Iresa Energy - Can I reduce direct debit/cancel it?

LincsGuy1978

I have recently made an error of judgement and switched my energy to Iresa. I have only just found the awful reviews. It seems they are commonly over charging the monthly payment that customers make and many are having an issue when their contract ends in getting a refund.
The customer service is terrible and they don't respond to support tickets. Ideally I'd like to reduce my monthly payment to make sure I am underpaying so that I owe them a small amount of money at the end of the contract. I appears impossible to get a refund from them so this way I can make the final payment and leave in 12 months time. Am I able to just contact my bank and ask the bank to reduce the monthly payment or does it have to be agreed with Iresa?
Secondly on month 11 of my contract can I just cancel my direct debit to make sure I have under paid or is that a breach of contract? Then I can just make the final payment and I won't have to have a battle with them trying to get a refund.

Any advice much appreciated!

Norman_Castle

If you gave accurate figures when joining your monthly dd should cover your cost and no more. Wait and see if you are being charged more than needed.

System

This is what you signed up to:

4.6 You agree to pay us by Direct Debit in an agreed fixed amount in advance each month, calculated to cover your supply over the year and to keep your account in credit at all times.

4.7 We will inform you in your contract letter of the fixed amount of your monthly Direct Debit at the start of your contract and we may review and amend this amount at any time (for example if you go into debit) and notify you of any changes in writing. We will not alter the amount of your Direct Debit when you make any extra payments. Any review of your Direct Debit will be based on your past energy use, current prices, and any debit or credit on your account.

4.8 We will collect the Direct Debit payment in the agreed amount for each month of supply on the 20th day of the preceding month (or the following working day where the 20th is a non working day), except for in relation to the first month of supply (or part month) in which case we will collect the Direct Debit payment in the agreed amount 3 working days after the end of your cooling off period.

footyguy

LincsGuy1978 wrote: »

I have recently made an error of judgement and switched my energy to Iresa. I have only just found the awful reviews. It seems they are commonly over charging the monthly payment that customers make and many are having an issue when their contract ends in getting a refund.
The customer service is terrible and they don't respond to support tickets. Ideally I'd like to reduce my monthly payment to make sure I am underpaying so that I owe them a small amount of money at the end of the contract. I appears impossible to get a refund from them so this way I can make the final payment and leave in 12 months time. Am I able to just contact my bank and ask the bank to reduce the monthly payment or does it have to be agreed with Iresa?
Secondly on month 11 of my contract can I just cancel my direct debit to make sure I have under paid or is that a breach of contract? Then I can just make the final payment and I won't have to have a battle with them trying to get a refund.

Any advice much appreciated!

If you don't know what your monthly DD has been set at, then you would still be within the 14 day cooling off period.
If you really think you have "made an error of judgement", why not take advantage of it?
There are plenty of other suppliers to choose from ... although you'll end up paying more for them.

Even if you are outside the cooling off period, with no early exit fees to woory about, you are free to switch at any time, if you really do think now that you have "made an error of judgement"

Did you read the terms and conditions you said you had agreed to? If not, better late than never.

If, as you say, you read the reviews, then presumably you have also read this post by me on the Iresa feedback thread? :cool:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=73350426&postcount=1324

Good luck!

Robin9

Keep on providing your readings at least monthly and examine and understand your bills.

Raxiel

I've left Iresa, and am still waiting for them to refund my winter credit balance. It's been a month since the new supplier sent the flows, so I'm not in complaint territory yet.

To be fair to Iresa, their billing did seem to have improved by the time I left, and they do pay a generous interest rate on any balance you have with them. Their CS is worth every penny you don't pay by being with one of the cheapest on the market, so not great, but it has improved (a low bar, but still).

Given the grief I've had already with my new (big 6) supplier, if I could go back 2 months I wouldn't have bothered leaving.

If you're really concerned, the best time to leave would be in the spring, once your winter balance has been cleared.

Sja

I feel your pain. I also signed up to Iresa about eighteen months ago. What a mistake. Time and time again they proved themselves incapable of getting anything right.

I cancelled my direct debit a couple of months before the end of my 12-month contract, to ensure that my account wasn't left in credit. Having dealt with them for a year I knew it would be next to impossible to get any outstanding balance refunded. I would strongly urge you to do the same.

My lack of faith in Iresa has been vindicated. I've spent the last six months chasing them for a final bill so that I can settle up. By my calculations I owe them about £70. I have now given up. In the unlikely event that I do ever receive a final bill, I will ignore it. I estimate that the chances of them getting their act sufficiently together to take me to court are effectively nil. In any event I expect them to go out of business sooner rather than later.

To those who say I have breached the T&Cs by cancelling my direct debit, I would simply say that Iresa were not providing the service I was paying for, i.e. supplying my energy and administering my account (correctly logging meter readings, providing correct bills etc.)

Farway

Sja wrote: »

I feel your pain. I also signed up to Iresa about eighteen months ago. What a mistake. Time and time again they proved themselves incapable of getting anything right.

I cancelled my direct debit a couple of months before the end of my 12-month contract, to ensure that my account wasn't left in credit. Having dealt with them for a year I knew it would be next to impossible to get any outstanding balance refunded. I would strongly urge you to do the same.

My lack of faith in Iresa has been vindicated. I've spent the last six months chasing them for a final bill so that I can settle up. By my calculations I owe them about £70. I have now given up. In the unlikely event that I do ever receive a final bill, I will ignore it. I estimate that the chances of them getting their act sufficiently together to take me to court are effectively nil. In any event I expect them to go out of business sooner rather than later.

To those who say I have breached the T&Cs by cancelling my direct debit, I would simply say that Iresa were not providing the service I was paying for, i.e. supplying my energy and administering my account (correctly logging meter readings, providing correct bills etc.)

Wishing you the best of luck with your ruined credit reports for the next 6 years.

I assume you will not need a phone contract, mortgage, loan etc during the next 6 years?

Sja

Hey, thanks so much for your kind good wishes. I check all three of my full credit reports each month and they are all spotless because I always pay my bills on time (assuming the company concerned actually bills me that is).

I've worked in credit scoring for 15 years so don't try to bamboozle me with empty scare stories.

Incidentally Iresa have never appeared on any of my credit reports in any capacity so I guess they don't report to the CRAs.

rusty_frog

We have been with Iresa since February 2017 when we switched to what was the cheapest deal around.
To be honest I cant complain about their customer service because I have never needed to test it.
We have a small debit on the electric side and just over £120 on the gas.
With the above in mind and bearing in mind the forecasted cold winter, it wont take too long to run this credit down.
Of course all this may change if/when we decide to leave them, but up to now no complaints.

johnpr98

I had an advance notification of a £13 Direct Debit increase last month when Iresa posted I was in debit, this mistake was corrected and I went back to the normal DD payment.

i am in credit and Iresa have notified me again of an increase in my DD, I have received no reply after using online tickets, email and Twitter, btw I am not alone on Twitter as many have the same issue of increased DD's when in they are credit, does anyone know what is happening?

My meter readings are sent in monthly to Iresa as requested

I understand the T&C's that say I should keep in Credit, by the end of the year I will be 100 units in credit on my current projection.

Thank you