Group gas purchase offer via UFC-Que Choisir, good deal or not? Your opinions

UFC-Que Choisir is offering a new group gas purchasing offer via its commercial subsidiary SAS Que Choisir.

gas price

Published on Sunday November 17, 2024 par Denis Lapalus

UFC-Que Choisir, via its subsidiary, SAS Que Choisir (commercial company), is launching a new group purchasing campaign for gas, taking into account the increase in the benchmark gas price (published by the CRE) in recent years. month​. Knowing the existence of an official gas price comparator from all suppliers in France, this proposal still remains surprising. Wouldn't it be enough to choose your subscription/provider yourself via the official comparator?

The official comparator: to use first

The State provides an official comparator of all energy suppliers, both gas and electricity. Thus, the consumer can compare their supplier and their current subscription with all the offers on the market.

The consumer will therefore be able to verify that he can find better offers than via his current subscription with his supplier. This comparator is sufficiently comprehensive not to fall into the trap of promotional offers.

Gas group purchase offer: the pitfalls of the past are a thing of the past

During the first campaign, the consumer association did not sufficiently warn of the impossibility of going back to the historic operator. Thus, consumers who subscribed to the bundled offer, TotalEnergies being the winner of the call for tenders, were not able to return to the prices regulated during the last energy crisis. A hard blow for consumers. Believing they were saving, they actually paid more for their gas than if they had not subscribed to this offer. But now, as the historic operator for gas is no longer relevant, this pitfall belongs to the past.

Cheaper energy together

While benchmark gas prices have increased significantly in recent months, UFC-Que Choisir is renewing its group purchasing operation. It should be noted that, for legal and commercial reasons, it is indeed a commercial company under private law, namely SAS UF-Que Choisir, which is launching this group call for tenders, and not the eponymous consumer association. . Moreover, fees are charged to participants, which according to a large number of participants (several tens of thousands), seems high.

Fee of €12 to be part of this call for tenders

To cover organizational costs, a contribution of 12 euros including tax will be requested from subscribers, it will be reduced to 6 euros including tax for members of UFC-Que Choisir and subscribers to its publications.

From 13% to 22% savings on your bills according to UFC-What to choose

This is the commercial promise made by SAS UFC-Que Choisir. “Group purchasing around the “Cheaper energy together” offer at fixed prices for 2 years, allowing you to save between 17 and 22% (including tax) compared to the average gas benchmark price for November published by the Regulatory Commission of Energy, the best offer, by far, currently on the market.“.

An alternative operator: Alterna Energie

Obviously, the winner of the group purchasing tender is an alternative operator. During the last crisis, alternative operators were the first to go bankrupt. However, now, as you are no longer a customer of the historic operator, you can simply change gas supplier, without fear of losing the possibility of going back.

On the official comparator website, Alterna Energie has no history of referrals. This rate is not calculated for operators who do not yet have at least 50,000 customers.

What advantage compared to a direct subscription with Alterna Energie?

For a consumer with a consumption of nearly 20,000 kw/h per year, Alterna Energie does not appear to be the cheapest, for a 2 GRDF zone (namely Paris and the Paris region). More surprisingly, for the comparison carried out by UFC-Que Choisir, i.e. in zone 3 GRDF, the supplier Alterna Energie does not appear on the official comparator. This is undoubtedly a desire for a new deployment of this supplier, which could explain this price difference. The price difference being at least 15% with the best price offered by the official comparator (for a declared consumption of 20,000 kw/h annually).

Who benefits from subscribing?

According to UFC-Que Choisir, everyone would benefit from subscribing to their recommendation. A household heated by gas and consuming 20,000 kWh per year can save 473 euros over one year (2,004 euros compared to 2,477 euros) compared to Engie's gateway offer, which succeeded the regulated tariff. “Considering all the offers currently available on the market, the “Cheaper Energy Together” offer is by far the most financially attractive, being at least 13.6% cheaper.“, indicates UFC-Que Choisir.

This group purchase is open to all gas subscribers served by the national manager (GRDF), regardless of their national supplier. Beyond the attractive price, the winning “Cheaper Energy Together” offer includes, as in past campaigns, the legal security component (a secure contract and support from UFC-Que Choisir in the event of complaints). You can simulate your annual bill for free.

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