EDF Get it wrong again

archer123

My elderly mother-in-law switched her Gas and Electric to EDF, recently. They managed to screw up the switchover and caused no end of problems with the previous supplier.

Now, after the first meter reading (their reader), which include the last recent cold snap, they issued a bill showing she is just £65 in debit. She paid this off immediately by debit card but they are now DEMANDING that she increase her Direct Debit to £180 per month from the current (adequate) £65 per month.

I have calculated her usage and she will not use anywhere near £900 in the full year, so she offered to increase the DD to £75, but they REFUSED and said she MUST pay £180 per month until January 2014!!

This is outrageous and she cannot afford this. EDF need to understand that pensioners on are not there to line their fat cat balance sheets with cash.

ValHaller

Just write to them and ask for their calculations in full justifying the £180. I guarantee that they will not be able to do this. And while they don't, they have no reason to insist.

Wywth

archer123 wrote: »

My elderly mother-in-law switched her Gas and Electric to EDF, recently. They managed to screw up the switchover and caused no end of problems with the previous supplier.

Now, after the first meter reading (their reader), which include the last recent cold snap, they issued a bill showing she is just £65 in debit. She paid this off immediately by debit card but they are now DEMANDING that she increase her Direct Debit to £180 per month from the current (adequate) £65 per month.

I have calculated her usage and she will not use anywhere near £900 in the full year, so she offered to increase the DD to £75, but they REFUSED and said she MUST pay £180 per month until January 2014!!

This is outrageous and she cannot afford this. EDF need to understand that pensioners on are not there to line their fat cat balance sheets with cash.

Just give them a call. I did at my 6 monthly review and they were happy to revert to original payment plan without any problem.

If that doesn't work for you, follow this advice:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits#fight

However, if she's in debt at this time of year, it does sound like her current payment plan is inadequate, so she should be prepared to pay more ... or use less.

archer123

Wyeth, She is NOT in debt to them. Her account is a couple of pence in credit. there is no debt...never has been..they are refusing to budge. Computer says £180...that's what you must pay. It's ridiculous when her annual usage is lower than £900 for BOT utilites and they want her to stump up 6 months at £180 (£1080) before they will review it again.

The Regulator or Goverment needs to act to stop these powerful foreign utility owners from milking this country.

dogshome

As a customer myself, I hold no brief for EDF and have also had demands for OTT D/Debit increases

The problem here is that with the recent Switch, the only consumption history that EDF have is what they have billed since that Switch and even these figures have been skewed by an unusually cold spring & early summer

You report that MIL has paid off the debt on the account, so she should now be making a clean account start.

The key is her Annual consumption(s) with the previous supplier - It needs a letter headed Complaint listing those figures with the workings showing what her yearly cost will be on the EDF tariff, with the rquest that if EDF think differently they should supply their own figures in WRITING

Wywth

archer123 wrote: »

Wyeth, She is NOT in debt to them. Her account is a couple of pence in credit. there is no debt...never has been..they are refusing to budge. Computer says £180...that's what you must pay. It's ridiculous when her annual usage is lower than £900 for BOT utilites and they want her to stump up 6 months at £180 (£1080) before they will review it again.

The Regulator or Goverment needs to act to stop these powerful foreign utility owners from milking this country.

I can only work with the information you provided

archer123 wrote: »

My elderly mother-in-law switched her Gas and Electric to EDF, recently. They managed to screw up the switchover and caused no end of problems with the previous supplier.

Now, after the first meter reading (their reader), which include the last recent cold snap, they issued a bill showing she is just £65 in debit. She paid this off immediately by debit card but they are now DEMANDING that she increase her Direct Debit to £180 per month from the current (adequate) £65 per month.

I have calculated her usage and she will not use anywhere near £900 in the full year, so she offered to increase the DD to £75, but they REFUSED and said she MUST pay £180 per month until January 2014!!

This is outrageous and she cannot afford this. EDF need to understand that pensioners on are not there to line their fat cat balance sheets with cash.

:cool:

macman

archer123 wrote: »

Wyeth, She is NOT in debt to them. Her account is a couple of pence in credit. there is no debt...never has been..they are refusing to budge. Computer says £180...that's what you must pay. It's ridiculous when her annual usage is lower than £900 for BOT utilites and they want her to stump up 6 months at £180 (£1080) before they will review it again.

The Regulator or Goverment needs to act to stop these powerful foreign utility owners from milking this country.

What's the relevance of 'foreign' then? So presumably you're quite happy for the 100% UK owned members of the Big Six to 'milk the country'? Carry on BG &SSE...

archer123

EDF say they got the usage figures from the previous supplier, as clearly the current usage does not point to such a massive increase. I have seen all the bills from the previous supplier and there is no indication of this rate of usage. EDF set the inital DD rate, at switchover, based on the Energyhelpline calculation from those previous bills.

The point is, here, it is unreasonable, and unfair, to spring this kind of demand onto any customer, especially an elderly one who knows what she uses and will never use £1800 of gas in one year! The account is in credit, so they cannot justify a making up a minor shortfall with a £180 per month demand up until the next bill. This will mean she overpays £630 in the next six months to cover the previous £65 shortfall!

EDF still haven't provided the figures, or calculations, but still blame the previous supplier. Strange.

Anyone else had a big DD demand from EDF?

I'll ignore Macman comments.