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

Cardew

Buzby wrote: »

Lastly, your guarantee. This only provides a very limited (60 day) period to reverse a debit if you can prove an error.

Often the difficulty arises because notification of a DD increase is 'buried' away in small print at the bottom of page 3 of the bill - and many simply do not read their bills.

However I take issue with you about the customer having to prove an error(within the 60 days).The DD guarantee is between the Bank and customer and the customer does not have to prove anything. In practice the bank will refund the DD payment on the customer's assertion that there has been an error. The bank simply will not get involved in a third party dispute.

Terrylw1

Buzby wrote: »

Lastly, your guarantee. This only provides a very limited (60 day) period to reverse a debit if you can prove an error. You then indemnify your bank for this process. Whilst out the money, you get no inferest, compensation or any benefit for the work you put in to sort out the matter that was not of your making. If a single DD emptied your account, and (say) 4 other debits failed because you had no money, the guarantee provides for the first error, but the rest won't because it was your fault you did not have the funds. So no benefit there with this 'guarantee' or indeed the fees charged by the other firms because you failed to make a payment. This is called 'consequential losses' and is excluded from this guarantee.

Yes, its not the other 3 companies fault if this happens...quite often due to errors by your utility supplier.

You just claim all the charges off the utility supplier and if they refuse, take them to the ombudsman causing them to pay far more in a referral fee, plus the ombudsman would rule in your favour anyway.

Terrylw1

jalexa wrote: »

Well that is technically correct however common practice is quite a one sided supplier-centric application of the process.

A customer signs up to a tariff arrangement incorporating fixed regular payment by direct debit. I think it is an abuse of the process to then seek to collect enormous lump sums at 10 working days notice because although the direct debit mandate allows it with notice, and the tariff terms and conditions may allude to it, there is a process expectation that "fixed regular direct debit" should (approximately) mean just that. A "sudden excessive hike" has to be at least partly a result of supplier failure to properly manage the regular payment adequacy. Yes the customer may have been unintentionally negligent but hey this quite a complicated process not taught well in school.

I think it is an outrage that huge catch-up sums can be collected at 10 working days notice using a payment mechanism intended to collect the fixed regular payment.

IMO catch-up payments should be invoiced separately.

That's EDF for you, not customer focused.

For anyone caught in that the trap, the obvious question should be on the suppliers adherence to SLC27.15 and proving they haven't been compliant.