British Gas Discriminating Against Existing Loyal Customers

js1029

I am an existing customer of British Gas currently on their Mar2021v2 dual fuel tariff.

I have switched a number of times into cheaper BG tariffs as they became available, always through the Cheap Energy Club.

Through a recent Moneysaving Expert email I saw that BG had introduced a new tariff Energy and Boiler Cover May 2021v4 which I would have liked to switch to if it was cheaper but the email stated it was only available to new customers of BG.   I assume because I am an existing BG customer that is the reason that tariff details did not show up in my Cheap Energy Account and I was unable to check out the tariff details. It seems to be an increasing practice by several energy companies to exclude existing loyal customers from any new cheaper tariffs they may introduce.

This is blatant discrimination against existing customers by BG and as such I have emailed MSE to ask if they could use their considerable power in consumer affairs to lobby BG to persuade them to change their policy on this and allow existing as well as new customers to switch in.
I know existing customers could switch out and then switch back in again if time allowed but surely they shouldn't have to do that.
I am hopeful that this issue will be taken up by MSE.
Any views?

JJ_Egan

You can contact MSE  this is just a users forum .

Gerry1

You'll have an uphill battle: everybody's doing it.  Your insurance company won't give you the same incentive as a new customer would get.  The BG website shows only its prohibitively high tariffs, not its cheaper ones.  You just have to cover your tracks, be as disloyal and anonymous as possible.  The market relies on the inertia of its customers to tolerate high prices, so the best offers are only to lure new customers.

I'd better not mention British Gas X, so secret that even BG staff think it's a scam...

Biscuit_Tin

js1029 said:

I am an existing customer of British Gas currently on their Mar2021v2 dual fuel tariff.

I have switched a number of times into cheaper BG tariffs as they became available, always through the Cheap Energy Club.

Through a recent Moneysaving Expert email I saw that BG had introduced a new tariff Energy and Boiler Cover May 2021v4 which I would have liked to switch to if it was cheaper but the email stated it was only available to new customers of BG.   I assume because I am an existing BG customer that is the reason that tariff details did not show up in my Cheap Energy Account and I was unable to check out the tariff details. It seems to be an increasing practice by several energy companies to exclude existing loyal customers from any new cheaper tariffs they may introduce.

This is blatant discrimination against existing customers by BG and as such I have emailed MSE to ask if they could use their considerable power in consumer affairs to lobby BG to persuade them to change their policy on this and allow existing as well as new customers to switch in.
I know existing customers could switch out and then switch back in again if time allowed but surely they shouldn't have to do that.
I am hopeful that this issue will be taken up by MSE.
Any views?

There's nothing new or wrong about marketing campaigns aimed at attracting brand new customers; it's been going on for decades.



Ironically, even Nationwide now appears to have learnt the benefits to them of such an approach despite it's earlier advertising campaign.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-nationwide/nationwide-ends-its-promise-to-existing-customers-idUKL2787099220061127

MSE has said for years that loyalty does not pay.
Consult a comparison site to find the best deal for you. Don't forget the possibilty of cashback when switching energy suppliers!

elsien

I did have a similar conversation with a broadband provider.
I would happily stay with them if they could offer the same deal as to new customers to save having to swap every year. Not part of their business model.
It must be working for them, otherwise they wouldn't all be doing it. It's not a BG specific issue, it's all the utilities. 
And you might want to add insurers to your list of companies to get disgruntled about as well.