EDF direct debit manipulation

snowcat53

After a lot of argument and with me getting increasingly cross at the nonsense and waffle I simply asked the rep if she was going to change the DD back to my figure of 130 or did I have to raise a formal complaint. She immediately backed down.

victor2

jalexa wrote: »

The issue is really not Edf but customers who think they have to take a what a supplier says at face value.

I agree there are a lot of customers who just assume EDF is right when they increase their DD unnecessarily. But would argue that the issue there is more with EDF for taking advantage of the situation. Utility bills are pretty complicated things to comprehend unless you have the time and understanding to study them in detail.
It is too easy for them (and other utility companies) to fleece their customers. How did it work when you got your gas from the gas board and electricity from the electricity board??

victor2

snowcat53 wrote: »

After a lot of argument and with me getting increasingly cross at the nonsense and waffle I simply asked the rep if she was going to change the DD back to my figure of 130 or did I have to raise a formal complaint. She immediately backed down.

Never experienced that myself. I think its been 7 times now that EDF have tried to increase my DD above what it needed to be (never once suggested reducing it - conspiracy?;)), but the customer service people have always been polite and apologetic when agreeing to leave it where I said it should be. Time did prove me right though, I finished my last tariff in credit.

snowcat53

jalexa wrote: »

The issue is really not Edf but customers who think they have to take a what a supplier says at face value.

With respect, no, I don't agree with that. The rules and SLCs are there to protect customers, including the elderly and vulnerable who are not as numerate or as capable of objecting as some of us here.

jalexa

snowcat53 wrote: »

The rules and SLCs are there to protect customers, including the elderly and vulnerable who are not as numerate or as capable of objecting as some of us here.

Of course I believe that too as should be evident from other posts but its not obvious that attempts to either engage or shame regulators and/or consumer organisations have had any effect on Edf.

TBH, I think we are on our own here and the more (capable) people who challenge every single piece of unreasonable Edf direct debit diktat the sooner matters will improve for all.

snowcat53

Amen to that, and of course I realise we are all fighting the same battle, for the benefit of all customers. We have won some skirmishes but as you say, we haven't managed to engage the big guns ....yet.

steve-L

The real problem IMHO is the utilities are allowed to present complicated tariffs that make it look complicated when it isn't.

They don't even publish their tariffs....

Something very simple has been made very complex and its the customers who pay in the end. Those of us that can and have time can challenge but that leaves many who cannot.

IMHO they should be forced to publish all tariffs they have in a simple way and all tariffs should be authorised by a competent authority for clarity and not breaking the SLC's. The utility companies should then pay for this.... to discourage them just making up more variations on a tariff that makes it more complex for the customer.

backfoot

The numbers calculated by EDF are extraordinary.

The 5% imposed gas consumption uplift is open to challenge. You can equally argue that you will save 5% this coming year. That only accounts for around £6 per month.

So what is the rest? A forward looking price rise based on a default move to standard. Does that really account for another £50 per month? :eek:

It is, of course, irrespective of the maths, a flawed assumption that you will remain their customer. Any review should be based your current terms to the contract end date.Otherwise you are definately financing them for something they may not supply.

Although after a year, they are providing data under the Annual Data Requirements. Unfortunately, for them, they have not explained up front the basis of the change of the DD. You have had to ask for that and quite frankly the explanation doesn't stack up.

So our SLC is once again breached under a systemic failure.Probably on lack of provision and accuracy.

All we need is a body responsible to enforce their own Regulations. Sadly, such action is forever 'Man(y)ana '

My own EO appeal on a close connected issue was due to be completed and sent by e mail on Friday. It didn't arrive. Ofgem have a watching brief on the outcome, but I don't know what else,if anything, they will do.

You have now resolved your case by being as awkward as them and maybe that is the best tactic. A £350 cost to argue with you isn't worth it. If the Regulator won't regulate, then perhaps our advice should be that which Jalexa has advocated for some time and you have successfully used.

I have tried the proper way and its very painful.

victor2

steve-L wrote: »

IMHO they should be forced to publish all tariffs they have in a simple way and all tariffs should be authorised by a competent authority for clarity and not breaking the SLC's. The utility companies should then pay for this.... to discourage them just making up more variations on a tariff that makes it more complex for the customer.

It's a double edged sword though...
Just suppose every supplier has to charge a fixed standing charge for the privilege of having utilities delivered direct into your home, then a single rate for each kWh of energy you use. No discount schemes, as that will muddy the water. Electricity meters record kWh used but since gas meters don't record kWh, but volume of gas in cubic meters or hundreds of cubic feet, maybe they should charge by volume and have separate imperial and metric charges? Would please customers in Stornoway though, who have LPG piped, with about 3 times the amount of energy in it as the rest of the UK's supplies.

Not defending the utility companies in any way, but just pointing out there isn't a simple solution.

brewerdave

victor2 wrote: »

Never experienced that myself. I think its been 7 times now that EDF have tried to increase my DD above what it needed to be (never once suggested reducing it - conspiracy?;)), but the customer service people have always been polite and apologetic when agreeing to leave it where I said it should be. Time did prove me right though, I finished my last tariff in credit.

...have to agree with victor2 - generally the CS people have been polite and apologetic,altho' one adviser in the early days of my contract did get a bit narky (I insisted that my calculations were correct and that my DD didn't need to increase by £65 pm!!) when she warned me that any debit balances over £150 would be taken as a lump sum at review-but then couldn't tell me when the review was!!!
I'm continuing with my policy of no supplied readings until a meter reader commeth - I'm comfortably in credit even after I negotiated a decent DD decrease earlier in the Summer - not paying much more now than I was with EON in 2011.:)