Price compare sites are appearing more frequently. They give the looks of being for the main benefit of the buyer but really they are merely another type of internet business, gaining commissions from the sellers to whose sites they send traffic.
In the UK within the last few several years there is a huge proliferation of such sites specialising in household utilities - energy, home phones, broadband, cellphones etc. They present their findings with great confidence which in my experience is unwarranted. Take energy - the average home is expected to consume 20,500 kWh of gas and 3,300 kWh of electricity per year. Last month I tried several sites using these consumption figures and listed below are the outcomes (the actual suppliers and compare sites names have been hidden):
Comparison site A £1080 Cheapest Supplier Company a Comparison site B £1006 Cheapest Supplier Company b Comparison site C £1021 Cheapest Supplier Company c Comparison Site D £1006 Cheapest Supplier Company b Comparison Site E £ 996 Cheapest Supplier Company a Comparison Site F £1005 Cheapest Supplier Company c
So these comparison sites which present their findings with great confidence cannot agree with that will be the least expensive supplier or the absolute most appropriate tariff, and have wildly different estimates at their most expensive. Needless to say they obtain income from the fees paid to them by the supplier companies they recommend.
Several supplier companies refuse to pay for these introduction charges so it's in the interest of the purchase price compare sites to nudge potential customers far from these suppliers (if they demonstrate to them at all). One way they do that is by showing a guide to customer support satisfaction. The organization that I use gets the best rating for client satisfaction (75%), as judged by way of a respected consumer organisation but fares badly. The supplier companies the compare sites favours have an average rating of significantly less than 40% in the same survey. The organization I use won't buy any advertising.
Chasing the cheapest tariff will mean frequent changes of supplier and hence the establishing of new Direct Debits. You hope that the old Supplier Company won't continue steadily to draw its direct debit... Each time there's an industry wide change of prices the organization which was the least expensive is unlikely to keep the least expensive and could even become one of the very expensive ones. Needless to say the purchase price compare sites love to possess customer churning since it produces more commissions.
Well-known solution is to find a company that offers much overall - not necessarily the least expensive but consistently fair value - and adhere to it. You will find one company that offers all the services you'll need on just one bill. That company waits before the round of increases or decreases is ended and then sets its new rates at a level that will be aimed to be in the underside third of the range. I make use of this and because I take my broadband (excellent value - as much as 8 Mb) and phone line rental, all my UK calls are free, anytime, and also those a number of countries abroad - and they offer me a discount of 5% off my grocery bill! Good Hunting!For more information kindly visit Energy Comparison
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