Thieving gas/electricity suppliers

:gnthb:, thats what we should all do, they rely on us being lazy.

But I'm not sure that you can deny them access to the meter.

As to the sales person Clueless, thats the ticket, wind em up and hang em out to dry.

 

Why, they are only doing their job, which are few and far between these days

 

With any job you choose to take, there are always tricky bits. For a salesperson, that might be getting a potential customer who actually thinks about what you're telling them rather than just blanking out and waiting for you to finish your pitch.

A used car salesperson is just doing their job, but you wouldn't take his/her word for it that the car is the best car you could possibly buy and an absolute steal at the price. Surely you'd want to look it over, check documents, ask questions about service history etc?

 

Hi Shiney

I agree, it does say that in the contract. But I always tell the meter readers;
"When my supplier wants you to read the meter I'm sure they'll let me know and then you can make an appointment."
I object to the fact that they turn up at the drop of a hat and they don't pay me to read the meters and put the readings on a card in the window if we're out when they call. That was always a security risk and a daft idea.
What's good about doing your own readings you can do it when you choose. They send you an e-mail asking for the readings and you don't have to rush to do it then and there. When you get round to inputting them you get an instant indication of your consumption and your account balance.
You get a discount for doing your own readings.
I'm with Scottish Power, they seem to have the balance of monthly payments about right.

 

Yes only doing their job, but it usually involves trying to get some gullable person to change suppliers based on very confusing and often slightly dodgy infomation that has been cooked up by the company they represent.

In short preying on the unwary.

Clueless gave a comparison with second hand car sales men, I put these people a lot lower down the list than that.

Afterall, when was the last time a second hand car sales man came knocking on your door, at least they wait until you approach them.

 

It's amazing that when these people come "cold calling," when you ask them for the unit price on their many different tarrifs, they've never got them and look rather sheepish. But I believe "not knowing" is either deliberate or they are employing dummies.
All they do is ask who you're with and then say, "We can provide cheaper electricity/gas."

If you say "What's the rate for first usage and how many units before you go on to the lower rate, what are the discounts for direct debit and paperless bills?" they haven't a clue about there own let alone those of a competitor.

For example, last time I looked for Scottish Power, the higher rate "first usage" for electricity and gas was 245 and 1143 units. For British Gas it was 125 and 670.
Of course with the four different rates for both suppliers, it would be difficult for many people to work out which would be cheaper. The "first usage" means very little in the total charge.
The whole system with this and all the different tariffs is designed to make it difficult for the consumer to know where they are, despite the fact that the government told the suppliers to make bills easier to read.
Of course the industry put two fingers up to that request.

 

Martin Lewis's site has good financial advice for many things. with gas and electric suppliers he lets you know if any of the suppliers you might be going to compare has a price rise in the pipeline.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

 

Wow, I feel really lazy now. Sometimes I get what I call 'a head on', and do ask questions and make myself annoying but I really don't look into what we are paying for many things. Shake yourself I am telling me now! Thanks guys, I really do appreciate and admire that you stand up for the 'little people'.

cheers

 

I often suffer from a bit of indolence from time to time when it comes to money.
I've had a Barclays bank account since I was seventeen and I've a Barclaycard. A while back I would have got interest on my current account balance if I'd swopped to the Halifax or whatever and at one time some building societies were offering you cash to move accounts, but I couldn't be bothered with the rigmarole of changing all the direct debits.
I never leave much in my current account and I clear my card balance every month, so it's not actually costing me money.

 

I'm the same. I've been with HSBC since I was 16 (when they were still the Midland) and I've had more fall outs with them than I can count, yet I still use them. I have credit card debts and I always mean to switch every year to get the 0% offers, but half the time I don't get round to it so end up paying out more.

Banks thrive on people like me. They get you in with tempting offers knowing that 9 times out of 10 you'll still be there when the offer runs out.

 

Had to share. We had a new central heating system installed in January (it got well and truly tested a week later when they temperature dropped well below freezing here). My OH has been keeping careful note of how much we're spending per day on heating and hot water - it's less than £1.50 per day combined. The heating is on for 3 hours in the morning and from 4pm in the evening, but good thermostats keep it at a decent temperature. We're currently watching the TV sitting wearing t shirts, not a wholly jumper in sight.

Result and a worthwhile investment