In Victoria, our state government runs an electricity and gas comparison website here to help consumers find the cheapest deals, and it's marketed as a way to save money.
All well and good, but how reliable are the figures on these government comparison sites?
In my recent experience, the rates shown there do not match what suppliers quoted me when I went direct. Here is my story.
My Experience with the Victorian Energy Compare Website
What happened is that I went to the Victorian Energy Compare website looking to save money on my energy. The site recommended a new supplier that is cheaper than my existing provider, RED Energy.
However, when I checked online reviews for this recommended supplier, I found many poor reviews about their customer service. After reading many complaints, I got the message to stay away.
So, knowing the price, I called my supplier, RED Energy, directly to ask for a new quote. To my surprise, without even mentioning my quoted price, RED Energy gave me a quote over the phone that was significantly cheaper than what was shown on the government comparison website!
My thoughts: Don't Trust the Figures on Comparison Sites
This experience taught me an important lesson - don't take the rates shown on government comparison sites as gospel. The figures displayed for my existing supplier, RED Energy, did not match what they quoted. There is more to it than what is told to us. If I had listened to them, I would have a poorly rated electric supplier with a dearer price.
Has This Happened to You?
I'm curious whether other people have had similar experiences with this or similar government comparison websites did not show accurate rates compared to what you were quoted directly by suppliers.
The bottom line is that, based on my experience, it may be helpful as a guide, but you still need to contact these suppliers directly.
