OneBigSwitch.ie Bulk Buying for Electricity

TireeTerror · 01-03-2014 4:17pm

I decided to have a look and see exactly what people saved on this scheme in Oz as I didnt see much in the way of facts on their site, just generalised statements saying very little.

They only saved $25AUS on their first bill, and another $25AUDS on their final bill after a year compared to the current offers they could have got by switching themselves to the chosen supplier. Bubble burst.

http://personalmoney.com.au/one-big-switch-worth-the-effort/

A little further digging on Australian forums reveals that savings are pretty much nothing special at all, it seems to be a publicity hungry way to mine personal data!

Take my advice, keep clear!!! SCAM ALERT!

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1953927

If you needed even more evidence, check out this enlightening news report on this crowd of scammers. Great video. This mob must think Ireland is ripe for the picking with the recession and everything!

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3546947.htm WATCH THE VIDEO

ted1 · 01-03-2014 4:37pm

rhapsodyinblue wrote: »

Regarding electricity: does anyone else check their meter readings? I read mine every morning and know more or less what we use every day. Imagine my surprise when the last bill arrived and we were overcharged by 450 units!!
Tried phoning them, but their phone is just on a ridiculous answering system.

Airtricity?

If you read it then why not submit your own reading?

snubbleste · 18-03-2014 10:14am

37343 people so far
Extended for a few days

Remember that survey you filled out when you registered?
Well they have results

rhapsodyinblue · 18-03-2014 10:31am

I did when I eventually got through to someone. I got a revised bill, which was nearly 100 Euro less than the original one they sent me

Muahahaha · 18-03-2014 4:53pm

snubbleste wrote: »

37343 people so far
Extended for a few days

Remember that survey you filled out when you registered?
Well they have results

Taking their average annual bill for the survey of €1436 and assuming they will reach the 40,000 sign up mark then the annual spend of all the sign ups on electricity is €57.4 million :eek:

Fair play to them, not bad for a months work. 40,000 is just below 1% of the national population! but with each sign up covering a household it probably extends to coverage of circa 100k people.

Now to see what they can negotiate....

newfrontier · 18-03-2014 5:26pm

Do the sums....if they get €10 per signup for electricity thats 400k ...then do a gas offer then a broadband offer then a mobile offer etc... nice money if you can get it!!

Customers cost money to acquire so if you can offer them as one big package you will get a nice cheque.. but now is the tricky part ..getting the ball over the line.

What level of discount will they get?
If it is crap ..they will be in trouble !!!
Should be fun to watch!!! ..psst and dont forget to hire 3 people to do all the work for you aswell....see the jobs section on the site..

irishproduce · 18-03-2014 6:05pm

The mobile phone companies already do pretty good group scheme/ company scheme packages. These are open to public sector and private sector employees already.
As do the health insurance companies. If consumers are not already availing of these then...

StaticNoise · 18-03-2014 6:11pm

I registered for the service, then I saw that the company/format is a hub for data mining, as another poster pointed out. I quickly (hour later, actually) request a deletion of my account.

Be aware, that if you are doing this, you must contact them. The account only becomes 'deactivated' if you do it via the website.

muggyog · 18-03-2014 6:21pm

TireeTerror wrote: »

I decided to have a look and see exactly what people saved on this scheme in Oz as I didnt see much in the way of facts on their site, just generalised statements saying very little.

They only saved $25AUS on their first bill, and another $25AUDS on their final bill after a year compared to the current offers they could have got by switching themselves to the chosen supplier. Bubble burst.

http://personalmoney.com.au/one-big-switch-worth-the-effort/

A little further digging on Australian forums reveals that savings are pretty much nothing special at all, it seems to be a publicity hungry way to mine personal data!

Take my advice, keep clear!!! SCAM ALERT!

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1953927

If you needed even more evidence, check out this enlightening news report on this crowd of scammers. Great video. This mob must think Ireland is ripe for the picking with the recession and everything!

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3546947.htm WATCH THE VIDEO

Not sure of the massive benefit of this but if there is any surely it is a good thing. Regarding the data mining, you don't have to fill in any of the data fields to register. Far from a scam I think and possibly some good may come from it. I watched the video and got out of it mainly that Onebigswitch would be picking up a commission on each customer change. Smart move by them but no disadvantage to the customer. The data mining part has been done already be nearly all services you subscribe to. One thing to watch out for is the trap with the new supplier that the reduction is only in the beginning and goes to a higher rate later on. That applies to all changes not just Onebigswitch. I registered (no data) and await developments on this.

Muahahaha · 24-03-2014 7:51pm

This was just on the six o clock news. They are up to 45,000 sign ups and now have their first offer available for switching to Bord Gais- 10% off your energy prices plus €80 cash back. I didn't hear the nitty gritty of it but think they said T&Cs involve paying by direct debit and paying a flat rate bill for 12 months. I'm not sure when you get the €80 cash back.

Anyway I think everyone knows that by switching yourself you can typically get 9-11% off for the first 12 months. This goes one further by putting €80 in your pocket on top of that so on face value I'll be taking advantage of this, once I've checked the T&Cs to make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary in them.

Bebo stunnah · 24-03-2014 8:38pm

10% discount in year 1* on lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland^
5% discount in year 2*
you'll receive €80 cash back at the end of 12 months
No exit fees or lock in period

† This is an estimated saving in the first year for a typical 3-bedroom household who use 5,300 kWh per year. All usage is assumed on a 24 Hour Urban Tariff. The savings figure is the estimated savings figures if such a household switched from the standard tariff to this special offer and includes the €80 cashback. Source: Bord Gáis Energy.

* 10% Discount T's & C's
10% Discount off the Bord Gáis Energy standard unit rates for 12 months and 5% thereafter when you sign up to to this special offer. €80 cash-back is credited at the end of 12 months. You must continue to pay by Level Pay and paperless billing to avail of this offer.

^ Lowest Standard Electricity Prices T's & C's
Lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland based on competitor prices on 06/02/14 and Bord Gáis Energy prices on 01/03/14. (Residential urban 24-hour tariff unit rate of 18.77 cent per kwh with estimated consumption of 5,300 kilowatt hours and annual standing charge of €149.41). Source: Bord Gáis Energy.

One Big Switch will earn a commission from Bord Gáis Energy for each person who takes up this Special Offer.

Pretty sure you'd get 10% off switching on your own, that 5% is kinda pointless in the second year as you'd probably get a better deal by switching again. That 10% is only off the unit rates as well. You get the €80 back at the end of the year.

Also, mine was for leccy only.

The_Conductor · 24-03-2014 8:43pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Anyway I think everyone knows that by switching yourself you can typically get 9-11% off for the first 12 months.

Good to hear that its going ahead and will be of interest to 50k prospective customers. Re the typical discount- its 14% with BG and prior to that I had 15% off Electric Ireland (or whatever the hell they're called now).

Even with the headline discount- I'd still suggest shopping around- there are better deals to be gotten- but educate yourself as to what offers are currently running- and what suits your own particular circumstances.

chris1970 · 24-03-2014 10:24pm

Seriously disappointed, thought they would be buying from electric Ireland, they are playing middle man , t & c, right at bottom, one big switch receive commission from bord ghais, f$$k off

deadimmortal · 25-03-2014 12:45am

"One Big Switch will earn a commission from Bord Gáis Energy for each person who takes up this Special Offer." WOW that was a cleaver business trick.

lmimmfn · 25-03-2014 1:05am

One Big Con lol

melekalikimaka · 25-03-2014 1:08am

Muahahaha wrote: »

This was just on the six o clock news. They are up to 45,000 sign ups and now have their first offer available for switching to Bord Gais- 10% off your energy prices plus €80 cash back. I didn't hear the nitty gritty of it but think they said T&Cs involve paying by direct debit and paying a flat rate bill for 12 months. I'm not sure when you get the €80 cash back.

Anyway I think everyone knows that by switching yourself you can typically get 9-11% off for the first 12 months. This goes one further by putting €80 in your pocket on top of that so on face value I'll be taking advantage of this, once I've checked the T&Cs to make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary in them.

most providers are doing at least 12/12 at the moment, and many giving credit of over 80 to customers whom renew contract. this deal is for mugs who arent shopping around or looking for better deals themselves properly

coylemj · 25-03-2014 1:23am

chris1970 wrote: »

Seriously disappointed, thought they would be buying from electric Ireland, they are playing middle man , t & c, right at bottom, one big switch receive commission from bord ghais, f$$k off

+1 They aren't adding any value whatsoever, simply sucking money out of the system. Flat payments almost always means that for most of the year the utility company has your money in their pockets so I'm not surprised that that's a condition of signing up.

Plus I don't believe they have anywhere near the numbers they are claiming. They advertised for a few days, did a publicity blitz on all the usual radio programs, then nothing, then they expected us to believe they were at 25,000 - pull the other one.

No thanks.

Muahahaha · 25-03-2014 1:33am

melekalikimaka wrote: »

most providers are doing at least 12/12 at the moment, and many giving credit of over 80 to customers whom renew contract. this deal is for mugs who arent shopping around or looking for better deals themselves properly

What's 12/12?

dixiefly · 25-03-2014 4:06am

coylemj wrote: »

+1 They aren't adding any value whatsoever, simply sucking money out of the system. Flat payments almost always means that for most of the year the utility company has your money in their pockets so I'm not surprised that that's a condition of signing up.

Plus I don't believe they have anywhere near the numbers they are claiming. They advertised for a few days, did a publicity blitz on all the usual radio programs, then nothing, then they expected us to believe they were at 25,000 - pull the other one.

No thanks.

I heard the piece with Oliver Tatton and, while he sounded convincing, I was also wondering if it was a bit of smoke and mirrors.

What is the best current deal? Is it just to shop around on an individual basis?

The_Conductor · 25-03-2014 9:21am

Muahahaha wrote: »

What's 12/12?

12% off Gas, 12% off electricity?
Or- bill equilisation- bill split into equal chunks on a 12 month basis (or if you're with BG 11 months- so you have extra money in December).

Cheese Princess · 25-03-2014 10:37am

Has anyone heard if they're going to bring in a gas offer? I was expecting them to have both. Tried to use the live chat on their website yesterday but no response.

Leslie91 · 25-03-2014 11:24am

Cheese Princess wrote: »

Has anyone heard if they're going to bring in a gas offer? I was expecting them to have both. Tried to use the live chat on their website yesterday but no response.

Yes a gas offer is coming too.

Leslie91 · 25-03-2014 11:36am

My question is how do they truly stack up against the competition when it comes to the cent per kWh and the per day standing charge. It is difficult to properly compare these as they are all changing their prices so often.

I'm a Bord Gais Electricity only customer right now and their website today says that 18.78cent incl VAT is the Urban rate per kWh and the standing charge is €149.41 incl VAT but I understand there might be another price increase in April or is that just a gas price increase?

Electric Irelands seems to be 19.31cent incl VAT but standing charge is €139.61 but these prices will no doubt change very soon too.

Are they not all much of a muchness and the regular price changes/discounts mean that over the course of a year they are all the feckin same?

J@yK@y · 25-03-2014 12:07pm

The_Conductor wrote: »

12% off Gas, 12% off electricity

Anyone have a link to this offer?

melekalikimaka · 25-03-2014 12:20pm

J@yK@y wrote: »

Anyone have a link to this offer?

google is your friend

https://www.airtricity.com/ie/home/products/electricity-and-gas

TireeTerror · 25-03-2014 1:36pm

As suspected, this is all a big waste of time. Amazing how gullible people can be at times, although with many struggling to cope with bills, it will increase the desperation levels. You can get €40 cashback from BG yourself anyway, well I'm fairly sure you can, I cant be bothered to go and check because I'm with Energia who give a better discount. Electric Ireland are also better. The only thing this OneBigDataMiningScam has provided is an extra €40 saving at the end of the year, everything else is the same. If you want to save money, you would not stay in the second year for a measly 5% saving.

Now it will be interesting to see just how much targeted spam and sales calls all of those who provided details will receive. Post man is going to be very busy I suspect.

irishproduce · 25-03-2014 2:18pm

Any of you already on the 5% discount tariff that BGais were running last year?
Had a look at the bill there and the discount box has always been blank.
Their rates are moving to .1654c per unit from March 1st but I don't know what they used to be before that. I am not able to determine if I was even getting the discount. Bill just says Residential Tariff: Urban 24 hour (Dates xxxxx)

Does anyone else have the offer/ tariff and perhaps could tell me what their bill says?

TireeTerror · 25-03-2014 3:35pm

Lets not forget that BG are increasing their prices AGAIN, effective from 17th April!!! Incredible. So you will be getting 10% off their new increased rates.

Ogham · 25-03-2014 3:59pm

TireeTerror wrote: »

Lets not forget that BG are increasing their prices AGAIN, effective from 17th April!!! Incredible. So you will be getting 10% off their new increased rates.

The April increase is on gas . The OBS (one big switch) deal is electricity only.

The overall deal will work out slightly cheaper IF BGas and everyone else keeps their prices the same for 12 months.
They are relying on people sticking it out for 12 months to get the €80 cashback - but you can be pretty sure prices will increase before the 12 months are up (Probably in October as is usual).

Ogham · 25-03-2014 4:02pm

melekalikimaka wrote: »

most providers are doing at least 12/12 at the moment, and many giving credit of over 80 to customers whom renew contract. this deal is for mugs who arent shopping around or looking for better deals themselves properly

Don't be taken in by those percentage figures. It's 12% off THEIR top price - not 12% off some standard national price.
A 10% discount at one place can be better than a 12% discount at another.

PopTarts · 26-03-2014 10:18am

Muahahaha wrote: »

This was just on the six o clock news. They are up to 45,000 sign ups and now have their first offer available for switching to Bord Gais- 10% off your energy prices plus €80 cash back.

Is it €80 and 10%?

Just received an e-mail quoting this..

Hi Members,

Congratulations! You did it.

The people power of 40,000-plus Irish consumers has succeeded in creating a special discounted electricity offer.

One of Ireland's leading energy companies Bord Gáis Energy is offering:

• 5% discount in year 1 & 2* on lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland^

• €40 cash back after the first year

• No lock in period and no exit fees.

• A level pay payment plan

To calculate what you could save, simply click here. This offer is only available online.

And please spread the word - anyone who joins by midnight April 17 can still access the offer.

We are still working on a group discounted gas offer, which should be available soon.

Good Luck, and Good Switching,

The One Big Switch Team

Deep Thought · 26-03-2014 10:32am

TireeTerror wrote: »

As suspected, this is all a big waste of time. Amazing how gullible people can be at times, although with many struggling to cope with bills, it will increase the desperation levels.

Signing up for something to see if it works is not being gullible...signing up was free and you have no obligation to proceed.

So don't patronize people, and I use that word correctly unlike the Term gullible that was incorrectly used.

Ogham · 26-03-2014 10:48am

PopTarts wrote: »

Is it €80 and 10%?

[/I]

Maybe you are already with Bord Gais - so a lower discount applies.
Are you already getting your electricity from Bord Gais?

staengus · 26-03-2014 11:23am

Got that email this morning too (And I'm not a Bord Gais customer) :

One of Ireland's leading energy companies Bord Gáis Energy is offering:
• 5% discount in year 1 & 2* on lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland^

• €40 cash back after the first year

• No lock in period and no exit fees.

• A level pay payment plan

Yesterdays email was:
One of Ireland's leading energy companies Bord Gáis Energy is offering:
• 10% discount in year 1* on lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland^

• €80 cash back after the first year

• No lock in period and no exit fees.

• A level pay payment plan

PopTarts · 26-03-2014 11:37am

Ogham wrote: »

Maybe you are already with Bord Gais - so a lower discount applies.
Are you already getting your electricity from Bord Gais?

Oh I am, that must be the reason.

TireeTerror · 26-03-2014 1:56pm

PopTarts wrote: »

Oh I am, that must be the reason.

Dont switch to BG, switch to Electric Ireland or Energia, staying with BG is not the cheapest option.

The entire thing is beyond a joke.

TireeTerror · 26-03-2014 2:05pm

Deep Thought wrote: »

Signing up for something to see if it works is not being gullible...signing up was free and you have no obligation to proceed.

So don't patronize people, and I use that word correctly unlike the Term gullible that was incorrectly used.

Having given my choice of words some 'deep thought', I have decided that it is exactly the right word to convey what I think of it.

Slick marketing targeted at desperate consumers who mainly are very confused about the whole thing. Its the same as Prepay Power and Pinergy, all designed to exploit peoples desperation.

All you need to do is put on some daytime TV and you will be swamped by commercials for insurance claims, quick fix loans and all manner of exploitative scams marketed and offered to societies most vulnerable and gullible members.

Bonkers and Uswitch have been going for a long time, a quick Google provides all of the answers to questions people have. If they inform themselves then they can reduce their chances of being a victim. Having said that, I sold timeshare in Tenerife for 4 years and no matter how much travel agents try and inform them of the risks on the plane and at morning meetings, some people will always be gullible and greed will get the better of them.

If it is too good to be true......

Kristopherus · 26-03-2014 2:48pm

TireeTerror wrote: »

I sold timeshare in Tenerife for 4 years and no matter how much travel agents try and inform them of the risks on the plane and at morning meetings, some people will always be gullible and greed will get the better of them.

If it is too good to be true......

And thats the very reason posters should ignore your advice:rolleyes:.

_Whimsical_ · 26-03-2014 2:58pm

One after signing and post quite a bit of reading on the site I still confused. Whats this "tesco 2000" points stuff in the chose a deal section ?

And is it 5% off your bill AND a 40 euro pay back or is it just 40euro payback ?

TireeTerror · 26-03-2014 3:23pm

Kristopherus wrote: »

And thats the very reason posters should ignore your advice:rolleyes:.

Quite the opposite actually, my honesty and inside knowledge of the market is exactly why you should consider the advice I provide. I dont care who switches to which company, I just prefer if people have genuine facts presented to them than some of the wild statements I've read being passed off as facts on here.

Internet forums can be very misleading, I have seen posts from members with a huge post count with loads of "Thanks" from other members who have found the post useful. However often that very post is entirely untrue and people could be making decisions based on it that may harm them financially.

BTW if you have a timeshare you are not happy with, or are finding the maintenance fees are too high and always increasing, I could have the solution just for you. Jump into this waiting taxi here, dont worry its free, its sponsored by the Canarian Consumer Bureau here as they have an interest in ensuring that people are paying a fair price......let me get you a no cost no obligation quote!

Ogham · 26-03-2014 3:48pm

For people who can switch from the current supplier without penalty - this offer of 10% off Bord Gais plus 80 euro cashback is only a saving of €44 over 12 months compared to the cheapest deal from Electric Ireland. You have to stick with BG for 12 months to get the €80 - (if you remember) and there is no guarantee that prices won't go up before the 12 months are up. Plus you have the added hassle of using a middleman and the liklihood of loads of spam emails and calls .

Bord Gais Energy is being taken over soon by Centrica - so who knows what might happen to prices after he summer ? http://www.moneyguideireland.com/bord-gais-energy-sell-off-was-it-a-bargain-for-centrica.html

TireeTerror · 26-03-2014 4:18pm

Ogham wrote: »

Bord Gais Energy is being taken over soon by Centrica - so who knows what might happen to prices after he summer ? http://www.moneyguideireland.com/bord-gais-energy-sell-off-was-it-a-bargain-for-centrica.html

There has been a huge drop in commission paid to Bord Gais agents for obtaining new customers, so something is about to change. I would hang on and see what happens. At least one advantage of signing up with BG is that there isnt a contract, so if youre not getting any discount with your current provider, switch to BG, if there is a huge increase when Centrica (British Gas) fully take over the operation, then you can switch away without penalty. All of the other providers will lock you into a 12 month contract and there would be a penalty if you left before the term expires.

Ogham · 26-03-2014 4:23pm

TireeTerror wrote: »

There has been a huge drop in commission paid to Bord Gais agents for obtaining new customers, so something is about to change.

BG probably spent all the marketing budget with OneBigSwitch !

Re: Gas - BG don't want any new gas customers - they want people to leave them and switch to other providers for gas so they can become deregulated and set their own prices without agreement from the energy regulator.

Naux · 26-03-2014 4:26pm

staengus wrote: »

Got that email this morning too (And I'm not a Bord Gais customer) :

One of Ireland's leading energy companies Bord Gáis Energy is offering:
• 5% discount in year 1 & 2* on lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland^

• €40 cash back after the first year

• No lock in period and no exit fees.

• A level pay payment plan

Yesterdays email was:
One of Ireland's leading energy companies Bord Gáis Energy is offering:
• 10% discount in year 1* on lowest standard electricity prices in Ireland^

• €80 cash back after the first year

• No lock in period and no exit fees.

• A level pay payment plan

Watch out for the level pay payment plan, that's the kicker in the above.

I moved to BG recently on a level payment plan and they set the level pay monthly amount by:

taking my previous 12 months usage and adding 20% to it and dividing that by twelve. In effect you end up overpaying for your electricity( you will get the money back after 12 months when they review your usage). I posted a thread about level pay before in the consumer issues forum explaining the level pay thing in more detail.

The €80 back at the end of the year is good IMO.

The_Conductor · 26-03-2014 4:33pm

Ogham wrote: »

BG probably spent all the marketing budget with OneBigSwitch !

Re: Gas - BG don't want any new gas customers - they want people to leave them and switch to other providers for gas so they can become deregulated and set their own prices without agreement from the energy regulator.

BG are in the process of being wholly privatised.
Being deregulated would positively enhance their value to prospective investors.
Its in their interest to become deregulated as quickly as possible.

TireeTerror · 26-03-2014 4:41pm

Naux wrote: »

Watch out for the level pay payment plan, that's the kicker in the above.

I moved to BG recently on a level payment plan and they set the level pay monthly amount by:

taking my previous 12 months usage and adding 20% to it and dividing that by twelve. In effect you end up overpaying for your electricity( you will get the money back after 12 months when they review your usage). I posted a thread about level pay before in the consumer issues forum explaining the level pay thing in more detail.

The €80 back at the end of the year is good IMO.

Level pay is what every single customer that pays by Direct Debit in the UK is on. In 10 years selling to residential customer in the UK, I never once found a single customer who paid by direct debit who was not on a budget plan. In fact it wasn't even called a budget plan, its just how its paid if you choose direct debit. An average of your annual bill. I was shocked when I came to Ireland and discovered people signed up for direct debit knowing that after the issue of the bill, a huge sum of money would be withdrawn from their bank in 14 days. No wonder people didn't like direct debit!

Paying on level pay is by far the best, really helps avoid huge winter bills as you spread the cost over the warmer months of the year.

The 20% extra is a bit sneaky though, gives them plenty of scope to earn interest of your money. I can understand they would want to increase it a bit from last years consumption, because they do have to cover the following years price increase. If they didn't do that, they would either have to increase your monthly payments whenever there was a price increase, or at the end of the 12 month term as you would have a deficit. From a marketing point of view, its better to add that 20% now, let the customer get used to it, and then they wouldn't have a big jump in monthly payments in the event of a few small increases. Whenever someone has an increase in their monthly payments, thats the time when competitors find it easy to switch the customer. So they want to reduce that opportunity.

There is also the fact that for those that can afford it, they enjoy the peace of mind they get knowing they are paying that little bit extra, it means they are not so paranoid to use the energy when they need it and then have to worry about a big bill.

Ogham · 26-03-2014 4:46pm

The_Conductor wrote: »

BG are in the process of being wholly privatised.
Being deregulated would positively enhance their value to prospective investors.
Its in their interest to become deregulated as quickly as possible.

The sale has already been agreed anyway. It was sold really cheap - €150 million for Bord Gais Energy retail and a power plant that cost €400 million to build 4 years ago !!
Don't know why the press/media aren't questioning it - apart from this ..
http://www.moneyguideireland.com/bord-gais-energy-sell-off-was-it-a-bargain-for-centrica.html

The_Conductor · 26-03-2014 5:06pm

The argument for adding 20% onto the previous year's electricity cost for level pay customers- is that it provides a cushion against which price rises can be offset. Sigh..... Aka- they are pre-empting price increases into your bill in advance- so you don't get hit by a larger unexpected bill at the end......... Cynical marketing in the extreme.

Naux · 26-03-2014 5:32pm

The_Conductor wrote: »

The argument for adding 20% onto the previous year's electricity cost for level pay customers- is that it provides a cushion against which price rises can be offset. Sigh..... Aka- they are pre-empting price increases into your bill in advance- so you don't get hit by a larger unexpected bill at the end......... Cynical marketing in the extreme.

Nice of them to pre-empt price increases for you isn't it.................:eek::eek:

Cynical in the extreme as you say.

Naux · 26-03-2014 5:46pm

TireeTerror wrote: »

Level pay is what every single customer that pays by Direct Debit in the UK is on. In 10 years selling to residential customer in the UK, I never once found a single customer who paid by direct debit who was not on a budget plan. In fact it wasn't even called a budget plan, its just how its paid if you choose direct debit. An average of your annual bill. I was shocked when I came to Ireland and discovered people signed up for direct debit knowing that after the issue of the bill, a huge sum of money would be withdrawn from their bank in 14 days. No wonder people didn't like direct debit!

Paying on level pay is by far the best, really helps avoid huge winter bills as you spread the cost over the warmer months of the year.

The 20% extra is a bit sneaky though, gives them plenty of scope to earn interest of your money. I can understand they would want to increase it a bit from last years consumption, because they do have to cover the following years price increase. If they didn't do that, they would either have to increase your monthly payments whenever there was a price increase, or at the end of the 12 month term as you would have a deficit. From a marketing point of view, its better to add that 20% now, let the customer get used to it, and then they wouldn't have a big jump in monthly payments in the event of a few small increases. Whenever someone has an increase in their monthly payments, thats the time when competitors find it easy to switch the customer. So they want to reduce that opportunity. .

I don't think that from "a marketing point of view" or from any other point of view they should add the 20% in the first place as it is very counter productive.

TireeTerror wrote: »

There is also the fact that for those that can afford it, they enjoy the peace of mind they get knowing they are paying that little bit extra, it means they are not so paranoid to use the energy when they need it and then have to worry about a big bill.

Classic....are you a Politian by any chance!!;);)

OneBigSwitch.ie Bulk Buying for Electricity

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