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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:21 pm
by lutonlagerlout
i signed up for a dual fuel, online only, direct debit, with this crowd of plonkers earlier this year
anyway the monthly DD was £159.99
so after 6 months (and they still haven't asked me to send them 1 meter reading online which was part of the deal)
according to estimates I owe them £170
fair enough that means i have been underpaying by £30 a month
so my new DD should be £190 a month
never so simple as that with these modern day dick turpins in reverse
They want £225 a month and have let me know that they will be taking that amount from friday
i have tried holding but there is only so much of "your call is important to us bollocks" that a man can take
if it was in any way important they would answer the flipping thing
the best bit is that it is nigh on impossible to compare energy prices as they have loads of bullshit rates,I.E. first 28.4KWH at 32p then next 127.3KWH at 30p then the rest at 29.7p
why cant the ombudsman just make them charge 1 rate IE 35p per KWH?
who should i write to about this shambles?
cameron?
clegg?
compo?
if i was an OAP £65 per month might tip me into leaving the heating off,plus its extortion as they dont want to talk
I'm not moaning about price ,its the way they calculate it,they would rather owe you money than visa versa
when my term is up I am going old skool,read the meter then i pay you what i have used
rant over 
LLL
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 1:44 pm
by Tommy
We had one of the new smart meter's installed. Only pay for what you use, and no more estimates. Got a free energy meter as well, shows how much you are using at any given point within the last month etc.
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:10 pm
by Dave_L
Jeez LLL, £160/mth DD for gas and spark?? That mansion of yours is proving £££ to run isn't it!
3 Bed semi here, £60/mth gas and roughly the same for electricty with British Gas and EDF respectively.
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:29 pm
by hondacrm
A similar poor experience when we switched to an online account with a SSE. 6 months after we changed over we tried to enter the readings but the system refused to accept the figures. Tried again the following day with the same result. Came home from work the next day and found a card in the door saying "we tried to read the meter but you were out" (why were SSE trying to read the meter for an online a/c?).
Anyway, phoned them up and gave them the readings. The online bit has now gone in the bin. Gas & Elec are £70 & £90 approx per mth
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 4:20 pm
by Bob_A
Dave_L wrote:Jeez LLL, £160/mth DD for gas and spark?? That mansion of yours is proving £££ to run isn't it!
3 Bed semi here, £60/mth gas and roughly the same for electricty with British Gas and EDF respectively.
I use BG and EDF.
Gas=£60 electricity=£75 for a semi detached.
Electricity could be a lot less. I turn everything off when I go to bed but when I get up I find the kids have gone and turned everything back on again. I reckon we use more fuel during the night then the day. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Have listened to Martin Lewis the Money Saving Expert and considered duel fuel but his advise is only current for a couple of weeks then the cheapest companies become some of the dearest.
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:08 pm
by DNgroundworks
Our energy bills are quite low in our house, we used to be on a meter for leccy but my old man was sure he was being ripped off so now we have one of them token things were you pull a little stick out and and top it up and the post office - Saves my dad a fair bit he reckons.
No gas were we live, so a little gas bottle piped in from out side for the cooker.
Central heating we dont have, just an agor and electric shower.
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:27 pm
by Dave_L
Bob_A wrote:Electricity could be a lot less. I turn everything off when I go to bed but when I get up I find the kids have gone and turned everything back on again. I reckon we use more fuel during the night then the day. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Same here Bob, know the feelin' all too well......lights left on, TV left "watching itself" etc etc I could go on.......
The wife wonders why I get stroppy when she leaves the halogen light bar on in the kitchen - 4 x 50w bulbs going.......grrrrrr
Still, I had the last laugh.....took two bulbs out.
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:28 pm
by Dave_L
I'm also thinking of 'investing' in one of these wireless room thermostats/CH/HW programmers - so the actual thermostat is in the room we are actually in and not in the hallway......
Any of you guys have one of these devices? Bet the gaffer has..........
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 8:01 pm
by ajmoore1
I got a wireless thermostat, keep it in the lounge and crank the log burner up. Wife complains that other rooms are cold but we arent in them!!!
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:05 pm
by dig dug dan
Wife complains that other rooms are cold but we arent in them!!!
my sentiments exactly. why heat what you don't need! 
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:13 pm
by Pablo
I have one of those thermostats Dave and they're brilliant. I had it in my old house and have just installed one in the new one. It cost about 200quid all in but was saving just under a 1200 ltr tank of oil a year.
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:43 pm
by Dave_L
'nuff said then, I'll be getting one installed.
Pablo - what make/brand you got?
Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:25 pm
by Pablo
I don't know mate i get back to Ireland on Monday and I'll get back to you.
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 12:01 am
by lutonlagerlout
i have a wireless thermostat too,will look it up
I have done the double glazing,insulated the loft but its 89 years old this house,only so much you can do
most of our lights are like 6 lots of 60 watt bulbs grrr
LLL
Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 9:15 am
by Pablo
I don't know mate i get back to Ireland on Monday and I'll get back to you.
