Attempted forced change of repayment amount

IKWeb

May I suggest you go back and read the DD information, on and also m aybe you should switch to a bank who knows what they are saying... DDs gives as Premier says the Payer FULL CONTROL of what they take!!!

If they are sending you this letter saying your payments need to go up then you will find then do, they don’t just send you letters for the fun of it.

They will have meter reads from your house for the past say 12 months and they will base you DD payments on this, so if you are using more, which from what you have said you are, else your energy company would not have sent you the letter (meter reads don’t lie) then you DD's will go up simple as that.

If you account falls in credit you can always apply for it back once every 6 months.
Most people think that companies up DD's so your account goes into credit and they get the intrest off you account, although as some people know OffGem do NOT allow energy companies gain profit on credits they hold on people’s accounts...

As for compensation come on get real, this is something everyone who pays via DD goes though once or twice a year, so why should you be special, most people just let them take what they recommend (within reason) and if there account falls into credit get a refund after 6 months!

SwanJon

All the emphasis seems to be on companies taking more than you 'authorise' them to take. What is most likely to happen if you disagree is that they will take nothing, remove you from their discounted scheme and put you on their standard tariff and ask for any outstanding balance immediately.

Do you go through this if your DD for car insurance, TV licence, phone bill etc are more than you 'authorised'. What level of detail do you ask for when they prove how they calculate your insurance premium?

Incisor

Cardew wrote: »

Incisor,

In the month since you have been on this forum you have posted 583 times with a high percentage of them being confrontational.(an accusation that might justifiable be leveled against myself!!)

However you can bluster as much as you like on this matter.

Attempt to obfuscate and give quotations that are completely irrelevant.

The unescapable fact is you are completely wrong in your opening statements in this thread.

I know it! you know it! everyone who can read English will know it!

Yet you will, as you put another post, attempt to 'wriggle'.

Sorry I annoyed you.

craftygranny

hi kissmeimposh

i got the letter last week and they wanted to change it from the dd due 2nd august. When i rang yep you guessed it the computer got the blame it's set to recalculate everyones every 3 months.
She said it estimates your usage for 12 months plus anything you owe them and divides it by 12 to get the monthly figure.
I told her to tell the computer at that rate i must be paying for the street lighting for the whole of dewsbury. She said she'd have to speak to someone and call me back which she did and at the time she said she would and said it'll be staying the same and they would put that in writing.

regards trisha x

BexTech

Maybe they want to increase the payments you make because the cost of energy could be going up sometime soon?

kissmeimposh

Phoned up the supplier and had a nearly half hour conversation. Used an alternative number which they do not indicate on their letter, from saynoto0870.com , so that at least they won't profit from my phonecall and that they will pay for it and not me. Dialed 141 first to block my number from being identified just in case they want to tell me to please phone back on the other number.

Lady said they cannot now alter the DD as they now don't have the requiste 10 days before the modified/increased amount is set to be taken from me (their fault). They did not give me ample time to contact them.

All ambiguities in wording of the letter she blamed on 'just the computer'.

She offered to meet me half-way betwen current amount and sought-increased-amount. She said the calculated estimate is XX/per month usage, but when I pressed her to calculate my actual usage in the past year it was several pounds less per month. And because of my household circumstances in fact and logic we will inevitably be using less energy and not more. For privacy I can't elaborate here on the boards, but she had the details and did not refute that it was all but overwhelmingly unlikely if not impossible that I will use more.

Only becuase 'that's what [she] see on the screen', she cannot change my DD amount.

Sod the screen! If it transpires that I have used more, I'd be happy to pay. But not for a prediction that I genuinely do not agree with and that even she could not justify.

She said that the only way to change the amount is to cancel the DD myself. And she said I could set up a standing order to keep paying, but would still get collections letters.

Even based on their predictions there is less than a five pounds per month difference between their predicted monthly use and my actual use per month in the past year. And they seek to increase my DD payments by an amount several times that calculated difference.

BexTech

kissmeimposh wrote: »

Sod the screen! If it transpires that I have used more, I'd be happy to pay. But not for a prediction that I genuinely do not agree with and that even she could not justify.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7461635.stm

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/resources/daily_news/energy_efficiency_consumer_new_tag/uk_may_face_40_fuel_price_increase

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article4160856.ece

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/jun/09/householdbills.oil

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/18/bcngas118.xml

kissmeimposh

The bill and all our discussions talk about usage, not price.
Also, she indicated taht their companies prices have increased 10% - far beyond the increase they are seeking to levy on me.

Plasticman

craftygranny wrote: »

I got a letter too from my supplier saying they wanted to change my direct debit from £150 pounds per month to £353 per month. I rang them the same day and they agreed to leave it at £150. The lady said it's done automatically but if you call them they can leave it the same.

just talk to them better the price of a phone call than paying loads extra every month.

regards trisha x

Thanks for being the voice of reason

I too received an 'increase' letter from £80 per month to £89 (EoN). I added up my costs for the past 12 months and they were almost exactly £80 per month (£960 pa). Given the likely price rises this year I don't plan to call them about it - I suspect that the increase may not be enough................

Cardew

kissmeimposh,

In your original post you wrote:

I agreed a monthly repayment plan --- for a fixed monthly amount through direct debit ----

Can they change this unilaterally without my consent???

I think it has been established to everyone's satisfaction(I hope!!) that a Direct Debit is not for a fixed sum, and they can change it without your consent!

Therefore you have no case for compensation and/or legal action.

Most of the early posts in this thread suggested that you negotiate with the company if you are unhappy with the rise - which you have finally done.

It is rather ironic that by far the majority of complaints about Direct Debits on this Forum are from people who have run up large debit balances because the **!!** utility company set the DD too low!