Energy Providers

[Vlad the Fox]

Try ringing your energy company and negotiating a discount.

[MooseBreath]

 Is there a solution? Who knows?

 

Ofgem seem to think the way forward is to make it easier for smaller suppliers to come in and challenge the big six.

 

Some good info here now: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk//publications-and-updates/understanding-energy-prices

 

Personally I think the water industry model where you don't have a middle man supplier with freedom to set prices and instead regulate the prices charged to customers based on water company costs is better, but the gas and electricity markets are much larger and more complex so I suppose this would be difficult and maybe even impossible to achieve.

[Rincewind]

Yup, this.

 

 

And this is bang on the money too. Free market economics is superb for the consumer as long as it remains free, but sadly with the energy companies that's not the case. Is there a solution? Who knows? The consumer is getting shafted any which way.

they can afford to put the customer second as there is little choice between them

[Smudge]

Ofgem seem to think the way forward is to make it easier for smaller suppliers to come in and challenge the big six.

 

Some good info here now: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk//publications-and-updates/understanding-energy-prices

 

Personally I think the water industry model where you don't have a middle man supplier with freedom to set prices and instead regulate the prices charged to customers based on water company costs is better, but the gas and electricity markets are much larger and more complex so I suppose this would be difficult and maybe even impossible to achieve.

That's well put together. As in all aspects of commerce the increase in costs aren't merely a factor of variable costs.

[Kinowe Soorie]

N Power can do one! My direct debit has just gone up from £37 a month to £87 a month?? I spent 30 minutes speaking to some unhelpful arsehole on my mobile (£££££) going backwards and forwards to the meter, and then she said because the meter reading didn't tally up with what they had, it's probably going to cost me more?? I said, well I had the meter read last month so how can it be wrong? They didn't have any record of it being read?! Give me strength!!

[Ross-Kemp]

N Power can do one! My direct debit has just gone up from £37 a month to £87 a month?? I spent 30 minutes speaking to some unhelpful arsehole on my mobile (£££££) going backwards and forwards to the meter, and then she said because the meter reading didn't tally up with what they had, it's probably going to cost me more?? I said, well I had the meter read last month so how can it be wrong? They didn't have any record of it being read?! Give me strength!!

They have to legally bill you to the readings that you provide.

That is an Ofgem regulation and they're breaching their licensing agreement.

[Mr.X]

B*stards npower will raise their prices by 10.4%. The f****g b******s

[leicsmac]

B*stards npower will raise their prices by 10.4%. The f****g b******s

 

Yup, one puts the price up, the other follow suit. The cartel is in control.

[leicsmac]

Ofgem seem to think the way forward is to make it easier for smaller suppliers to come in and challenge the big six.

 

Some good info here now: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk//publications-and-updates/understanding-energy-prices

 

Personally I think the water industry model where you don't have a middle man supplier with freedom to set prices and instead regulate the prices charged to customers based on water company costs is better, but the gas and electricity markets are much larger and more complex so I suppose this would be difficult and maybe even impossible to achieve.

 

That looks good Moosey. Now they need the legislation in place to enforce it, and as you said the power markets are much larger and more complex. 

[cambridgefox]

That looks good Moosey. Now they need the legislation in place to enforce it, and as you said the power markets are much larger and more complex.

on a side note.is it true South Korea is totally self sufficient and runs on hot air spouted by Kim Jong-Un in the North?

[Strokes]

on a side note.is it true South Korea is totally self sufficient and runs on hot air spouted by Kim Jong-Un in the North?

Wouldnt that be the opposite of self sufficient?

[leicsmac]

on a side note.is it true South Korea is totally self sufficient and runs on hot air spouted by Kim Jong-Un in the North?

 

Close enough - in fact the entire energy industry here is budgeted from the fines resulting from white-collar crime. Fantastic way to do things, especially as the business folk here are so poor at getting away with it.

[l444ry]

They should always be in public ownership along with water and rail. They should be re-nationalised at the earliest possible date.

[Guest MattP]

They should always be in public ownership along with water and rail. They should be re-nationalised at the earliest possible date.

You seriously want to go back to the days of British Rail?

How often do use them?

[ADK]

They should always be in public ownership along with water and rail. They should be re-nationalised at the earliest possible date.

 

This.

[MooseBreath]

I'm sure they're more directly owned by hard working British citizens through pension funds and the like when they're privatised than when all profits go straight into government coffers to be wasted on welfare and such.

[l444ry]

I'm sure they're more directly owned by hard working British citizens through pension funds and the like when they're privatised than when all profits go straight into government coffers to be wasted on welfare and such.

Private rail companies are tax dodging subsidy junkies. Privatisation of the railways has failed miserably. It's time to return it to full state control. We know it works as we only have to compare Branson's west coast line with the East coast line, which is under state control and unlike Virgin actually contributes to the public purse instead of plundering it.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nationalised-east-coast-rail-line-returns-209m-to-taxpayers-8866157.html

 

[MooseBreath]

Private rail companies are tax dodging subsidised junkies. Privatisation of the railways has failed miserably. It is time to return it to full state control. We know it works as we only have to compare Branson's west coast line with the East coast line, which is under state control and unlike Virgin actually contributes to the public purse instead of plundering it.

You're right, the subsidies make a bit of a mockery out of privatisation. I'd prefer to see the rail industry properly privatised, but failing that nationalised is probably better than the current half and half, worst of both worlds approach.

[ADK]

I think good privatised systems and good nationalised systems are equally good.

[cambridgefox]

Wouldnt that be the opposite of self sufficient?

Come to think of it..yes

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

We are all being grabbed by the short and curly's.

[davieG]

Sir John Major calls for windfall tax on energy profits

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24621391

[Zingari]

Sir John Major calls for windfall tax on energy profits

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24621391

 

So rather than stopping the robbing gits from fleecing us , the solution is for the government to rob them of some of their ill gotten gains ? nice thinking Major .

[Rincewind]

So rather than stopping the robbing gits from fleecing us , the solution is for the government to rob them of some of their ill gotten gains ? nice thinking Major .

Robbing the rich who have robbed the poor but keeping it as taxes as punishment.

 

How would that work in a real life scenario?

 

A vigilante stops a handbag thief in a park'

'Right you bastard you have just stlolen this from a sweet old lady and as punishment to you I am keeping 60% of the bounty.'

[ADK]

Well in theory it could be passed back to the tax payer in tax cuts.