Total Gas and Power ripping off business customers

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  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,114 Forumite
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    Changing Suppliers in the Business Gas and Electric market is very similar to the Double Glazing salesman. I looked around last year and made several phone calls direct to suppliers and also on Comparison Sites.

    The suppliers were straightforward, quoting a price for that day – comparison sites were always followed by a telephone call which included the referral to his manager and a 5% cut and repeated follow up calls if you didn’t say yes. Intro offers – come back to us and we’ll see what we can do .....

    But the supplier wasn’t always the cheapest – a broker did undercut the supplier.

    I went with Totalgp – under 2p (via a broker) smooth transition and smart meters for the gas.

    OP does seem to have been naive in this and blames everyone else apart from himself.
    Never pay on an estimated bill
  • Energy_Fraud_Victim
    Energy_Fraud_Victim Posts: 8 Forumite
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    I can only assume that Birdman is an ostrich type of bird with his head stuck in the sand?
    Or more likely a utility broker involved in these sharp practises.
    I moved into a business and the same day shady brokers phone me tell me I was on an emergency relate of 10 p per unit, as someone in the leisure industry I have no idea if 6p is a good deal or not but believed what this PLC broker told me and signed to Total.
    They pass themselves of as a registration service who don't even get paid which I now know is more lies.
    These scumbags have doubled my utility bills and Total gas and Power are complicit in the scam, why are they allowing brokers to put 100% on top of someone's bill when no other supplier would allow such a huge uplift.
    Total Gas and Power are shafting business owners like no other supplier in the market place and I have lots of evidence of it.
    Good news is that I have had a response from the regulator asking what evidence I have, hopefully their intervention will lead to no more businesses being turned over in this way.
    Commissions should be capped and declared to the customer at point of sale.
    Any suggestion otherwise reeks of bogus posters by Total or the brokers involved in this scam.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,655 Forumite
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    Sorry but Birdman has 2000 posts and 1500 thanks to his name.

    You have 3 posts.

    Which one looks more like a scammer?
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,114 Forumite
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    OP -is the broker BES Utilities ?
    Never pay on an estimated bill
  • Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays
    Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays Posts: 2,859 Forumite
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    Energy_Fraud_Victim wrote: »
    I can only assume that Birdman is an ostrich type of bird with his head stuck in the sand?
    Or more likely a utility broker involved in these sharp practises.
    I moved into a business and the same day shady brokers phone me tell me I was on an emergency relate of 10 p per unit, as someone in the leisure industry I have no idea if 6p is a good deal or not but believed what this PLC broker told me and signed to Total.
    They pass themselves of as a registration service who don't even get paid which I now know is more lies.
    These scumbags have doubled my utility bills and Total gas and Power are complicit in the scam, why are they allowing brokers to put 100% on top of someone's bill when no other supplier would allow such a huge uplift.
    Total Gas and Power are shafting business owners like no other supplier in the market place and I have lots of evidence of it.
    Good news is that I have had a response from the regulator asking what evidence I have, hopefully their intervention will lead to no more businesses being turned over in this way.
    Commissions should be capped and declared to the customer at point of sale.
    Any suggestion otherwise reeks of bogus posters by Total or the brokers involved in this scam.
    No - as mentioned, I used to work for a Business Supplier, not a broker. I left the industry about 4 years ago, however.


    Commissions should be capped.....I give up. You haven't mentioned which industry you're in - but can I cap your prices? The most aggressive markup around is popcorn at a cinema (roughly 2500%), nobody complains about that!


    Total are not alone in allowing people to pay double, it happens all the time. The only person to blame here is you, you just don't want to hear it. I'm out.
  • essjaytee
    essjaytee Posts: 112 Forumite
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    Energy_Fraud_Victim wrote: »
    Total gas and Power are allowing unregulated brokers to up lift their already steep prices by 3 p per kWh.


    The broker receives the extra 3 p per kWh times the term 5 years, so upfront the broker receives over £10,000 commission.
    This money comes directly from the business owner.
    Other suppliers offer uplifts too but only ever up to 1 p and never for the full term of the contract.
    The commissions being paid are outrageous and encouraging brokers to rip customers off.

    Time for the regulator Ofgem to launch an inquiry into Total's abuse of business customers.



    I work for a consultancy and we usually charge approx 0.05p per kWh for elec and 0.03p for gas. We get prices from as many suppliers as possible and happily encourage our customers to use other brokers as well so they can compare like for like.


    If we are successful we also check the billing/consumption/CCL rates etc for the length of the contract so any errors are spotted immediately and it is up to us to get them corrected so the customer can get on with their own job.


    All suppliers allow consultants to add commission to the unit price they offer, it's certainly not restricted to Total. Commission is hardly ever paid upfront but paid monthly/quarterly in arrears depending on the customers consumption that period times the commission rate. And it is for the length of the supply contract.


    What rates were you offered by other suppliers and brokers?? You did go to more than one didn't you as paying 3p commission is monsterous but not fraudulent?? And a 5 year contract?? Really??
    Savings Target 2015 £10/£3000 :rotfl:
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,114 Forumite
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    Have I missed the "The story exposing the malpractice will be published in the next two weeks" promised on May 3 by the OP ?
    Never pay on an estimated bill
  • Energy_Fraud_Victim
    Energy_Fraud_Victim Posts: 8 Forumite
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    Sorry i've been away and have been extremely busy doing some digging..
    On the subject of huge energy suppliers conning their customers, scottish firm SSE have just recently been EXPOSED publicly via an undercover mail on Sunday reporter...

    dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3578870/Undercover-video-exposes-dirty-tricks-Britain-s-second-biggest-power-provider.html

    Staff of the joke supplier were told that personal sales targets were banned as it could encourage misselling, but are told that they could work towards team-targets... SAME THING!
    Also, that were trained to classify their customers to make future approaching easier and to adapt their pitches... they're treating customers like animal test subjects.. this is not treating customers fairly at ALL.

    Surely, it's only a matter of time before Total Gas and Power are exposed for their crazy uplift tariffs, there's no need for that high price and i wouldn't be surprised if a reporter was already en route or even better, already there!!
  • Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays
    Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays Posts: 2,859 Forumite
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    Energy_Fraud_Victim wrote: »
    Sorry i've been away and have been extremely busy doing some digging..
    On the subject of huge energy suppliers conning their customers, scottish firm SSE have just recently been EXPOSED publicly via an undercover mail on Sunday reporter...

    dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3578870/Undercover-video-exposes-dirty-tricks-Britain-s-second-biggest-power-provider.html

    Staff of the joke supplier were told that personal sales targets were banned as it could encourage misselling, but are told that they could work towards team-targets... SAME THING!
    Also, that were trained to classify their customers to make future approaching easier and to adapt their pitches... they're treating customers like animal test subjects.. this is not treating customers fairly at ALL.

    Surely, it's only a matter of time before Total Gas and Power are exposed for their crazy uplift tariffs, there's no need for that high price and i wouldn't be surprised if a reporter was already en route or even better, already there!!
    The firm I worked for had sales targets. What with them being salespeople after all....
  • Energy_Fraud_Victim
    Energy_Fraud_Victim Posts: 8 Forumite
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    Birdman... are you encouraging this sort of behaviour? by your very detailed response, you could imply that you have nothing against what SSE are doing. That article has been shared nearly 1000 times and is featured on a major news website.... People obviously aren't aware of the dodgy tactics taking place behind doors and it NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED.

    You defending them leads me to believe that:

    1) you used these techniques with your brokers when you were at your business supplier and have become deluded as to what is fair...

    2) you are defending these practises in favour of the big suppliers... you say you used to be in the industry, have you still got connections? Why are you defending both SSE and more importantly Total?
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