right to choose payment method

ali_p_4

My direct debit charges were too high for me to afford. I cancelled the direct debit arrangement to revert back to billing. I have been set up on monthly cash payment plan without my knowledge which is more than the direct debit. I have paid my bill up to date and am being told i don't have a choice anymore because i cancelled my direct debit. Furthermore they are instigating recovery procedings because i am not making the monthly cash payments of £171. Surely they haven't a right to do that. I have contacted consumer-wise the energy ombudsman but had no reply as yet.

Magentasue

Did you ask if you could revert back to quarterly billing before you cancelled the DD?

I'm not sure but I think it's up to the supplier how you pay - quarterly billing is offering you credit so they don't have to let you pay that way. Also, I think some tariffs are only available if you pay in specific ways.

If you asked for quarterly billing and they agreed, that's quite different of course.

ali_p_4

I didn't ask because i thought i had the choice of how to pay.I had to cancell the direct debit because i hadn't the money before christmas to do it . I had been out of work for 3 months and only just got new job. My tax and other things were messed up so i was left short. There is no way i can afford to pay over £500 per quarter when my bills are £400 at the highest. They won't re-negotiate a lower rate. What is the point on setting someone up on a scheme that they have no way of meeting I am trying to improve my credit score to get better mortgage deal this will only add to the problem. I only just managed to claw my house back from being repossed by being out of work. I am just managing to get back on straight and narrow.

Cardew

I agree with the post above.

If you can't afford to pay the Direct Debit, the company have every right to believe that you will not be able to pay the next bill which is likely to be the biggest bill of the year. Especially as you will have lost the DD discount.

So if they do not want to offer you credit facilities for several hundred pounds it is their right to refuse you credit.

Magentasue

I think you need to rescue this.

Contact your supplier and negotiate - if you have to pay more than you want to for a few months, you'll be in a better bargaining position after this expensive quarter. Cut your consumption to minimum until you're better off.

If you can't afford the payments (I'm assuming from post 3 this may be the case) you need to look at reducing your outgoings (get rid of Sky, mobiles etc, cut any other non essential spending) and/or increasing your income (part-time work, more benefits). If you cannot do any more than you've already done, get help from CAB or similar. Avoid it going to recovery if at all possible.

ali_p_4

cab think my payment is too high. I am single parent i work part time with overtime when available i don't go out, don't smoke but despite going through a rough time recently am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel i am trying to save the excess from my fuel to pay other bits and pieces off once and for all to save me money in the long term. I have a high amount of arrears to my mortgage until next month because of no help obviously while i was off work. A couple of months down the line i will be well away but now i am back at work everyone is demanding everythin yesterday.:mad:

Magentasue

It's that time of year, isn't it. More heating, Christmas etc. Hard enough when you've budgeted but can really throw you when the unexpected happens or things catch up with you. Can only suggest going back to supplier - you were in the wrong to cancel the DD without making other arrangements but you can explain that you wrongly assumed you could do this. Ask if they will accept a lower payment by DD for a couple of months to give you a chance to catch up. Trouble is, by cancelling your DD, you've defaulted and they will not want you to build up a debt. Worth asking nicely, I'd have thought.

ali_p_4

Thanks sue this comes at a long line of problems with them. I had to query why i hadn't had a bill recently i questioned if they had changed their billing periods but they had sent me a bill which i didn't receive as well as the arrangement of putting me onto the new arrangement the first i knew of it was when i received the letter from their collections department. Why though, i can't understand is that they say on a letter i have that you can cancell your direct debit at any time. When you obviously can't ???

allan673

you should have the right to go onto quarterly billing, and pay on receipt of bill.
thats what i did when british gas started increasing my dd even though i was in credit !!!.
i just rang and asked to be put onto quarterly billing, and am now paying on receipt of bill.
i just put a set amount away each month to cover the gas bill, the amount i put away is 40% less than british gas wanted in dd and it more than covered my december gas bill.
they really annoy me, its about time the energy companies put their costs down now. the government should really be doing something about this - its all becoming a joke.

Magentasue

allan673 wrote: »

i just rang and asked to be put onto quarterly billing

That's the point - the OP didn't ask.

ali_p_4

When I have ever queried my billing in the past . They won't make any changes without meter readings. In my case then i was part way through billing and had to give readings they then sent me a bill for that date so i was then paying part of my next quarterly bill in advance. No matter how adamant i am to keep my cool with them, i am a very easy going person. They always end up twisting what i am saying and getting me irate by not listening to what i am saying.