How to get a cheeper deal

PaulDesmond

Hi I am with a UtilityPoint and had a bit of a love hate relationship. I am on a fixed term contract. If I find a cheaper tariff with them, can I ask to switch? I have had a battle with them last year. What happened was, I was given a deal and had to wait 3 weeks to switch to them. During that 3 weeks they advertised a cheaper deal. THey refused and the onbudsman upheald that. There was no proof that I gave them the opening readings but British gas closed the tempory account with the same readings. Utility point have charged me with the same gas and electricits (metere readings) again.

niktheguru

If you are on a fixed term deal which has exit fees then you can change to any supplier or to another tariff with the same supplier but you would have to pay the exit fee to change.
A lot of suppliers will allow you to move to one of their own other tariffs while still in your fixed rate deal and waive the exit fee, however this isn't your right to insist. They are within their rights to stand their ground and say you will need to pay the exit fee. (People often use this loop hole to convert to a variable rate tariff without exit fee, then switch out to another cheaper provider)

With regards to your initial query, if when you switched to utility point and you were still in the 2 week cooling off period (after initiating the switch) then you should have been able to change onto their cheaper deal without charge, if they were dragging their heels you could have just cancelled the switch and reapplied. If however you were past the 2 week cooling off period they would have been entitled to charge you the exit fee to move to the cheaper tariff (which is what I suspect they said to you) I suspect you were past the 2 week cooling off period but you hadn't yet fully switched or given meter readings yet and they declined your request to change, right?

Hope that clears things up.

PaulDesmond

Okay that is right. The problem is if theire is a 2 week cooling off period and they take 3 weeks to sipply you then you are out of the cooling off period one week before you are connected.

Neil_Jones

PaulDesmond said:

Okay that is right. The problem is if theire is a 2 week cooling off period and they take 3 weeks to sipply you then you are out of the cooling off period one week before you are connected.

Actually your cooling off period runs from when you applied to switch, not after you've gone on supply with them.

It takes up to six weeks to switch supplier and because of cooling off nothing happens for the first 14 days in any event, so if this new deal turned up in that window you could have just phoned them up, cancelled the switch and started again by applying for the cheaper tariff.  If however it appeared on day 15/16/17 its sods law basically.  Then the above applies, ask once you're on board if you can switch to this new deal they've launched.

[Deleted User]

Neil_Jones said:

PaulDesmond said:

Okay that is right. The problem is if theire is a 2 week cooling off period and they take 3 weeks to sipply you then you are out of the cooling off period one week before you are connected.

Actually your cooling off period runs from when you applied to switch, not after you've gone on supply with them.

It takes up to six weeks to switch supplier and because of cooling off nothing happens for the first 14 days in any event, so if this new deal turned up in that window you could have just phoned them up, cancelled the switch and started again by applying for the cheaper tariff.  If however it appeared on day 15/16/17 its sods law basically.  Then the above applies, ask once you're on board if you can switch to this new deal they've launched.

Sorry, but that is not correct. Under Standard Licence Conditions, suppliers have an obligation to take over a supply within 35 days of receiving an application to switch. The 35 days includes the 14 day cooling off period. As most suppliers are now signed up to 17 day switching, the actual transfer process runs in parallel with the cooling off period. It follows that if a consumer cancels a switch on day 13, the transfer of supply may go through and have to be reversed. It is worth noting that any cancellation signed within the 14 day cooling off period is valid and it has to be actioned irrespective of when it is received by the supplier.

Setting up of energy accounts may take place some days even weeks after the actual transfer of supply.

Ofgem intends to move to one day switching. There will still be a 14 day cooling off period. If actioned, it will require a reversal of supply.

bristolleedsfan

PaulDesmond said:

Hi I am with a UtilityPoint and had a bit of a love hate relationship. I am on a fixed term contract. If I find a cheaper tariff with them, can I ask to switch?

If someone initiaites a switch away from them likely from my own experience last year will get a email offering to waive any exit fees if want  to stay and change tariff with them.