Budget energy

spike7451

damianmcr wrote: »

Whilst I feel for you Spike what alot of people fail to take into account when they accept a crisis loan is that the repayments are clearly laid in front of them and they read this and sign it and they give off when these start and they are too high.

But yeh ESA are a bunch of jokers. Never take what they say at face value. They lie thru there teeth. Ive no idea how they get away with it. Always ask for management if never happy. You were right to get your MP/MLA involved too.

Appreciate what you're saying & I did take that into account,problem is that not only are the payments I'm making DOUBLE what I agreed to per week,they have only in the past few months started taking repayments from crisis loans I took out when I was first laid off in early 2008!

Cherryscone

Has anyone actually received their plastic cards to top up yet ?

spike7451

Cherryscone wrote: »

Has anyone actually received their plastic cards to top up yet ?

I got mine about a month after I switched.

Jo4

Hubby emailed Budget Energy on 25th April to see where the bill was and yesterday, 27th April, he got a response with a bill attached. The bill was from 28th November 2011 to 27th January 2012 and the person had came to read our meter on 21st March 2012. Can anyone make sense of why the person came to read our meter on 21st March if the bill was for up to 27th January and I would presume that the next bill is due on 27th April?!?

Cherryscone

spike7451 wrote: »

I got mine about a month after I switched.

I havent got mine yet if not received this week i may email them again.

spike7451

I called Firmus Energy today to give off over me not being able to use my top up cards in the Dee at the weekend & heard on the phone blurb (press 1 ect) that they do electricity.At the moment it's just for commercial use BUT they are going to roll it out for domestic users sometime this year!...

RTNI

I see that new customers for BE signing up for DD now have to pay £65 as a "usage deposit."

Do Power NI or Airtricity do this?

Bill Pay Customer Information

Current unit rate is 14 pence per unit (exc. VAT) since 25/11/2011.

Your monthly Direct Debit will be collected on an agreed date.

By the time you have officially switched to Budget Energy you will have used up to one months electricity, at the Budget Energy's LOWER rate.

First Direct Debit

The above amount will be collected with your calculated monthly direct debit amount. The company also requires a £65 usage deposit which may be refunded after 12 months (subject to uninterrupted payments)

Your first direct debit amount includes the following:

1. Your actual electricity usage during your switch over period, which may take up to one month.
2. The monthly direct debit amount calculated on your historic usage.
3. A £65 refundable usage deposit (is held for a minimum of 12 months providing your usage does not exceed your calculated direct debit amount and all payments are honoured)
   

Subsequent direct debits will be your calculated monthly amount and reviewed after 6 months.

Your meter will still be read by NIE T&D quarterly and Budget Energy will issue you with a reconciled Quarterly Bill

If any amendments are needed to your monthly direct debit we will notify you in writing at least 10 days before your Direct Debit date.

If you choose not to pay by Direct Debit, we require a minimum £250 deposit and your unit rate 15.12 pence per unit (exc. VAT).

2scoops2

Have been lurking on this thread now since the beginning of November while decding which energy supplier to switch too.
Having made the leap to BE on the 17th November 2011 we have finally recieved our 1st bill dated "17th Nov - 27th Jan"

It states we are in £50.27 DR (arrears) but the date is only a few days before our DD so it we will still be in the red with them but only by a few ££'s (hopefully). The billing was a slow process I had even contacted them at the start of APril to be informed my 1st bill would be posted out in the middle of APril. I was giving them another week before contacting them again before the bill arrived in todays post.

I was able to send the own reading via email as I too missed the meter man. I was confused but you still send your reading to NIE as you would have done with your previous supplier they in turn send it on the your provider in this case Budget Energy.

Regarding setting up the initial DD they wanted to take a double payment to which we weren't happy, I contacted them via telephone & they were happy enough to set up the DD without taking the initial double payment, so it may be useful to contact them directly regarding this issue.

Hopefully this helps some other folk who are in the same position.

2scoops2

DesG

I also just received a bill for the period Oct-Jan and it looks like they have charged vat at 20% instead of 5%, happened to anyone else?

Cheers, Des.

RTNI

I too have received a bill with the billing period of Oct - Jan. VAT is shown as 5% on the reverse. Had meter read a few weeks ago so was expecting a bill. Looks as if the bills have not been generated correctly?