Why Is Changing Fuel Supplier So Difficult?

[barry1010]

I do use the price comparison sites but not all suppliers use them and I think they can only be used as an indication.
I have to find suppliers for two homes - mine, which uses a lot of gas and electricity; and for an elderly relative who uses relatively little.

Not only do I have to take the unit price of gas and electricity in to account, but it's the standing charges that get me, they vary so wildly. For my home a higher standing charge with cheaper units would be ideal. For my relative, it would make more sense for her to pay more for the units and less for the standing charges.
In an ideal world there would be a supplier that had both cheap units and cheap standing charge but if one exists I have yet to find it.
Three days I have been researching and still nowhere near a decision.

[jno]

barry, this started when Eon, who we were with, sent an email (though gritted teeth, I imagine) saying "We are obliged to tell you you might do better elsewhere. So we have arranged a special deal with energyhelpline you might like to try." So I rang energy helpline and they said "Yes, but we can actually do better than that for you" and they did - as I said, saving hundreds. They're repeated the process since then and saved more money.

And in answer to your OP, it's been dead simple.

[margarettom]

I used Uswitch, filled in all the details, got a really good offer and it was very easy.

[barry1010]

I have just been speaking to a potential new supplier, the one I had chosen for my own home. I want a smart meter but they tell me they can't provide one because I have an immersion heater. Other companies might, but they can't. Back to the drawing board.