None of us like nasty surprises - but that's often what customers get from their energy suppliers.  It's not unusual for suppliers to insist that the contract allows them to do things which the customer never anticipated.  These may include charging charging interest for payments made after a certain date, increasing fuel prices or passing through increases in industry charges.

Make sure you are not taken by surprise. Read the contract before you sign it and try to change what you are not happy with, or shop around for a supplier who offers better terms. But, at the very least, make sure you know what the contract says. It will tell you both what you have to do (your obligations) and also what the supplier has to do (your rights).

Below are just two examples of the worst contract terms that can be offered. Look out for them and avoid them wherever possible.

“We can choose to match your best offer”
 
Tucked away in the small print of contracts, there can be terms which prevent a customer from changing supplier even at the end of a fixed contract term.

What this means is that, if you are considering changing supplier at the end of your current contract, your present supplier can require you to send it any quotes you have got from alternative suppliers. It then has the right to supply you at the same price as your best quote, in which case the contract will continue and you have to stay with the supplier.

This is great news for the supplier because, even if it chooses not to match the best quote, it gets lots of useful information about its competitors’ prices. And it has the opportunity to tie you into a contract you might prefer to get out of.

But remember that you may want to change suppliers for many reasons other than price (for instance because you have had bad service). Having the option to have your current supplier match your best quote is one thing – having no choice about it is something completely different.

“You appoint the meter operator”
 
Some larger customers want to be able to choose who will be responsible for maintaining their meters (the person known as the meter operator). But most small businesses will not.

Contracts which say in the small print you have to choose the meter operator involve you in paying for metering services separately, rather than as part of the supply contract, and can expose you to greater risk because the contract makes you the first person responsible if something goes wrong with the meter. Look out for this in the small print. Unless you have a reason for wanting to take responsibility for appointing a meter operator, avoid this kind of clause.