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Cashback Price Comparison Services Discussion

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Comments

  • alared
    alared Posts: 4,029 Forumite
    Reaching out for the switch

    Recent price rises by power companies have seen a record number of consumers looking for new suppliers. But, asks Mary O'Hara, is the tariff comparison accurate enough for them to decide?

    Moderator comment:- I have had to remove the Guardian article from your post because of copyright restrictions. You may quote the odd sentence or two with a citation or rewrite it in your own words.

    The link to the article:
    http://money.guardian.co.uk/utilities/story/0,11992,1124927,00.html


    · A complete list of energywatch accredited sites and advice on who to switch can be found at: https://www.energywatch.org
  • This has been my concern for a long time (and has absolutely nothing to do with my association with Telecom plus).


    If any organisation is excluded because they don't pay commission to the comparison site in question, how will consumers know if they are getting a true picture of what's available when certain organisations are excluded?

    I know they have to make money somewhere and somehow, but if every supplier isn't listed in the first place, this means that the picture a consumer sees is somewhat distorted.

    ;) Mark E
    No reliance should be placed on the above.
  • mistral_2
    mistral_2 Posts: 150 Forumite
    I have been looking for just 24 hrs and already I am fed up with the comparison sites .

    They should have one run by an independant authority with no ties to anyone , none of this cash back rubbish ect just low prices.

    No wonder the industry has a lousy reputation.
    'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,374 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Dear Mark & Mistral

    I used to work for London Electricity (now London Energy) before I left to go into a completely different industry. If you ever want to know anything about nuts and bolts let me know!

    If you look all the comparison services I think you may find that the only one who lists every single supplier and all their prices is Energylinx.

    They are probably slightly different from the rest of the comparison sites as all their staff come from the Energy Industry.

    They do quite a bit of work with most of the suppliers when it comes to increasing prices and are paid by some of the suppliers to make recommendations as to where prices should be in the market.

    I suspect that this is why they can and do list everyone.

    I have switched using their service a few times and they do exactly what they say they will.

    At one time I did not even know who my suppliers were as it was a new flat I had bought, let alone know their reference no. Energylinx were able to find out who my suppliers were within a couple of hours and they even wrote to them to put them under notice.

    It's not often that anyone speaks up for a good company but this is certainly one who tells you how it is regardless of any commercial arrangement they may have.
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • Ok fair point it is good to speak with someone who has inside knowledge .

    I shall play with that site again and see if Telecom Plus still comes out top !
    'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.
  • jiji
    jiji Posts: 226 Forumite
    As I mentioned earlier the cheapest I find is servita com. which I am using over two years without any problem. though it is stoping service in march but any one is using at present know Servista is the cheapest & great service. servista price structure is simple & straight forward per unit price nothing extra, any body can work the figures. In new thread about Servita the people who used Servita admire the price and service. It is great lost for consumers & shame there was no mention about Servita as much as TP. Hopefully we together find differnet supplier. I think martin can find good deal alternative to Servita. I do not want TP distributors knock my door or post me their literatures which they can not understand what they selling.
  • Thanks for this Susan.

    It certainly does appear to be the case that https://www.energylinx.co.uk are indeed a comparison service who cover all services from all available suppliers.

    jiji - It is a shame that you will be losing a service with Servista, your supplier, that you wanted to keep. Unfortunately, this appears to happen all too often when the 'big boys' take over smaller organisations (in whatever industry).

    I take it from you and others, that your contract is going to be changed and higher prices will result as a consequence of the amalgamation with Powergen. I wonder why they can't honour the terms of the original agreement in this instance?

    Regards TP. Sorry you feel this way, but I wouldn't tar all with the same brush. The provision of energy services is not as straightforward as it may seem to some and there is no need for distributors to have an in-depth knowledge of those services. We are only interested in helping people save money where they want to use TP for their service(s) - and it is your right to decide whether this would be the case or not, not ours.

    From a personal point of view, I never eliminate parties from an equation (unless I have good reason to), because you never know what will change or what may come about in the future.

    While my wife and I don't receive a great deal of mailshots through the post, we always have a look, because you just never know what you'll find - and we have found good deals (Aldi being the latest). At least this way, the customer doesn't have to tell the person at the door to go away (I personally don't agree with cold calling) and you have the choice whether to act or not.

    Of course, individuals rights need to be respected, but it is not easy to do things to suit all of the people al, of the time, because people's views on the matter are so different.

    ;) Mark E
    TP Distributor
    No reliance should be placed on the above.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,374 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I have just tried three different price comparison sites to try and save money on my gas and electricity. Each site came up with completely different results, so it beats me what the point of them is if they aren't consistent. https://www.saveonyourbills.co.uk told me that i could save a lot of money by switching to Virgin Energy, but when I tried the calculator on Virgin's website, it told me that they couldn't beat the price i'm already paying. Not really sure what the answer is! :) :-X
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • I have just tried three different price comparison sites to try and save money on my gas and electricity.  Each site came up with completely different results, so it beats me what the point of them is if they aren't consistent.  https://www.saveonyourbills.co.uk told me that i could save a lot of money by switching to Virgin Energy, but when I tried the calculator on Virgin's website, it told me that they couldn't beat the price i'm already paying.  Not really sure what the answer is! :) :-X

    nixi, this scenario reflects the true state of the comparison sites (EXCEPT https://www.energylinx.co.uk) in their entirety.

    I mention Energylinx, not because I have an affiliation to them (I do not in any way) nor because they may present some services from an organisation that I do have an affiliation with (Telecom plus).

    As Susan Norton has quite rightly indicated above, Mistral Custom, myself and others elsewhere, the comparison sites are very misleading.

    If not, let them explain themselves here.

    Certain service suppliers/tariffs are 'missing' from a number of sites.

    Now, it doesn't take a genius much time to work out what's going on here (many have known this for a long time); you're quite right with what you have said.

    The question is, how long is this going to continue - and are organisations such as the Consumers Association going to come clean with regard to this (I am a long-time member of the CA), as well?

    ;) Mark E
    No reliance should be placed on the above.
  • COS
    COS Posts: 550 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Photogenic Combo Breaker
    Price comparison services I will not use due to their own failings , ripping off people for their own gains, so until they put their own house in order I have put them on my black list. I just like to thank those of you who suggested Telecomplus as their response has been excellent and it looks like the Stock Market thinks so as TP's shares are booming , so MarkE why did'nt you give us the tip to buy ;)
    Rememember. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
    Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.
    If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You get another chance. And finally, be really nice to your family and friends; you never know
    when, You might need them to empty your bedpan.
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