Energy prices: The best deals are often hidden from consumers, here’s what to do

AUSTRALIA’S energy retailers are not disclosing their best deals to customers. But there are ways that consumers can still get a cheaper power bill.

EXCLUSIVE

SNEAKY energy retailers are keeping their best deals secret from customers and are only wheeling them out as a last-ditch attempt to keep them from leaving.

Consumers shopping around for cheaper energy prices on energy retailers’ sites often cannot find them because they are not advertised and reserved purely customer retention purchases.

But discounts of more than 40 per cent on energy bills can exist for customers who threaten to ditch and switch.

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Customers are being urged to review their energy deals and save.

Financial comparison website Canstar Blue’s spokesman Simon Downes has warned customers

that “some retailers have a habit of making plans visible to the public one day, but then hidden the next.”

“In some cases retailers will have secret hidden plans that are used for customer retention — a special deal they will pull out of the blue when a customer threatens to leave or does actually leave,’’ he said.

“Usually these deals will be hidden away from the general public but finding them online means you can go back to the retailer and ask about these deals.”

Energy retailer Alinta Energy was this week forced to compensate thousands of customers after being found by the consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, to have misleading price comparisons on its advertising.

Energy regulators last month highlighted new powers allowing them to punish retailers offering “deceptive” discounting or “pseudo-discounting” that leads consumers to be worse off.

Fines of up to $20,000 apply.

Households across Australia continue to be hit by rising energy prices.

Energy price changes will begin from next month in Qld, NSW and SA.

Smaller retailer GloBird operates in Victoria with plans to launch in NSW next year and their executive manager John McCluskey said these tactics by rival energy operators is “sneaky and underhanded.”

“It’s common for customers to be paying 30 per cent or 40 per cent more for power than they need to and then we come along and get them a better deal,’’ he said.

“Then their current retailer offers a special rate to beat us.

“To me, this is the very essence of anti-competitive behaviour.”

Mr Downes said it’s not uncommon for customers who sign up to deals online to be given better deals than those that phone up retailers directly.

“There is certainly a trend in providers offering deals exclusively to customers signing up online,” he said.

“Either through specific online-only products or additional discounts, some retailers are incentivising customers for signing up online.”

Energy Australia’s chief customer officer Kim Clarke said there are sometimes cheaper deals offered to customers signing up online.

He said this is more cost-effective for retailers and helps them saves on call centre costs.

Energy Australia’s chief customer officer Kim Clarke said some customers “prefer to choose their gas and electricity plans online because it’s easy and takes about five minutes to sign up.”

“It’s also relatively low-cost for the retailer which means from time to time we can advertise special offers on our website for new and existing customers,’’ she said.

Customers are being urged to search energy price fact sheets using online searches to find the best available deals to ensure they can find every product available.

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