WARNING! EDF Energy Customers

nikd72

I switched to EDF London Energy in May/June for Gas and Eectricity. My first Electricity and Gas DD came out in July, I recently became aware that they have not taken any further payments for electricity since then. I called CS yesterday and was informed that somebody had set my Aug and Sep DD to £0. When she checked with this person she told me it was because a bill was not due to be created and that if they had not set it to £0 it would have taken 3 months in one go. Obviously, I got very confused as they had continued to take my Gas as normal and I have never had this problem with a DD before. They have billed me today and I am in credit with my Gas but have a bill for over £75 for my electric. My DD amount was £32 so if they had not messed around with it I would only owe about £12. They want me to pay in one or increase my monthly payments. Does anybody have any advice? My first thoughts are to contact a supervisor and argue the case that if I had been informed that my DD had been stopped I could have set the money aside and been prepared for the increased bill. What do think?

Gareth56

schiff wrote:

I think we'll have to beg to differ on this one. I don't take quite the tough, don't mess with me attitude you do, I suppose it's a difference in our natures.

Whilst I would agree with you that the companies are profit motivated, it still doesn't stop the employees being decent, helpful people and I've had a lot of that from the EDF CS - the fact that they are not perfect in what they tell you is not wilful, they are just poorly trained.

schiff

The difference is that I will not be treated as a doormat by these greedy, uncaring companies who employ idiots in the CS departments. Everytime they [EDF] make a !!!!-up, which is IMO often, they use the same old excuse "sorry it's just human error". I don't accept that excuse.

schiff

nikd72 wrote:

I switched to EDF London Energy in May/June for Gas and Eectricity. My first Electricity and Gas DD came out in July, I recently became aware that they have not taken any further payments for electricity since then. I called CS yesterday and was informed that somebody had set my Aug and Sep DD to £0. When she checked with this person she told me it was because a bill was not due to be created and that if they had not set it to £0 it would have taken 3 months in one go. Obviously, I got very confused as they had continued to take my Gas as normal and I have never had this problem with a DD before. They have billed me today and I am in credit with my Gas but have a bill for over £75 for my electric. My DD amount was £32 so if they had not messed around with it I would only owe about £12. They want me to pay in one or increase my monthly payments. Does anybody have any advice? My first thoughts are to contact a supervisor and argue the case that if I had been informed that my DD had been stopped I could have set the money aside and been prepared for the increased bill. What do think?

Don't you monitor things like this to make sure everything is going to plan. If you were expecting the two DDs that weren't taken, then the money should have still been in your current account anyway?

To get straight and take all the hassle out of this, why not pay what's due today and start with a clean slate?

schiff

nikd72

Thanks for the reply Schiff, to be perfectly honest I have never had a problem with DD's to utililty companies before, I (maybe foolishly) assumed that once I had agreed a monthly amount, that they would continue to take that amount or contact me if the amount was to change - isn't that what the DD guarantee is all about? Anyway, I could just pay the balance but I dont feel that they have behaved in the correct manner and maybe I should get in the very least an apology from EDF.

schiff

I don't know if you have your current account online, or at least accessible online. That facility is invaluable and worth its weight in gold. If you keep a record of your DDs and SOs in date order, plus your credit card repayment dates and your other regular payments in and out, you can comfortably keep on top of everything and act accordingly, if anything has gone wrong. Microsoft Money is of course extremely useful - I personally would be devastated if I didn't have that, as it tells me everything!

I judge that you are upset and keen to have a go at EDF. If you take my advice, you would be better off saving your breath. Their response might make you feel worse! A month or two back, I sent them a carefully worded, 2-page foolscap letter, listing the many misleading and contradictory things that I had been told by different people in their CS over a period of months, plus the misleading and unclear stuff in the brochures etc that they had sent me since my joining them. Their reply was so bland and so blind to the many things I had pointed out, which made their image come over so badly, that I decided it would be a waste of my time to do anything further.

Their charges, for me, are miles cheaper than anybody else, I get about £7.50 a quarter for reading my own meters and reporting them online (2 minutes work!) and I get Nectar vouchers each year worth about £16 or so. Adding that together makes me realise I've got to stay with them, bad though their inefficiencies are. All it needs is to check regularly that everything is as it should be - and if it isn't, phone CS. It's a free-phone number (another perk) and the staff, though perhaps badly trained, are pleasant and helpful and will usually do what you ask them (if you make nice with them!)

schiff

nikd72

Thanks again schiff, I will sort it out tonight, I need to call them anyway as when I went to register my Nectar card I have to tick as box that says I would like to switch from the EDF £8.40 discount to Nectar points. Cheers

EmmaLH1

After some good advice, I looked at Uswitch and Energyhelpline who both suggested Atlantic as a provider saving me £180 a year on Gas and Electric if I switch from EDF.

I've never heard of them, has anyone got any experience with them, good or bad ?

Many thanks

nikd72

Just though I would give you a quick update on the EDF DD problem I was having. I just called CS and spoke to a very nice lady, I explained what had happened and she asked me if I would accept a credit for the amount of one months DD. I very politely turned it down, stating it should be for the 2 months and after she had a quick chat with the DD team, a credit of £64 was agreed.

Yippee, definately worth the 2 phonecalls :j

A big cheer for EDF and me!

schiff

nikd72 wrote:

Just though I would give you a quick update on the EDF DD problem I was having. I just called CS and spoke to a very nice lady, I explained what had happened and she asked me if I would accept a credit for the amount of one months DD. I very politely turned it down, stating it should be for the 2 months and after she had a quick chat with the DD team, a credit of £64 was agreed.

Yippee, definately worth the 2 phonecalls :j

A big cheer for EDF and me!

What did I tell you?

"...the staff, though perhaps badly trained, are pleasant and helpful and will usually do what you ask them (if you make nice with them!)"

schiff

mleonard79

Hey everyone,

Just to update re price rises - I finally got a letter today saying the prices are going up from 2nd October (It looks like a rise of 26% on my previous prices.) I went and had a look at British Gas and Scottish Power prices though and they are still massively higher than my EDF online tariff so I don't think I'll get a much better deal elsewhere. Anyone else had the dreaded letter in?

Hi Emma - Can't believe you could save that much switching from EDF to another supplier? Are you not on the EDF online tariff? Sorry I don't know much about the company although I have heard of them. I'm sure there are others on here with experience of them though.

Regards

Michelle