ATM mentions that a re-think is required, he/she is correct a re-think is required by us! it is us that is getting ripped off so it is up to us to look for alternative suppliers - we need to vote with our feet if our supplier is expensive - imagine the work if we ALL switched supplier at the same time on the same day - this would give the suppliers the message that we are sick of being ripped off, impossible to organise I know but would give them a kick where they need it.

I have been looking at switching suppliers as I am with Eon which is a German owned company - we as a nation no matter what ethnic background we are we need to start keeping our money in our country to protect our jobs, therefore I have started looking for UK companies to buy my products and services from - it is nigh on impossible try it! where do you find out the information? I have asked U-switch to put this information on their site with no response all search engines for alternative suppliers such as money supermarket, us-witch etc could help in this area by providing the information.

ATM also mentions insurance, not sure why we pay this myself, my roof collapsed on the rear extension of my house it is a flat roof the weight of the water in the last storm took it down, the response from Barclay's my insurer! it is not an insurable event! whatever that is supposed to mean! I am now 48 years old and never made a claim in my life - waste of money if you ask me!

God Help Us.

I am a small investor and buy / sell currencies and commodities on forward contracts and using a bit of savvy it is sensible not to buy at a record record high price like these Energy Company bosses claim they do.

I would put another large bet on that their traders also do not buy futures at the record prices they are claiming so just another 9 months or so bigger profits to go towards the Fat Cat's Bonuses.

Maybe they can hire me to buy their energy for them..................

Free Market or Free-licence to rip-off?

A re-think is required. Not only do energy suppliers have a licence to rip-off customers, so do banks, insurance and public transport.

In vital sectors, maybe the bosses have had it all their own way for too long, and can run rings around the regulators. Nationalise all the sectors that can have devastating effects on us.

In the case of gas, one company negotiating gas prices in advance for the whole country will have more clout.

As for banks, they have been at it for centuries - TIME FOR CHANGE (who said that) - let's have a National Bank for the people and owned by the people.

Insurance - you will get better odds from a bookie. Licensed crime, especially with all the small print. How many are actually satisfied with what they get when they make a claim.

Been to Europe recently? Public transport is much better, because it is controlled by the state, they provide a service for customers, not profits for shareholders at our expense - if public transport was cheaper and better I would not have a car.

Once we have taken care of that, let's get the multinationals which pay little or no taxes in this country. Watch out Coca-Cola.

Yes!! Too quick to put prices up based on oil prices and far too slow to bring them down on the same basis. Their arguments about wholesale prices don't cut any ice. It's all loaded in one direction i.e. theirs!! I think the only thing they think about is their bonus package and stuff the customers.

Of course we are being "Ripped" by these muti national conglomerates. Because they are buying their Gas at least 1 year in advance, they have the power to slash prices when and how they. choose. There is NO reason why Fuel prices are so high, except to give good returns for the Shareholders.----At our expense. I don't mind anybody making a profit, but these firms expect at least 50=100% profit all the time!

hell yeah, playing way too much these days, needs to be cut even more!

Yes we are still being ripped off in a big way by all of the suppliers, 10% is a joke by the amount it went up by last year.

I think all suppliers of energy are ripping people off with the Governments backing. I have to heat by LPG which is the most expensive form of heating and have no regulatory body to complain to with any issues.

My supplier is BP who only deliver gas when it suits them. I cant change to another company because the gas tank is owned by the company so no other supplier is allowed to deliver.

The government needs to sort out all of the companies supplying enery to people in this country as we are being held to ransom by large, greedy suppliers.

Flame

Who introduced the entire farce of energy "competition"? Who privatised Briish Gas instead of investing in it? Brown, or Blair did nothing to change it , true enough: But Maggie and her spawn Major created this mess. Think about this the next time you take a train (if you can afford to). Brown wrong, Cameron no different at all. Let us live like civilised countries like France or Germany where the government looks out for you unlike this one! Dump the pound, then the Queen!.

I switched to British Gas to save money but I think they are still over charging and have only reduced their standard tarrif.

What about the rest and electricity should follow as well. they are quick to raise prices even when they bought their stock and so but cheap sell expensive continues to thrive in the energy industry.

You know who is really ripping us off? Switching sites like moneysupermarket.com , Uswitch etc etc. Why? They promote a dangerous fallacy that buying energy is the same as mortgages, credit cards, house insurance, pet insurance, etc etc. It isn't! Energy is indexed all over the world, including UK wholesale markets, to oil. Every other country in the world, EXCEPT the UK has a completely transparent, fairly regulated energy price that changes every month. And why not? Why not pay more for gas in January when everyone wants to heat their house. And in July, you pay next to nothing for it. Why don't people understand this? - Metering: The UK has metering based on quarterly billing, a nineteenth century anachronism. (Until the 1950's many salaried people were paid quarterly!) After privatisation it went even worse and you are only legally required to have your meter read every two years? - Is there a Uswitch USA, or a money supermarket France? Try and find an energy switching site in Germany, Australia, Japan - can't be done and all those countries have competitive energy markets. What they don't have is sites like money supermarket encouraging people to constantly switch. And why not? They get paid £40 each time! It''s in their interest to run to the papers each time there is a price change. - Would you pay money supermarket money to pay the default option of a monthly price indexed to wholesale? Not for very long you wouldn't! Which goes a long way to explaining why you are not offered that option. Similarly, Ofgem, a complete waste of space for consumers thinks that energy markets perform perfectly well, and think that the problem is people not switching for £10 and such meaningless sums like that. Pay monthly by DD and the range per supplier is less than £12 out of £800. Not worth switching for you, worth £40 to a switching site. Ofgem is going to make money supermarket and similar sites reveal their commissions shortly.

Its an absolute disgrace that these people have been allowed to get away with what I regard as robbery of the people. They have been allowed to rip us off by the current governments lack of backbone. This would not happen in any other country as there would be riots on the streets. One day the people of this country will say enough is enough and stand up against major rip-offs..................but don't hold your breath.

Oh yes, it's also why this Country and the rest of the World is in a mess, who is taking all your money ? - gas, electric & the oil barons. Not much left to spend is there.?

Come on Brown and start kicking some butts...

YES!!! Gas & Electric providers are still charging these excessive amounts and UK people are being ripped off every day and for far too long now, prices should have come down along time ago, thanks again for the PM Mr Brown for allowing these companies to charge what they like. This reduction makes us angry that these companies now make it look like they are giving us something back, when actually they are only reducing the excessive increases that everyone has been forced to pay, with no choice!!! When the electric & gas suppliers had their costs reduced (months ago!!) then they all should have passed or been forced to pass the costs onto us (the customer) are we all now going to see back charges, for all the over charged amounts we have all paid? Lisa & Dave West Midlands

go to another provider british gas is a rip off