Blue +Price Promise September 2013 Direct Debit

vuvuzela

sinspy wrote: »

For all those who like to have a pop at the newbie , Thanks. Look at my Avatar, Bod.
I won't bother registering again, or posting what I think to be a genuine concern.

If you can't help, don't reply... I have loads of things going on Work, Flu , Autistic Child, Money being taken from my account. So maybe I have a bad attitude on here. I'm looking for a little help.

If you had money going out of your bank account, you wouldn't want answers such as the trash talk on here. It all my fault .. !!!!!!

I have an issue with EDF not this board. If you can direct me some actual help, please pipe up. It seems my own ability to click on some link allow EDF to charge £230 a month. Is that right.

There was a lovely comment from jalexa, thanks... more like this,please. I am learning all about Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme.


Next...

Unfortunately personal responsibility is 'a thing'. Everyone has problems, but knowing what you sign up for and checking when they tell you your bill is available takes literally a couple of minutes at the most.

vuvuzela

jalexa wrote: »

First things first. Under Direct Debit rules you are entitled to be notified of a change to your DD. If you inform your bank that the DD was changed with no notice (no proof needed because a negative cannot be proved) the bank *must* make an "immediate" refund. The cashiers terminal has a workflow to implement the refund. Just be firm that no notice was received.

Once that is sorted you can turn to Edf. Edf may (or may not) have provided compliant but "not obvious" notice but real issue is whether the calculation is accurate. Given Edf's record on this I never take their calculation at face value. Ask them once and once only to explain the calculation arithmetically. If you are not 100% satisfied with the explanation raise a formal complaint, I recommend by email. Do not question the "hidden notice" because they will just say the notice was there (and you failed to see it). On that *I* will not be judgmental.

Live and learn. You will get better help here with a better "attitude". Up to you really.

Genuine question - if the DD is refunded like this after EDF have given notice in the online bill, would EDF be in their rights to claw back any direct debit discount ?

jalexa

vuvuzela wrote: »

Genuine question - if the DD is refunded like this after EDF have given notice in the online bill, would EDF be in their rights to claw back any direct debit discount ?

IMO, no, for the following reason. There is still a "direct debit payment scheme" in place. And look at it a different way, the older hands (you, me and others) know to spot the notice. A reason for the notice is, among other things, to allow calculation mistakes to be challenged.

To present the question as "would EDF be in their rights" is absurd because some of us (old hands) know that Edf calculations are sometimes not compliant with the relevant licence conditions.

Bootnote:

Please don't take offence at "absurd". It's not personal. I used it in another thread in a factually correct consumer-centric post. Wywth and/or the Scottish Power rep "clyped" to MSE.

I hadn't intended to return after the last episode of "clyping". Never forget this was once a consumer forum, now sadly compromised by monetisation, supplier apologists and board mons out of their technical depth. This time I'm off for longer with this thread's OP's endorsement. Thanks.

Fire_Fox

sinspy wrote: »

For all those who like to have a pop at the newbie , Thanks. Look at my Avatar, Bod.
I won't bother registering again, or posting what I think to be a genuine concern.

If you can't help, don't reply... I have loads of things going on Work, Flu , Autistic Child, Money being taken from my account. So maybe I have a bad attitude on here. I'm looking for a little help.

If you had money going out of your bank account, you wouldn't want answers such as the trash talk on here. It all my fault .. !!!!!!

I have an issue with EDF not this board. If you can direct me some actual help, please pipe up. It seems my own ability to click on some link allow EDF to charge £230 a month. Is that right.

There was a lovely comment from jalexa, thanks... more like this,please. I am learning all about Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme.


Next...

People are irritated at the fact you have an unpleasant attitude with us and are not bothering to thank people for helping even if they are saying something you don't want to hear. Your personal circumstances are irrelevant to the issue at hand, however harsh that may sound.

It is absolutely critical to the case whether you were informed and didn't read the bill carefully, or if you were not informed in any way shape or form in which case you may be able to claw the money back. If you did not read the bill and it does mention the change of direct debit you cannot invoke the DD guarantee. There is no point in anyone soft soaping you and telling you otherwise just to make you feel better, it's wasting your time which I am sure you could do without.

jalexa

Fire_Fox wrote: »

If you did not read the bill and it does mention the change of direct debit you cannot invoke the DD guarantee.

In practice that is not true. At the point of making a claim for a refund there is no mechanism for "proving a negative" to the bank. Had you worded your point differently I might have agreed with you.

A few "points of fact" which act to undermine the strength of the Edf apologist argument. The email notification of a bill being ready *sometimes* arrives before the bill is present. I surmise an inept timing issue with the billing system. Anyway, for DD payers it's a "statement" not a "bill" (because you pay by DD you do not need to take any action), though it is incorrectly referred to as a "bill". (BTW I agree that the first page of the "statement" gives notice of a DD change).

But here is something strange. The "statement" email notification inexplicably does not appear in the MyAccount message list. Compare that with the message reinstating the previous DD. In this case the email notification has a specific "Your payment scheme" subject, and a much stronger "important message" content than the "statement" notification. Further, the "payment scheme" message appears in the MyAccount message list. So why is the "statement" notification mechanism different to and weaker than the "payment scheme" notification, though they both *can* involve a change to the DD?

So there are process inconsistencies in the Edf notfications as well as, well documented (in this forum), examples of Edf DD "manipulation". Previously the E.On DD process was rubbished, first in this forum, then by Consumer Focus due to its "short-year" calculation causing 'payment shock'. E.On changed their process to avoid the payment shock. Edf retains a short year calculation with a common result of payment shock as described by this thread's OP.

IMO such a hike in a "fixed regular payment scheme" can never be justified even if correctly (and clearly) notified and is an "abuse" of the mechanism.

[text removed by MSE Forum Team]

sinspy

Fire_Fox wrote: »

People are irritated at the fact you have an unpleasant attitude with us and are not bothering to thank people for helping even if they are saying something you don't want to hear.

Are you a Bod. I thanked jalexa and ic ... oh and you. [Thanks Button] Off Topic can you help?:A

sinspy

jalexa wrote: »

Edf retains a short year calculation with a common result of payment shock as described by this thread's OP. IMO such a hike in a "fixed regular payment scheme" can never be justified even if correctly (and clearly) notified.

They have a name for this "Payment shock" , so this isn't a one off then.

Thanks for clearing a few things up jalexa; Sorry your leaving. I get the impression this site has been sold down the river. Nobody wanted to help, just put me down. I thanked you and ic for the constructive advice.:A

Your dead right.. I signed an online contract for a set amount each month were the price of the fuel would not change. My overall consumption (Gas/Elec) has been the same for years, give or take.

Their own figures show myAccount only £105 underpayment over 7 months. Where did they pluck this £230 a month from is anyone's guess. Mine guess is DD x 2.5. £91x2.5=£227.

sinspy

ic wrote: »

I recommend you switch back to paper billing, and look at your bills when they arrive.
.

That's what I have done, good advice.