Alternative Energy Suppliers

Our man in Havana

I was also told to use a different name when signing up again.

summerb246

Hi All - I moved to Airtricity as was tempted by their promise of cheaper rates but experienced the worst customer service I've ever come across. I've tried to put in a complaint but can't get them to return my calls. Anyone else had the same problem with them as am badly regretting moving.....:mad:

Ponster

Mod Edit : Thread Moved

Cabaal

So you've had bad customer service but your not going to go into specifics...threads abit pointless to be honest and with ONE post it "almost" looks like your a shill from another company.

animaal

I've been trying to contact Customer Service for the past couple of days. I gave up yesterday. I'm just after getting through now though. The problem I had was that I was placed on hold, with no indication if there was a queue, where I was in the queue, or even if anybody was dealing with calls.

Once I did get through, I found the CS peson very helpful.

summerb246

Thanks for the reply I'm still waiting for replies to my messages so not impressed thus far but will try again as you got lucky....

busman

summerb246 wrote: »

Hi All - I moved to Airtricity as was tempted by their promise of cheaper rates but experienced the worst customer service I've ever come across. I've tried to put in a complaint but can't get them to return my calls. Anyone else had the same problem with them as am badly regretting moving.....:mad:

I had a problem with my first 2 bills in that they had charged me a couple of units for night-time but I only have a 24 hour meter. It was only for a few cents but I emailed them anyway and got this reply :

"When their tariff was originally updated whoever dealt with it at the
time put them on wrong tariff and whoever tried to fix this fix it from
wrong date. They were on night rate only for one day so there will be
hardly any difference in their bill. I fixed this now anyway."

So what they did was cancel the two invoices and said that they would invoice me again. Fair enough!
But as they only invoice every 6 months I'm over €600 in credit and got a letter yesterday saying my budget plan payment would be reduced to €12 per month!
Called them up (1850 number) and after a few minutes on hold they were able to sort out the problem. I gave them a current meter reading and they were able to calculate a new monthly payment amount that worked out a few euro under what I'm currently paying. Hopefully sorted!

Far from the worst customer service ever!
I'd give them 8 out of 10.
Also nice to hear a Irish voice at the other end!

summerb246

thanks for the reply & happy to hear your bill problems are sorted. I had one of my calls finally replied to on friday & an apology given. Hopefully all will now be resolved & the bad service I experienced won't happen again.
Cheers to all sharing your stories.....

I.K.Brunel

According to an article in the Sunday Times (18.04.2010) Bord Gais "is suggesting it might leave the domestic market because regulators have decided to allow ESB to set its own prices."

By restricting ESB and giving Bord Gais carte blanche the regulator has overseen a dramatic year in which a quarter of domestic households have switched away from ESB. This must have had a severe impact on ESB's bottom line, and at the same time contributed €millions to Bord Gais and Airtricity.
Now that the regulator is going to allow ESB some freedom to look after its customers is it not petulant of John Mullins to complain that he can't compete with ESB!!!:eek:

I suppose he'd strongly object to someone entering the gas market and providing some direct competition to their virtual monopoly (Flogas just aren't making an impact).

rubadub

I don't know how it works but my mate works is ESB and was saying once that bord gais was not a worry as they bought the electricity from ESB. I doubt they make the exact same profit though.

ejmaztec

In the past, whenever anyone has ripped into the ESB for not reducing their prices enough, various posters supporting the ESB have blamed the regulator for not allowing the ESB to do so. Perhaps we'll get a bit more competition now, as surely Bord Gais will be able to avail of cheaper electricity.

Cabaal

rubadub wrote: »

I don't know how it works but my mate works is ESB and was saying once that bord gais was not a worry as they bought the electricity from ESB. I doubt they make the exact same profit though.

They will,
ESB Customer supply is who a consumer gets their electric from, ESB Networks is who resells electricity to the ESB and Boird Gais....the resell price to ESB Customer Supply and BG will remain the same.

Its a similar setup for phones, Eircom wholesale resells stuff to the likes of Vodafone, Perlico etc the same products that Eircom Retail use and give to customers...resell prices must be the same

discostu1

Heard the guy from the TImes on Newstalk this morning, I'm with BGE for my leccy, but if I undertand this right, ESB COULD ,if allowed undercut BGEs 5% for those with them for more than a year,or that is what I heard. If this happens Mullins is saying we will lose a bucket load of customers and if I cant compete I'm not playing.
Two chances of this happening, CER wont fully de regulate ESB supply, think how stupid it makes the Regulator look. You let BGE in and 12 months later they walk off the pitch. I always thought this was a crazy way of doing business in a small country but I got my 14% for a year, out of interest if the ESB WERE to be allowed to drop their price below BGE how many would move back. I would, never had an major hassle with ESB but are there some for whom price is not the only factor

IrishTonyO

discostu1 wrote: »

Heard the guy from the TImes on Newstalk this morning, I'm with BGE for my leccy, but if I undertand this right, ESB COULD ,if allowed undercut BGEs 5% for those with them for more than a year,or that is what I heard. If this happens Mullins is saying we will lose a bucket load of customers and if I cant compete I'm not playing.
Two chances of this happening, CER wont fully de regulate ESB supply, think how stupid it makes the Regulator look. You let BGE in and 12 months later they walk off the pitch. I always thought this was a crazy way of doing business in a small country but I got my 14% for a year, out of interest if the ESB WERE to be allowed to drop their price below BGE how many would move back. I would, never had an major hassle with ESB but are there some for whom price is not the only factor

It's not that ESB will undercut Bord Gais, it can't at the moment as people with bord gais are on up to 14% discount for 1st year and up to 5% for year 2 and 3. So it means if the ESB cut their prices very low Bord Gais has to go lower, and possible cheaper than they are buying the electricity for.

discostu1

It's not that ESB will undercut Bord Gais, it can't at the moment as people with bord gais are on up to 14% discount for 1st year and up to 5% for year 2 and 3. So it means if the ESB cut their prices very low Bord Gais has to go lower, and possible cheaper than they are buying the electricity for

Thanks for that Tony but the issue is I presume we say ESB say right we drop by 8% that means my bill drops by 5% below the 8% so I'm a happy BUT what Mullins is saying I presume is that I cant make money at this price so I'm out of here. The logic of that position is that Airticity compete with ESB who I read somewhere are both about to enter the gas Market.Cant see the regulator allowing this, as BGE would get completely squeezed,but maybe I'm wrong. Mind you BGE have had a year to get their act together and you could make the point the ESB customer either through inertia or maybe they cant or wont switch is subsidising the rest of us

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

IrishTonyO wrote: »

Bord Gais has to go lower, and possible cheaper than they are buying the electricity for.

Hence, they leave the market.

Head The Wall

I read that the ESB can't drop their prices until they lose 700,000 customers, they would effectively be deregulated. Airtricity and BG are different and this is why they are offering power now now for less than ESB. ESB may be close to the 700k loss now and when this happens they can undercut the other two and this could be what BG is afraid of

IrishTonyO

Head The Wall wrote: »

I read that the ESB can't drop their prices until they lose 700,000 customers, they would effectively be deregulated. Airtricity and BG are different and this is why they are offering power now now for less than ESB. ESB may be close to the 700k loss now and when this happens they can undercut the other two and this could be what BG is afraid of

They will be allowed to fix their own prices in October rather than the regulator fixing them as happens now.

discostu1

I read that the ESB can't drop their prices until they lose 700,000 customers, they would effectively be deregulated. Airtricity and BG are different and this is why they are offering power now now for less than ESB. ESB may be close to the 700k loss now and when this happens they can undercut the other two and this could be what BG is afraid of

Sooo are we are saying is that when ESB reach this magic number they drop the price BGE say sod this for a lark leave the pitch leaving all those customers to go back to ESB or Airtricity?.
Or
Regulator says no I'm not going to de regulate and those who stick or are stuck with ESB are paying for the rest of us.
Nothing like free market Capitalism and this is nothing like Free market Capitalism.
Still glad I moved btw just seems a strange way to run a market

IrishTonyO

discostu1 wrote: »

Sooo are we are saying is that when ESB reach this magic number they drop the price BGE say sod this for a lark leave the pitch leaving all those customers to go back to ESB or Airtricity?.
Or
Regulator says no I'm not going to de regulate and those who stick or are stuck with ESB are paying for the rest of us.
Nothing like free market Capitalism and this is nothing like Free market Capitalism.
Still glad I moved btw just seems a strange way to run a market

It is going to happen it seems

"ESB’s new pricing freedom, which will be confirmed this week by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), clears the way for a new energy price war from October,"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7100974.ece

Max Power1

So this would mean that, If PES is reduced by say a further 5%, then all domestic end users with Airtricity and BGES would see their rates reduced aswell? (in line with their 13% discount off ESB rates)

discostu1

So this would mean that, If PES is reduced by say a further 5%, then all domestic end users with Airtricity and BGES would see their rates reduced aswell? (in line with their 13% discount off ESB rates)
__________________

Yep I think your right thats why I cant see the regulator allowing it. Typical Irish fudge I'll bet, some part of the market maybe small businees deregulated, rest of the market still regulated. Its funny we seem to have more/better regulation for the Energy market than we did for our banks

IrishTonyO

discostu1 wrote: »

Yep I think your right thats why I cant see the regulator allowing it. Typical Irish fudge I'll bet, some part of the market maybe small businees deregulated, rest of the market still regulated. Its funny we seem to have more/better regulation for the Energy market than we did for our banks

The regulator is allowing it, it is him that is bringing the proposals in.

Max Power1

discostu1 wrote: »

Yep I think your right thats why I cant see the regulator allowing it. Typical Irish fudge I'll bet, some part of the market maybe small businees deregulated, rest of the market still regulated. Its funny we seem to have more/better regulation for the Energy market than we did for our banks

indeed the paper is approved on the CER website as we speak/write

discostu1

Hi Max I'm not that great on computers have you a link to the CER article or maybe synopsis what it says. I'd be interested in understanding the thinking here

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

discostu1 wrote: »

Yep I think your right thats why I cant see the regulator allowing it. Typical Irish fudge I'll bet, some part of the market maybe small businees deregulated, rest of the market still regulated. Its funny we seem to have more/better regulation for the Energy market than we did for our banks

The Commission has on 2 December 2009 published a consultation paper titled: Review of the Regulatory Framework for the Retail Electricity Market. Paper CER/09/189. Discussion responses closed on 1st February and the announcement of the implementation of the process in October is due this week or next.
Of course the CER will allow it. That is the role of the CER. The customer has to benefit from competition. Increasing prices to attract new participants to the market will not be allowed long term. You are very quick to jump in with "typical Irish fudge"; maybe learn the facts first.

discostu1

The Commission has on 2 December 2009 published a consultation paper titled: Review of the Regulatory Framework for the Retail Electricity Market. Paper CER/09/189. Discussion responses closed on 1st February and the announcement of the implementation of the process in October is due this week or next.
Of course the CER will allow it. That is the role of the CER. The customer has to benefit from competition. Increasing prices to attract new participants to the market will not be allowed long term. You are very quick to jump in with "typical Irish fudge"; maybe learn the facts first.

Ok, sorry if I upset you just make it simple are you saying ESB will be allowed compete in all sectores i.e No fudge

ESB will be allowed compete in certain areas, to me a fudge

No change ESB continue to operate in a restricted manner until they lose more customers. Again to me a fudge
Matt Cooper apparently is coveringthe story about now so might be worth a listen

IrishTonyO

discostu1 wrote: »

Ok, sorry if I upset you just make it simple are you saying ESB will be allowed compete in all sectores i.e No fudge

ESB will be allowed compete in certain areas, to me a fudge

No change ESB continue to operate in a restricted manner until they lose more customers. Again to me a fudge
Matt Cooper apparently is coveringthe story about now so might be worth a listen

From October the ESB can set the price they charge for electricity themselves, not as happens at the moment where the regulator has a say in what they can and can't charge. The ESB have wanted to reduce their prices for a good while now but the regulator would not let them, from October he does not have a say in the price they charge

discostu1

From October the ESB can set the price they charge for electricity themselves, not as happens at the moment where the regulator has a say in what they can and can't charge. The ESB have wanted to reduce their prices for a good while now but the regulator would not let them, from October he does not have a say in the price they charge Today 16:51From October the ESB can set the price they charge for electricity themselves, not as happens at the moment where the regulator has a say in what they can and can't charge. The ESB have wanted to reduce their prices for a good while now but the regulator would not let them, from October he does not have a say in the price they charge Today 16:51

discostu1

From October the ESB can set the price they charge for electricity themselves, not as happens at the moment where the regulator has a say in what they can and can't charge. The ESB have wanted to reduce their prices for a good while now but the regulator would not let them, from October he does not have a say in the price they charge

Havent heard that on any news or website, but if thats the case and assuming the ESB drop their price happy days, any opinions as to whether they will do so