EDF Energy Can anyone please help?

AntimonyP

My husband and I are pensioners and, being on a fixed income, try to pay by Direct Debit.
We have been with EDF for just over two years and have had relatively few problems. However this has now changed.
Last year our D/D was £125pm for the whole year. We have always done quarterly on line meter readings. Late in the year EDF informed us that future meter readings would be 6 monthly. As we have to keep a sharp eye on expenditure we were not too pleased with this. However, we found out (not from EDF) that, as pensioners we were entitled to quarterly readings. We therefore applied for these and EDF agreed (then promptly forgot). Having been reminded the asked for a meter reading in January 2013. This resulted in an increased D/D of £143. This included a so called "underpayment" of £3!! As energy prices had increased we accepted this.
In May they decreased the D/D to £115pm with no explanation. They told us our next meter reading would be 17th July.
On 25th June they asked for a meter reading and, although puzzled, we gave them one. They then sent us a bill saying we were £399 in debit and our new D/D would be £195pm, including an underpayment if £33!!
To add to the confusion on 29th June a meter reader arrived to read the meter.
I immediately contacted them and asked for an explanation as we will find £195pm extremely difficult to pay.
The result was a long winded and totally confusing e-mail which did not answer the questions I had put to them. It spoke about annual reviews an projected usage and we could not make head or tail of it. It did not explain why they had reduce our D/D to £115.
I then sent a further e-mail asking for an answer to this and also what was the date of our last review.
To cut a long story short I have received several arrogant and incomprehensible e-mails from their "Customer Services" which seem to be overseas. They have still not answered the questions asked and ened by saying that they considered the complaint dealt with and closed!. Does anyone know what we can do next.

Wywth

AntimonyP wrote: »

My husband and I are pensioners and, being on a fixed income, try to pay by Direct Debit.
We have been with EDF for just over two years and have had relatively few problems. However this has now changed.
Last year our D/D was £125pm for the whole year. We have always done quarterly on line meter readings. Late in the year EDF informed us that future meter readings would be 6 monthly. As we have to keep a sharp eye on expenditure we were not too pleased with this. However, we found out (not from EDF) that, as pensioners we were entitled to quarterly readings. We therefore applied for these and EDF agreed (then promptly forgot). Having been reminded the asked for a meter reading in January 2013. This resulted in an increased D/D of £143. This included a so called "underpayment" of £3!! As energy prices had increased we accepted this.
In May they decreased the D/D to £115pm with no explanation. They told us our next meter reading would be 17th July.
On 25th June they asked for a meter reading and, although puzzled, we gave them one. They then sent us a bill saying we were £399 in debit and our new D/D would be £195pm, including an underpayment if £33!!
To add to the confusion on 29th June a meter reader arrived to read the meter.
I immediately contacted them and asked for an explanation as we will find £195pm extremely difficult to pay.
The result was a long winded and totally confusing e-mail which did not answer the questions I had put to them. It spoke about annual reviews an projected usage and we could not make head or tail of it. It did not explain why they had reduce our D/D to £115.
I then sent a further e-mail asking for an answer to this and also what was the date of our last review.
To cut a long story short I have received several arrogant and incomprehensible e-mails from their "Customer Services" which seem to be overseas. They have still not answered the questions asked and ened by saying that they considered the complaint dealt with and closed!. Does anyone know what we can do next.

You can submit your own meter readings online as often as you like (well a maximum of once per day).
If the time from your last bill/statement was at least 30 days from your meter reading submission, they will generate a new bill/statement. This can take a working day or 2 but you get an instant balance update online.

Still not happy with your monthly DD amounts? Try reading this:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits#fight

EDF's complaint procedure is available here:
http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/for-your-home/documents/government-complaints-handling-standard.pdf

AntimonyP

Thanks for that. I have been checking this year's usage against last years an it is less, which makes the matter even more confusing. I will be e-mailing their Claims Resolution Manager to see if I can get any sense out of him/her.

dogshome

Tameing EDF's moveable feast of Direct Debit policy takes some doing - I know, I'm a customer.

What almost works is to report your meter readings online every Qtr day, this results in immediate and accurate bills, by which it's easy to track your Annual Kwh consumption figures

The 'almost' is that you will still get the odd strange demand to increase the level of your D/Debit payments.
However if these are countered in writing with your own annual cost figures based on the tariff and your actual annual use, with the demand that if EDF think differently that they send you their figures in writing, the increase demand then just disappears

What appals me is the Brush-off of your complaint, but the best way to Complain is to do it by a LETTER, headed Complaint ( You'll find the address on the back of your bill )
And as it appears that EDF were bouncing your D/D up & up, untill that is they got a Meter Readers reading and had to start returning money by way of a reduced D/Debit, Complain you should.

AntimonyP

Following my post I received a Private Message from someone claiming to be from EDF Energy Customer Services. The person asked me to e=mail my details and she would look into the matter. However, MSE says it cannot vouch for the identity of posters on Private Messages, so I did not feel able to do this. If the person who sent the e-mail reads this and is really from EDF then I apologise.

matelodave

It's not hard to give them a meter reading once a month either over the phone or via the internet which should help ensure that the bills and direct debits actually reflect your use, rather than their guesstimates.

Recording this info will also give you accurate usage information when searching the comparison sites to get a better deal.

dogshome

Private message from EDF ?

The usual way suppliers offer help to posters on this board, is to post on the thread giving an Email No to which the customer can respond - I've never known a supplier go to a Private message as the first step, so would treat with extreme caution

Wywth

AntimonyP wrote: »

Following my post I received a Private Message from someone claiming to be from EDF Energy Customer Services. The person asked me to e=mail my details and she would look into the matter. However, MSE says it cannot vouch for the identity of posters on Private Messages, so I did not feel able to do this. If the person who sent the e-mail reads this and is really from EDF then I apologise.

It won't be the official company rep. so you were right to not supply the details by PM.
(Company reps do not have PM facilities activated )

I suggest you report the offending PM to the Forum Team for their attention as all company reps must have prior permission from MSE.

CRISPIANNE3

We have recently joined EDF and for them to get an accurate picture of my usage I give them a meter reading online each day. Possibly very excessive but hopefully will save any problems in the future.

However one of the CS advisors did say it can cause havoc with your dd payments and suggested only take a ready when asked to by EDF.