The Letter We Would Like To Receive From Our Energy Retailers
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently met with energy retailers who have agreed to contact over 2 million customers to inform them a better power deal is available.
Those on NO discount will get a letter, as will those who used to be on a better discount until it expired and was reduced to a lower discount.
Those letters will be sent out by Christmas, they've assured us, and the PM says they will invite those customers to go to the Energy Made Easy website and see how they can save potentially a very large amount of money by moving to a more appropriate plan.
Retailers will also investigate and move towards providing monthly bills, rather than doing so on a quarterly basis.
Here at the Fiftyup Club, we’d like to think these letters will inform people that they’re on a lousy plan, that they could save hundreds by switching plans (or providers), and that they’re now being upgraded to the best discount their retailer has on offer.
But we expect they’ll be worded in such a way as to create as little trouble as possible, in the hope that customers ignore them and remain on the highest tariffs.
So we thought we’d have a little fun with how we think the letter from the retailers SHOULD READ:
Dear valued customer who we don’t want to lose to a competitor,
For too long now, energy bills have been difficult to understand without a uni degree in economics and energy.
After a nice chat with the PM recently we at (insert energy company name here) agreed that we really can’t explain why more than 2 million of you are on no discount, or on a lower discount than you used to be.
Even though we know a lot of you are struggling to pay the bill (we’ve expanded our hardship program to address this) we also promised the PM that we would send you this letter, so here goes...
What used to happen:
You were on no discount whatsoever, even though there are some very large discounts available to those who ask. But you didn’t ask, so we didn’t tell.
Or perhaps we would entice you with a really great offer to change providers and then after a year or so, we would automatically switch you to an inferior or even a no-discount offer. You were mostly nonethewiser, assuming you must have been using more power and were probably too busy to give us a call to discuss it.
You were our best sort of customer, because you paid top dollar for the same power as those irritating customers who shop around and nag us about paying less.
What will happen now:
We’ve just upgraded you to the biggest discount we have. What’s more, we will let you know if you can get a better deal in future and also investigate whether monthly bills will help you manage your budget… and by the way, can we get you a drink or something?
Yours sincerely,
Very Important Energy Boss
While we can poke fun at it here, it’s no laughing matter. As we reported previously, some over 50’s are foregoing medical appointments and even meals to be able to afford the power bill.
Caitlin Fitzsimmons reporting for Fairfax this week cites the Russell family who lives pay cheque to pay cheque. "This week we literally had $30 after all the bills were paid. It's sad but we've got to be thankful we've got food in the cupboard," Ms Russell said.
When it gets to the stage that we’re “thankful for food in the cupboard” when we live in a first world country, you know something is seriously wrong.
Let us know if you receive a letter from your energy retailer in the coming months and if you’re happy with what they are offering!
