David Mitchell hasn’t got it.
“Everyone should shop around for gas and electricity.” At the last count to the frustration of the government, Ofgem, the industry, most consumer groups and high-profile advocates 66% of us hadn’t got the message.
Comedian and writer David Mitchell is one.
In today’s Observer newspaper he brings his familiar style to the awkward question that apparently troubles so many: why on earth won’t we shop around when there are such juicy deals on offer? His answer is summed up like this:
Where the market makes sense, it doesn’t need constant advocacy. Politicians don’t need to say: “If you think the bread is pricey at Sainsbury’s, try Tesco or Asda!” People do that automatically.
But people don’t want to shop around for their electricity and gas. They want the lights and heating to work and then to pay a reasonable bill. Choosing which foreign-owned corporation’s livery appears on that bill is a privilege most of us don’t value. For 26 years successive governments have persevered with this annoying, time-consuming, guilt-generating, unpopular system for no better reason I can think of than Thatcherite ideological completism.*
It’s just an opinion obviously and not one shared by Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead. But it does raise another awkward question. You can see easily why the government, Ofgem and the industry would disagree, but what about most consumer groups and high profile advocates?
*Change my power supplier? I haven’t got the energy. David Mitchell The Observer 18/12/16