British gas - challenge your DD increase!

wilroda

Thought you might be interested in our experience with regards to British Gas Direct Debits and price increases.

We checked out our online bill ( didnt receive an email to say it was ready BTW) and were gobsmacked to find that our direct debit was to increase from £45 per month to £72. ....we are in credit to the tune of £70.

OH did his homework - ie all the maths!and he worked out that it should be around £54 and we contacted CS to challenge the amount.

Lo and behold they told us the calculation was wrong and that our DD should be £52 - saving a whopping £20 per month!!

Interesting .......

so please do ring CS and challenge them - you might be lucky!

Kez100

I won't query your husbands maths, woe betide me, but I would expect to be in credit by a lot more than £70 (i.e one and half months direct debits) going into winter. We use just over double energy in the two winter quarters than we do in the two spring/summer ones and tend to go into winter with 4x direct debit in credit.

Just remember you have challenged your direct debit not the actual bill which will be based on usage. I would keep your use in check - perhaps weekly - to make sure your husbands maths is correct. Otherwise you could get a big shock.

However, hopfully this will keep you on your toes as to overuse and encourage you to cut back where ever possible.

wilroda

I agree with your point with regards to the winter increase in consumption. Apparently this was taken into account when the chap from British Gas CS did his calculations.
Anyway, as you say it spurs us on to keep a closer eye on our usage.

Kez100

It probably will. We had a notice that rates were going up by 35% and went mad insulating, buying energy saving bulbs and meter checking! We are on course to spend no more than last year in money terms which just goes to show how much we have been wasting really!

Our DD increased by £4 only per month and we are on course with 4 x dd in credit but, as I say, we have become a bit nerdish about the whole thing.

sassybabee33

I checked my new bills online, have seen that my elec dd remains the same.It states on my bill the dd for my gas will continue as before,next payment due 5th dec. Sent an email to bg to ask what had happened to the direct debit for nov?
Email responce stated they were to take the usual £63 on 5th of nov and from 5th dec dd would be £159!! How the hell do they come to that figure?? I am now in credit on my gas account as well.
And then on the other hand, i am in debit of £158 for my elec,and the dd remains £85 per month.....

chairman_miaow

sassybabee33 wrote: »

Email responce stated they were to take the usual £63 on 5th of nov and from 5th dec dd would be £159!! How the hell do they come to that figure??

I think they really do just make it up....they've increased my DDR for gas from £26.50 to £60.00.....that's despite being in credit !

I shall of course be phoning them to point out the error of their ways...i was expecting an increase , but not over 50% !

wilroda

What irritates me a bit is that any of our money which is in credit with British Gas is earning them a tidy amount in interest and the more customers that over pay the higher their profits are...

Or am i being rather cynical here.....

KimYeovil

The trouble is you lot for whom the doubling is not correct are, in fact, very wasteful and are using lots more fuel than needs be. For a more typical pattern of consumption doubling the direct debit is not unreasonable if it is being recalculated at this time of year - see

KimYeovil wrote: »

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The money they make from you lot using lots and lots of unnecessary energy over milder months is a lot more than any interest they may be pocketing!

Magentasue

I am always surprised that people don't work out their DD payments themselves. Even in our less energy conscious days, I used to work out our annual usage, cost it at current prices and divide by 12. A couple of times our DD has been increased but it's always been put down when the figures have been given to them.

How much the DD is, or how much you're in credit this month is only relevant if you can afford to pay the difference if you or the supplier gets it wrong.

Magentasue

I am always surprised that people don't work out their DD payments themselves. Even in our less energy conscious days, I used to work out our annual usage, cost it at current prices and divide by 12. A couple of times our DD has been increased but it's always been put down when the figures have been given to them.

How much the DD is, or how much you're in credit this month is only relevant if you can afford to pay the difference if you or the supplier gets it wrong. I don't mind being in credit some of the year but I don't want to be paying more than I have to. Nor do I want to be paying less than is needed to cover the bills for the year.

1carminestocky

My theory on this one is BG seem very happy to quote you very low DDs when you have just joined them (in my case, even after I'd told them how much I should be paying per month. They still tried to get me to pay £40 per month less! I needless to say insisted on paying my calculated DDs). They do this so that if you are the type who regularly switches, the debit balance you will inevitably run up in a very short space of time will dissuade you from switching. Once they are happy you are not the constant switching type they seem only too happy to get you overpaying, lol.