Fellow small-print readers, I welcome your help

Gray

Well-known member
This may even be relevant to someone else.
If you can be bothered, please see if you can see the contradiction between paragraph 1 and 2 with particular regard to exit fees (when moving to another supplier) of these British Gas terms and conditions. (Thanks if you're bothered):

'If you want to cancel or switch your tariff
You can cancel your tariff in the 14-day cooling off period. After the cooling off period, you can switch to another supplier without paying an exit fee at any time. You don’t have to give us any notice if you want to switch to another supplier.

You can cancel your tariff in the 14-day cooling off period. You don’t have to give us any notice if you want to switch to another supplier. If you switch to another energy supplier after the 14-day period and before the last 49 days of your contract we’ll charge you an exit fee of [£100] for electricity and [£100] for gas'.


Looks to me like 'at any time' is no longer the case in paragraph 2 :unsure:
Usually I wouldn't bother about the standard £30 per fuel exit fee, as I'm unlikely to change supplier mid-term.
However, as with everything else in our lives, things are different now.


Like me and many others, your supplier may have offered you a more expensive 'exclusive' fixed tariff to avoid the next few price increases.
The MSE website has a calculator where you can enter the details of what you're on and what you've been offered - the fix I've been offered would be 70% more than I'm paying which, according to MSE is 'Strongly worth considering' (above 90% more, probably isn't) .....of course none of this is an exact science due to the the many unknowns.......
There's no good news, but one thing's for sure, wrong decisions will prove (even more) costly.
 
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WayneKerr

Well-known member
This may even be relevant to someone else.
If you can be bothered, please see if you can see the contradiction between paragraph 1 and 2 with particular regard to exit fees (when moving to another supplier) of these British Gas terms and conditions. (Thanks if you're bothered):

'If you want to cancel or switch your tariff
You can cancel your tariff in the 14-day cooling off period. After the cooling off period, you can switch to another supplier without paying an exit fee at any time. You don’t have to give us any notice if you want to switch to another supplier.

You can cancel your tariff in the 14-day cooling off period. You don’t have to give us any notice if you want to switch to another supplier. If you switch to another energy supplier after the 14-day period and before the last 49 days of your contract we’ll charge you an exit fee of [£100] for electricity and [£100] for gas'.


Looks to me like 'at any time' is no longer the case in paragraph 2 :unsure:
Usually I wouldn't bother about the standard £30 per fuel exit fee, as I'm unlikely to change supplier mid-term.
However, as with everything else in our lives, things are different now.


Like me and many others, your supplier may have offered you a more expensive 'exclusive' fixed tariff to avoid the next few price increases.
The MSE website has a calculator where you can enter the details of what you're on and what you've been offered - the fix I've been offered would be 70% more than I'm paying which, according to MSE is 'Strongly worth considering' (above 90% more, probably isn't) .....of course none of this is an exact science due to the the many unknowns.......
There's no good news, but one thing's for sure, wrong decisions will prove (even more) costly.
Looks to me that at any time in the first paragraph refers to any time during the 14 day period, after this you'll need to pay exit fees. Standard T&C's across all suppliers.

That's how it reads to me, Gray, I see no contradiction just a reiteration.
 

Gray

Well-known member
Looks to me that at any time in the first paragraph refers to any time during the 14 day period, after this you'll need to pay exit fees. Standard T&C's across all suppliers.

That's how it reads to me, Gray, I see no contradiction just a reiteration.
Thanks Doug, that's very interesting - and the reason I wanted it double checked.
Because I've often found T&C ambiguous, very easy to read them wrongly.

You see, to me, in paragraph 1, they clearly say after the cooling off you can switch any time (free of penalty).
Thanks very much for bothering.
 
Thanks Doug, that's very interesting - and the reason I wanted it double checked.
Because I've often found T&C ambiguous, very easy to read them wrongly.

You see, to me, in paragraph 1, they clearly say after the cooling off you can switch any time (free of penalty).
Thanks very much for bothering.
I read it that way as well, it's completely contradictory
 
Yes, para 2 contradicts para 1, with 1 suggesting no exit fees at any time. £100 sounds like extortion to me! I wonder if it would fall foul of the Unfair Contract Terms regs or whatever it’s called. Like those meaningless statements that claim if your car is damaged in a car park that the owners have no responsibility whatsoever.
 

Gray

Well-known member
Yes, para 2 contradicts para 1, with 1 suggesting no exit fees at any time. £100 sounds like extortion to me! I wonder if it would fall foul of the Unfair Contract Terms regs or whatever it’s called. Like those meaningless statements that claim if your car is damaged in a car park that the owners have no responsibility whatsoever.
Thanks for taking the time.
Yes, I think others will also be increasing exit fees to discourage leavers 😏
 

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