This morning I saved a small food retail outlet (a fish and chip shop to most of us) some money.
Fine, that’s my job, but it was his renewal rates that have made me so glad that I could help him. His renewal prices for electricity were 33% higher than his contracted rates with them only one year ago. Energy prices have risen during the last year at between 9-11%. * The energy company in question was presuming that he wouldn’t read their rates; that he would be too busy to work out what sort of increase this represented. Last year something similar happened with the same guy’s gas prices. This time another company wanted 44% higher rates from him. I had to offer a price rise, I can’t buck the market, but my rates were only a 5% rise each time.
He’s too busy running his business to want to diarise the cancellation dates and contract end dates. We cancelled the existing contracts for him, so that he had the freedom to choose a good rate. This pattern of suppliers trying to take advantage of busy business people goes on and on.
From this small-end business to larger manufacturing units, we are seeing this same thing happening time upon time. Most employers know what a fair rate is for paying their staff. Do they really know what fair rates look like for their energy?
I’m so glad that I was there to help. As I said at the beginning, I love my job..he also makes fantastic fish and chips!
* Prices of fuels purchased by non-domestic consumers in the United Kingdom excluding/including CCL (QEP 3.4.1 and 3.4.2)Department of Energy & Climate Change 27 March 2014