Cheap Energy Club will cost me £100's

The_Big_Bamboo

tempus_fugit wrote: »

They haven't caused you to go into debt, it's up to you to keep tabs on your usage and how much in credit or debit you are at any one time. I don't know the company so I don't know what their systems are like but most companies have an online system where you can submit readings, check your account and view/download statements to help you see where you are. To leave it for three years I think is as much your fault as the energy company's I'm afraid.

Energy companies have a duty of care to their ALL their customers,... and to vulnerable customers in particular. It’s an ongoing condition of their OFGEM licence.

Allowing ANY customer to run up an unchecked debt of £400 over three years does not constitute good customer care.

The customer consumes the product and has a responsibility to pay for that product, that goes without saying;...however it is the energy company that generates and then issues the monthly bills.

The energy company (usually!) has direct access to the customers bank account and they effectively have carte blanche to adjust their customers monthly payments via the Direct Debit system.

Some companies do have effective debit/credit management. My son, for example, had a year with EDF and they regularly adjusted his monthly D/D payment to keep it on track over the year with no prompting whatsoever.

Conversely, in the 18 months that I had Br.Gas smart meters they didn’t proactively make a single adjustment to my D/D.

Any energy company who allows a customer to run up a large debt over a protracted period of time and fails, throughout that entire period, to take pro-active action to address the debt situation is failing in their duty to ‘care’ for that customer,...irrespective of how much responsibility you think the customer themselves should bear.

eschaton

neiledwards27 wrote: »

Imagine if I was a pensioner. Who finds bills hard to follow anyway and they just left them then sent a £400 bill when they tried to leave. It could prove fatal that's all I wanted people to be aware of.

All you want to do is dramatise things.

The pensioners on this thread have confirmed that you were just lazy as I originally thought myself.

I enter meter readings on the 1st of every single month and have done for years. It takes minutes and I know exactly where I am with my energy costs, the same as all other finances.

Take responsibility.

takman

neiledwards27 wrote: »

And I did ask them to increase my direct debit to clear the debt which they did without incorporating the charges that would increase due to th increase in rates. I've raised a complaint and been ignored for over 4 weeks but I guess yes obviously that's my fault too. Imagine if I was a pensioner. Who finds bills hard to follow anyway and they just left them then sent a £400 bill when they tried to leave. It could prove fatal that's all I wanted people to be aware of. I have the money to pay it off but refuse to until they actually contact my back in regards my complaint

So now your going to be stuck on a more expensive standard tariff just because your being stubborn and refuse to pay what you owe?.

I think people make too much of a big deal about situations like this because you have clearly used the energy and you have the extra money sitting in your bank so just pay what you owe.

The only reason why they setup monthly direct debit amounts is because people are poor at managing money and spend every penny they have after bills are paid.

The_Big_Bamboo

eschaton wrote: »

All you want to do is dramatise things.

The pensioners on this thread have confirmed that you were just lazy as I originally thought myself.

I enter meter readings on the 1st of every single month and have done for years. It takes minutes and I know exactly where I am with my energy costs, the same as all other finances.

Take responsibility.

How patronizing are you‽

eschaton

The_Big_Bamboo wrote: »

How patronizing are you‽

Zero .

redboy1

Ill side with the op here. Not once have i ever thought i need to keep track of my usage and adjust direct debits accordingly myself. Ive only ever been with the big 6 so maybe ive been spoilt but im sure it must be down to the provider to work all this out?

I would be well p1553d if i was in the ops position.