Gas/Electric Direct Debits???

Highburton-Pete

Hi
Eon want to put the direct debit to £91 from £38 even while i am in credit.
Can i stop them doing the increase and leaving at £38? Am i able to do a standing order rather than direct debit?
I have done a comparison with last year and including a 20% increase it still only works out at £47 per month?
Any advice would be of great help.

Many thanks

Pete

ihateyes

Highburton-Pete wrote: »

Hi
Eon want to put the direct debit to £91 from £38 even while i am in credit.
Can i stop them doing the increase and leaving at £38? Am i able to do a standing order rather than direct debit?
I have done a comparison with last year and including a 20% increase it still only works out at £47 per month?
Any advice would be of great help.

Many thanks

Pete

have you paid any debit card payents during the last 6 mths??

i would ring them and ask the if prices are going up an average of 18% why they are putting the ddeb up almost 150%, then id threaten to leave them unless they drop the ddeb to £50.

jalexa

Highburton-Pete wrote: »

...I have done a comparison with last year and including a 20% increase it still only works out at £47 per month...

What annual consumption figure in kWhrs did you use for the comparison?

Have you provided regular customer readings?

Was a reading obtained or provided immediately before the payment hike?

spiro

Highburton-Pete wrote: »

Am i able to do a standing order rather than direct debit?

If you do that you will loose you DD discount.

soothyerboots

Ask them what they have based that on. It could be they have based it on some bullcrap 'predicted consumption forecast' for the next 12 months....predictions which, surprise surprise, always seem to be much higher than your normal yearly consumption.

Ask them for your annual kwh consumption for the last 12 months - they should be calculating the DD based on this (on whatever prices you will be paying).

david39

I had a similar problem to that with Scottish Power a few years ago - took the DD from £80 to £117 even though I was in credit in the springtime.
I changed suppliers and when SP rang to ask why, I told them.
They said that if I stopped the change, they would be able to adjust the DD to £90.
I asked them if that was the case why did they try to increase it to £117 - to which they didn't have an answer.

The truth is that they will try to get as much out of you per month as they think you'll stand - even if they have to pay you back after twelve months because they've taken too much. You will have given them an interest-free loan for the best part of a year which, multiplied over most of their customers amounts to a hefty saving in bank interest charges.

If you are sure that the increase is unjustified and that you are not going to find that after the winter you have a large debit due to them, give them a ring and tell them you're leaving.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Hi Highburton-Pete,

Already some good advice here and I think we have established you need to speak to E.ON to go through the figures.

Have you changed your tariff recently? maybe on to one of the fixed that might cost you more?

spiro has made a very good point, you can change your payment method but you would loose the DD discount and you may not be eligible for your current tariff (as some stipulate that you have to pay by DD) I'm not sure which tariff you are on at the mo so this is just a bit of info .

Let me know if you need any more info.

Helena

jalexa

david39 wrote: »

I had a similar problem to that with Scottish Power a few years ago - took the DD from £80 to £117 even though I was in credit in the springtime.
I changed suppliers and when SP rang to ask why, I told them.
They said that if I stopped the change, they would be able to adjust the DD to £90.

That is great point and exactly the right sentiment.

However there is a slight problem with the timing in that the losing supplier normally isn't informed until the expiry of the "cooling-off" period after which (erroneous transfers excepted) it is too late to stop the change.

As well as (usually) delivering savings, a benefit of a switch is that as long as "accurate" annual consumption figures are provided during the switch, "accurate" monthly payments should be calculated by the gaining supplier.

Never compare or switch using monthly payments but be aware it is a favoured "con" of "face to face" energy salespeople to do so.

jalexa

This is the Eon FAQ on the subject. It is actually quite helpful (IMO) because unlike some other suppliers (Edf for example) it mentions "spring" for the "zero-balance" objective and also that there is a review when "every" bill is generated.

http://www.eonenergy.com/FAQ/Paying-By-Direct-Debit/Direct-Debit-Payment-Calculation.htm

I cannot fault the FAQ but if in doubt ask for a detailed explanation, in particular the "assumption" for annual consumption.

Cardew

I have just left EON after just over a year. In that period I had 4 changes of Direct Debit and the smallish credit balance was refunded to me in June.

So I have no complaints on their accounting and, had I stayed with the company, with a 12 month 'history' of my consumption I suspect there would be less need to vary my DD.

gwyne

Hmm this happened to me on Scottish Power too. Makes absolutley no sense as we were well over £100 worth of credit Seems like a big scam, especially since we were on 'fixed' tariff for the year..