Direct Debit has more than doubled!!

neas

sorry its just its getting boring hear the same 'blame everyone but myself' attitude on here.

jimexbox

neas wrote: »

sorry its just its getting boring hear the same 'blame everyone but myself' attitude on here.

Many people need a little 'wake up' call first, myself included. I now have a stress free life when it comes to energy bills.

magyar

jimexbox wrote: »

I think you are a little harsh. Unfortunately the vast majority of UK residents have the wrong mindset, where they believe their utility company should takes the lead in billing and energy monitoring. Where in fact they/we are adults and its our responsibility, not our energy suppliers. It seems most of us can raise children successfully, though not monitor our energy usage ourselves.

Ive already suggested Eon start an information campaign entitled, 'We are not here to hold your hand'.

I don't believe that's the problem. I think the mindset is that if you pay via Direct Debit, you've 'already paid for your electricity'. The subtlety about estimated vs. actual bills is lost on many people.

And don't forget that for many people, they have spent most of their life in a world where it was the utility company's responsibility to bill: they read the meter, they provided the bill.

magyar

As an addition to the above, it would help if representatives of all the Big 6 weren't still using misleading statements. I have had people come round to my door and make promises that they cannot know are the case. Because I work in the industry, I know they're lying. But many people believe them.

delain

I have had a man come and talk at me for ages, would not go away i asked him twice was he trying to get me to change my supplier and he said no, then he produced forms for 'switching to british gas'!! Then he didn't put me on the tariff he said he would, i only signed up as he was quite intimidating.

bunch of liars

magyar

Quite. My wife 'accidentally' switched us once - and there is no way she would have done that knowingly because she knows that we have incentives to stay with our own supplier.

I had representatives from SSE telling me that

- they were from 'your local regional electricity company' (they're not, a separate bit of SSE runs the local grid, yes, but they are completely legally separated from SSE's retail arm).

- they could 'save me money' (how, they didn't even know what tariff I was on, which company I was with)

- this form is purely for information (no it isn't, it's very clearly a supply contract).

As you say, liars.

thumper1970

I personally read the meters every month, and send it in the the company online - That way we can track usage, and keep on top. My bill has just been reduced from £88.00 a month to £72.00 a month (for both gas and electric, two adults, three children, three storey town house) which suits me just fine!

magyar

thumper1970 wrote: »

I personally read the meters every month, and send it in the the company online - That way we can track usage, and keep on top. My bill has just been reduced from £88.00 a month to £72.00 a month (for both gas and electric, two adults, three children, three storey town house) which suits me just fine!

It's great you're on top of the billing, but I think it's important that people start using the right language with regards to this.

Your bill hasn't changed. What you've done is mean that the Direct Debits the company take are an accurate representation of your usage.

Ultimately, your DD's are simply a way of paying the company in advance. They don't mean you'll pay any more or less for your enery.

It sounds like you're aware of this, but many aren't.

stelarge

Cheers everybody, that was a lot of help... lots of contstructive ideas, Spoke to eon and got it reduced to 119.00 from 157.00 Thankyou

seven-day-weekend

thumper1970 wrote: »

I personally read the meters every month, and send it in the the company online - That way we can track usage, and keep on top. My bill has just been reduced from £88.00 a month to £72.00 a month (for both gas and electric, two adults, three children, three storey town house) which suits me just fine!

Me too, I take meter readings and enter the readings online, I check periodically that I'm on the best tarriff and e-on have reduced my dd from £108 to £88 (Gas and Electricity, 3 or sometimes 5 Adults, 3-story terraced house) AND refunded me the £156 credit I had built up.

To the OP, If your dd is not covering your usage then obviously your payments will go up, Do what I and others have done and monitor your readings, then there won't be any surprises. Ring E-on and ask them what is your best tarriff.

Then you will find the whole thing more manangeable.