Switching electricity supplier - is it a scam?

Far better to go on one of the comparison sites....like uswitch

Cold calling and door knocking are current scams in this area. Every day last week I got calls on my mobile which my provider flagged up as spam. When I googled them they were either heating suppliers or some similar energy saving scams. As fast as I blocked the numbers they called with another similar one. It was like playing whack-a-mole (not that I would do any harm to real moles).

If you really want to switch its best to go via one of the switching services such as U-switch where you can search for the best deal. Or use recommendation from a friend or family member who got a good deal.

I agree with Louisa1523

Go with compare the market type sites.

We just switched from Scottish Power to Octopus, they were able to offer a better fixed rate deal and most importantly no exit penalty whereas Scottish Power had a £50 exit penalty for gas and for electricity. I would be wary of the more obscure companies as a few went out of business recently.

The Martin Lewis site used to have a really useful tool that you could use, which would email you of any companies that could better your present supplier.

You set the margins, for which benefits you'd be prepared to switch for, and they did all the rest.

No reputable supplier is going to cold call you either on the phone or the doorstep. Here are the best ways I have found to deter cold callers while remaining polite:-

phone:- tell them you are the cleaner (no disrespect to cleaners) but they cannot make purchasing decisions for the household.

at the door: tell them its a rented house (no disrespect to renters) and the landlord deals with all that.

These are conversation stoppers.

I've just switched to UW, which stands for Utility Warehouse, and I have started repping for them, they have won awards for their customer service and have been around for 26years; check them out and get in contact with me if you would like to see their offers. So far I am very pleased with them and they seem to be cheaper than the others on the market.

biglouis

No reputable supplier is going to cold call you either on the phone or the doorstep. Here are the best ways I have found to deter cold callers while remaining polite:-

phone:- tell them you are the cleaner (no disrespect to cleaners) but they cannot make purchasing decisions for the household.

at the door: tell them its a rented house (no disrespect to renters) and the landlord deals with all that.

These are conversation stoppers.

Great advice! I've had two knocks this week, more than I've had in the six years I've lived here.

I was more friendly than I should have been and now regret this.

When it happens again I'll say I'm house sitting, caring for the pet Rotweiller!

DeniDeni

I've just switched to UW, which stands for Utility Warehouse, and I have started repping for them, they have won awards for their customer service and have been around for 26years; check them out and get in contact with me if you would like to see their offers. So far I am very pleased with them and they seem to be cheaper than the others on the market.

I'm already a customer.

I have 2 suppliers and after looking around for a better deal from comparison sites I renewed both directly with the old supplier, the best time to renew seemed to be 4-6 weeks before the contract runs our.

So when you get the best quote from the comparison site contact your existing supplier directly.