Switching Energy Suppliers

antteepee · 18 January 2019 at 12:27AM

I followed Martin's advice and when Sainsburys Energy said they were going to increase my monthly payments by 75% I decided then was a good time to change suppliers.
It was only well after the cooling off period that I was landed with a £40 bill for changing before the contract ran out. When I said that Martin Lewis had said you can change if there was an increase in prices that they told me that there was no increase in their prices, only in the amount I was going to have to pay. I think Martin should make this much clearer when he is boasting that he has saved someone money by switching their energy accounts. He has cost me £40 when I can ill afford it. He has never told us about the difference between a price change and a change in the amount you have to pay according to what energy you have used in the past few months. I was not aware of this and I bet there are loads more people like me who are also not aware of the difference.

peter_the_piper · 18 January 2019 at 7:51PM

So, did Sainsburys do this the moment you joined them or did they have a better idea of your usage and put the monthly amount up?

elsien · 18 January 2019 at 7:58PM

If they changed your monthly payments because you were underpaying , then the tariff hasn't changed and any exit fees are due.
If you didn't get a letter saying that the unit price was increasing then you've not got a leg to stand on.

For future reference you should read your meter and send the readings in monthly so you don't get any more surprises from underestimated bills.
And work out deals on the amount of energy you use, not your monthly payments.

SevenOfNine · 19 January 2019 at 10:38AM

Martin's advice hasn't cost you £40.

He said, & you've written it yourself quite clearly, "PRICE increases" not PAYMENT increases. The show isn't long enough to explain your inability to understand your payments are set by the energy supplier based on estimated usage, & may be adjusted up or down depending on actual usage. An increase in your monthly payments is not remotely the same as a price (tariff) increase!

I don't think Martin can be blamed - YOU entered into a contract you didn't understand. Hardly his fault.

Hasbeen · 19 January 2019 at 1:50PM

"He has never told us about the difference between a price change and a change in the amount you have to pay according to what energy you have used in the past few months. I was not aware of this and I bet there are loads more people like me who are also not aware of the difference."

Bet there's not LOL:)

Mouse99 · 19 January 2019 at 2:08PM

I have been having problems switching suppliers using Cheap energy club and Uswitch. Am currently just ending fixed deal with Together Energy - at £136 dd a month, I've built up £400 credit and would like that back.

However, when I got deal set up with Avro, they wanted £140 a month - I cancelled and now have gone with So Energy, but they are setting me at £158 a month? What is going on, I appreciate the price of fuel goes up but if Im £400 in credit after a year with current supplier, why am I being quoted even higher prices? Should I take a chance on the Bulb variable? Advice please.....

molerat · 19 January 2019 at 5:41PM

Are you supplying an accurate annual kWh consumption ? Importantly have you been supplying accurate monthly reads and been billed to them or you could be in for a nasty shock. Many suppliers will simply divide that annual cost by 12 and others will ask for a high winter payment and lower summer to smooth their budget, the smaller companies cannot afford to pay for the large amount they have to buy over winter. Overall it is your annual energy cost that is important and not your monthly DD, that is only a payment on account.

Takmon · 20 January 2019 at 7:29PM

antteepee wrote: »

I followed Martin's advice and when Sainsburys Energy said they were going to increase my monthly payments by 75% I decided then was a good time to change suppliers.
It was only well after the cooling off period that I was landed with a £40 bill for changing before the contract ran out. When I said that Martin Lewis had said you can change if there was an increase in prices that they told me that there was no increase in their prices, only in the amount I was going to have to pay. I think Martin should make this much clearer when he is boasting that he has saved someone money by switching their energy accounts. He has cost me £40 when I can ill afford it. He has never told us about the difference between a price change and a change in the amount you have to pay according to what energy you have used in the past few months. I was not aware of this and I bet there are loads more people like me who are also not aware of the difference.

I really can't believe so many adults paying energy bills don't even have a basic understanding of how it works. It would take you less than 10 minutes looking online to find out how it works but instead you decided to spend your time blaming someone else for not telling you.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth · 20 January 2019 at 9:54PM

Not the first time OP has had problems.

antteepee wrote: »

I have twice used the Cheap Energy Club to get cheaper deals on gas/elect. but at the end of the year I have been charged £100 & £100+ for the difference be between the price I had been paying on a fixed tariff & how much I owed, even though I had not missed a payment. So the amount was not from any paymtents I might have overlooked. So really you don't get a bargain Martin, for getting a fixed tariff. They get you at the end when you don't have enough spare money to pay the big final bill!! Am I the only one being charged this, or are there others getting it as well?

Gracie84 · 24 January 2019 at 10:48AM

I agree with the above. You need to take more care over your Bill and sending accurate readings means you'll only pay for what you are using.

charlotte1994 · 25 January 2019 at 2:21PM

Do you take regular meter readings? It sounds like you're just underpaying, not that their prices are going up.

Switching Energy Suppliers

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