Direct debit set up but no payments taken out?

Sea.Shore

Hi, hoping someone can help as I've no idea where we stand with all of this and it's getting stressful!

We moved into our home nearly 2 years ago and have gas/electric with First Utility. Initially everything was fine, direct debits set up and payments taken but then all of a sudden try stopped?? If I look at our banking (online) it still shows the direct debit so it still should be taken out. They said it must be our fault (it's not, contacted the bank and all is ok) and they keep sending bills saying we owe a lot of money. They said they've tried to set up more direct debits but still nothing?

We can't afford to pay the whole bill in 1 go, it's huge!

matelodave

If they haven't been taking the direct debits then the money should still be sitting in the bank so what's the problem. Just pay the bill from the surplus in your account.

System

I hesitate to respond to posts of this nature as responses range from ' there must be surplus money in your account' to 'it's the energy company's fault - they should write-off the amount owed'.

I am afraid what we all think does not really matter. The energy company has supplied energy and it will expect to be paid as the law is on its side. DDs are nothing more than payments on account. As I am sure you know, even if all the DD payments are made on time this doesn't guarantee that the actual bill will be covered.

I suggest that you speak to FU and point out that as neither party noticed that the payments were not being made you should have an extended time to pay.

Sea.Shore

The problem is that they can't give a meter reading to support the amount. When we first moved in the meter readings were based on our old property which the bills were higher for (significantly older and colder) and after a couple of weeks they said the smart meter would kick in, until 12-15 months down the line and they realised there wasn't one so they said they don't know if there's an an overpayment, so I don't want to pay it if I don't actually owe it - which apparently they cannot confirm!

matelodave

You should have the meter reading from when you moved in and hopefully a meter reading or two since then. Go and read it now.

Even Futility should have your initial reading so you could ask them for it.

Take the readings from when you moved in from today's reading and you will get the amount of energy you've used. Multiply that by the tariff, add on the standing charge and that's how much you owe, less any payments already taken.

I can sort of understand FU not checking what's going on because they are useless but don't you ever check your bank account to see whether money is going in or who's taking it out or notice when there's too much or too little in there.
Five to ten minutes a month checking your bills and bank account would save you hours of grief and aggro.

System

Sea.Shore wrote: »

The problem is that they can't give a meter reading to support the amount. When we first moved in the meter readings were based on our old property which the bills were higher for (significantly older and colder) and after a couple of weeks they said the smart meter would kick in, until 12-15 months down the line and they realised there wasn't one so they said they don't know if there's an an overpayment, so I don't want to pay it if I don't actually owe it - which apparently they cannot confirm!

Now I am confused. Firstly, you ask for advice on a bill that you say you say is 'huge' because FU hasn't been claiming the monthly DD payment. You now throw a smart meter into the equation which seems to have been dumb since you moved in. Have the meters actually been read in the past 2 years? To complicate matters further, you also talk about the possibility of having overpaid.

Go out and read your meter/s. Pass those readings to FU and ask them for an up to date bill. Only then will you know where you stand

Sea.Shore

Hengus wrote: »

Now I am confused. Firstly, you ask for advice on a bill that you say you say is 'huge' because FU hasn't been claiming the monthly DD payment. You now throw a smart meter into the equation which seems to have been dumb since you moved in. Have the meters actually been read in the past 2 years? To complicate matters further, you also talk about the possibility of having overpaid.

Go out and read your meter/s. Pass those readings to FU and ask them for an up to date bill. Only then will you know where you stand

Apologies for complicating things, I rang them after the original post (again) to query the reading they should have taken and contacted us about, but didn't, so rang for an update and my later message is what they told me on the phone too. I get told different things every time I ring so if your head is mashed, spare a thought.

System

Sea.Shore wrote: »

Apologies for complicating things, I rang them after the original post (again) to query the reading they should have taken and contacted us about, but didn't, so rang for an update and my later message is what they told me on the phone too. I get told different things every time I ring so if your head is mashed, spare a thought.

People are genuinely trying to help. If your meter is not communicating with the supplier then there is an issue. My understanding is that you, the customer, can go out and read a smart meter. Have you done this or are you just relying on FU to send out a meter reader? If you are, you could be in for a long wait. Without an accurate bill, then any advice that you get from people on this site is, at best, a guess.

macman

Until you sort the meter reads out, you cannot hope to get a grip on your billing, since you don't know what you actually owe.
If you never bothered to take opening reads, then they will have to be estimated. You may win, you may lose. If you did, then subtract those from your current reads and you will know exactly what you have used. From there you simply need to calculate your billing, and deduct what you have already paid by DD. The balance is what you owe. If you wait for FU to unravel this then you could have a very long wait.

Sea.Shore

Yes I know people are trying to help, it's just so exasperating. I'll read the meter readings, although I was told I didn't need to by them (?) and try and get the correct one.

It wasn't matter of I didn't bother to read them when we moved in, the employee of a development company did it with us for her to document aswell because were the only people who've ever lived here, so any usage was minimal.