British gas - challenge your DD increase!

1carminestocky

You just have to threaten to leave IME. same with most companies, Sky etc, potentially losing a customer concentrates their mind somewhat. And if BG call centre bod littletommytucker is typical of their staff (IME unfortunately he is!) then best get your wife/girlfriend to phone and put on the 0906 chatline voice if you want decent service. :rotfl: What an advert he is for BG :eek:

SwanJon

1carminestocky wrote: »

You just have to threaten to leave IME. same with most companies, Sky etc, potentially losing a customer concentrates their mind somewhat. And if BG call centre bod littletommytucker is typical of their staff (IME unfortunately he is!) then best get your wife/girlfriend to phone and put on the 0906 chatline voice if you want decent service. :rotfl: What an advert he is for BG :eek:

If this works for you, fine, but remember that the DD need have no relation to what you are actually using.
If the DD goes down or up too much it won't balance at the end of the year - up too much and you lose interest on the moeny (or the things you could have bought). Too low and you'll end up in debt to the company and at the next assessment the DD will go up even further to ctach up. - best to always give them readings .
And to be fair to ltt he didn't quite put it like that. Like anyone who deals with the public will know, you are more likely to stick rigidly to the rules for an obnoxious customer, but will flex a bit more for somoeone who doesn't come on shouting and threatening you.

webbit

im with edf online version 2 for both, early this year British gas took my gas supply, despite me canceling the next day after signing (well the wife signed), and last week edf wrote to me to say that my gas dd would be going up from 40 to 75 pound a month. I keep all my gas and electric reading and there is no way on this planet will i use £900 a year gas, even if i ran it all day during the winter so i told them , no way. So they have changed it back.
I am in credit by 25 on gas and 70 on electric, come the next bill the credit i will have run up on both will be 210 on electric and 170 on gas, and im very confident after that i will still be in credit.
To me the energy companies want you in credit all the time when paying by dd, but this is buying your energy in advance

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

They tried to up my direct debit from £58 to £98,I was in £200 credit for goodness sakes.I e-mailed and said I was'nt going to pay anymore in view of my credit situation and would monitor my use(I always read my meters weekly anyway) and they said that in they would ALLOW this but would be monitoring my use and payments.
That was two months ago and they have'nt been in touch again and I'm still over £200 in credit.

1carminestocky

It does make you wonder how many people are being asked to make inflated and wholly inappropriate monthly DDs, doesn't it? I know Centrica have the begging bowl out in the City but I didn't think they would extend this to their customers as well, lol...

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

1carminestocky wrote: »

It does make you wonder how many people are being asked to make inflated and wholly inappropriate monthly DDs, doesn't it? I know Centrica have the begging bowl out in the City but I didn't think they would extend this to their customers as well, lol...

They must make an absolute fortune in interest by doing it as well.