on my last bill though, just a reduction in unit cost.

The first bill after 16 June should be an 'amended' bill. Mine is longer than usual, as it has 2 tariffs*: one up to 23 March, followed by a lower tariff from 24 March. If you've only been charged one tariff for the whole period on the first bill after 16 June, you should raise it with M&S.

*applies to both bills if M&S bill you for gas/elec separately.

Stompa

philc27 wrote: »

The first bill after 16 June should be an 'amended' bill. Mine is longer than usual, as it has 2 tariffs*: one up to 23 March, followed by a lower tariff from 24 March. If you've only been charged one tariff for the whole period on the first bill after 16 June, you should raise it with M&S.

*applies to both bills if M&S bill you for gas/elec separately.

Hmmm, I don't have any bills which are labelled as 'amended', and no bills which are longer and have 2 tariffs. They're separate elec and gas bills, and the last ones (which ran from May 2 to Aug 5) had unit prices of 9.71p (elec) and 3.26p (gas). All previous bills had unit prices of 10.21p (elec) and 3.41p (gas).

ztkr

Stompa wrote: »

Hmmm, I don't have any bills which are labelled as 'amended', and no bills which are longer and have 2 tariffs. They're separate elec and gas bills, and the last ones (which ran from May 2 to Aug 5) had unit prices of 9.71p (elec) and 3.26p (gas). All previous bills had unit prices of 10.21p (elec) and 3.41p (gas).

That's odd. Can you confirm your tariff? Mine is Fix & Save Sep 2014. Currently 10.27p (elec) and 3.4p (gas). Previously (until March) 10.77p (elec) and 3.55p (gas). All figures as they appear on the bill, ie. before VAT.

Stompa

philc27 wrote: »

That's odd. Can you confirm your tariff? Mine is Fix & Save Sep 2014. Currently 10.27p (elec) and 3.4p (gas). Previously (until March) 10.77p (elec) and 3.55p (gas). All figures as they appear on the bill, ie. before VAT.

Mine is also Fix & Save Sep 2014, and yes the prices I quoted were as they appear on the bill (i.e. before VAT). I imagine we're in different regions which would account for the difference in prices.

Was yours a paper bill or a downloaded bill? (mine was the latter).

pebsham

Can any of you bright sparks out there clarify something for me? Like many of us our M&S fix & save finishes on 30th Sept 2014. When can I avoid the £50 early exit fee? Do I have to wait until the 30th or will the time it takes to transfer be sufficient to carry me over the penalty line if I sign up for a new supplier now?

Cheers all