Energy Price Increase - notice from supplier

WigwamUnites

Hello,

On 20 September my supplier notified me that the price I pay for energy will increase from 1 October.  However according to Ofgems website energy suppliers should give customers 30 days notice of such increases.

Am I right in saying that this 30 days notice perid is currect?  Has anyone had any success in challenging this with their supplier and effective delaying the increase?

Thanks

QrizB

No, there's no requirement for 30 days notice. It changed a few years ago.

[Deleted User]

WigwamUnites said:

Hello,

On 20 September my supplier notified me that the price I pay for energy will increase from 1 October.  However according to Ofgems website energy suppliers should give customers 30 days notice of such increases.

Am I right in saying that this 30 days notice perid is currect?  Has anyone had any success in challenging this with their supplier and effective delaying the increase?

Thanks

@QuizB is absolutely right. Suppliers only have to give reasonable notice. Ten days was enough time to enable you to initiate a transfer of supply if you were unhappy with the increase.

Mobtr

It would be impossible to give 30 days notice & start the new prices on 01 October. 

spot1034

So when it took until October 3rd for me to find out that on October 1st, my E.On Next Economy 7 fix had been altered from a 6% breakeven point for night usage to 30%, I might have grounds for a complaint. I've already made one! Yet to get any response. 

Mobtr

No because there is no set 30 day rule. It was announced on 08 Sept but full details were not known at that time anyway. 

QrizB

spot1034 said:

So when it took until October 3rd for me to find out that on October 1st, my E.On Next Economy 7 fix had been altered from a 6% breakeven point for night usage to 30%

Are you now paying more or less than you would otherwise had done?
If less, I can't see how you have grounds for complaint.

spot1034

QrizB said:

spot1034 said:

So when it took until October 3rd for me to find out that on October 1st, my E.On Next Economy 7 fix had been altered from a 6% breakeven point for night usage to 30%

Are you now paying more or less than you would otherwise had done?
If less, I can't see how you have grounds for complaint.

My average price per unit is likely to be around 38p - 3p or so higher than the single rate for my region (Eastern) whereas under the original price structure I would have paid a rough average of about 40.5p to 41p, about 2.5p to 3p lower than the single rate. I have requested a transfer back to the single rate, which I can't see they are likely to object to.

However I have also made the point that this discount was the attraction of staying with the fix rather than ditching it the moment the government price guarantee was announced. Had I been given timely notice of what for E7 customers is, in effect, not just a simple price reduction but the premature ending of one fixed product and a move to a new one where the price structure is completely different, I could have made an equally timely decision to ditch it immediately and go back on to Next Flex, thus paying lower prices up to Oct 1st. 

I think this is a reasonable point, and by the way I still haven't had any direct communication from E.On Next, and only know about my new product as I finally got to see the details in my online account more than 48 hours after it had come into force.

MWT

spot1034 said:

Had I been given timely notice of what for E7 customers is, in effect, not just a simple price reduction but the premature ending of one fixed product and a move to a new one where the price structure is completely different, I could have made an equally timely decision to ditch it immediately and go back on to Next Flex, thus paying lower prices up to Oct 1st.

It is a fair point, but you do need to keep in mind that 'timely' in this case is never going to be anywhere close to 30 days, given the circumstances of the late changes by Government and the fact that all the suppliers have struggled to a greater or lesser extent to get the new rules clarified and fully implemented, especially for the E7 rates.

I'd say you best hope would have been more like 7 days, but see what they offer if you feel it is worth a complaint...