Once again, for the tenth year running, I've changed energy providers at home. As always, it's a fairly simple task; just go online put a few details in and tell them when you want to switch. Every year I managed to bag savings of between £250 and £400 a year.
Which rather begs the question; why?
Why should I have to change? Why is it cheaper to change every year to a new provider? Why can't my existing provider simply give me a realistic price and stop this annual merry go round?
I'd love to stay with the same provider, if only they could understand me as a customer.
I can't think of another market quite as dysfunctional as the energy market in the UK. Granted, we have a choice of providers but typically the big six set the prices and dictate what we are going to pay. And I appreciate that this has been reviewed by the Government on a number of occasions but still, it doesn't feel right.
Moreover, over and above the price issue there is a problem I face every single year and I've yet to find a solution to it. Every year I end up in an argument with whichever provider I have chosen and every year it sends the same way.
The problem is that of seasonal usage.
It shouldn't be that difficult, as I know to the therm and kilowatt hour exactly what my annual usage will be. Every year I give my new provider this information and every year we still have the same problem.
The contract starts in October and by January they are sweating as I've already used significantly more energy than their system says I should. Heaven only knows why as winter fuel usage should not be a surprise to them.
Every year, in January or February then send me an email (never a call) to tell me my direct debit is increasing by anywhere between £50 and £70 a month. Every year I call them and tell them their computer is wrong. Every year they tell me that they can reduce it but definitely not down to the figure we originally agreed. Every year I am forced to pay over the odds until the contract ends when every year, and this one is no exception, they owe me money.
When I called last weekend, I discovered that my current (or now ex) provider owed me £250, meaning I had been overpaying for seven months. In this case, February to August. This shouldn't come a surprise as I predicted it when I told them they were wrong in January but still, the girl on the other end of the phone seemed amazed.
In the light of my overpayment and the fact that I have now left them she promised to issue a refund but apparently, it takes up to fourteen days. Once again, I have to ask why? If I made them wait fourteen days for a payment they would be harassing me so why doesn't it work the other way?
The system is wrong and frankly, I object to being treated as a cash cow. Moreover, my annual argument with utility providers is entirely avoidable.
All of them use pretty much the same calculation which takes my annual usage, divides it by twelve and determines a monthly direct debit payment. All good so far. Then my contract starts in September and by January when we are freezing they realise that I've used two thirds of my annual usage for less than half of my annual payments. And at this point, 'computer says no'.
What all of their computer systems do is assume that my usage rate will continue at the winter level, assume that I am going to overshoot my annual usage and they immediately want to claw back the amount I am in arrears. Their 'proposed' monthly direct debit figure to do this is always ridiculous and we always end up having an argument, at which point I tell them that I will be moving at the end of the contract.
It's not as if I'm trying to be difficult and I'm convinced I can't be the only one in this situation. The system is wrong, it's weighted too far towards the Energy companies and customers, like you and I, appear to be disposable.
This year I've chosen a smaller independent provider and I'm hopeful that perhaps a bit of common sense will prevail. I'll let you know how I get on.