EBICo - as good as it seems?

melbury

Cardew wrote: »

Melbury,
On reflection the answer above is probably wrong!!!

I think it might be simply that the cheaper price is for on-line applications and accounts, and the more expensive tariff is for those who do not use the internet.

Thank you for all of the information Cardew. Hopefully I will get the lower rate as I have switched for both gas and electricity and of course have to pay by DD.

I have always been very cynical about sites that say you can save hundreds of pounds, so guess I will just have to wait and see. But on the plus side, it will be nice to know exactly what I am going to be charged for most of next year. I really liked Ebico, but as a high user it just wasn't practical to stay.

Cardew

alared wrote: »

IWholesale gas prices are traded nine months in advance (don`t know why,probably back to the old CONFUSION element.)
Southern must therefore know how future prices are likely to run,so this latest gimmick of pricefix 2008 will of course run in their favour.

That was exactly the argument put forward 2 years ago for those opposed to the BG fixed to 2010 tariff - ie BG know what they are doing and ripping people off - and it has turned out to be an excellent tariff.

The same has been said about every other fixed/capped price tariff and I believe that every one of those tariffs have been to the benefit of consumers.

At least with the Southern tariff there are no penalty clauses for leaving in the unlikely event of a price cut next year(that Southern don't follow)

Stay put with Ebico is my advice,at least you know where you stand.

I really don't understand this advice for Melbury. She knows exactly how much Electricity and gas is likely to be used and can calculate accurately the annual bill; so knows exactly where she 'stands' in fact can depend on 11 months of static prices.

For low users I would agree that small savings are probably not worth the trouble of switching but her savings are potentially over £200pa and considerably more if, as expected there are raised prices early next year.

I also cannot understand why people are so set against DDs - unless they simply cannot be bothered to look at their accounts and correspondence and have a 'huge' surprise when their DD is increased. It is not as if you don't get exactly the same bills when you pay by DD.

alared

If all the big suppliers wanted to be open and honest they would have one simple tariff for gas and one for electricity.

B Gas being the worse offender by having countless tariffs for the same product and even different rates depending on the date you signed up.

Ken68

It does seem a pigs ear sometimes, but having competition is better than the old ways of BG and BT wasting money and passing on that waste to the customer.
At least this way Alared, companies such as EBICO can make an impact. Or ought to have a clear field to do so.
The crime of the year is when Ofgem allowed Ebico to be leaned upon, sorry that should read 'benchmark their prices to that charged by the bigger providers'

Cardew

Ken68 wrote: »

The crime of the year is when Ofgem allowed Ebico to be leaned upon, sorry that should read 'benchmark their prices to that charged by the bigger providers'

Ken.
Have you got an authoritative source for that information please?

Ken68

No Cardew, I don't have an authoritative source . Wrong of me to suggest that Ofgem are criminals.
However they are charged with the overview of the energy industry and EBICO are/were the first supplier to break the mould, and should have been protected.
Ofgem should be tariff busting with a vengeance.

Cardew

Ken68 wrote: »

No Cardew, I don't have an authoritative source . Wrong of me to suggest that Ofgem are criminals.
However they are charged with the overview of the energy industry and EBICO are/were the first supplier to break the mould, and should have been protected.
Ofgem should be tariff busting with a vengeance.

This might be conjecture on my part but I suspect that the culprits with Ebico might be Southern Electricity and/or the generating companies that sell Ebico gas and electricity.

Last year when Ebico were very competitive, it never made any commercial sense for Southern Electricity to handle all the accounting for a firm that was undercutting them! As Ebico were a very small player in the Utility stakes, with no advertising etc, they could tolerate Ebico. Now with the publicity on this forum alone, they have a lot more customers and have become a bigger problem.

If a non-profit making company like Ebico could break even last year with wholesale Energy prices at unprecedented levels, they should have been able to cut prices along with all the other companies when those wholesale prices fell.

So there must be a reason why they didn’t cut prices, after all it can’t be that they are making a profit.

Ken68

I suppose Ofgem are covered by Parliament to name bad and good energy suppliers.
Golden opportunity ,Cardew, lost in not publicly praising EBICO style of billing.
I think the poor overworked staff at Energywatch are seething with OFGEM lassitude in not dealing with overcomplicated tariffs.

xe-cute

I am on a prepayment meter for both gas & electric and EBICO (EQUIGAS & EQUIPOWER) is by far the cheapest for me on benefit using meters.

When a Gas or Electricity seller turns up at my door now i tell them I am on the cheapest tariffs and then as usual they try to persuade me otherwise and look at both my meters and every time they reply to me "how did you manage that?" and ask who I am with so they can switch to them too.

Funny thing is I always tell them to do there own research on the matter and to stop hard selling to people with lies that they are the cheapest on doorsteps.

matrix999

xe-cute wrote: »

I am on a prepayment meter for both gas & electric and EBICO (EQUIGAS & EQUIPOWER) is by far the cheapest for me on benefit using meters.

When a Gas or Electricity seller turns up at my door now i tell them I am on the cheapest tariffs and then as usual they try to persuade me otherwise and look at both my meters and every time they reply to me "how did you manage that?" and ask who I am with so they can switch to them too.

Funny thing is I always tell them to do there own research on the matter and to stop hard selling to people with lies that they are the cheapest on doorsteps.

Well Done..