EDF Direct Debits

davecampbell

I find it quite entertaining and look forward to submitting my readings at the start of each month just to see what happens to the DD.
After 9 months of continuous reductions, down to £25, last month they put it up to £66 (about right for the average) - but not to start until Dec 1st. This included £1 for each service to pay off debt even though I am £85 in credit.
This month they put it back down to £30 Including £1 for each service to pay off debt and £1 for each service to reduce my credit!

I love it.

Dave

victor2

Either somebody from EDF monitors these forums or tripped over it, but I've been contacted by them, initially by PM through here and ended up talking to a helpful customer services lady who said that if a reading is submitted within 28 days of another one, it will go in as information only. Otherwise, you will get a DD recalculation. Either way, their recommendation is to only submit readings quarterly or when prompted to by email - or a meter reader turns up.
I was told the DD aims to have your account at zero balance on your contract anniversary, so no spring targets here! I am due a recalculation this month (as if I haven't had enough!) and we agreed to see what that does.
She did say that she can enter readings against an account and tell the system not to recalculate the DD, but online customers can't. We agreed to try that in December with me giving her a reading to enter.
Not perfect, but should be a way to enter readings, see your balance and not get your DD recalculated. Maybe they'll eventually realise that is what customers want and fix their system..... we can dream.

brewerdave

victor2 wrote: »

She did say that she can enter readings against an account and tell the system not to recalculate the DD, but online customers can't. We agreed to try that in December with me giving her a reading to enter.
Not perfect, but should be a way to enter readings, see your balance and not get your DD recalculated. Maybe they'll eventually realise that is what customers want and fix their system..... we can dream.

......mind,she probably will have left EDF when you phone in December...and no-one else will know how to do it!!:rotfl:

jalexa

Ok, here is this month's test result. My last read submitted was less than 28 days from the previous read, no direct debit recalc, no account balance recalc.

Today's read less than 28 days from the last read but 30 days from the last read which generated a direct debit and account balance recalc - got a direct debit recalc:rotfl:, fairly modest but IMO still not accurate. Anyway can't be accurate without knowing the "assumptions".

If I can contain myself, this time I will wait for the email response because last time the b*st*rds dodged the email response by referring to the phone outcome restoring the previous DD.

So last weekend's maintenance outage has not solved this issue.

terry2

victor2 wrote: »

I was told the DD aims to have your account at zero balance on your contract anniversary, so no spring targets here!

In that case the algorithm they are using to recalculate DDs is even weirder than I thought. I can almost see some meaning behind what was going on with the changing DDs, if they were trying to get a zero balance around the end of March. Of course, it is always possible that what the rep has been told is not what has been implemented in the sytem.

You would have thought that EDF would have realised that recalculating the DD too often means that they have to employ more staff to field the phone calls about it. I would have expected it to be a fairly simply change to the system to check if the last DD change was within 6 months (say) and if is was then skip the recalculation, but who knows.

jalexa

victor2 wrote: »

I was told the DD aims to have your account at zero balance on your contract anniversary,

I don't disbelieve what you say but while my latest recalculation could *possibly* be based on "spring-alignment" (subject to a full explanation and agreement on consumption "assumptions"), if it is based on an anniversary calculation it would be hugely in error.

I would say the likely explanation is the customer service adviser is as competent as the Edf systems designer.:D

victor2

jalexa wrote: »

I don't disbelieve what you say but while my latest recalculation could *possibly* be based on "spring-alignment" (subject to a full explanation and agreement on consumption "assumptions"), if it is based on an anniversary calculation it would be hugely in error.

I would say the likely explanation is the customer service adviser is as competent as the Edf systems designer.:D

It remains to be seen. I am suppposedly due a recalc this month as it's 6 months from my May start. I didn't build up any credit in the first few months as they didn't take any payments at all, so I just paid off the balance and it will be interesting to see what they come up with. Not giving a reading until they ask for one, which they haven't yet, but I'm confident they will.:rotfl:

jalexa

victor2 wrote: »

It remains to be seen...:rotfl:

Just had an email and phone discussion which backs up what you said. Awaiting a further email.

The adviser may or may not have been 100% clued up on energy billing but recognised right away that to "spring-align" everybody would result in computer and phone chaos.:D I wonder....

Also been told there is a MyAccount way of submitting reads without getting a review. Still can't see it.

Credit where credit is due, the phone was answered within one minute (didn't use the "secret" by-pass) by a very polite adviser. My previous DD is (again) restored.:)

page3

This does rather negate the whole point of a monthly payment plan - namely that you fix your payments through the year so you know what your payments will be. It also discourages monthly readings, which are one of the best ways of making sure your readings are accurate.

I'm going to ask if I can move to a pay-for-what-i've-used plan, without penalty. It appears they do a monthly DD where you give a monthly reading and pay for what you've used that month, but if you don't give a reading then they take the agreed amount.

Anyone on this plan?

(ps. I can now find no information on-line at all about this plan! Was I imagining it? Has it been withdrawn? Found it! http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/for-your-home/customer-services/ways-to-pay-qa.shtml But nothing on the other DD pages about it, or if you still get the % discount )

victor2

Update...
Having been told I was due to enter readings and get a bill plus DD review in November, I agreed to wait and see what happened.
Well, surprise, surprise, absolutely nothing happened! No request for a reading, didn't enter one, so no bill or DD recalc. Did phone them and after 11 minutes on hold, got a human.
She told me I only needed to enter a reading 6 months after my last reading (October) and not 6 months after the start of my contract (May), as I was previously told.
The rep felt that the "My Account" system was pretty cool and not useless as I said, but she did confirm I would get a DD recalculation after entering a reading.
They bill and review the DD annually, but request readings 6 monthly - which generates a bill and DD recalc.

My conclusion:
Their system is useless if you want a fixed DD amount and the best thing to do is not use it until they request a reading.

So, I could do nothing and go through the winter blissfully ignoring how much gas and electricity I'm using, or track my usage and payments manually (as I do) to make sure I know where I stand. You don't have to be a genius to do that, but how many people will?