Energy Supplier Direct Debit.

stroika

So I have my gas and electricity with British Gas, I pay monthly direct debit on both and input my readings every month. Last month I noticed that I was getting into a fair amount of debit with both of them so upped my payments. Now they have emailed me to say they are goingto lower my debits as I am paying too much, however on checking my account online it is telling me I am still not paying enough. I phoned them to query what was going on and was told I would have to phone back after Monday when this month's payment id due. What are the energy companies playing at, are they trying to keep people in debt to them to prevent switching supplier. Very confused and wondered if anyone else has had a similar experience.

matelodave

Do you check your consumption over 12 month? Is your direct debit based on previous records or an estimate?
The whole idea of a direct debit is to spread the cost so there's the possibility that you'll be in debit during the winter/spring and in credit during summer/autumn. A lot will depend on when your contract started whether you are predominately in debit or credit. If you think yours won't balance out then put the extra away into a savings account so you've got the cash 9and a bit of interest) to pay it.

My previous supplier used to put the dd up and down throughout the year until we ended up £140 in credit after just 12 months whereas if they'd left it alone it would have worked out to within a few pounds - the present one is so incompetent that they can't work it out anyway so provided they don't start mucking about with the DD, my present payments should balance quite nicely by the end of my contract in April 2015.

km1423

We struggled terribly with Scottish Power when we moved to our new uninsulated home in November 2007, when energy prices rocketed. Initially our DD for duel fuel £70, which we quickly learned after our first bill was wholly inadequate.

DD has gone up and down, and we have at times been over £400 in credit, which once was refunded just before the harsh Winter in 2010. In early 2011 SP called by phone demanded £300, or they will increase DD from £100 to £170 - I told them to bite me. I agreed on £120. If they had not refunded us we would have been fine, and still in credit.

After that experience, I read the meters regularly, submit online readings and have told them to leave the DD alone, and never reduce it. But they do from time to time and we increase it again. I prefer to be in credit coming into the winter months.

Having said that, we now use multi fuel stoves, and retain a healthy sensible credit and a monthly DD of £89, and this has been so for over 2 years now. Received a mail this morning advising that there will be no increase of DD for us - woo hoo. However this has taken a lot of work to achieve.

They are sneaky gits though, and ask us all sorts of questions to the effect of " your gas readings are really low, what are you doing to achieve this" My reply "none of your business" and hang up.

honeybean

I am also with bg and give monthly readings and pay for my usage each month I have also put my dd up to what they suggest ,but don't forget you can just pay extra when your bill comes in which is what I do so I am always on a even keel so my direct debit pot is not in arrears nor does it have any extra cash it is just ticking over.