British Gas and the supplier of last resort roundabout

samlad80

Hi Guys,

I’m looking for some comparison examples before making a complaint to BG about their behaviour as my supplier of last resort.

I was moved from another supplier last year, it wasn’t a problem - they provided a tariff equivalent until the end of this April and although it took a while to get my credit back - things were fairly amicable.

But now it comes to the end of that Tariff, and I find myself in a very confusing situation.

In December - they offered a fixed tariff to their switched customers, it was to start straight away aka the reasonable tariff would end and it would be for two years fixed. The terms were ok (no exit fees) but they were more than what I would pay if I did nothing - so on Martins advice, I did nothing.

now - here’s the stinger. 

It’s closer to the end of my tariff so now they offer a new deal, massive higher than that which they offered in December, with standing charges and per unit fee much higher. I understand that energy prices are rising but, in December they were willing to be reasonable - if you agreed to come off the supplier of last resort tariff.. 

This new April ‘loyalty’ tariff is being offered for only one year, AND. The exit fees are the highest I have ever seen - £75.00 per fuel.

I would go to ofgem but, as most know they won’t speak to you until u wait 8 weeks for a complaint to be handled, so fairly pointless and BG are likely not to be bothered or want to help. 

Please would anyone be able to offer any similar scenarios or even @Martin? You suggested we ‘do nothing’ but that appears to have been the wrong thing to do.

Cheers

QrizB

You have no grounds for complaint.

You could have taken the fix in December, but chose not to.

That tariff has since been withdrawn and replaced by a new offer that turns out to be more expensive.

We all make choices that we later regret. That's life.

samlad80

Hi Qriz,

I totally understand that, but was acting on moneysavingexpert advice - do nothing and you will be better off.

Also the fix was offered 4 months earlier than my cheap tariff is ending, therefore I would have been paying a higher rate for 4 months as a consequence and over the most expensive months of the year so I decided it would not be advantageous.

The ‘loyalty’ tariff they are now peddling is essentially the predicted October prices but to start paying them now instead of staying on the April cap.

This to me, for customers who didn’t want to be with them in the first place is a huge scandal.

I simply ask the question - is BG being unreasonable by now asking people to fix at an expensive tariff - with high exit fees and only for one year, these prices are higher than the cap - and I forgot to mention their standard variable electricity prices are quoted at higher than the April cap. (Gas is quoted at being capped at 27.7p standing charge which is correct).

QrizB

samlad80 said:

I simply ask the question - is BG being unreasonable by now asking people to fix at an expensive tariff - with high exit fees and only for one year, these prices are higher than the cap - and I forgot to mention their standard variable electricity prices are quoted at higher than the April cap. (Gas is quoted at being capped at 27.7p standing charge which is correct).

Hi samlad,

BG aren't being unreasonable, no. They are offering a fixed tariff and you can take it or leave it. If you don't choose a fix you'll be placed on their capped variable tariff.

I would be shocked if BG's vatiable tariff is higher than the cap. Do note that the cap varies from region to region, and is higher for non-DD accounts. You'll find a table of regional capped prices at the link in my signature.

MWT

samlad80 said:

I totally understand that, but was acting on moneysavingexpert advice - do nothing and you will be better off.

I do not think that Martin has ever promised certainty at any point in the past few months he has always said that there was a high degree of uncertainty in the advice he was giving, so at best it was 'possibly better off'.

For the rest of your concerns, it all comes down to there being a price to eliminate risk.

The December fix would have cost you the difference between the fix and the SVT for the remainder of the highest energy use period of the year, hence it was not really a great deal for most people.

Now the current fix will cost you more over the lowest energy use period of the year but offer you certainty over winter, so may not be as expensive as it looks if you believe the October SVT prices will be higher than the fix they offer...

Nobody knows for sure what will happen in October of course, so there is a price for that risk...

samlad80

Thanks All.

I think some of this has been helpful, maybe just in terms of thinking about the future and where to go - I think I will stay on the variable for now as it is a cheaper time of year. 

It would be nice for some of you to remember that people are feeling unsure and vulnerable at the moment and maybe you could moderate your language and behaviour accordingly in order for forums like this to remain a friendly place to ask questions.

Hoping you all have a lovely day.