Consumer Focus response to MSE posts on E.On 'Spring review' DD scheme

Mrs_Arcanum

Blackdog wrote: »

Originally Posted by backfoot
As expected customers aren't queuing up to provide CF with specific details of their complaints...

I emailed them about my situation but did not receive an acknowledgement or reply so it may be a case of the emails not getting to the correct person.

I always ask for a read receipt, so at least I know my e-mail has been opened.

backfoot

Saw the piece in Saturday's Times.

Well done DD for your determination to get this issue properly and widely aired.

Why Ofgem don't do something about it is beyond me. I haven't even had the courtesy of a substantive reply beyond an acknowledgment.

I will be giving them a piece of my mind next week.

Apologies to DD for not being around so much to support but have been occupied with household issues recently.

***trumpeter***

poet123 wrote: »

My husband wants to pay it off and move suppliers and register a formal complaint with the regulatory bodies for malpractice.

I agree with him, not that I'm any sort of authority at all. But what my post is saying is that there's a fair chance they'll back down and offer you a reasonable level of dd payment if you initiate the leaving process. This won't work for anyone who can't afford to clear their balance, which is why the regulator should be stamping on EON IMHO.

My cooling off period has expired so I have to pay off my account and move. Actually my account is in credit - and EON have backed down from insisting on a 30% dd increase!

I've told EON retentions that I'll come straight back if they pay my NPower cancellation fee. I'm not holding my breath over that one

Best wishes, Neil

dude89

poet123 wrote: »

Thanks, I am loathe to pay them off and move suppliers (I assume I have to do this if I did move?) but would rather make them wait for their debit balance and increase my monthly DD to cover it. Or are you suggesting I just make moving noises to see how they react?

My husband wants to pay it off and move suppliers and register a formal complaint with the regulatory bodies for malpractice. We just feel that we gave figures in good faith and now we are left to pay off what should never have accrued if the direct debit had been correctly set from those figures.

The saving came up as £600+ when checked on Uswitch, had it been substantially less I wouldn't have changed supplier.

I have had one call back today asking for meter readings which I gave them twice yesterday:( so I am still underwhelmed by the service. I am awaiting another call back from a manager.

But do you question the amount of usage they are charging you for?
Are they charging you on the unit rates you signed up for?
Are they applying the appropriate discounts correctly?

If they have dont nothing wrong then i dont see where a complaint can be made.

They have stuck to everything in their contract

poet123

dude89 wrote: »

But do you question the amount of usage they are charging you for?
Are they charging you on the unit rates you signed up for?
Are they applying the appropriate discounts correctly?

If they have dont nothing wrong then i dont see where a complaint can be made.

They have stuck to everything in their contract

The Uswitch form asks for monthly spend, I gave them the monthly spend which allowed us to be on top of ( no debit balances) the amounts used. They came back with a £60 pcm reduction in my DD based on those figures.

I paid what they asked, they clearly could not supply what we were using for that amount, so I feel they got us as customers under false pretences. Looking at other internet comments it seems we are not alone. This is clearly sharp practice. That is the basis of the complaint.

dude89

poet123 wrote: »

The Uswitch form asks for monthly spend, I gave them the monthly spend which allowed us to be on top of ( no debit balances) the amounts used. They came back with a £60 pcm reduction in my DD based on those figures.

I paid what they asked, they clearly could not supply what we were using for that amount, so I feel they got us as customers under false pretences. Looking at other internet comments it seems we are not alone. This is clearly sharp practice. That is the basis of the complaint.

So who do you plan on complaining to?

poet123

dude89 wrote: »

So who do you plan on complaining to?

In the final analysis Ofgem and the Consumer Focus groups.

If the monthly spend figure cannot be guaranteed to be reasonably accurate it should not be asked for, or more pertinently, relied upon, and if it is asked for (by a 3rd party) before taking the account on the supplier should get the usage confirmed by the customer/previous supplier and recalculate the monthly DD if necessary.

The customer should not be bound by any contract until the figures are accepted by both sides as being correct for usage.

dude89

But did you accept the unit prices they gave you along with any discounts applicable when you went onto the uswitch website? And have they stuck by their terms and conditions.

You are in a contract based on the unit price and discounts not on a DD amount.

poet123

I am not saying they have broken their t&c's in terms of unit prices merely that they have not supplied the same amount of fuel that we had previously got for the monthly spend they dictated. If the site had not indicated a saving of £600 I would not have changed providers. It is sharp practice to say that you were spending £200pcm but we can provide that fuel for £141 pcm when they cannot do that in reality.

dude89

but that is uswitch's fault not eons. Uswitch have done all the calculations.