Scottish Power increase prices, but I’ve got the power to leave

I am with them but capped until next year thankfully and they were very cheap when I signed up – Of course I will have to move or renegotiate once the term is up. However, what really grates is the complete lack of price drops when wholesale prices go down – Of course SP aren’t the only guilty ones here – Maybe you guys can check but have there been any price reductions from the main players in the last 5 years? If not then something is up and OFWAT or whoever regulates the industry needs to kick some ****.

Scottish Power too! Locked in until end of October. However we have a 1-bed flat and I’m so tight I make my husband turn almost everything off at the wall, so we’ve built up loads of credit so hopefully we won’t owe anything when we switch in November. Disappointly Co-op was “only £240 more” than our current deal. I could cope with about £50 extra a year to change to them, but £240 is more than we’ve spent since switching in July (so been with them since Sep/Oct)!

I too am with Scottish Power, and am on a capped tariff until Sep 30 2011. Will they charge me for changing early, before their existing capped 2013 tariffs have been withdrawn? Also is the “Platinum” tariff with boiler maintenance included a worthwhile option with a 10 year old Potterton Suprima boiler?

At the beginning of June I applied to Scottish Power to transfer from British Gas to Online Energy Saver 14. Due to the SP price rise announced today, I phoned to cancel but was told that the price ranges do not affect all their tarrifs and the price of OES 14 will not be raised in August.
This is very puzzling cos the press release does not mention this.

Just my luck as have recently initiated switching to ScottishPower after using the Which? switching comparison service and now their announcement that prices are to increase. I wonder what would result if I made a further comparison, assuming the price increase has been factored in – which I doubt it has yet to be fair.

“Scottish Power increase prices, but I’ve got the power to leave”
Yes but where are you going to go?
As you also say all the other energy suppliers are soon going to follow in their footsteps.
Good idea to always be on the cheapest tariff, and lock in for as long as possible, but gains are temporary. Switching is not the universal panacea to the problem of ever increasing energy prices.
So what is our best damage limitation policy?
Well, our best approach can only be to use much less of the stuff or make our own somehow.
This logically therefore leads to insulation, more efficient appliances and domestic alternative energy. I wish as much type space offering advice on these was given as is to “switching”.

I feel that Scottish Gas were on an El-Expresso ‘selling’ to future subscribers before their evilly-planned increases became announced. I don’t trust ANY of them, particularly (down South) British Gas. I wish all our Gas suppliers etc got their Employer’s Fuel, and I’d not charge 19% for their free match !

Frugal Ways,
you argue against switching because the comparison site fees are ultimately passed on to us consummers.
I had a very competitive tariff with Br Gas. They wrote to me to tell me that my tariff contract would end on 1st June and they would switch me to their Standard tariff (approx 15% more expensive). Br Gas had all my dual energy usage figures and could easily have calculated their best tariff and offered me the choice or that or the standard tariff.

Instead they invited me to visit their web site to compare tariffs and select the best value for me. Why should I do cost comparisons on Br Gas website when I can visit a comparison website and get the best tariff amongst all the providers – and thats what I did.

So in this case it is the provider forcing us the use comparison websites.

Compare that with my mobile phone company, Orange, who regularly text me telling me, based upon my usage, the best tariff they have.

I recently changed deals with my combined electricity-gas, but with my existing supplier, as per a quick check with Switch with Which. It’s all managed online and since I knew I’d be saving, I’ve been looking forward(!) to my next bill.

It arrived today by email. And I’m £235 in credit. Normally I would have to ring CS and ask for my Direct Debit to be altered, and accept that a refund would be pointless to ask for.

Times have changed. Ideally I would like a refund, and auto-adjustment of my DD to a new (lower) amount. Without having to ask.

Well that’s what I got. Stress free. Phonecall free. Waste of time free. Good. Thanks e-on. Thanks Which? (this article from my blog was tweeted to and reply received from @WhichSwitch )

It’s appalling that these fat cat companies are allowed by the regulator and/or governemnt to increase their cartel operated rates in such an indiscriminate manner. We can absorb these increases for a while, but we’re on a fixed income and may not be able to sustain them in the future. Also, what about those people who can’t afford to pay, or as quoted on the local news, have to chose between heating and food!!!
I think we’re approaching civil action. What would happen if EVERYBODY refused to pay??? A bit like the poll tax refusal. Come on, lets do something!

This is what happens when you sell off public services and leave economists to “regulate” the results. All Tory policy from 30 years ago taking a long time to take effect. We’ve got power suppliers owned by foreign companies, little new generation being built except windmills, lots of nuclear stuff that should be closed soon. And letting people bicker about whether to use a website, and which one, to switch between retail suppliers, is just a distraction. I’d support any kind of action to reverse these trends, take effective control of energy supply and protect the vulnerable in our society, but suspect it needs to be done at a political level rather than just by refusal campaigns, though that might be a start, eg demonstrating against rich utility directors and energy “traders”. I doubt if centralised government in London has any idea of the impact on people outside in the provinces, or cares much, and they’ll pass much of the buck to the European Community re free competition. I doubt if Germany has these kinds of problems, though. Scotland (where I live) may be able to improve things by local political action, but I worry about the rest of the UK.

These foreign, former British publically owned, companies must be brought swiftly back into British ownership. lf necessary by compulsory purchase. Thes companies then would operate on a not for profit basis. Thus ensuing cheaper energy, water and other services.
Along with this the reopening of our coalfields giving gas, coke and coal and chemicals and not dependent on imports-often from doubtful sources.
Nuclear is NOT an option. Cost and waste disposal dangers.
Wind, wave and solar power must be made a priority

Having done the maths (and seeing comments on other forums) I’m wondering who’s getting the 10% & 19% rises? According to my maths, my electricity increase 53% for the first rate, and 38% for the second. For gas it’s 56% for the first rate and 69% for the rest. And this is a rate guaranteed to be 2% lower than their standard DD prices. As I mentioned above we’re not exactly high users, but a year at these new prices will push up to nearly £600 a year (we have a 1-bed, are out most of the time and wear lots of jumpers and blankets in the winter). I’ve estimated the difference per day as jumping from £1.05 to £1.60.

Having compared to the prices Co-op are quoting, if they don’t up their prices they will actually be cheaper than Scottish Power.

Hmm… so looks like I can’t do maths of an evening. Anyway, still works out as there are other tariffs cheaper than SP so maybe will switch. Potentially would save more than the cancellation fees by moving too, so might be worth it. Will have a look at cash back options.

I received a letter this morning (14th June) from my supplier, nPower, dated “May 2011”, which started “as you know the introductory period for your online tariff came to an end on 31st March 2011.” And then goes on to tell me that they have kindly transferred me to their standard tariff from that date. I realise that I have some responsibility to remember when a special offer ends, but the comapnies don’t make it easy:
– there is nothing on their bill to state when a particular offer will end
– even worse, on my latest nPower bill (15th March) they predict energy costs for the next 12 months based on the special tariff that is about to end – and which is no longer available
– the only way to know when a special rate is about to run out is to search the e-mails for the past 12 months to find out the date the new tariff started

The solution is for suppliers to put the date of expiry of any special offer on the bill – given that my bill is 8 pages long already that should not be a big deal!

Does the recent change which requires energy companies to advise you a month in advance of a change in price also apply to price changes when special offers expire? I hope so, but somehow I doubt it…

I could make the same point about banks and building societies who offer 12-month ‘bonus’ rates, but then make it almost impossible to find out when the current rate is about to expire. I’ve been caught out recently on this as well.

I count myself as reasonably savvy and on the ball, but keeping track of the dates when spec

I used a cash back site but am having considerable difficutly getting my cash back payment. I wonder what rights I have.

I also suffered from my previous supplied applying the higher tariff (this one that is supposed to be for the first so many units used in a quarter and is some 4 times higher than the second tariff) repeatedly several times in the middle of a quarter on the grounds that I had moved to a new tariff, and had supplied a couple of meter readings (at their request). This means that many more units were charged at the higher tariff in the middle of the quarter and not just at the beginning of the quarter. There should be a requirement that all units are charged at the same rate, to stop companies applying the higher tariff as often as they like.

I’m with Scottish Power. Ok they will increase gas by 13% and electric 10% which is influenced by world prices but the daily charge of the combined gas & electric is going up by 137.62%. surly it should only go up by RPI. Where is there a Watch Dog when you want one?

For some time now I’ve realised that if you are a low user of energy you don’t want to be on a tariff where you pay a standing daily charge. If you used no gas or electricity or gas throughout the year you would still pay the daily charge.
So for low energy users you need a no standing charge tariff. So what have companies like Scottish Power, who have no standing charge, done? They’ve piled the increase onto the Tier 1 part of the bill, which is almost like applying it to a standing charge.
What on Earth is going on? All those people who have tried to save energy by fitting loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing, draught excluders, etc. etc. have all been beaten mercilessly by applying the bulk of the price increase to either the standing charge or Tier 1. What was the point in encouraging people to reduce energy consumption and then apply the largest price increases to the lowest users?
I suppose it always was difficult to understand why it was the companies who sell us gas and electricity who were so concerned about supplying us insulation grants to help reduce the products they sell?
Which? Magazine/Consumer Association needs to get something done about this. The majority of the energy charges need to be applied to the higher end users, not those who are trying to do their bit for the environment.

I have to agree with Colin Grave. I have just recently gone back to Scottish Power and I am a very low user. The standing charges have doubled for electricity and the gas standing charge is substantially up too. It’s similar to the last company I left now. It looks like they have spread the burden evenly over all their consumers and are now charging ridiculous amounts to customers who are using next to nothing. I feel the standing charges are far too high with all companies now and that the government department that regulates these energy companies needs to act to encourage low use. Of course the horse has already bolted. If you use both gas and electricity, they are all more or less guaranteeing themselves around £200 year now in standing charges or indirect payments for the same, before you pay a penny towards your actual consumption?
I believe there should be a case for an overall reduction and a capping of standing charges for power. It should be a basic right like water and although I do not want something for nothing I do believe the energy companies should be forced to reduce this and concentrate their charges on energy prices. Given that the cost of supplying the service is fairly estimated by an ombudsman then further increases to these costs should be related to inflation only.

…….Well thanks NPower, for completely upsetting my wife on Valentines Night, how did you manage to dupe us into leaving EON with your comparison site slight of hand into believing that the monthly projected amount on a smaller usage has ended up doubling the gas and electricity bill for the last two quarters.
You are selling us the idea that you can provide us with a level yearly amount that’s payable monthly and then suddenly when you inquire about how the bill looks for the winter period you get the awful truth you have skillfully managed to palm twice as much from our account as any other energy provider with the excuse when tackled that it will take 56 days to run through the complaints procedure and by that time you have taken the variance not once but twice and so another complaints procedure begins and so on and so forth with us on the financial back foot not you .
If you think for one minute that your well versed customer service staff can blind us to the reality of how you purchase and supply a natural resource that in some parts of the Urals is so plentiful that it is seeping out of the Steppes quicker than you can raise the price to consumer then you are misguided.
It is time for an overhaul and if we all endured the cold in the spring for a month you would have to lower your prices or default on your contract to order.
Do not underestimate us or our resolve for a warm home, warm parents, warm children and a fair shake, you are dealing with the same people that sat out 10 months of constant bombing and never gave an inch, a month in the cold is nothing to us or those from the foothills of the Himalayas and below that now join us in this fight for fair prices.
You are on alert.

It’s perfect time to make a few plans for the long run and it is time to be happy. I have learn this put up and if I may I wish to counsel you some fascinating issues or suggestions. Maybe you could write next articles relating to this article. I want to learn more issues about it!

What is the best plan at the current moment with scottish power?

3 Bed house average bills of £130

Please be aware when your old supplier calls with a fantastic rate,
It is a trick. The price won’t last the year and you will probably be out of pocket.

Our Scottish Power fixed price deal came to an end, so I went on Switch with Which and went for First Utility. Scottish Power, quite reasonably, gave me a call to try and persuade me not to leave.
What is not reasonable is the trick they use to keep me on board. They told me that they had just launched a new deal that would reduce my monthly direct debit to £65. First Utility worked out as £92, quite a saving, but warning lights were flashing in my head. If it is too good to be true it is probably a trick, and it was. Further digging revealed that £65/month would have been just OK for the approaching summer but come winter it would have had to increase massively or allow the account to go deeply red. The true figure for Scottish Power should have been £97/month over 12 months as best I can make out, close, but still more than F.U.
I discovered that my in-laws got caught out by this trick last year, had cheap months during the summer then a big price hike when winter came.
Needless to say, I am sticking with F.U. for the next year, then we will see.