Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

British Gas is to increase gas and electricity prices by 5.5%.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43711556

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Nothing like putting your prices up twice in 4 months..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45111743

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Why don't people get a fixed-rate deal?

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Wholesale prices rise because producers know that resellers like BG will just pass on the costs to customers. No real competition in the utilities market at all.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Working well for the consumer- privatisation. Then there's the railways.... Health next no doubt.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Plenty of old people just stay on the standard deals and don't shop around as it's outside their skills and comfort zone.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Sorry Andrew but that's rather over generalising as my parents are of the older vintage and they certainly know how to get the best deals as l am sure many others do.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Yes I know how to get s good deal. Was with GB Energy - went bust, then switched to Iresa - going bust !

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

I said plenty Den, not all. That's why the government is regulating standard tariffs. Price comparison is not so easy for those who are not internet savvy and many are cautious of switching to companies they've never heard of.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

To be perfectly honest one does not have much faith in regulation Andrew as here is a example of despite a cap being in place prices rises still happen.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/20...n-energy-costs

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Unfortunately price rises are inevitable so long as the market is as clear as mud.

If you wanted real competition force them to have only one tariff irrespective of the way the customer uses their product. No special deals or introductory offers that then rocket after the first year.

The you could see at a glance who was the cheapest supplier.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Well, since 3.5 million British Gas customers are on Standard Variable Tariff, and 2.4 million are on fixed rate tariffs, that may not an optimum interpretation of actuality, as the UK demographics are not 57% pensioners and 43% non-pensioners (yet...).

I worked for a Utility supplier for a year, and the main reason given for not taking a fixed rate deal (and the suppliers ring out. a lot, to customers on SVTs trying to get them to change to fixed rate, as they are under pressure from Government on this) is that customers did not want to set up a Direct Debit - this was given as the main reason for over 65% of customers contacted.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Question is why so many ruddy tariff's - it is the same gas and lecy that every body uses. I say re-own the utility companies to make two one for lecy and one for the gas.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

Nationalisation is not the answer that some think. You only have to look at the economic disaster that is Venezuela to see where that leads.

Re: [MERGED] Utility companies - price rises
 

If that is not the answer then what is the answer? as thus so far what we have currently is a cartel which fails the customer dismally and makes huge profits for the owners..