"Jeff Layman" wrote in message
...
The SSE website states "All our fixed-price tariffs are only available
online if you choose to pay by monthly Direct Debit. If you prefer to use
a different payment method, please contact us directly."

So it looks like neither QDD or PORB are available, so why does
freepricecompare suggest they are available? Or maybe they are available,
but not at the price stated. If so, the comparison site should make that
clear.

Does "pay monthly by direct debit" imply the spawn-of-the-devil budgeted
payments where you don't pay the bill for what you have *actually* used, but
instead pay what the utility company anticipates you will use, based on
previous usage and fiddle-factors for what time of year it is?

I want to pay what I have actually used, according to real meter readings
(mine or meter-reader's). Whether that is divided into monthly installments
or a quarterly lump sump is irrelevant. But I don't want the hassle of
finding that I'm getting more and more into credit (they never let you get
into debt) but they still keep on deducting the standard amount instead of
correcting things back to a neutral state once a year.

I'd like to see OfGem get involved to prohibit budgeted bills and force
companies to charge (by installments or lump sum, as the customer prefers)
what has actually been used. Or if that is impossible, to mandate that they
must correct for any overpayment (by under-charging you for one month) no
less often than once a year.