Bristol energy final bill - standing charges

janeymates

Hi all, hope someone can help with this.
I switched my electricity from Bristol Energy to Eon on the 29th October 2019. I have a smart meter and provided my opening reading to Eon on the 29th October.


In November I paid direct debits out to both Bristol Energy and Eon.
At the end of November 2019 I telephoned Bristol Energy to see why I hadn't received my final bill yet and they stated that there had been a delay in getting my closing reading from Eon. Eon dispute this.


As I did not want to be paying 2 direct debits again in December I cancelled my direct debit to Bristol energy. I subsequently received emails from Bristol energy telling me that if I didn't re-instate my direct debit that an increased standing charge would be billed on my next bill.


Today, 13 December, I have received my final bill and the standing charge is 29.91/day, previously through the contract my standing charge was 14.91/day.


All I am asking is can they do this? or am I within my rights to ask them to change the standing charge back to what it was originally? maybe I did the wrong thing cancelling my direct debit, but I didn't want to be paying out to 2 companies for a second month when I knew I would probably be in credit anyway with Bristol Energy (and would have been if not for the high standing charge) I currently owe them 64p!


many thanks in advance

dogshome

Your contract & it's tariff rates ended on the day Eon took over the account, at which time your D/D mandate was established and they were being taken.


I know hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the course of action with D/D's taken after the account closure, was to have your bank reclaim the payments under the Direct Debit Guarantee rules

However, WRITE to Bristol heading the letter Complaint, pointing out that they have no right to change the terms on a contract after that contract has expired - Is it just the Standing charge they changed? - Check the prices per Kwh

Biscuit_Tin

janeymates wrote: »

Hi all, hope someone can help with this.
I switched my electricity from Bristol Energy to Eon on the 29th October 2019. I have a smart meter and provided my opening reading to Eon on the 29th October.


In November I paid direct debits out to both Bristol Energy and Eon.
At the end of November 2019 I telephoned Bristol Energy to see why I hadn't received my final bill yet and they stated that there had been a delay in getting my closing reading from Eon. Eon dispute this.


As I did not want to be paying 2 direct debits again in December I cancelled my direct debit to Bristol energy. I subsequently received emails from Bristol energy telling me that if I didn't re-instate my direct debit that an increased standing charge would be billed on my next bill.


Today, 13 December, I have received my final bill and the standing charge is 29.91/day, previously through the contract my standing charge was 14.91/day.


All I am asking is can they do this? or am I within my rights to ask them to change the standing charge back to what it was originally? maybe I did the wrong thing cancelling my direct debit, but I didn't want to be paying out to 2 companies for a second month when I knew I would probably be in credit anyway with Bristol Energy (and would have been if not for the high standing charge) I currently owe them 64p!


many thanks in advance

There is always a short term risk that, when paying monthly by DD, you will need to pay more than one supplier when changing supplier.
However, DD collections are credited to your account; you only pay for what you have used whilst with that supplier.

If you switched supplier on 29th October (date new supplier actually commenced supply, not the date you applied to switch) then I don't understand why you are still being charged a standing charge by them as recently as today.

If you are saying they have backdated the change of tariff to prior to the actual switching date as a result of you cancelling your direct debit before closure of trhe account, then you are potentially on doidgy ground.

This is a good example as to why one should not cancel a monthly dd until the account is finalised and closed.

If your final account is in credit, then you will have a good argument for no change in tariff. If, however, the final account is in debit (if caluculated at the original dd tariff rates) then you may be in difficulty, as the supplier is unable to collect the final amount of the contract by dd; something you agreed they could when you accepted the tariff.
You are, in effect in breach, and if the terms allow then the supplier can remove you from that tariff.

(I'm sure some people here will disagree with that position, but that is the situation, hence why the supplier, and Bristol is not alone in adopting such a stance, adopt. I do not intend to respond to such contrary posts here, as the facts speak for themselves )

It's not the new supplier that gives the meter reading directly to the old supplier, so whatever the new supplier says about that can be safely ignored.
The new supplier provides the meter reading to an independant meter reading agency; it is that agency that then allows the new supplier to see that reading if agreed. If the meter reading is not agreed, the agency needs to agree what reading both suppliers must use.

janeymates

Biscuit_Tin wrote: »

If you switched supplier on 29th October (date new supplier actually commenced supply, not the date you applied to switch) then I don't understand why you are still being charged a standing charge by them as recently as today.

If you are saying they have backdated the change of tariff to prior to the actual switching date as a result of you cancelling your direct debit before closure of trhe account, then you are potentially on doidgy ground.

This is a good example as to why one should not cancel a monthly dd until the account is finalised and closed.

If your final account is in credit, then you will have a good argument for no change in tariff. If, however, the final account is in debit (if caluculated at the original dd tariff rates) then you may be in difficulty, as the supplier is unable to collect the final amount of the contract by dd; something you agreed they could when you accepted the tariff.
You are, in effect in breach, and if the terms allow then the supplier can remove you from that tariff.

(I'm sure some people here will disagree with that position, but that is the situation, hence why the supplier, and Bristol is not alone in adopting such a stance, adopt. I do not intend to respond to such contrary posts here, as the facts speak for themselves )

It's not the new supplier that gives the meter reading directly to the old supplier, so whatever the new supplier says about that can be safely ignored.
The new supplier provides the meter reading to an independant meter reading agency; it is that agency that then allows the new supplier to see that reading if agreed. If the meter reading is not agreed, the agency needs to agree what reading both suppliers must use.

Many thanks both, the bill I received today is for the period 20/8 - 30/10/19. I cancelled my direct debit around the end of November. Had the standing charges on the final bill been the same as the previous quarter (Jun - Aug) I would have been £9.08 in credit - by my workings out, instead I am 0.64 in debit. Now i've worked this out properly it hardly seems worth arguing about - but that's not really the point in my view.

dogshome

Hmmm - It is worth arguing about - If you don't pay the 64p you will eventually have bailiffs at your door, if you do pay the 64p Bristol will have ripped you off to the tune of £9.72, and they will continue to rip off cash from every other parting customer.


The price of a stamp on a Complaint letter is less than 64p