Switching Electricity Providers Is Too Hard For Most Australians


In most Australian states, you can choose between a number of electricity providers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a good deal. A survey of 1020 Australians by consumer advocate CHOICE suggests that barely half of those who have changed power companies are sure they made the right choice.

Picture by Ian Waldie/Getty Images

413 of that group had changed power companies in the previous three years, but just 52 per cent were confident with their choice. One-third said they had tried to compare offers but found it difficult, which isn’t surprising: electricity bills include a confusing mix of peak and off-peak offers, and the mix is muddied further by discounts for on-time payment and unexpected rates rises.

The most disturbing figure in the survey? Five per cent of people said they had been switched to another provider without their permission. That’s yet another reason to say no when electricity salespeople come knocking.

Energy retailers’ marketing tactics [CHOICE]


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