A 60-year-old Edinburgh Council worker has spoken of his shock after his two year tariff was bumped up from £1,488 to £7,230 per year - a rise of around 385 per cent.
Stephen King, from Drylaw, and who works supporting people with multiple complex needs in the capital, said that he was dazed when he first saw the quote online. The man, who also works as a weekend DJ, said he paid £124 a month for the past two years to Scottish Power but under a new fixed term contract he would be forced to pay £602.
Stephen said that he was forced to look for a new policy after his two year fixed term contract was about to expire. At first he enquired about a quote for the same contract moving forward but was initially quoted an eye watering £419 a month.
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He left it for two weeks as he says he still had around a fortnight on his contract. But when he went for a new quote he was then told it would cost him £585 a month.
After around twenty minutes, which Stephen spent uploading meter readings, he found that the price had skyrocketed up to £602 a month.
He said: “I’ve been on a £124 a month tariff for two years but I had received an email to say it was coming to an end.
“I went online to choose a new deal but was shocked with what I was met with. At first they offered me a tariff of £419 a month for a two years fixed tariff.
“But I still had two weeks left on my existing contact so I thought I would take my time to think it over. When I went back online however they were saying that it would now be around £585 a month - this was just a fortnight after I requested my first quote.
“I thought I’ll get some meter readings and enter them in the hope that it would bring it down. But in just twenty minutes they had hiked it up to £602 a month.
“I thought if I don't accept that then it could go up by even more as it had gone up by around £190 in two weeks. I walked around a bit dazed afterwards to be honest.”
After being left in a state of shock he agreed to the £7,230 two year fixed term contract. But after some research on Google he discovered that the amount was well above the current energy price cap that was in place.
This left him to call up his provider and to ask why he was being charged so much. He was allegedly told that this was because energy suppliers can charge whatever they choose to on fixed term contracts so long as customers were willing to pay.
But the call handler explained that Stephen could sign up for a one year flexi price tariff that would cap his bill to £210. The council worker therefore chose to sign up for the £210 deal after invoking his two week cooling off period for the more expensive tariff.
He continued: “After a while I started to think that the 385 per cent increase was well above what the regulator had said would be set as the cap for households. So I decided to call them back.
“I said I thought there was a price cap but I was told that the price cap is just for those on fixed tariffs and the call handler said that Scottish Power can decide whatever price they want for tariffs and if you are happy to pay it, then you will pay it.
“The person was really helpful though and said that I could get a one year flexi price tariff for £210 a month. Even if that increased by 100 per cent I’d be better off than making the two year fixed term deal.
“I’d really advise anyone to make sure they are talking things through with their energy providers to ensure they are not handcuffed to their deals. I used my two week cool off period to cancel after challenging the tariff.
“I’m lucky as I’ve paid off my mortgage but imagine you have a £600 a month energy bill on top of a £800 mortgage - it would be undoable. I really feel for the elderly in our community who will struggle to meet the cost of energy.”
A Scottish Power spokesperson said: "When Mr King’s old tariff expired, he was defaulted onto the Standard Variable. Given the uncertainty of the market, customers who are on a fixed price tariff that is ending soon are moved onto our Standard Variable tariff.
We have now spoken with Mr King and explained that all flexi tariffs are now withdrawn, and he has decided to stay on the Standard Variable tariff.
With wholesale energy prices at record high levels, we aren't currently offering any fixed term tariffs. As things change, we’ll introduce new tariffs, so we advise customers to check back regularly to keep up-to-date."
If you are worried about your energy costs and would like to share your story with Edinburgh Live, then please email: Jacob.Farr@reachplc.com
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