Don’t put up with the energy price increases
Many households have received something of a financial shock over recent weeks, with notifications from their energy suppliers that the cost of energy usage is set to increase. For those who have not yet been notified it is pretty much certain that they will soon be receiving their notifications, with gas and electricity prices being hiked up by a significant level for some customers.
However, officials are urging consumers not to simply accept the energy price increases, and instead to shop around for a better deal and leave their current supplier. More and more consumers are now said to be doing this, as they refuse to pay out more and more money each month in the current difficult climate. For many the effort of looking for another supplier is well worth it, as they can save a significant amount of money compared to what they would be paying if they went along with the price increases that their existing supplier is imposing.
Officials have said that if customers are now happy about the level by which their energy prices have increased they can contact their supplier and advise them that they do not wish to remain with them. Consumers will have to contact their suppliers within twenty days of the notification to advise them that they want to leave. The consumer then has fifteen days to find a new supplier, and during this time will remain with the existing provider and on the existing tariff.
Using a price comparison website you can browse and compare different suppliers in your area at a glance, so if you are informed by your existing supplier that your prices are going up, and you feel that you can get a better deal, it is well worth taking the time to compare different providers and deals to see whether you can get a better price on the cost of your energy usage.
If you are able to get a more affordable deal with a different provider you can then contact your existing provider, advise that you wish to leave, and you can then sign up to the cheaper provider, which means that your finances will not be hit so hard by energy price increases.
Many consumers are surprised by the amount that they are able to save on their gas and electricity bills each year by switching to another provider or deal, and this can sometimes amount to several hundred pounds a year.
Tags: Scottish Power, cheaper provider, Dot-com, GBP, happy, bills, Smart grid, different suppliers
Are insurance company customers happy?
July 3, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
Insurance companies have been under fire for various reasons over recent months, and many have expressed dissatisfaction with their insurance provider.
However, it is increasingly difficult to determine just how unhappy customer actually are with their insurance providers because many providers now refuse to provide information on their customer satisfaction levels, making it difficult to determine how effective their services are.
According to recent reports around fifty percent of the leading insurance companies in the UK will not provide information relating to how satisfied or dissatisfied their customers are.
However, these companies had already agreed to provide the results as part of a survey that was being carried out by Association of British Insurers. The nationwide survey was designed to evaluate customer satisfaction levels within the insurance industry.
Amongst the insurance companies that have refused to provide these details so that their customer satisfaction levels can be compared to rival insurance companies are Norwich Union, Standard Life, and Friends Provident.
The customer satisfaction survey was designed to try and improve services within the insurance sector. Around 85 percent of insurance companies in the UK signed up to the survey, but despite their agreement many have not provided the necessary details relating to customer satisfaction levels.
A Friends Provident spokesperson stated: ‘We do not believe it is helpful to look at the highlevel results in any sort of league table form as we recognise that there are many reasons why results can vary.’
A spokesman for Zurich Insurance stated: ‘The results are intended to help companies understand their progress against commitments they have made. They are not intended as an accurate measure of benchmarking.’
An official from consumer group Which? said: ‘We think results for each company should be published in a standardised way with individual firms’ scores disclosed.’
Tom Smith
3rd July 2007
