EDF have changed my direct debit - it's too low?!

McCreary

Hello everyone, I was wondering if you could help a newbie out...

I moved into my property (first time buyer) last January and during the winter months I had some very large gas bills with British Gas. I submitted my gas meter readings and was on their Online Energy tariff. I switched to EDF a couple of months ago onto their Blue + Price Promise tariff and they said they would set my direct debit up for £87 a month for both gas and electricity. I did worry this might be too low because of my usage during winter but I was going by the understanding that it was best to pay this during the summer and then accumulate the credit to use in winter.

Anyway, yesterday I submitted my gas and electricity meter readings and got a bill from EDF saying that I am £150 in credit and that they are going to change my Direct Debit to £19 a month (£1 for gas and £18 for electricity).

I'm now really worried that over the coming winter months my usage is going to sky rocket (I haven't had the central heating on for two months) and my Direct Debit is going to be re-adjusted to way beyond the £87 it originally was. Is this likely to happen do you think?

Can EDF change my direct debit and do you think it's working asking them to raise it a bit more. Of course I could just put the difference away into a savings account and use it if needed but not sure what to do for the best, as I'm all new to this.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

welshee

Plain and simple...change it to what you think you require....it's not the best of systems but i would rather get ahead and pay my own calculations than their slighty skee-wiff ones.

Mindless_Clone

They've just done something similar with me. I am constantly in credit because they kept taking too much for too long and would not put it down low enough to wipe out the credit. Wish I'd never gone over to direct debit to begin with! I ended up over £700 in credit and had to demand the repay me some of it back (they were not going to until I quoted their own letter back to them stating amounts over £150 will be refunded) and eventually managed to get them to repay all but £150 (which, apparently, they had to keep to make up for "winter" and agreed to a monthly payment I knew would build me up credit again. Lo and behold, a year later, I'm £400 in credit again. *sigh* This time they've put my D to £50 a month and I've just left it; I will see if they try and put it up again in October and what the account balance is if they do and then argue with them again.

If you are with EDF you can set up an online account and submit meter readings when you want to. This will help you keep track of your balance and how much you are in credit by.
I wouldn't worry overly because EDF will likely ask for meter readings again in October(ish) and will likely adjust your payments upwards then anyway over the winter period. If you want to put away a small amount each month to cover this, it's up to you, but generally, you should expect them to raise and lower the price depending on the season. I must admit, I wish they wouldn't; the whole point of a Direct Debit is one constant payment throughout the year and I'd rather make overpayments in summer so I don't get walloped in winter but it seems DD isn't quite what I was expecting on that score.

If it makes you feel better, phone them and ask them if they will increase your payments a little as you feel they have estimated your future usage too low.

StuC75

If they put the Direct Debit down, would recommend your own suggestion of putting the difference into a savings account.. That way you benefit from the money in your savings rather than EDF. As and when the credit balance is used up make a payment to put it back right..

dogshome

So you moved to EDF in May ?, and surprise, surprise they have looked at your useage in late Spring & early Summer and decided your D/D's are too high
Welome to EDF economics

You have got to be smarter than the EDF - it's not difficult - You have the tariff prices and know your annual consumption history. Work out how much you are underpaying and tuck it into a savings account until EDF wake up and send in a bill based on a year's reality

blossomhill_2

You can send them a one-off payment if and when you see the debit getting too low for your liking

Mindless_Clone

dogshome wrote: »

So you moved to EDF in May ?, and surprise, surprise they have looked at your useage in late Spring & early Summer and decided your D/D's are too high
Welome to EDF economics

You have got to be smarter than the EDF - it's not difficult - You have the tariff prices and know your annual consumption history. Work out how much you are underpaying and tuck it into a savings account until EDF wake up and send in a bill based on a year's reality

:rotfl:

That's actually a surprisingly accurate description of EDF's DD calculation process. I switched to DD in a September so explains why they overestimated mine.

mttylad

I They changed mine too - so much for a Blue price promise/fixed tariff.
I was on £83 - calculated correctly and with no further readings they put it up to £91.

Soon got that sorted out and dropped back down again.

So the Op's situation is nothing new, get them rung up and changed to what you believe it should be.

Buzby

A DD is a powerful tool - EDF (and indeed an other mandate holder) can take any amount they want, when they want, as often as they want. You also agreed to this as part of the T&C.

To prevent this, cancel any DD and pay them by Internet banking, and you retain in full control of your money. It isn't rocket science - just common sense.

welshee

Buzby wrote: »

A DD is a powerful tool - EDF (and indeed an other mandate holder) can take any amount they want, when they want, as often as they want. You also agreed to this as part of the T&C.

To prevent this, cancel any DD and pay them by Internet banking, and you retain in full control of your money. It isn't rocket science - just common sense.

rocket science..NO direct debit No direct debit discount !!

McCreary

Thanks for all your replies.

I signed up to the DD so my payments were spread across the year so that I knew I would be in credit in case I had an 'expensive' winter again (also I get the DD discount). I called them yesterday and they agreed that £19 was too much of a drop and they put it back to the original amount but I'm sure they'll change it again.

I don't know my annual consumption because I've not been in the house for a year but when I do I'll play the game!