EDF go quiet - check it!

lynwill53

As someone who prided herself on having her finger on the money saving pulse I am embarrassed to find I have been quietly shafted by EDF and didn't notice. My fault I know but be warned to keep your eye on EDF. They are sneaky, and I fell for it.
In early May 16 I had a bill which told me they were lowering my direct debit payment. Yay! This distracted me from the message warning me that my fixed tariff was ending on May 31st. At the same time all "Blue Price Promise" messages ceased. I didn't notice. Until then I had been regularly bombarded with them.
On reading my latest bill I found that I have been on standard tariff since May 31st and now owe them a small fortune!
Not one message telling me I could be on a cheaper tariff. Not one message saying "Do you realise you are on standard tariff?" or a reminder that my cheap tariff had ended. Silence. And I didn't notice, or think that EDF were being unusually quiet. My fault, and I'm very cross with myself.

CashStrapped

Just be glad it was not winter when this happened. The "damage" will not been as bad as it could have been if it were winter. While electric use is usually quite consistent year round, you gas use should have been very low. This assumes you are a gas and electric property.

However, when one tariff ended and the standard tariff began back in may, what meter reading did they use? Was it an estimate? Or an actual reading?

I assume you, having now realised you are on a expensive tariff, have switched onto a new cheaper fix. Did you also give a meter reading at that point too?

The reason I ask is because you need to be sure that for the period you were on the expensive standard tariff is not one where usage has been poorly estimated.

So, check the readings and how much they are saying you were using during that time.

Check that they have at least estimated a believable amount for summer months.

lynwill53

I assume it would have been fairly accurate as the May bill which generated that distracting little debit reduction was from a reading I gave. As was the reading for this Oct bill. They did actually send a man round to read the meter during the summer, but this did not generate a new bill to disturb my smug little oblivion. The usage seems pretty normal, it's the high rate that has caused the big bill and caught my attention. That and the direct debit hike from £49 per month to £74!! Still can't believe I let that happen! And yes I have instigated a change to a better tariff with a another company, today.