To ask you to come and tell me of your good service energy companies - I NEED to switch.

[Graphista]

Currently with bloody utilita and hate them.

Want to switch to a "normal" direct debit service (no financial issues with that it was previous tenant used utilita).

I was with sse before, they weren't great but nowhere near as bad as utilita. So I shall speak to them.

I'm not saying I'm made of money but good service is definitely a factor - the switching sites go PURELY on cost so what I'm planning to do is a sort of cross reference recommendations from you guys on service with the cost side of things.

I don't see the point of going with the cheapest supplier if their customer service is awful.

Mn seems to be really good for this type of thing so hoping you lot will help.

I'm swapping from utilita too. I got stuck with it from the previous tenant as well. I'm nervous that they are going to try and claim I have to stay for 12 months or something like I've read they do. I'm going back to British gas hopefully.

Don’t use iSupply, their customer service is absolutely rubbish. I recently switched to Bristol Energy, which is run by Bristol City Council. So far, they’ve been excellent.

Don't go with Iresa. I have had nothing but problems with them. They set my account up wrong, refused my switch to npower saying there was a debt on the account (before any payment was due), allowed the gas to transfer then called it back. 2 hour waits on the phone, no replies to multiple emails, they then claimed I hadn't paid my bills even though they'd taken the money. Sent screenshots of payments and got no reply. Eventually found an email address of someone senior and it suddenly got sorted but no apology or reply really. Still waiting for gas to move back to npower.

Also had problems with first utility and they took months to sort out a final bill. They kept "forgetting" then claiming that can't sort mid-month...then they'd forget the next month and so on.

I'm delighted with Bulb
Great customer service
Respond v quickly to any emails I send
Switching v easy
Simple website
Simple tariff
Was cheaper than my previous supplier
And most importantly renewable energy

I've always found energy companies a hassle before but have been v pleased with Bulb

I'm with Ovo too. I don't have a smart meter. They send me an email every month asking for readings and I log them on the website. All done via mobile.

Have previously been with NPower, SSE, British Gas and Scottish Power. None of them can hold a candle to Ovo, so much so that when I did a switch comparison thing this Jan I ended up staying with them on a 2 yr fixed plan.

I have First Utility and can't stand them. Would love to change, but not if it's likely to cause more issues.

I love love love OVO. Highly recommend them. If you know someone already on it then get them to do a recommendation. I think both parties get £50 in vouchers.

Really good customer service. Bills that make sense. Options to be extra environmentally friendly. Socially responsible.

I will probably never switch from them.

The smart meter is great. The app is great.

E.on & southern are both hellish. Avoid like the plague!

You need the price per kW from your existing bill. Look on National grid.com or other comparison websites to find the cheapest deal. Some companies charge you an exit fee to leave. Do you have a day tariff and a night tariff ? If so use washing machine at night after midnight when it's cheaper.

GoodEnergy have really good customer service - genuine sense that you’re talking to individuals in the phone who are trying to sort out the situation.

Also provide monthly or more frequent meter readings so that you keep an eye on usage and costs

Another ovo fan.

Bulb have just put their price up - variable tariff so can do it any time, no fix. And greenwashers - lot of their renewable is solar, that's clever at night.

Iresa are subject to a major ofgem investigation.

Go for price ( do a spreadsheet, the official savings model is a lie), and don't pick small new suppliers because that is asking for bad customer service.

I use First Utility and love them.
So as a pp hates them I would suggest it's not going to be easy op - people don't have the same experiences.
Go on a price comparison site.

Smashedmug they're a bloody nightmare aren't they? Given the obstruction I met JUST in trying to get my usage figs that doesn't surprise but also really worries me.

At one point a call handler completely made up a new word as a unit of energy measurement and tried to tell me eg "you're using 2.4 flugelbunders a month" total nonsense word. I can't remember it now but I looked it up (multiple spellings) at the time. No results because it was completely made up.

"I'm with Ovo too. I don't have a smart meter. They send me an email every month asking for readings and I log them on the website. All done via mobile."

That sounds good

"You need the price per kW from your existing bill. Look on National grid.com or other comparison websites to find the cheapest deal. Some companies charge you an exit fee to leave. Do you have a day tariff and a night tariff ? If so use washing machine at night after midnight when it's cheaper." No bills as prepay smart meter, they are VERY VERY reluctant to put ANYTHING in writing - including responses to complaints, no way of checking usage per kWh which I now know is the industry standard measurement. Was almost 7 months until I could even get a RESPONSE to emails. And that was only once they knew I had a "witness" to the whole farce (the charity). Can't get an answer on tariff, can't get a reliable answer on usage, can't get an explanation on why top ups (and therefore my money) is disappearing,

We changed to Bulb and they’re great. Only one tariff, simple, plain language, easy to switch, straightforward.
For the first time ever I trust an energy provider not to be greedy, dishonest and devious. Also green and much cheaper. If you e mail meter readings every month you’re told exactly what you’ve used, what it cost and, after a very cold February, not to worry.

"people don't have the same experiences." Yea I know that, honestly I've been looking up the companies mentioned on social media and googling and NONE of them have the HUGE amount of complaints and sheer (justified) vitriol that utilita get.

There's always people who have bad experiences with every company but I want to avoid companies where MOST of their customers are unhappy with them.

We're with Extra Energy at the moment, have been for around 2 years and seems very easy to manage online. Not had any issues.

We’re just in the process of switching to ovo, we always move and at present they offer the best package for us

I have to say I’m impressed so far, plenty of contact letting us know what’s happening and when, the reviews were very good

We switched with the ‘meerkats’ so get a year of cinema 2 for 1 ticket codes and a free meerkat

We were with coop who were average, before that e on who again were ok but not as communicative as ovo have been

Good Energy are the best I’ve found

We switched to EDF three years ago. Transparent pricing, simple app, prices adjust during contract to reflect usage as long as you keep relatively up to date with meter readings (e.g. this year’s tariff suggested payments of £105 a month dual fuel but we’re currently only paying £82 to stay on track for overall annual cost), you can switch tariff during contract with no charge, even if swapping to a different company. When you log in, they will tell you if they have a cheaper tariff and you can switch if you want.

i am with co op energy there were problems when they changed the computer system but all seems fine now and i am very happy with them, any queries i usually FB message and it gets sorted really easily

Another vote for Bulb. We were with British Gas and are saving £35 every month .

Another thumbs up for ovo here - service good, you can just enter readings online every month, price continually competitive - have been with them about three years and just signed up for another one.

We switched to Utility Warehouse about a year ago for gas, leccy, broadband and phone. I've got a cashback card which I use for everyday shopping and the money saved comes off my bill every month. We only get one bill a month. Best of all, they fitted us with lifetime LED bulbs in the house for free.

Customer Service is pretty exceptional, I was won over by the fact Which? recommend them across the board but until you experience it, those awards don't mean much but they have been very good indeed.

They are ridiculous aren't they! I've had two top ups vanish into thin air and I can't work out if they went on and got used up insanely quickly or if they didn't go on at all. The numbers don't add up either. I don't know how they are allowed to do it.