Switch n Save Your Supplier – Cut Your Costs on Your Household Bills
Energy Bills
Being put into a contract used to mean that your prices would be stuck at X amount; for however long your contact ran for.
Nowadays, despite being put into contracts at an agreed price, the supplier can raise their energy prices. This means you are left to foot the bill.
Depending on your contract, you may be eligible to leave your contract early, if you have been affected by the latest price hikes.
It is also worth double checking, as you may find your tariff has zero exit fees if you were to leave early. It is always worth a look into it.
If you do have exit fees – which could be as high as £60 for dual fuel customers, it is still worth looking into how much you could save. You may be able to save more than that by moving to a cheaper supplier.
The other bargaining trick you can pull out of your sleeve is haggling. If your current supplier knows you are thinking of leaving, they may be able to move you onto a cheaper tariff within the same company in order to keep you.
Sites such as USwitch, Simply Switch, Go Compare, Compare the Market, Money Supermarket, Bill-Switchers, Confused, and Which?, are just a handful of sites that can tell you if you can find a cheaper deal elsewhere.
Phone Bills
If you are in a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract and the price of your contract rises, don’t fear. You may be eligible to cancel the contract within those 30 days fee free.
You will not be eligible to cancel if you were prewarned. If told when you took the contact out that your price would be increasing after a set time; For example, the first three months were discounted but the next 15 months would be at full price.
You may also be eligible to cancel your contract if your broadband speed is not as it should be. This is a fairly new guide and although it is still grey around the edges, it is still worth looking into. It states your broadband must be of satisfactory quality, as described, and fit for purpose. This means if you have been told you will be receiving 50mbps and are only receiving 14mbps, you may entitled to financial compensation; or to cancel your contract completely.
It is worth looking at your individual suppliers claims on the matter; each will have their own ways of dealing with these matters. However, if you feel you have been treated unfairly, you do have the right to take it further. You can make an official complaint to the company, or even to the Ombudsman.
Again, you can always check out the best prices by checking comparison sites.
