SWITCHING energy, phone or broadband is so complicated that as many as one in three of us end up paying more.

With household bills soaring, record numbers of consumers are changing their suppliers. However, up to 32% of electricity switchers may have moved to dearer deals, paying between £14 and £35 a year more, according to a report last week from the National Audit Office.

The NAO report says those switching telephone and broadband deals are finding it difficult to compare prices because of confusing rates and bundled deals that offer different services.

It has also emerged that British consumers endure slower switching times compared with those in other parts of the world.

The report based its findings on a study by the University of East Anglia which found that those who do switch get only between 26% and 39% of the maximum savings available.

It blames “poor consumer decisions”, although the report adds that mis-selling by door-to-door salesmen may be another factor.

Energywatch, the energy watchdog, said consumers may also have underestimated or overestimated their usage levels on comparison sites, which base their advice on information provided by consumers.

Mobile-phone switching is also fraught with problems and the leading operators have been accused of adding to them.

From this month, the telecoms regulator, Ofcom, says it should take no longer than two days to switch providers and two hours by the summer of 2009. The switch time was previously five working days.

However, consumer groups say it can take double the current limit, even though operators in many other parts of the world can do the switching much faster.

In Hong Kong, switching has taken around two hours since 1999 and in Australia since 2001. Consumers in Canada, the US and Ireland also enjoy two-hour switching.

It is not only in the mobile market that British consumers are losing out. The energy regulator Ofgem said it should take four to six weeks to switch gas and electricity suppliers, but the comparison firm Uswitch said it can take double that.

We offer some tips on moving to the best deal.

Mobile phones

To switch to a new operator while keeping your number, you have to request a PAC code from your existing provider.

This should be provided within two days, after which you give it to your new supplier, who will transfer you immediately. The process is known as “number portability”.

However, consumer groups said delaying tactics are commonly used, such as sending a PAC code in the post rather than giving it over the phone. Operators also have “retention teams” which offer special deals to prevent switching.

Michael Phillips of the comparison firm Broadband Choices said: “All this can add days to the switching process. Even though it should take only two days now, the reality is that some people are having to wait much longer.”

The Sunday Times has received several complaints from readers who said their operator has either refused to issue a code or delayed the process.

Last month, when mobile operators were given five days to issue a code, Biron Singh, 33, an electronics engineer from Bristol, was told by Vodafone that his PAC code would be issued within the right timeframe.

However, he rang customer services two days later to discover that his request had not been logged.

As he rang them on a Saturday, he was told he had to wait until Monday before he could make another request.

“I felt I was back to square one,” he said.

An Ofcom spokesman said it was calling for a centralised data-base of mobile numbers so that customers would not have to request a code from their existing supplier and pass it on to the new provider – instead the numbers could be swapped by the companies themselves.

Steve Weller of the comparison firm Uswitch, said: “The number porting process in Britain is archaic, so it’s no wonder that consumers are put off.”

Energy

The European Commission is currently reviewing the energy switching times across Europe. Though different member states have different levels of competition, it is far easier in some countries than in Britain.

In Holland, for example, it takes five days to switch an energy supplier, and in Ireland 10 days. In Spain it takes two to three weeks.

Sunday Times reader Anne Bellis, 53, from Goole, East Yorkshire, was without an official energy supplier for a year after switching from British Gas to Npower because the process was so fraught.

A spokesmen for regulator Ofgem said: “All the main suppliers are signed up to a customer-transfer programme, an agreement which is designed to make switching a smooth process for the customer.

“If a customer encounters a problem that the supplier can’t resolve, he or she should contact Energywatch which will be able to help.”

Broadband

Broadband switching is also fraught with delays. As with mobiles, you need to obtain a number, known as a MAC code, and pass it to your new provider.

It should not take longer than five days for it to be issued. Once your new provider has the code, the switch should take no longer than five days – a total of 10 working days.

However, it can take much longer. Research by Broadband Choices found that 48% of consumers did not receive their code within this five-day period.

In Germany, consumers are usually switched within seven working days while in France it can take two days.

Home phone

It should take no more than 10 working days to switch a fixed-line phone, according to Ofcom.

However, in Germany, Esto-nia, Malta, Finland and Austria, switching fixed lines takes about five days on average. In France it takes only four working days.

Ofcom said the delay gives consumers time to change their mind and stay with their current supplier without having to paya penalty.

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