Capped deal energy customers could now suffer
Over the past few years many energy customers in the UK have been opting for capped deals with energy suppliers such as British Gas, which has placed a ceiling limit on the amount that they can be charged for their gas and electricity. This has proven invaluable over the past couple of years, with energy price soaring over the last year – because of the capped rate deal many consumers have managed to avoid having to pay the increased prices on gas and electricity.
However, it now seems that these same customers could suffer as a result of the deal that they are on. With energy suppliers locked in a price war as they slash the cost of electricity and gas due to a reduction in wholesale prices, capped rate customers could now find that they have to pay dearly for being locked into such a deal – or incur cancellation costs of they wish to try and switch energy suppliers in order to find a better deal.
One woman explained that when she tried to switch from British Gas to Npower in order to benefit from lower prices she was charged thirty pounds cancellation fee. She stated: 'I received my final bill from British Gas for my electricity. My usage cost was £54 but I was shocked to see a cancellation fee of £30. 'As a single parent this is too much money. I have never been charged a fee like this before and am disgusted that the fee is not far off the total amount of my quarterly electricity bill.'
However, in response to this a spokesperson for British Gas stated: 'If you take out a fixed-rate mortgage you can expect to be charged if you cancel it early. It is the same principle here.'
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