Nearly six million households are stuck with a supplier they didn't choose

Normally when a supplier goes out of business, customers would be able to switch away from them. For the past two years, though, they've not had the ability to do so because suppliers haven't been offering fixed deals due to the energy market crisis.

Uswitch & So Energy

The situation is gradually changing, with Uswitch and So Energy launching the fixed energy deal available to new customers since the beginning of the crisis. The proportion of customers who had previously been with a Supplier of Last Resort switching to this deal was higher compared to other energy customers.

Over 70% of customers say they would switch supplier if they could get a cheaper elsewhere, while 16% would change supplier for better customer service.

Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at Uswitch.com, comments: “Millions of households have been transferred to suppliers they didn’t choose due to their previous provider falling through the cracks of the energy crisis. 

“So it’s no surprise that these customers are the most dissatisfied and eager to switch to a supplier of their own choosing. In fact, the majority of those who have already switched to our exclusive fixed So Energy deal are customers who have been trapped with a supplier they didn’t want.

“We’re working closely with energy providers to bring fixed deals back to the market, and we’ve seen high demand for the first exclusive Uswitch deal launched last week.

“Limited deals are now starting to become available, but the ‘fix window’ may be small, so households need to be prepared to move quickly if they want the price certainty.

“All energy customers interested in fixed deals are advised to sign up at Uswitch to be 'switch ready' and be first to hear about the next exclusive deal.”