Anyone else on Staywarm being charged extra?

dandy-candy

Mum had a call from Staywarm saying she is using far too much gas and electricity and they are going to up her bills by another £20 a month. She's pretty upset because she is a pensioner, disabled and terminally ill with cancer so finding an extra £240 a year is a stress she doesn't need, although if I am completely honest I do think she has been over the top with the heating on so much but on the other hand she is ill and say's can't bear being cold.
She was really upset with the woman who called her getting nosy on the phone:

Staywarm "What time does your heating come on?"
Mum "6am"
Staywarm "Why do you have it on so early?"
Mum "Because that's when I get up"
Staywarm "Well why do you get up so early?"

They also told her off for not turning off her appliances at the sockets at night even though she told them she is disabled and can't get down that low

I'm wondering if it is really just about her consumption or if they are trying to make extra so I thought I would ask if anyone else has had there bill upped?

MyRubyRed

Never heard of this approach.
My mum's on Staywarm and its been great for her. Yes theyv'e assessed her usage but there has not been any increase and its still a great deal for her. No calls as the one you outline above.

dandy-candy

Hmm maybe it is just mum's usage that stood out. I expect they are out of pocket with quite a few people especially after all that snow at the beginning of the year!

KimYeovil

Are you saying they are not honouring the original agreed payment part way through a twelve month period? Or is this just an annual review?

dandy-candy

She's been on Staywarm for a few years now so I expect it must just be a review.

gatita

Staywarm are behaving in this way to many many of its customers. They proclaim to
'help the elderly with their Staywarm Tariff) in my opinion this is a load of nonsense.
I was with Staywarm a few years ago, as were many of my friends, but when they kept upping the amount to be paid each year by ridiculous amounts, saying we were consuming too much, we told them where to go!
They should not be allowed to boast of their Staywarm tarif, it might be a good deal as long as you only use the energy for one hour a day.
I would advise you to go to one of the comparison sites, I am sure you will find a cheaper company for your mother.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

dandy-candy wrote: »

Mum had a call from Staywarm saying she is using far too much gas and electricity and they are going to up her bills by another £20 a month. She's pretty upset because she is a pensioner, disabled and terminally ill with cancer so finding an extra £240 a year is a stress she doesn't need, although if I am completely honest I do think she has been over the top with the heating on so much but on the other hand she is ill and say's can't bear being cold.
She was really upset with the woman who called her getting nosy on the phone:

Staywarm "What time does your heating come on?"
Mum "6am"
Staywarm "Why do you have it on so early?"
Mum "Because that's when I get up"

Staywarm "Well why do you get up so early?"

They also told her off for not turning off her appliances at the sockets at night even though she told them she is disabled and can't get down that low

I'm wondering if it is really just about her consumption or if they are trying to make extra so I thought I would ask if anyone else has had there bill upped?

Hi dandy-candy

I'm really sorry your mum received such an intrusive call from our Staywarm team.

Staywarm is designed specifically for customers aged 60 and over. It allows them to use as much energy as they like over a 12 month period for a set monthly price.

This product is about peace of mind. It offers the flexibility of using extra energy, like leaving the heating on during cold snaps, without the worry of an unexpected bill. No matter how much energy is used, the agreed monthly price will remain the same throughout the length of the contract.

However, it isn't possible to allow people to use as much energy as they like for as long as they like without reviewing their prices as this would inevitably compromise the scheme for others. Therefore, ongoing usage is still important and will form the basis of the review at the end of the contract.

It sounds as though your mum is currently going through her annual review. Here, we will look at what has been used during the previous 12 months and base our renewal offer on this.

As I say, Staywarm is more about peace of mind and I'm sure there are cheaper tariffs available both with us and the other suppliers.

As others have suggested, I would pop your mum's details on to one of the comparison sites. Have a look at the options available.

If your mum decides to switch to another tariff/supplier, there are no restrictions with Staywarm and she can move without penalty.

Part of the deal with Staywarm is that we will work with customers to help them reduce their usage going forward. It may be our agent was attempting to do this, albeit in a very heavy handed way given the conversation you've described.

Hope this sheds some light on to the possible circumstances behind the call and, again, I'm sorry the content of the conversation left a lot to be desired.

Give me a shout if you need any more details as will be happy to help.

Malc