Best long-term fix for not paying by DD

ha12roon

Hi guys,

Just need some advice for my parents. I've been urging my dad to change tariffs for ages but after latest rise by B.gas (on fix&fall Nov 13) he's seen the light but he wants to switch once and that's it for a few years. He doesn't do online and wants to keep paying upon receipt of bill as he doesn't trust companies with D.debits from a previous bad experience.

I've run the relevant numbers through the cheap energy club and Uswitch, and to fix until 2017 the two options are the N-power and EDF fixes.

Nearly all of the horror stories on these forums relate to DDs being messed up so does it make a difference if your ok paying slightly more via quarterly billing, for about £30-60 a year with no rises for 4 winters.

Any advice much appreciated

thanks

Quentin

Yes it makes it more expensive.

colalba

To quantify it, for npower (which you mention), assuming dual fuel, he will save £90 per year if using DD. So £360 if you are going for the 4 year fix.

Perhaps asking him if he wants an extra £360 to spent would be the way to approach it.

EDF is 6%

Obviously it is annoying the organisations get the DD wrong but hopefully won't happen to him again.

Catssquirrel

Monthly direct debits are a disaster prone racket foisted on customers to further boost energy companies fat profits. Still trying to find out why paying quarterly by debit card over an Internet account is penalised by so many firms.