EDF - Why did I ever bother?

[Deleted User]

janninew wrote: »

I must admit I've always had good service from EDF as well! I had a problem last week when they put me on the wrong tariff, but I called them yesterday and its been sorted out now. I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes or so on the phone and yesterday I was answered straight away. I've also always have online access, I joined as a customer in November 2009.

I do always call first thing in the morning and always submit my own monthly readings, I try and stop problems before they occur, seems to be the best way with utility companies!

You find 20 minutes acceptable? Sorry but I've got better things to do than stay on the phone for 20 mins...

[Deleted User]

gemmalouanna wrote: »

Same here - my gas DD was reviewed and set at £1.00 per month. I e-mailed and asked for £40 per month, they confirmed they had re-adjusted it but on my bill last week it seems they have set it back at £1.00 as that what it stated in the little box on the front page

Yeh. Its crazy because this year I paid £108 for gas/elec and it was pretty close. Next year they want £61 so all thats gonna happen is that I'm going to be about £550 in debit at the end of the year..... (Tempted to stick the extra £47 or so in savings every month, earn some interest, then pay out at the end).

I used to be with powergen and they were the opposite. Ended up wanted almost £200 a month by DD - obviously wanted my money in their account in advance !!!

polkadot

Im also with EDF-have been for years.When we moved into this house 3 years ago it had Scottish Power so I went through the process to change.Tey insisted they couldnt do the change for 6 months and at the time I fell for it....

6 months of nightmare on SP we decided to switch,there were issues with our final reading as they captured the wrong starting reading (I had it saved in an excel spreadsheet).I called EDF and they ended up handlingit all for me.

I have reveiws quite often and just phone straight away and say I want my DD's left at what they are and they do leave thhem.

Also never been on the phone for more than 5 minutes.

HalloweenJack

and i`ve been with EDF for years - can get through promptly on the hpone - although it does matter what time of day you call ofc , DD`s are allways good happy to talk about slight raise or lower for it if needed , changed tarrifs 3 times within them now.


as i said previously - you`ll allways find ppl that moan , but the ones that are happy stay quiet.

backfoot

HalloweenJack wrote: »

as i said previously - you`ll allways find ppl that moan , but the ones that are happy stay quiet.

I have moaned if that's what you want to call it.

I prefer to say I have made a series of valid complaints which EDF totally accepted. They have apologised fully and paid compensation.

It's not difficult for them to provide good service, but due to many IT problems, marketing gaffs,poor processes and lack of resource to cope with demand,they have failed many customers miserably.

If they fail to do things like simple billing on a consistent basis,they are very likely to fall foul of the Regulator as BG recently did.

Are you suggesting customer's shouldn't complain?

HalloweenJack

Are you suggesting customer's shouldn't complain?

where did you get that from? i said that you only hear when companies are ` bad` - where is all the praise for a company?


or do you think that consumers shouldnt praise a company?


as for the IT issues - i think that they underestimated the responce to OS7 , and the company `updating` the IT suite underestimated the amount of work needed - btw im still on a 77 account number so no online access , so someone messed up as its not hugely hard to sort a dbase based on numbers - unless they are doing it in house with 1 intern and a mouse powered generator :P

janninew

[quote=[Deleted User];46184755]You find 20 minutes acceptable? Sorry but I've got better things to do than stay on the phone for 20 mins...[/QUOTE]

I did say usually the phone is answered straight away, the 20 minute wait was a first for me. Do I find it acceptable - yes I do, waiting on the phone for 20 minutes once in 2 years is ok, EDF were the only company not to raise there prices last winter and have been the cheapest tariff for me for the past couple of years. I've found when I was with Npower that they don't answer the phone straight away, I suspect most keep you waiting. The number I called is free phone and I put it on speaker so I'm not just sat waiting.

Were EDF the cheapest for you? Sometimes cheaper isn't better and customer service record should be looked at along side the price.

jalexa

[quote=[Deleted User];46184755]You find 20 minutes acceptable? Sorry but I've got better things to do than stay on the phone for 20 mins...[/QUOTE]

Well I'll give a *slightly* different answer than janinnew, Personally I don't find 20 minutes acceptable, however if the circumstances dictate, spending time to sort *any* billing problem is "money well spent", possibily literally as I give incompetent suppliers a clear choice, in time shape up and compensate, or face a protracted (and expensive) complaints process.

In relation to electricity, unless subject to challenge a meter reading is proof positive of consumption, something that cuts both ways. A supplier "cannot win" a properly conducted complaint based on accurate billing, nor win a properly conducted exchange about the "correct" monthly payment. I stress "properly".

As regards Edf, personally I'm disappointed they disgraced themselves with their untested woeful IT system after only 5 weeks, when my plan was no further contact until 2014, but the response (after a circa 20 minute wait) is fine so far.

And I will have the last laugh as I am on quite a competitive tariff, fixed for 3 winters. Regardless of future price movement either way that brings *me* peace of mind.

gemmalouanna

[quote=[Deleted User];46184831]Yeh. Its crazy because this year I paid £108 for gas/elec and it was pretty close. Next year they want £61 so all thats gonna happen is that I'm going to be about £550 in debit at the end of the year..... (Tempted to stick the extra £47 or so in savings every month, earn some interest, then pay out at the end).

I used to be with powergen and they were the opposite. Ended up wanted almost £200 a month by DD - obviously wanted my money in their account in advance !!![/QUOTE]

Well I just e-mailed again last night explaining that it had been set to £1.00 again and could they put it back at £40 as I wish to remain in credit as we enter winter. They usually reply in about 3 weeks - I am not wasting anymore phone time as each time it is taking about an hour to get through and I can't be bothered anymore

Plushchris

[quote=[Deleted User];46184755]You find 20 minutes acceptable? Sorry but I've got better things to do than stay on the phone for 20 mins...[/QUOTE]

What? Like spend more time than that writing on here moaning about having to wait?