[30Cedar]

When a service provides you with a quote, it is normally valid for a certain number of days (e.g. 14). However, when I clicked on the 'renew now' button in an email from Eon Next, offering me Next Online v15 (fixed rate), it actually took me to Next Online v17, which had significantly higher rates. In that time, there was no increase in the price cap and no increase in wholesale prices, so no reason for an increase to occur. The rate was not due to come in until the end of my current contract next month. No information about v16 or v17 had been emailed to me, so it feels as if they deliberately hoped that the customer would click on the link, believing they were getting the rate explained in the email. It feels as if energy companies are laughing at customers - they know we are trapped so feel they no longer have to pay attention to customer care. I hope Ofgem will start to apply some standards around contracts to protect customers more. Has anyone else found a way of insisting on better treatment?

[meldrewreborn]

Offers are replaced frequently and if you want to accept one you have to be quick. this is been the case for many years - its not something new.

Consumers are the end of the supply chain and keeping customers is a core business objective. But so too is making a profit, and we've seen what happens in the energy market when businesses get their sums wrong.

Consumers are adversely affected by price increases, but they cannot be totally protected from events in world markets. Which is why experts advise having cash savings to cover rainy day events - sometimes its a light rain - other times its a storm.

OFGEM haven't covered themselves in glory over the past year, but they too are not responsible for world event - they have a remit to compute the price cap amongst other things. But without the price cap things would probably have been even worse for most consumers.

[Andy65]

Hi @30Cedar

It does say in my renewal email "...tariffs on offer can change at any time...), I've never taken any notice before but I presume that the volatile nature of the market means that they aren't keeping tariffs open for a fixed period.

Generally speaking consumers are now being taken for a ride, whether it be petrol/diesel, supermarkets, gas/electric etc. For the most part, when I look at what Ofgem have done it hasn't been in my interests.