Cancelling Direct Debits Before Switching

loveandlight

Hi guys,

I want to switch suppliers asap and not sure of the best way to do it?

I've just had an up to date reading done for my gas & electric (they're both with British Gas) and it shows I'm currently £180.00 in credit for both. BG still want to increase my monthly direct debit for gas by a further £27.00 per mth. I pay £300 in total by monthly direct debit at the end of every month so by the end of this month I'll then be in credit for about £480.00 (less about 10 days worth of current consumption).

I'm thinking I should call BG now and tell them I'm cancelling my DD immediately and will pay their bill upon receipt? Then I should contact my new providers and tell them I want to switch to them and start up a new direct debit?

I've used energyline and apparently Npower online are the cheapest one for us.

I just don't want BG to take any more money out of my account you see and I don't want them to be holding such a large amount and then take ages to pay it back to me.

BG damaged my credit file last year for defaulting on a monthly direct debit payment when I hadn't defaulted at all. I then had the stress of getting them to remove their default which they eventually did.

I'm a bit nervous as to the best way of handling this switch as I don't want them to end up damaging my credit file again and I don't want to have to wait ages for all this money to be returned to me?

McKneff

Just contact a new supplier and get them to do the switch over.

I think it takes 6 to 8 weeks for this to happen.

£300 a month for a DD is extremely high, are you sure that is the figure or are yu paying some arreas off.

If you are contacting BG please follow everything up in writing or email so that you have a paper trail.

victor2

You'll have to pay one more monthly payment even if it will end up with even more credit.
You could try contacting BG and tell them you don't want your DD increased and want a refund of the current credit. I'd leave the DD in place until you are transferred to your new supplier. BG should cancel it after your final bill/settlement. After that, tell your bank to cancel it just as a precaution.

dogshome

The way that the Switch system works is that you choose your new supplier and tell them you want to switch - From that point forward they do all the work. At some point through the process which can take up to 6 weeks, they will ask for your meter readings and tell you the date the Switch will take place
Make a note of the readings you have given and the date, and keep it safe
It's up to the new supplier to inform BG of the readings and the date.

BG will send you a Final Bill, (Check that this is based on the same readings and date that the new supplier has), and pay you any credit still outstanding when it's been taken into account - My advice would to keep your D/D's going as if BG don't know you are Switching and then the D/D's stop, they can get a bit miffed

n'power Be aware that n'power 'sculpt' the annual allocation of Prime Units on their tariffs to charge more of them in Winter, which pushes up winter bills

Many of their tariffs have an a valuable Annual Cash-back feature which accounts for their listings near the top of the switch sites, but this depends on you having an unbroken record of 12 monthly D/D's in a 12 month period - If you miss a DD or move supplier before having made the required 12, you lose the cash-back.

£3,600 a year, to become £3924, on Gas & Elec ! ? It would be interesting to see your annual Kwh consumptions if you care to post

meggsy

I cancelled my DD when I switched away from npower just recently, and I told them so by email. I didn't trust them enough to take another £156 so I settled my £70 debit through their online payment system. It was a safe time to do this as I had received the £100 discount and due to their price rise I didn't have exit fees to pay either. I cancelled the DD when the switch was almost complete to Co-op energy at the end of August and before the 1st September when npower would have taken the DD. It can be difficult sometimes with npower to work out the best time to switch from them.
Co-op energy took first DD on the 5th September.

loveandlight

posted by dogshome
£3,600 a year, to become £3924, on Gas & Elec ! ? It would be interesting to see your annual Kwh consumptions if you care to post

I am clueless about all of this really as I find it all so complicated.:o

On my latest bill dated 23 Sept 2011 BG says they estimate my annual cost for the next 12 months based on previous 24 Sept 2010 to 23 Sept 2011 as follows:

29386 kWh - gas (£1288.37 standard tariff) - currently pay £149.00 per mth - BG want to increase to £176 per mth?
6061 kWh - electric (£789.15 standard tariff) - currently pay £142.00 per mth - BG to reduce to £130 per mth?

victor2

loveandlight wrote: »

I am clueless about all of this really as I find it all so complicated.:o

On my latest bill dated 23 Sept 2011 BG says they estimate my annual cost for the next 12 months based on previous 24 Sept 2010 to 23 Sept 2011 as follows:

29386 kWh - gas (£1288.37 standard tariff) - currently pay £149.00 per mth - BG want to increase to £176 per mth?
6061 kWh - electric (£789.15 standard tariff) - currently pay £142.00 per mth - BG to reduce to £130 per mth?

Those kWh figures look very high, especially the electricity. I don't know what BG are trying, but just multiply the DD amount by 12 and see what you would be paying in a year - considerably more than they are predicting.
Standard tariffs are always expensive, so you will definitely benefit from switching, or even changing to another BG tariff. There's almost certainly ways you can reduce your energy consumption with just a little effort too.

loveandlight

posted by victor2
Those kWh figures look very high, especially the electricity. I don't know what BG are trying, but just multiply the DD amount by 12 and see what you would be paying in a year - considerably more than they are predicting.

I already argued this with BG in the past but they were adamant the DD's were set correctly.

posted by victor2
Standard tariffs are always expensive, so you will definitely benefit from switching, or even changing to another BG tariff. There's almost certainly ways you can reduce your energy consumption with just a little effort too.

Can't see what more we can do to reduce our consumption really but I am open to any suggestions. I work from home but that's just me working at a desk and not using anything else apart from the pc. I have become obsessive with not using the gas & electric at all unless absolutely necessary. We even sit watching tv of an evening by candlelight instead of putting the lights on:o

All of this is why I want to switch asap and start afresh with another supplier as I think its all got a bit out of hand now.:(

victor2

loveandlight wrote: »

I already argued this with BG in the past but they were adamant the DD's were set correctly.


Can't see what more we can do to reduce our consumption really but I am open to any suggestions. I work from home but that's just me working at a desk and not using anything else apart from the pc. I have become obsessive with not using the gas & electric at all unless absolutely necessary. We even sit watching tv of an evening by candlelight instead of putting the lights on:o

All of this is why I want to switch asap and start afresh with another supplier as I think its all got a bit out of hand now.:(

Then switching away from BG may be your best approach.

After that, you could start another thread about reducing your energy usage if you don't find something in here that helps you.

dogshome

Hi loveandlight - The Gas & Elec consumption figures would look OK for a big detached house, (4/5 Bedrooms?), occupied by a large family including teen-agers who think switches only have an 'On' position.
If the above doesn't fit your home and family and you are in something smaller - Please post details