Hate Your Gas & Electricity Supplier? Don’t Get All Fired Up... Just Switch! Part 2

If you haven’t read Part 1 of this blog post, you can check it our here:

Hate Your Gas & Electricity Supplier? Don’t Get All Fired Up... Just Switch! - Part 1

This time we’ll compile a longer list, a ‘specification’ if you like – Read through this list and decide whether your current supplier squares up to each point (but please don’t get frustrated or ‘run out of energy’ doing this– there is ‘light’ at the end of this tunnel :-)

• High customer satisfaction and positive feedback – happy, smiley customers that are happy to refer other people and recommend the energy services.
• Easy to switch, risk-free to try with no-obligation and no contract!
• Energy company doesn’t waste £millions on advertising that their customers have to pay for! Customer saves money!
• Call Centre in the UK, not overseas – an overseas Call Centre might be cheaper for the supplier, but extremely frustrating for the customers.
• Great customer service / aftercare. Online customer service must be of same high standard as offline. You should still be able to speak with a real person if ever you have to query your online statement.
• Great value for money, where prices are consistently at the lower end of the market.
• Unbiased energy surveys/reviews/comparisons by trusted and reputable online and offline companies that don’t pay commissions to get featured!
• No more wasting time frequently switching suppliers – customer can get on with more important things in life!
• Genuine price promise/guarantee with no tie-ins. Would you trust a company that locks you into a fixed-term/capped contract at a supposedly “lower price” on the premise that your bills would be cheaper?
• Simple, un-confusing, easy-to-understand tariffs, i.e. one price level - are 2 (primary and secondary) units really necessary? No hidden charges, e.g. Standing Charge should be shown separately.

Let’s home in on a couple of these issues in more detail, right now:

Firstly, rumours abound that customers of a certain multi-utility supplier are better off because they pay the same low, single rate all year round ;-) In summer, when consumption is lower, their customers pay far less than customers of other companies that charge the first or primary level of units at a higher rate of consumption. So for about 6 months of the year, their prices are sometimes double that of the aforementioned multi-utility supplier.

Secondly, most energy companies ‘panic’ customers into signing up for fixed/capped tariffs, leading them into believing that prices are going to keep increasing. Capped tariffs can be up to 20% more expensive than non-capped. This means that customers on capped tariffs are paying 2010/11/12 prices RIGHT NOW!

Well, that just about wraps this post up. In a future post, I will be revealing some insider secrets that the major energy suppliers won’t be pleased about seeing in the public domain! Until then, stay warm this winter ;-)

Vijay V. Patel

I’m hoping that you found this article both agreeable and worthwhile sharing with your Twitter friends – in which case, please feel free to hit the “retweet” button on this post. Many thanks.

How To Avoid The Headache Of Switching Energy Suppliers - Ever Again!

(apart from just this once :>)

This article applies especially to those customers currently with EDF and E.On, that entered into a capped tariff last summer*.

EDF customers currently on the Energy Protection 2009 tariff and E.On customers currently on the Fixed Price 2 tariff have now probably been moved over to a more expensive standard tariff, since your capped rate has just ended. This means that you are now faced with the headache of switching yet again!

Wouldn't you prefer something better to do with your precious time than trawling through the comparison sites yet again, looking for the best deal?

Most energy customers would stay loyal to a supplier that gives them guaranteed, long term value, excellent customer service, no tie-ins, no half-hearted, short-term ‘offers’ like "£15 cashback" or "free wine" - just a no-nonsense, value-for-money deal that ensures that you are always at the bottom end of the market for cost of energy. What if you could also get clear, accurate bills and easy-to-understand tariffs? And I guess some sort of price guarantee would be helpful during these difficult times when people are worried about their energy bills.

Well, if you ACT NOW, you can take advantage of these benefits before the winter really kicks in.

Have you had enough of changing suppliers every few months in order to find the best deal for your particular circumstances?

What if you could easily switch to an energy supplier that regularly looks for the best-value deal for their customers (very much like a brokering service), so that in the long term you actually save money? An energy supplier that has  real credibility, with the majority of their customers happy to recommend them to their friends, family and work colleagues? An energy supplier that actually looks after you, such that you get your very own personal point of contact - someone that will make it their aim to ensure that you become a happy, smiley, satisfied customer - that someone being us! You get two for the price of one ;-)

Call Kim or Vijay NOW on 0800 458 4102 for further information. You deserve long-term peace-of-mind, but make sure that you ACT NOW to take advantage of the huge benefits of switching to: The UK's Best Energy Supplier!

Remember, it's so easy to switch, so call now on 0800 458 4102, asking for Kim or Vijay, or if you are comfortable with signing up online, then go to The Utility Warehouse website to get yourself set up with the minimum of fuss.

*PS: Over 98% of the UK population can benefit overall, especially if you are currently with any of the “Big 6” energy suppliers or their smaller companies.

Vijay V. Patel
I’m hoping that you found this article both agreeable and worthwhile sharing with your Twitter friends – in which case, please feel free to hit the “retweet” button on this post. Many thanks.

Hate Your Gas & Electricity Supplier? Don’t Get All Fired Up... Just Switch! - PART 1

How on Earth (well, in the U.K. to be more precise) do you find unbiased reviews on this country’s energy suppliers in relation to concerns that are important to most domestic and business consumers?

Let’s begin with identifying what the main issues are (in no particular order of importance):

• Good customer service, i.e. polite staff, satisfied customers
• Value for money
• Telephone support, i.e. ease of contact, time taken to get through, satisfaction with / quality of telephone support service
• Billing, i.e. accuracy of bills, ease of understanding, resolving billing queries, not getting bills, billing options
• Lack of information, i.e. guidance on saving energy, saving money on energy

Most people in the UK can empathise with these concerns and relate their own woeful tales of having been let down by their respective energy supplier(s) in one way or another.

I guess the next question is: where do we look for unbiased information that will allow us to make an informed decision on which supplier(s) to give our custom to?

My own research on this has led to the following list (you’ll soon begin to realise how much I like lists):

• In the offline world:

 Specialist consumer magazines – the only one that I have come across and many people know as “the UK’s leading consumer magazine”: Which?
 Specialist energy magazines – Energy World, Petroleum Review, UK Power
 Word-of-mouth recommendations / referrals – from friends, family, work colleagues.

• In the online world:
 Specialist consumer websites – Yes, it’s Which? again, and many comparison/review websites such as moneysupermarket.com, confused.com, consumerfocus.org.uk, homeadvisoryservice.co.uk, uswitch.com, consumerdirect.gov.uk,
 Specialist energy websites – too numerous to mention, but you can expect to find all major energy companies and suppliers represented here.
 Recommendations / referrals on forums, in press releases and articles, in blog posts (such as this one ;-), social/business networking and other websites.

Now most of us prefer to take the easy route to finding the best possible money-saving deal for our energy services. Some of us are comfortable online, spending time trawling through the comparison sites looking for the cheapest. Others find comfort in following up recommendations or referrals from those people that they know and trust. Some haven’t got the energy to switch or cannot be bothered, saying: “... better the devil you know...”

Which energy companies tick all or most of the boxes when it comes to satisfying most customers’ concerns?

Have a think about this one, let me have your feedback and I’ll be back with part 2 of this blog post sooner than you can say “... let’s get energised!”

Vijay V. Patel

I’m hoping that you found this article both agreeable and worthwhile sharing with your Twitter friends – in which case, please feel free to hit the “retweet” button on this post. Many thanks.