Atlantic Customers beware of over charging on April bills

MarkyMarkD

espresso wrote: »

Not true, there is nothing stopping customers providing meter readings when prices change as I did earlier in the year. New corrected bill are then sent out.

But I DID provide readings and they DID NOT issue "corrected" bills. So that method doesn't always work.

The 6 month billing thing is optional so every right minded person would contact Atlantic to opt out of it.

I shall avoid the problem by changing supplier imminently.

espresso

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

But I DID provide readings and they DID NOT issue "corrected" bills. So that method doesn't always work.

If you supply customer readings and don't get your new re-calculated bill after a week, ring up and ask for it!

The 6 month billing thing is optional so every right minded person would contact Atlantic to opt out of it.

The six month billing is not optional as they have decide to read meters every six month and provide a bill based on actual readings every six months now. They have also said that if you still want an estimated bill in between the actual reads, every three months, they will provide one if you tell them that you want one. They have improved their customer service and you are moaning about it!

:rolleyes:

Cardew

espresso wrote: »

Not true, there is nothing stopping customers providing meter readings when prices change as I did earlier in the year. New corrected bill are then sent out.

espresso,
If(like us) you take an interest in your accounts, and more importantly understand them, most of these companies will estimate your consumption back to the price decrease date and refund the difference with a corrected bill.

They will normally do the same if you give them a realistic meter reading on the date of the price change.(although not for MMD)

However most of these companies know that the majority of their customers will not pick up on this frankly dishonest practice and they will 'get away' with charging the old higher prices for an extended period.

Had they adopted the same practice when prices were rising we would have little to complain about, but we all automatically had estimated meter readings so we were charged the higher price immediately.

MarkyMarkD

espresso wrote: »

The six month billing is not optional as they have decide to read meters every six month and provide a bill based on actual readings every six months now. They have also said that if you still want an estimated bill in between the actual reads, every three months, they will provide one if you tell them that you want one. They have improved their customer service and you are moaning about it!

:rolleyes:

You are contradicting yourself, Cardew my dear friend.

If you tell Atlantic you wish to stay on 3 month billing, they will do so.

How is the switch to six month billing therefore not optional????

I don't agree it's dishonest for Atlantic to do this, either. It's not particularly fair, but nobody said life was fair. They are changing the prices in exactly the way they say they are changing the prices.

Other suppliers have many, many different tariffs - npower is the worst culprit - and prices are different for lots of their customers. So having different prices for different customers is scarcely unique.

Cardew

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

You are contradicting yourself, Cardew my dear friend.

If you tell Atlantic you wish to stay on 3 month billing, they will do so.

How is the switch to six month billing therefore not optional????

Are you sure you mean Cardew? Do you not mean espresso?

espresso

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

You are contradicting yourself, Cardew my dear friend.

If you tell Atlantic you wish to stay on 3 month billing, they will do so.

How is the switch to six month billing therefore not optional????

I don't agree it's dishonest for Atlantic to do this, either. It's not particularly fair, but nobody said life was fair. They are changing the prices in exactly the way they say they are changing the prices.

Other suppliers have many, many different tariffs - npower is the worst culprit - and prices are different for lots of their customers. So having different prices for different customers is scarcely unique.

Atlantic have decided to actually read meters every six month now and issue a bill based on this reading (six monthly billing). They say that they are doing this as customers do not like estimated bills, however if you still want to receive an interim estimated bill in between (three months), they will still do this if you request it. Comprende?

MarkyMarkD

Yes, Cardew, I did mean espresso. I was rather surprised to find myself disagreeing with you to be honest! Sorry for the mistake.

@espresso - I always did understand what Atlantic were doing. It was your incorrect assertion that it was impossible to opt out of 6 month billing which I was quibbling with.

espresso

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

@espresso - I always did understand what Atlantic were doing. It was your incorrect assertion that it was impossible to opt out of 6 month billing which I was quibbling with.

They will now read the meters and issue bills every six months unless you tell them that you would like to still receive an estimated interim bill in addition. You can't opt out of the new six monthly bills as you previous stated, which will be issued regardless.

:rolleyes:

MarkyMarkD

For goodness's sake - stop splitting hairs - and incorrectly at that!

At present they read meters far less frequently than every six months. So probably in one year I receive 3 estimated bills and 1 actual bill.

Under the new arrangements, if I opt out from six monthly bills, I'll get 2 estimated bills and 2 actual bills - each 3 months apart. Exactly as now.

If I don't opt out, I'll get 2 six-monthly bills, both actual.

To say that people can't opt out of the new six monthly bills is stupid. They can opt out of ONLY getting bills every six months, and can opt to be billed three monthly which is exactly the same as now.

roddydogs

Dont Atlantic do i month free at the end of the year from when you started? so if you change before this you will lose out?