New sales rule for energy helps consumers
After today, anyone who comes to your door to try and persuade you to switch energy providers will have to give you a written quote before the sale can go through. This is good news for consumers as it gives them greater protection from doorstep energy sales people.
More than half of consumers who switch energy providers do so because they have been directly approached by a sales person and of those eight in ten switch because they have been promised cheaper rates for gas and electricity. Some customers have ended up in worse deals after signing up for a new energy tariff from a door-to-door sales person.
It has been difficult for customers to check to make sure they actually moved to the best tariff for them, but thanks to today’s rule change, customers will have a written quote and can compare the tariff they are being offered with the rest of the market.
Consumers should always be able to compare all their energy costs to find the cheapest available.
Scott Byrom, utilities expert at moneysupermarket.com said: “It’s a very positive change and will help rebuild trust in door-to-door activity…
Customers can quite easily check the quote on a price comparison site or suppliers own site and, by doing so, check other deals available on the market before making a decision. If they do switch on the doorstep, the quote can help ensure they get the right prices when their account goes live.”