EDF doubles electric direct debit - how to challenge

usignuolo

I have a direct debit for my electricity with EDF - currently £60 per month. For the past few years I have had a good rate for my electricity from a special deal I signed up to - which expired last November. So I was expecting my bill to rise and last quarter's bill has just arrived. The total was £260 nearly all at the new rate (only 2 weeks at the old fixed rate) and as I had paid £180 for three month on my direct debit plus had a c/f credit of £40, so the final bill is only for £40.

However included with it is a letter saying EDF have reviewed my account in line with usage, current balance and current rate, and are changing my direct debit to £130 per month WITHOUT the option.......This amounts to £390 per quarter and I haven't managed to spend this in the winter quarter just past, at the new rate let alone am likely to approach this in the summer. I don't get any option to challenge this.

Anyone got any suggestions? Maybe I should just cancel the direct debit? I would lose the direct debit discount, but as i don't get my gas from them, it would still be cheaper to pay it as I go. How do I cancel the direct debit, do I just write and tell them this? There is nothing on their letters about how to do this.

PurpleK8

I'd phone them and tell them to put it back down to what you think it should be - EDF did this to me a couple of years back, I just phoned them and told them not to increase my DD by so much. They still wanted me to increase it but I held my ground and so they left it as it was. It would be worth you checking who is the cheapest supplier in your area again as they do change (I have an internet only deal which saves me about 30%) x

usignuolo

Thanks for that. I phoned EDF , and spoke to an advisor (in the UK for once) and he totalled my bills for the last year and divided them by 12 and said I should be paying £65 month - not £130. He was as baffled as me by the proposed increase and we agreed to change my direct debit to £70 monthly and he said he would confirm this in writing. Does make you wonder if EDF is trying it on, or else there is a flaw in their IT systems somewhere.