Looking at energy supplier websites helps you find the right supplier for your business. But as you look at their websites, compare their prices, and determine if they have suitable options for your needs.
That can also take place when you use an energy suppliers directory.
You may notice something wrong, such as a typo or something more subtle.
It could be a weird font choice or an oddly-worded sentence. These are great, especially when they need to show you figures such as costs and other rates.
Learn the important tips on how to spot a faulty energy supplier comparison in this article.
Many websites claim to help you find the best rates, but they’re often full of misleading information or downright scams. So if you’re trying to save money on your energy bills, it’s essential to know which business energy comparison sites you can trust.
Here are five ways to tell if the energy comparison assistance you use for business is worth trusting.
Fake sites try to mimic real ones
Fake energy comparison sites often scam people into paying for services or products they don’t need.
So fake sites may look real at first glance, but they’re not. They may use a similar domain name, but they will likely have a different design, color scheme, and logo than the legitimate site.
They might also have misspellings in their names or meta descriptions, which are descriptions that can show up in search engine results.
Make sure you always check out the address bar when visiting a site. If you see “HTTPS” before the URL, you’re on a secure page, so you’re safe.
It’s also worth checking where the links go to. For example, do they link to an energy company? If so, that’s good, but if they don’t connect anywhere at all, or if it connects to a completely unrelated website, then that might be suspicious.
In addition, if they end in “.com” rather than “.org,” or if they have different endings like “.co” or “.io,” those are red flags that something might not be right with this site.
If you see one like this, check out where it came from. It could be an ad or spammy pop-up that doesn’t belong on your screen.
They offer you prizes.
It’s exciting to win a prize. But at what expense? Often suppliers and bidding sites would offer free quotes, and they ask you first for your payment details while posting that you get a free quotation.
So, if you see an offer for a prize in exchange for sharing your email and other secured data, the site isn’t legit.
They’re offering you freebies because they want you to give them access to your contacts. This way, they can spam everyone else in your email address book with their “offer” as well.
It may seem like a good deal at first glance, but it’s actually just giving away your personal information and potentially spreading spam throughout the entire internet.
So before you say yes or no to any offers like these, research the company behind them first.
Their ads look too slick.
If you’re looking for a way to compare energy suppliers, you may have seen ads that look very slick and professional. But be careful because these ads may trick you into thinking they are an official government service or some other trustworthy source of information.
The companies that make these are generally small businesses that can’t afford a big advertising budget. As such, they tend to be very straightforward about what their tool does and who it’s for. So if it looks like a big company made the ad, it probably isn’t one.
That’s because some companies pay lots of money to have their websites look official, and it works. Then, they fool consumers into thinking they’re safe and legitimate.
But this isn’t true because they want your business. So watch these fake sites, and don’t fall for their tricks. If you see one, it would be best to skip it.
They don’t compare all the big energy providers.
Some comparison sites only include one or two brands in their results, which means they won’t show you all the best offers available in your area.
This is because just one or two companies sponsor them. Even if this is not immediately obvious, it’s worth checking for yourself before signing up for anything.
You see, there are a lot of companies that make promises and then don’t deliver. They might promise you the world with their marketing material, but when it comes down to it, they can only offer you their product. And that’s not what you want.
So check their list of current partners or lack thereof first. If an energy comparison tool doesn’t compare all the big-name providers like British Gas, EDF Energy, and Npower, they aren’t worth your time.
The layout of the site looks amateurish.
If you’re looking for an energy comparison tool, you probably want something that looks professional. You wouldn’t go to a doctor’s office and find that they have an outdated website with immature graphics, so why would you expect anything different from an energy comparison site?
Look for typos and broken links on the page. These are signs of sloppy work on behalf of whoever made this fake site.
Also, check whether there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes in the text. Again, this could signify an automated translator rather than human input from someone who understands English well enough to write correctly using native vocabulary and syntax rules.
Always remember that the best sites are user-friendly and easy on the eyes. They should be well organized, with clear buttons and links that lead right where you need them to go. They should also have helpful videos explaining how the site works and a phone number in case you get stuck.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there are many ways to spot fake energy comparison websites.
The best way to avoid getting fooled is to keep your wits about you and be on the lookout for any suspicious activity. It probably is if something seems off or too good to be true.
Always remember that a simple energy comparison tool can provide you with more information about the company than just a phone number or address.
They should also be able to provide information about the services they offer, such as the ability to compare gas and electricity prices from different providers and find out if there are any special offers available from suppliers.
If you spot any strange activity on a page or notice any missing details, much money you could save, then it’s probably best not to proceed any further.
