EDF bills? Is it me?

backfoot

I've written to EDF asking for an explanation of why they cancel charges rather than simply use the brought forward balance and bill the current period. I also asked why they have separated out the consumption when it is all billed at the same rate.

Mckneff says they are not billed in this manner. What about you other EDf customers?

I'll post any reply from EDF, as waiting for the Rep could take a very long time.

jalexa

backfoot wrote: »

Mckneff says they are not billed in this manner. What about you other EDf customers?

I have had about 6 bills or statements in about 8 months of supply all produced following the provision of accurate customer reads. Checking them I note evidence of the "bill reset":D you mention in the most recent (February) statement. A "bill reset" feature is necessary in certain circumstances but I can see no obvious reason for its use here. I suspect it has been caused by a system glitch. Or "testing".

Personally I think "bill reset" is a non-issue and detracts from focus on DD calculation and annual review alignment. Quoting from a recent somewhat patronising e-mail about payment sufficiency...

"We complete an Interim Review 6 month’s after the initial start date to make sure that the payments you have been making are sufficient...

if the account was in credit at this point we would reduce the monthly Direct Debit amount to clear the credit before the Annual Review...

if the account was in Debit we would increase the Direct Debit amount to clear the balance before the Annual Review...

alternatively if the amount you have been paying is sufficient then we wouldn’t make any amendment to the payments you make."

What a load of rubbish. *If* these statements are true then I have been subjected to maladminstration of my account. Alternatively the statements are "untruths" but whether through malice or incompetence I am not sure. Given that the MyAccount system designers have botched the specification and implementation I do not think it is reasonable to expect recently recruited e-mail handlers to be sufficiently competent.

But it is a mystery why Edf has embarked on a "spend what it takes" campaign to recruit customer facing staff instead of paying to solve the MyAccount issues.

backfoot

jalexa wrote: »

Personally I think "bill reset" is a non-issue and detracts from focus on DD calculation and annual review alignment. Quoting from a recent somewhat patronising e-mail about payment sufficiency...

Thanks for your input.

It's a non issue providing the customer can reconcile the reset has worked correctly and that all discounts and VAT has been calculated correctly.

It is an issue in terms of understanding your bill. The original poster who's thread this is, could not follow it. I suspect if a customer not as well versed as you or I saw the cancelled charges they would be bewildered.

I spent a long time yesterday reconciling the entries on our bills. I prefer a calculation for the latest bill to be just that. Removing entries so that you rebill for a longer period seems illogical to me. In all my experience I have never ever seen this before unless a bill was being replaced in its entirety for an error.

I think the bill reset and additional entries are inconsistent with Ofgem's objectives of the Retail Market Review. It certainly isn't a sound or normal accounting practice. For example, will it go on indefinately? If it does,we will end up with nearly 3 years charges appearing on one bill. :eek:

We have two separate issues here of billing format and your (and my) separate concerns about DD management. You know I am on board about that.:)

brewerdave

@ backfoot-I had 3 bills from EDF in the period from July '11 (when I joined them) to Nov.'11. None of those bills have a "cancelled" charge on them - just the inevitable upward adjustment of DD!!!
I haven't had anything from them since November, other than the fact that estimated reads appeared on MyAccount in early Dec. two weeks after the last accurate meter reader figures! These estimates didn't trigger a bill, and Customer Services couldn't explain why they had appeared!!!
I await the next bill -whenever that might be - with interest!!!

backfoot

Thanks Brewerdave,

As I suspected there does seem to be inconsistent billing between customers. That is worrying and hard to fathom out.

It's all well and good if an account is relatively simple. e.g. a fixed rate tariff.

What happens ,however, if there is a variable tariff and prices change? On the 'reset' method there will be numerous entries cancelling charges and then rebilling them at different rates and showing them all on one bill. It will unduly complicate the bill and its understanding.

It's hardly a move towards simple clear billing.

Combined with other anomolies of random (or sometimes missing DD's) and now random estimates being produced, it doesn't inspire confidence that the bills are correct or that some other bug isn't waiting to rear its ugly head.

jalexa

brewerdave wrote: »

other than the fact that estimated reads appeared on MyAccount in early Dec. two weeks after the last accurate meter reader figures! These estimates didn't trigger a bill, ...

I too have noticed "mystery" estimated reads after a meter reader read. As I theory for elimination I speculate it could be a workaround against a bill (i.e dodgy recalculation) being produced by the out of control system that appears to be more expensive to fix than to employ 1100 additional staff.

backfoot

jalexa wrote: »

I too have noticed "mystery" estimated reads after a meter reader read. As I theory for elimination I speculate it could be a workaround against a bill (i.e dodgy recalculation) being produced by the out of control system that appears to be more expensive to fix than to employ 1100 additional staff.

Aaah but my variation, on your variation, was that on the first bill they included a random estimate to allow one day to be billed separately. (at the same unit rate).:rotfl:

As the Customer Service Rep became entirely flummoxed by my question about it, they almost immediately gave me £20 off that first bill as an exit strategy.

I share this information in the spirit of any good MSE'r :money:

backfoot

An astonishingly quick response from EDF.

However, it is an equally astonishing reason offered and I am not sure I follow the logic.

As usual I would welcome any views before I respond.


'I apologies that you have found your EDF bills to be confusing.

EDF had created an electric direct debit only upon your account, when in fact it should have been set up for a dual fuel direct debit. It was the change of payment method that prompted the computer to create the estimated meter readings on your bill.

I can, if you wish, re-bill you from an actual read to an actual customer read;-

Electricity
08 August 2011 read 18020 to 03 February 12 19216

Gas
6 August 2011 read to 03 February 12 9982.

This will not change the account balance but you may find it less confusing.

The changes, or cancellation of reads and charges are shown on the bill as account activity and financial transactions, many customers find this information helpful.

I hope this explanation helps to resolve your recent query

jalexa

backfoot wrote: »

It was the change of payment method that prompted the computer to create the estimated meter readings on your bill.

If they say so, but I got an estimated read without an obvious change of payment method. Unless changing the energy apportioning for a dual-fuel single payment counts as a change of payment method. I did that once but can't recall exactly when at the moment.

They seem to have picked up some "E.on turkeys" who like to be told the bills are really helpful.


Also had an Edf e-mail today attempting to explain why I have a spring rather than an anniversary review (per Ofgem guide). Inventive to say the least. And incoherent. Will post more on that tomorrow when I have more time.

backfoot

I've replied to EDF.

'Thank you for the very prompt response and for taking the time to try and explain the curious billing format.

It seems very strange that a Direct Debit change has triggerred an interim estimate which then gets included on the bill. On my first bill, there was one days consumption billed separately from an estimated reading. At that stage no DD change had occurred and no one was able to explain why those entries had appeared. Isn't there a serious billing malfunction going on here? Aren't billing and payment separate issues?

More fundamentally, the second bill has already effectively rebilled my account for the full six months, so there is no need for you do this again as you have offerred. My real query was why EDF would want to do this on the second bill anyway. I was already billed for the first quarter and you have wiped that out rather than just carrying forward any balance and then billing quarter two.

I really can't believe that customers find that helpful ! How long will that go on? Will you cancel the six monthly charges before billing me in quarter 3 and so on? I will end up with nearly three years bills being cancelled and then rebilled.


I have never seen such a presentation by any supplier including EDF before. I have also checked that other customer's bills are not billed on such a basis, so there appears to be an inconsistency or an option available.

In conclusion, I still find the bill format extremely confusing and totally inconsistent with the intentions of your own stated objectives of bill simplification.

I look forward to hearing more about this.'