Energy companies are giving out inaccurate information and dodgy advice to people who call up to switch, our latest investigation has found. But would you expect them to offer you the best deal?
Switch now to save on your winter energy bills! That’s the message coming from the government (and from us), but how can you be sure that you’re switching to the best deal? Can you trust your energy supplier to tell you about its cheapest tariff?
Apparently not. Our undercover investigation into energy telesales found a whole host of failings – from salespeople not telling us about exit fees and giving contradictory advice on fixed prices, to making claims about potential savings which we think are misleading.
But most worrying was the fact that in nearly a third of the 72 calls we made energy suppliers didn’t tell us about their own cheapest deal – despite the fact that we asked for this specifically.
Simple answer to a simple question?
We know energy tariffs are highly complex – our last investigation found that even accountants couldn’t calculate the cost of energy tariff – but you’d expect energy companies to be able to give a straight answer about their own deals.
But they aren’t doing this.
We’re talking to the energy suppliers and Ofgem to try and get this sorted out, but would your supplier be the first place you’d go to for a cheaper deal?
Call or go online?
I don’t know about you but the thought of calling any energy supplier fills me with dread (too many flashbacks to my days as a student in shared houses spending hours trying to sort out ex-tenants’ bills).
I’d much rather just go on a comparison website like Which? Switch and see all the deals available to me, have a good look at all the details and make my mind up from there.
But many people do switch over the phone – 25% of gas customers and 28% of electricity customers last switched this way according to Ofgem. And it’s for this reason that we need to make sure that anyone who calls their energy supplier asking for the cheapest deal is told about it. Where do you go to find the cheapest energy deals?
Do you think you're on your energy supplier's cheapest tariff?
I have no idea (44%, 184 Votes)
No - I'm sure I'm paying over the odds (36%, 152 Votes)
Yes - I'm on a great deal (19%, 81 Votes)
Total Voters: 417
