A CONSUMER watchdog has warned that energy companies are giving inaccurate information and advice to people who ring up to switch providers.

ScottishPower and Scottish Gas were among the firms criticised by consumer group Which?, amid claims of conflicting advice and a failure to reveal tariff exit fees.

The watchdog also found that Southern Electric telesales staff only mentioned its cheapest tariff in three of the 12 calls made to the company over the course of a week, while seven of the 12 EDF Energy sales reps recommended its more expensive fixed-rate deals instead of its cheaper online tariff.

Across all the companies, one- third of the staff questioned did not mention relevant exit fees, while ScottishPower failed to reveal its £51 exit fees in nine of the 12 calls made to it during the week-long investigation.

British Gas staff offered its cheapest tariff in 10 of the 12 calls but offered wildly varying cashback deals alongside this tariff, ranging from no money to £175.

Which? also found that offers varied significantly even within the same region – a caller from one London postcode was offered £125 cashback, while another was offered nothing.

Some sales people gave conflicting advice on fixed-price tariffs. One advised signing up to ScottishPower’s three-year fixed deal because it was so long while another recommended its one-year deal because it was so short.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: “If you call an energy supplier asking for their cheapest deal, that’s exactly what you should get.

“It’s unacceptable for sales staff to give information that is plain wrong or confusing.

“Giving the right advice to customers about switching matters more than ever when so many people are struggling with escalating fuel bills and colder weather is starting to bite.

“Our advice to customers is that if you are going to switch, make sure you insist on being told the cheapest possible deal.

“Check for exit fees and ask about paying by direct debit or managing your account online as this will usually get you a discount. Or compare all the available offers using an independent comparison website or phone line to get the best deal.

“Switching is actually much easier to do than you might think and can save you money.”

With price increases of up to £190 a year taking effect, the average annual household energy bill is now £1300, Which? said.

The watchdog also found increasing numbers of people are now looking to switch, with consumers being urged to do so by the Government in recent weeks.

And research has shown more than one-quarter of customers looking to change rely on telephone advice from energy suppliers to get a better deal.

This follows a move away from traditional door-to-door sales which have also faced criticism over mis-selling.

Scottish& Southern Energy (SSE) and Scottish Gas have both stopped the practice temporarily to explore other selling options.

Currently, ScottishPower, SSE, EDF and Npower are being investigated by energy watchdog Ofgem about whether their doorstep sales practices have broken the rules.

Ofgem is also investigating Npower and EDF for complaint handling, while ScottishPower, SSE, EDF and Npower are being investigated for mis-selling.

Earlier this year, Scottish Gas was fined £2.5 million by the watchdog for failing to deal correctly with customer complaints.

The Which? switching service, Which? Switch, has been set up to give a transparent, impartial view of all current gas and electricity tariff options and can be found at www.which.co.uk/switch or call 01992 822 867.