First Utility anybody else having problems with DD payments

*Jane*

I changed my electric to this company with uswitch. My dd payments should be £29 a month thats what was quoted when I switched. When I went on to the online account it said my payments would be £50 a month. I emailed to say this was way too much and not the price I was given. They sent me a email back and said this was the lowest payment they could take. I emailed again and they have now said I can go on a variable dd and to contact them. I have tried numerous time to phone them and am just put on hold all the time I am at a loss what to do emails take over a week to be answered they dont pick the phone up. I am paying nearly double to what I was with my old company. Am wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them.

diddilydee

Exactly same situation as me. Been paying £28 a month with Scottish Power for over 2 years. Uswitch advised I'd be paying around £24 a month with first utility. Even when I signed up on the first utility website this is what I was quoted yet Direct debit set at £50 a month! Took 3 emails, 1 tweet and 3 weeks before I got any response. Was told the same about changing to variable direct debit and that my payments would be reassesed after 3 months. Although chose to switch to first utility I think this is still miselling as I was not given a written annual estimate of what I'd be paying. After Googleing first utility seems they are partial to overcharging customers on monthly direct debit.

diddilydee

If you're signing up to a new contract, sales staff must provide an estimate of the cost of the new tariff there and then. In most cases you should also get a comparison against your existing tariff. If they're claiming you'll pay less, they must provide a comparison based on either info you provide, or their best estimate.

What the rules say: Ofgem's licence condition 25.6 a) says the representative must "provide, in writing or by means of electronic display, an estimate of the total annual charges for the supply of electricity".