I saved $100 a year on my energy bills in 5 seconds: So why am I still annoyed?
They're gaslighting me on my gas bill! But at least it's an easy fix.
This week I did something a little unusual: I read the fine print on my energy bill.
And I'm glad I did. I immediately noticed a box on the bill that said:
Could you save money on another plan?
Yes, it turns out. My energy company very helpfully pointed out that it had a cheaper plan I could switch to that would lower my electricity bill.
I checked my latest gas bill and found the same note. Switching plans took seconds, and suddenly I was saving more than $100 a year.
I even compared the charges on the old and new plans to make sure they really added up. They did.
But I'm not rushing to thank my energy company. Quite the opposite.
I switched to this company a year ago because it had a much better deal than my old one. Of course I made sure I was on its cheapest gas and electricity plans.
But a year on the company has put out a new cheaper plan and kept me on one with a higher rate. I'm calling it the sucker's plan. They are banking on customers not comparing plans or reading the details on their energy bill.
The company says "We've found a cheaper plan for you!" But what it really means is "We've moved you onto the sucker's plan. But if you like reading PDFs you can go back to the cheaper plan you actually want."
Companies love doing this for everything from energy to insurance to phone plans, even your home loan. It should probably be illegal. But it's also the reason Finder exists and that keeps me in a job.
So… thank you?
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