Rant of the Day v2.

[barkingmad]

As boac says, don’t allow one to be installed. Their callers lie by saying it’s compulsory but the UK govt has stated it is compulsory for the energy companies to have 85% of households SM’d by the new target date of 2024. So I intend to be one of the 15%!

Also watch the small print at the end of comparison site entries. Many have the stipulation that if you sign up for a particular scheme then you are accepting a SM fitting within a certain relatively short timescale.

There have been horror stories of inexperienced “electricians” and “gas fitters” employed to carry out this work, in a hurry and to a poor and sometimes lethal standard.

As a grumpy ould fart I was raised by parents who nagged if an energy appliance, even a light bulb, was left running for no good use, so I don’t need a shiny display in ONE room of my house to inform me I’m wrecking the planet!

[Rwy in Sight]

PN calls to customers are monitored and examined thoroughly. The company wants the call to reach a certain length or the agent is in trouble. Lists are worked over and over again and companies like to have a long list of work ahead so to plan how many manhours they need to buy from their suppliers. Obviously they are lying when they say they care about their staff and customers.

I thought money can be made from an app that can compare energy/telcom tariffs and give the most beneficial to the customer.

[Pontius Navigator]

Not one shows the costs and comparisons, you need to go through each in turn. I gave up.

- have you heard of comparison sites?

PS Don't just use one.

Indeed I have. Trouble is the sites are not smart. They quote like for like and are necessarily limited. They can't answer Economy 7 or 10 or whatever questions. They can't answer theoretical questions such as far charging. In my case, with my supplier, they came up with a tariff. In the suppliers own website it came up with a lower quote or a different fix time.

I am going to try haggling come the end of contract. So far the most suitable alternative is British Gas offering half -price maintenance contract, but no boiler service, but requiring a smart meter within 6 months. As I already have a boiler servicing contract they are offering things I don't want but at a good price.

Mine field

[Boac]

I'm not familiar with "far charging"?? Most of the sites I use will cope with day/night tariffs. You normally put in your estimates.

[barkingmad]

I had British Gas boiler & system maintenance contract for over 25 years, for peace of mind for my other half so’s she could call on them when I was away flying.
This year the premium went up by 20% having had no callouts, using their 3 yr old newly fitted boiler. I queried the increase, they said ‘that’s it’ implying take it or leave it. I left, I’d rather give the dosh to a local recommended plumber than be ripped off any longer by BG.
Not only that, but the ‘annual’ visits were slipping back to one every 15 months and more. Brilliant wheeze for them, 5 years premiums for 4 maintenance visits! Caveat emptor.

[k3k3]

I'm not familiar with "far charging"?? Most of the sites I use will cope with day/night tariffs. You normally put in your estimates.

Look where F and C are on the keyboard.

[Pontius Navigator]

BM, I had BG for decades too but by necessity. We had a hot air boiler with annual maintenance as they were the only one that would do it. On balance we got our monies worth with new ventilation, fire lining the boiler room, regular replacement of components etc.

Each year they would pare a bit off the contract. As I saypid, no annual check. Now I have a different system.

[Capetonian]

We had a hot air boiler

A friend of mine was married to one of those.

[Rwy in Sight]

You have funny friends Cape...

BM isn't those maintenance contract a bit like insurance which you hope never to have to use? Much the same here I am well prepared for a power outage and it never happens.

[Capetonian]

isn't those maintenance contract a bit like insurance which you hope never to have to use

No, it's not. A maintenance contract is there to keep your appliance in a safe and efficient condition by regular service and inspection,not just to insure against breakdowns.
An insurance is only there for when something goes wrong.

[Boac]

Look where F and C are on the keyboard.

- ah! It was car farging, thanks. Dyslexia rules, ko!

Blimey -'e's at it agin
"As I saypid"??

[Rwy in Sight]

isn't those maintenance contract a bit like insurance which you hope never to have to use

No, it's not. A maintenance contract is there to keep your appliance in a safe and efficient condition by regular service and inspection,not just to insure against breakdowns.
An insurance is only there for when something goes wrong.

Cape in both case I want to pay them, take the receipt and the contract and forget about it - although some insurance cover includes annual check up.

[CharlieOneSix]

PN - I don't know if it will meet your needs but for several years I have used Martin Lewis' free Cheap Energy Club for cost comparisons - along with 4.2 million others. It alerts me when I could have a cheaper deal - for that I have my trigger set at £75 per annum saving.

Again, not sure it would meet your needs but my other recommendation is for Octopus Energy . They took over Flow Energy who I was with. The takeover was seamless as far as I was concerned and they honoured my fixed term deal that I had with Flow. After a month they said on my historic annual usage I would be better off on one of their own fixed term/no penalty for early termination deals. I gave them the go ahead and the swap was achieved within half an hour of me sending an email agreeing to it. It doesn't surprise me that they are the only energy supplier that Which? recommends.

[Sisemen]

QANTAS

On line booking PER-SIN-PER. Did all the bits, including seat selection, entered payment details and then.....timed out!! As it was a rush job and, apparently, very few seats available, I immediately recommenced the booking. This time the fare had jumped significantly Shortly after completion I get an email from QANTAS to say that my failed booking was "being held until midnight"!!!

Snottogram duly sent and now awaiting reply.

Flight back is a shocker. Seemingly only one flight back 0520 on feckin Jetstar. Swore I'd never fly with them again. What's more it goes via Denpasar so it will load up with a heap of drunken bogans. No mention of that in the booking! And, to cap it all, it delivers me back to a different terminal at Perth - a million miles away from my car!!

(Tried Virgin and partners on my Velocity membership - not a single frigging seat!)

[Slasher]

Sise why do you insist taking the Rat and/or its subsidiaries? There should be plenty of outfits that give a far better service direct to and from Perth, in this case SIN. SIA? Scoot? Slickair?

Me Cub?

[Pontius Navigator]

PN - I don't know if it will meet your needs but for several years I have used Martin Lewis' free Cheap Energy Club for cost comparisons - along with 4.2 million others. It alerts me when I could have a cheaper deal - for that I have my trigger set at £75 per annum saving.

Again, not sure it would meet your needs but my other recommendation is for Octopus Energy . They took over Flow Energy who I was with. The takeover was seamless as far as I was concerned and they honoured my fixed term deal that I had with Flow. After a month they said on my historic annual usage I would be better off on one of their own fixed term/no penalty for early termination deals. I gave them the go ahead and the swap was achieved within half an hour of me sending an email agreeing to it. It doesn't surprise me that they are the only energy supplier that Which? recommends.

Almost missed your message, yes, looked at them, saw the recommendation. I have been with EDF for 2 years, they are OK but have to be asked to sort my reading every month.

With IRESA before that, they went to the wall and not before time. How do Octopus charge? IRESA demanded monthly prepayment. Even though I ran a big credit they never changed the amount.

[ExSp33db1rd]

..........I immediately recommenced the booking. This time the fare had jumped significantly.

They all do it, one has to have made all the variable decisions, know bank or card numbers, names, expiry dates,passwords, etc. before starting, to save time and not give them time to catch you out.

If timed out, do not start again on the same computer, when it happens to us, i.e. if Mrs. Exs starts the booking an her iMac, then I start again on my Windows laptop using my name not hers. ( married but she uses her own name still ) Usually this fools their "system" into thinking it is a new purchase and doesn't start the "Gotchya, now pay more protocol."

Air New Zealand no different to Quantarse.

[Boac]

Same thing can be achieved by clearing your cookies.

[Sisemen]

Sise why do you insist taking the Rat and/or its subsidiaries? There should be plenty of outfits that give a far better service direct to and from Perth, in this case SIN. SIA? Scoot? Slickair?

Me Cub?

No seats on the return leg! Is anything happening on 29 Jan??

[emjay]

"Is anything happening on 29 Jan??"
Yup - you are in the Chinese New Year period - officially this year it runs from 25-27Jan but the protocol for who visits whom on which day after the great family reunion on the Eve means that you can't really break away until around the 29-30th this year.