The story of Helen Cripps (Argus, February 12) tricked into changing her gas and electricity suppliers is, sadly, not an isolated case.

Warm Front, a Brighton and Hove project training and supporting people in energy advice, has found a huge number of people in Brighton and Hove have become deeply disillusioned about changing fuel supplier.

"Better the devil you know" seems to be the attitude. Strong-arm sales tactics by utilities, scepticism about sales claims and a lack of information about where to get comparative information seem to be the problems. Yet changing suppliers is potentially an important way of reducing fuel costs.

I advise if you are approached by a utility sales person, be very careful signing anything as it will probably be a contract. If you are interested in what the utility has to offer, consider asking about the cost of any standing charges - or alternatives to standing charges, such as "Band A" and "Band B" prices - as well as the cost of the fuel itself.

Before you do sign anything, ask how long the contract lasts and whether there are any penalties for cancelling before the contract finishes. Remember, if you change your mind after signing, there is a seven-day "cooling off" period during which you can cancel.

-Janice Hoiles, manager, Warm Front