Scottish Power to charge utility bills for late switching
Scottish Power will charge customers wishing to switch to a different provider £50 if they do not do so by October 15th.
Homeowners with Scottish Power thinking of switching companies when their current deal ends should do so as soon as possible if they are to avoid a fee on their utility bills for leaving the firm too late.This is according to financial advice website Confused.com, which has reported that Scottish Power is to charge customers a £50 exit fee if they do not confirm that they are switching before October 15th.
The company's Discounted Energy October 2009 and Fixed Price Energy tariffs were well priced, the website said, but both ended on September 30th.
Confused.com has urged those who will now be paying more on their utility bills after being placed on Scottish Power's default tariff that they need to switch providers to save incurring even more charges.
Gareth Kloet, head of utilities at Confused.com, explained: "Standard tariffs are bad enough as they are approximately 13 per cent higher than the best online tariffs. But Scottish Power has made their default tariff a capped one with a £50 penalty to be paid if customers try to switch at a later date.
"Those whose tariffs recently matured ... have until October 15th to choose another tariff, either with Scottish Power or someone else, otherwise they will be trapped," he added.
Scottish Power's new online tariff is currently a market-leading offer at less than £1,000 a year, which could help homeowners save money on their utility bills.
According to the firm, it is now the cheapest among the 'big six' lower case energy firms thanks to its Online Energy Saver 7 tariff, which will see utility bills cut to an average of £975 per year.
By Tobias Bluth
© Copyright
Related Articles
- Take advantage of cheap bargains on Christmas movie deals - 18th December, 2009
Families hoping to get into the Christmas spirit by settling down in front of a classic festive film should make sure they get a cheap bargain on movie packages through their TV service provider.
According to uSwitch.com, 91 per cent of Brits are looking forward to getting the popcorn out with a film this season, with 28 per cent claiming that "Christmas would not be Christmas" without their favourite movie... - Advice given for budget weddings - 16th December, 2009
Couples hoping to hold a budget wedding as the recession keeps its grip on the nation's finances have been offered some tips by one newspaper.
The Daily Comet spoke to various marriage experts to find out the best ways to save money on the special day, after revealing the extent of spending that US brides-to-be are willing to make... - Utility bill customers in credit with energy companies - 17th December, 2009
Nearly five million householders in the UK are owed money by their gas company because their direct debit payments have not been updated to reflect lower utility bill prices, according to new research by moneysupermarket.com.
Some £454 million is owed to consumers from energy suppliers – equivalent to £89 each – and even when the £280 million of customer debt is taken into account, gas giants are still in credit by £174 million... - Moneysupermarket.com warns of inflated energy bill costs - 3rd February, 2010
The website has warned consumers to expect an expensive energy bill because of the recent cold weather.
Britons are bracing themselves for their highest winter heating bills ever after the cold snap bloated quarterly energy costs by as much as 20 per cent, new research has revealed... - New First:utility tariff 'ideal' for central heating cover customers - 19th January, 2010
Central heating cover customers could save as much as £20 per year by selecting a new energy tariff, it was suggested today (January 19th).
According to research by Confused.com, the cheapest basic deal for households at present is npower's Sign Online 17 tariff, which should offer average annual fuel bills of £907... - Voucher site championed for January sales - 13th January, 2010
One leading high street voucher website was championed yesterday (January 12th) for the value it is providing shoppers with in the January sales.
Many retailers have launched promotional offers in an attempt to lure bargain-hunting Britons, who are tightening their purse strings after an expensive Christmas period... - Npower sparks further utility bill competition - 15th December, 2009
Consumers hoping to keep their utility bill costs down this winter are being offered an early Christmas present from Npower, which has announced a new market-leading tariff.
As competition among energy providers increases, customers could see their utility bills drop to as low as £907 a year by taking up Npower's new Sign Online 17 Dual Fuel package... - Consumer rights advice offered by BIS - 14th December, 2009
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has released some information for shoppers unhappy with any Christmas gifts they have bought as part of a new consumer rights advice campaign.
The scheme is to remind Brits that any purchases made over the festive period must still adhere to three golden rules – they should match any descriptions, be fit for purpose and be of satisfactory quality... - Asda backed to beat Tesco in online shopping battle - 27th January, 2010
A discount website has revealed that Asda.co.uk, the supermarket’s online shopping service, could soon usurp Tesco.com if customer trends continue.
Myvouchercodes.co.uk said that Tesco's website had the majority share of online grocery shoppers with 41 per cent, compared to just 27 per cent for Asda.co.uk... - Central heating cover customers told fuel prices 'not set to rise' - 8th January, 2010
Central heating cover customers have today (January 8th) been reassured that their fuel bills will not become more expensive in the coming months.
With a cold snap currently gripping the UK, energy supplies are being tested to the limit, prompting some observers to suggest that prices will inevitably rise...