In the Indo (I think) the other day an article read that the original bord gais offer was for 10%-15% cheaper than ESB bills in year 1 if you are a natural gas customer, switching both utilities to bord gais on DDebit. And in years 2 & 3 the discount would be 5% on ESB rates. Now to me, living rurally, I have bottled gas & was with ESB, so I "Made the Big Switch" on DDebit to avail of cheaper electricity prices & am on a rate 13% cheaper than ESB...bear with me...
Now, the article aslo stated that airtricity were now coming in with a 10% cheaper than ESB rates which would leave customers who are now on year 2 with Bord gais (i.e. 5% discount) free to make another switch. But Bord gais then announced that they too would be offering existing customers 10% off ESB rates to stay! The sneaky thing is that what they intend on doing is, dropping the 5% discount for year 3 and rolling it all together for year 2, also backdating any existing customers with the new 10% discount from the end of their first year with Bord Gais. They are argueing that 10% this year is more benificial to customers in these tough times and that no actual agreement exists that would tie them to the original offer to "Make the Big Switch" for a 3 years discounted electricity of 10%-15%yr1 - 5%yr2 - 5%yr3
Jury is still out on that one! But I guess to Joe Soap it makes no odds really to stay with Bord gais? Maybe by year 3 another player can tempt us...