Getting an Energy quote

[wheypat]

I entered a competition to win a new kitchen, the draw back being that SSE would get to phone me for a quote to provide energy. What the hell. The conversation went like this

SSE : How much to do pay now
Me : £125 a month
SSE : Great [typing] we can supply you for £110 a month
Me : Great, how much do you charge for a kWH and what's the standing charge?
SSE : err, we will be £15 a month cheaper! How can you say no?

This goes back and forth a little

Me : Either tell me what you charge for a kwh and the standing charge or I'll hang up
SSE : OK, we charge 36p day standing charge and 16.7p per kwh for electricity [and the then gas]
Me : So, currently I pay 20.7p standing charge and 14.9p per kwh. How can you be cheaper?
SSE : well, you'll pay £110 a month with us. That's cheaper
Me : are you suggesting I'll use less if I move to you?
SSE : You might
Me : You're more expensive than bulb.
SSE : But you'll pay less per month


And I could not get them to admit that they were more expensive. Couldn't do it. I tried for almost 20 minutes before I got bored and gave up.

[Dod101]

Just as a matter of interest presumably that was actually the outfit to whom SSE sold their retail business to rather than SSE itself?

Dod

[UncleEbenezer]

I entered a competition to win a new kitchen, the draw back being that SSE would get to phone me for a quote to provide energy.

Can I borrow your time machine?

[wheypat]

Just as a matter of interest presumably that was actually the outfit to whom SSE sold their retail business to rather than SSE itself?

Dod

Yes, I really wasn't paying attention to them or this grump when I typed it up.

[bungeejumper]

That rings a distant bell. Weren't SSE fined by the regulator for consistently mis-selling and generally being evasive about the true costs of their offers?

Yep. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22011717

Other examples of misleading action included:

Telling a woman who was paying £1,600 a year for gas and electricity that she would pay £1,423 by switching to SSE. In fact, she was put on a tariff that resulted in her paying £134 more than her existing deal

A woman decided to switch to SSE after being told her monthly direct debit would be £81. But this had been set too low to cover her usage and probably led to her owing the company £100 at the end of the year

A customer who had decided to leave SSE because it was increasing gas prices by 9% was told that the firm she was moving to was raising bills by "14% combined". This was not true. It was increasing gas prices by 7% and electricity prices by 7%.

A time machine indeed!

BJ