Sainsburys bill going up

leew

I got a email this today saying my monthly direct debit is increasing from £65 to over £100! Can they do that?

I am on one of there fixed tariffs, being paying 65 a month for 2 or 3 months now.

I am a bit cheesed off to be honest

Cardew

A 'fixed tariff' means the unit price of gas/electricity, and the daily standing charge, is fixed for a period.

Your £65 direct debit is calculated on your predicted consumption of gas/electricity. If your consumption is higher than predicted the direct debit will increase. This is the usual reason for a higher monthly payment

You can always discuss the level of the direct debit with Sainsburys, but if you do not pay the full demand you will finish the fixed period with a large debt.

dogshome

You have had this fixed tariff for only 2 to 3 months, so it's an easy check as to wether or not this increase is justified

You have the meter reading/s that were used to open this account - Take the readings of your meter/s today and calulate how much you have used and it's cost - If these figures don't justify a D/D increase complain to S'bury

elsien

Have you been sending meter readings in? I do this monthly to ensure no nasty surprises.

House_Martin

A one year fix with any supplier is only accurate with one full winters usage.Three months in summer with the gas central heating off is nt any use even if you send in monthly readings.

footyguy

leew wrote: »

I got a email this today saying my monthly direct debit is increasing from £65 to over £100! Can they do that?

I am on one of there fixed tariffs, being paying 65 a month for 2 or 3 months now.

I am a bit cheesed off to be honest

Cheesed off?

Would I be right to say you consider the increase as unfair or unwarranted?
If so, stop being cheesed off and follow the advice in this useful MSE article on how to fight back

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits

System

leew wrote: »

I got a email this today saying my monthly direct debit is increasing from £65 to over £100! Can they do that?

I am on one of there fixed tariffs, being paying 65 a month for 2 or 3 months now.

I am a bit cheesed off to be honest

My 'guess' is that the supplier has raised your monthly DD because it is a late season switch and it doesn't want you to accrue a large debit balance over the Winter period. There is no question of your bills going up: as others have said, you will only pay for what you use at the agreed tariff rate. DDs are only payments made on account which are used to offset charges.

leew

Oops, looks like I was half asleep when I looked at my bill this morning

I was on the fixed tarrif til November 2017, not like I thought - been with them a while it turns out!

It still begs the question, should the increase be in Nov and not Oct like they have said?

Thanks for the helpful replies, I did get the deal through the energy savers site off here, another visit is on the cards.

Robin9

Have you looked at your actual bills ? Are they based on actual or estimated readings; are you in credit or debit ?

The original DD would have been based on what you have told them - if this was not accurate or your consumption is greater for some reason- then the supplier is adjusting accordingly.

footyguy

leew wrote: »

Oops, looks like I was half asleep when I looked at my bill this morning

I was on the fixed tarrif til November 2017, not like I thought - been with them a while it turns out!

It still begs the question, should the increase be in Nov and not Oct like they have said?

Thanks for the helpful replies, I did get the deal through the energy savers site off here, another visit is on the cards.

I'm sure if you contact the supplier, they will agree to put off the increase of £35+pm for 1 month

Especially if your account is currently in credit anyway, and you explain you are planning to switch before the end of the fixed term.

Marmaduke123

I'm with Sainsbury's energy too, on the same tariff. I had an email after my last bill was issued a week or so ago, raising my direct debit amount to just over £100 from 3rd November. The tariff finishes on the 30th.

What mystifies me though, is that they have refunded my current positive balance of £18 odd ( after the bill) to my bank account. Why do this? I really don't understand!