Atlantic Gas & Electric:Payment by Direct Debit

Sidwell

I am on the Atlantic domestic standard tariff for gas and electricity and pay my bills monthly using the Direct Debit system.
If you pay using this method Atlantic say you qualify for an annual rebate of one months Direct Debit payment.
As I had not received any rebate I contacted Atlantic and was told I did not qualify for this payment (although I had been paid in the past) because I get a 5% discount.
I was surprised to be told this because their publicity material makes great play of the one months annual rebate which is the equivalent to 8.33%.
Has anyone else been caught in this trap?

macman

On what basis do you get a 5% discount?
You are on the most expensive standard tariff.

Sidwell

Macman, thanks for your useful response.

I was told by Atlantic Customer Services that the 5% discount was for paying by Direct Debit.

What is their cheapest tariff?

macman

I was on Atlantic for 3 years, paid by DD and still got my annual loyalty bonus.
The cheapest tariff will be one of the online ones, just use one of the comparison sites to check.

KimYeovil

The difference different people on different tariffs with the same supplier using the exact same amount of fuel pay is usually a lot larger than 3.3%

Sidwell

Up until this June this year I too paid by Direct Debit and received an annual rebate.

It was only when I asked why I had not received the rebate that I was told you only get it if using online tariffs, which was news to me.