fools Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) Would you like to take a contract out with a thousand petrol stations, on the off chance you might use one. Odd take on life, it makes them pay their fair share, that's not penalising, I know that's a difficult concept for Socialists to grasp. Does that pipe outside your house wear out faster if you use more gas? You'll note standing charges are present in most contracts, insurance, water, broadband, tv, there's a reason for that. I'd quite like road tax gone though - (oh did I say the wrong term, nevermind) Going back to the poll tax analogy, should a single household unemployed widow who requires more heating pay more for their billing than a neighbour with 4 adults out at work all day. Both households get one bill, same cost. We have the taxation and benefit system which is supposed to iron out the inequities in life. it's not a private companies problem. Edited August 9, 2022 by fools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sibon Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) 30 minutes ago, fools said: Odd take on life, it makes them pay their fair share, that's not penalising, I know that's a difficult concept for Socialists to grasp. Does that pipe outside your house wear out faster if you use more gas? You'll note standing charges are present in most contracts, insurance, water, broadband, tv, there's a reason for that. I'd quite like road tax gone though - (oh did I say the wrong term, nevermind) Going back to the poll tax analogy, should a single household unemployed widow who requires more heating pay more for their billing than a neighbour with 4 adults out at work all day. Both households get one bill, same cost. We have the taxation and benefit system which is supposed to iron out the inequities in life. it's not a private companies problem. The infrastructure is just a delivery mechanism. Nothing to do with the consumer. The private companies should structure their pricing to take account of all of their costs. Imagine going to Aldi and having to pay a £5 till charge, regardless of how much shopping you buy. Edited August 9, 2022 by sibon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fools Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) It's very simplistic to just look at a problem from one side, without considering the other. If you and a million others switch everything off (I'm sure some idiot group on FB will suggest a power strike at some point), there is a whole host of infrastructure there waiting and watching in case you switch it back on again. That infrastructure has a massive supplier cost, someone has to pay for it, that someone is the consumer. Until recently, all that infrastructure cost amounted to, was 25p/day per fuel per household ... bargain. Ire should be directed at the inept regulation which allowed a swarm of companies into the market, and allowed them to go bust, thereby tripling standing charges. Imagine Costco, you don't require a contract to shop at Aldi, but some supermarkets and petrol retailers do have reward schemes Edited August 9, 2022 by fools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromedary Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, sibon said: It is high time they were abolished. They make comparisons between providers very difficult. Also, it is quite unfair that someone with low usage pays a higher proportion of their bill in standing charges, compared to high users. They also reduce the incentive to cut down on usage. A transparent unit based pricing structure would be much better for consumers. Agreed, it should be like BT line rental is now which is included as part of an internet package if it uses a BT line. Edited August 9, 2022 by Dromedary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 1 hour ago, fools said: The word con is being misused heavily in this thread, does it bounce around a lot in paranoid refusenik circles. Standing charges have gone through the roof through poor management, regulation, and oversight, aided by the churning industry. If your deposits are to be protected, you will pay for that one way or another. Sharing out fixed costs among all users is as a standing charge is the fairest way of billing, just like the poll tax. The incentive to cut down usage is still ever present. Confusing the public with incomparable deals is the marketing game, doesn't matter much now if it's capped by a regulator. Just cooked a meal for less than 1p, gas hob of course, none of this stupid slow cooker nonsense. How, what did you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fools Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Dromedary said: Agreed, it should be like BT line rental is now which is included if part of an internet package that uses a BT line. Other way around, try getting any service without paying line rental Edited August 9, 2022 by fools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dromedary Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 2 minutes ago, fools said: Other way around OK. .enil TB a sesu taht egakcap tenretni na fo trap fi dedulcni si hcihw won si latner enil TB ekil eb dluohs ti ,deergA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fools Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 8 minutes ago, Mister M said: How, what did you have? 0.13kwh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 Just now, fools said: 0.13kwh Very tasty! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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