The Devil You Know.

I have been stalked mercilessly for years. Unwanted phone calls day and night, appearances on my doorstep and banging on my door, bombarding me with emails. This harassment has been relentless. You have to hand it to those energy suppliers, they don't give up.

Energy companies have been trying to get me to switch for years under the guise that it's in my best interests. The truth is that it's in their best interests otherwise they wouldn't spend so much time and money trying to convert me. I have rebuffed their advances with a variety of different styles including, Mr Obnoxious, Mr Tenant, Mr Nospeakyengleesh, Mr Awkward and Mr Interestedbutchangedmymindatthelastminute. Cold caller baiting has become a sport in our house, so much so that I sometimes feel sorry for the lads and lassies who are just trying to earn a living. Now I just hang up, it's fairer on the poor dears.

The reason I'm reluctant to switch provider is that I have had bad experiences when I have tried before. I have switched both gas and telephone suppliers in the past and ended up reverting back to the original provider because of poor service, hidden costs and not delivering as promised. I have also spoken to many other people with unhappy frying pan and fire stories to tell. A few years ago I considered switching my electricity company. I did all the calculations and found I would be about £15 a year better off and not the hundreds of pounds the rivals suggested. It didn't seem worth the hassle so I switched tariff and stayed with my original provider. 

Now it's time to reconsider and look at switching to a dual fuel monthly payment. The problem with my current arrangement is that I get two bills a month apart for considerable sums of money. As energy prices rise they become even more eye-watering, therefore, I have decided pay the devil his due on a monthly basis to spread the cost.

I have visited those websites that promise to save me hundreds of pounds to check what companies are offering the best deals. Most people would probably just accept their recommendation and sign up. Unfortunately, I am much too cynical for that so have had to spend hours scribbling on bits of paper going through all the permutations and checking the small print. I'm quite the expert now. In the end I went for Scottish Power but I can't say I'm not nervous about it. They have sent me their 7 day cancellation notice masquerading as a welcome letter which is a legal requirement so the wheels are rolling. The website I switched with gave me a free case of wine for my trouble so at least I can drown my sorrows if it all goes pear shaped.