Direct Debit reversal to reduce credit owed by Energy company

willh254

Hello,
Like quite a few others, I'm having problems getting my final bill credit from Utility Point. I've contacted them several times and they have promised to pay the outstanding credit along with £30 compensation. I'm now several months down the line and still nothing.


The credit owed to me is a little more than my last direct debit payment. (Not including the £30 compensation.)


Could I reverse the direct debit payment to reduce the amount they owe me? Or is that not allowed?


I'm concerned that with the amount of complaints about utility point, they are about to fold in which case I lose all of my money.


Thanks all.

MWT

If the Direct Debit was correctly taken at the time then no, you can't just reverse it to reclaim money owed.


If it was incorrectly taken then that would be different...

Streaky_Bacon

If a supplier collapses you won't lose the credit balance, although it may take an extended period of time to get it back. It would be paid to you by the new supplier that Ofgem select to replace the old supplier.

You could try to get the last DD reversed, it never hurts to ask, but the bank probably won't do it.

Have you now raised your complaint to the ombudsman? If not, you should do so now.

Also be aware that they actually owe you £60 compensation. £30 for not refunding the credit balance in time, and another £30 for not paying you the first £30 within 14 days.

willh254

It was the usual amount on the usual day of the month BUT...



It was taken about a month after the final meter reading was supplied to them. They had at that point not responded to contact asking for a final bill to be issued. I could already see that we were all square in terms of money (they owed me about £5 after the penultimate direct debit) so didn't need or want them to take another payment.


Would that count as incorrectly taken?

Streaky_Bacon

willh254 wrote: »

Would that count as incorrectly taken?

Probably not, but again it really doesn't hurt to ask the bank.

They zeroed my DD as soon as the received my switch request, so it's disappointing that they didn't do the same with your account.

But, again, you will eventually get the money back, even if UP were to collapse.

willh254

Thanks,
I've only today raised a formal complaint with Utility point so I believe I have to wait 8 weeks before I can take that to the ombudsman. Is that your understanding?


£60 compensation sounds nice but I'm thinking I'll never see it from them. Does the compensation keep compounding like that every 10 working days or is it a maximum of £60

tk47

willh254 wrote: »

Hello,
Like quite a few others, I'm having problems getting my final bill credit from Utility Point. I've contacted them several times and they have promised to pay the outstanding credit along with £30 compensation. I'm now several months down the line and still nothing.


The credit owed to me is a little more than my last direct debit payment. (Not including the £30 compensation.)


Could I reverse the direct debit payment to reduce the amount they owe me? Or is that not allowed?


I'm concerned that with the amount of complaints about utility point, they are about to fold in which case I lose all of my money.


Thanks all.

I'm not quite sure what is causing the issue you are claiming about with Utillity Point. :huh:

We left them last year (only because their renewal wasn't competitive)

They took a DD payment from us ater they had stopped supplying us.
We emailed them to complain, as we paid in advance according to UP's T&Cs, and we had calculated a small credit balance would be owed to us based on the meter reading we had supplied on the day they stopped supply.

They emailed back the same day, saying they would refund the latest amount collected immediately, and setting our direct debit to zero.

They were as good as their word on both accounts.

I'm not making this up, I posted about it last year in the UP feedback thread.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=76240948&postcount=448

The final bill was produced within about 3 weeks of them stopping to supply us. There was indeed a small credit owed to us according to that final bill, and that was showing in our bank account within 2 working days of that date of that final bill. And they closed the DDI for us once they had refunded us.

If you read the feedback thread, I think I posted about that too at the time.

Did you cancel your DDI? Maybe that is what is causing you all the issues now?

tk47

willh254 wrote: »

Thanks,
I've only today raised a formal complaint with Utility point so I believe I have to wait 8 weeks before I can take that to the ombudsman. Is that your understanding?


£60 compensation sounds nice but I'm thinking I'll never see it from them. Does the compensation keep compounding like that every 10 working days or is it a maximum of £60

Yes you have to allow a supplier up to 8 weeks to resolve any complaint, before the ombudsman will consider assisting you with it.

Unless things have gone drasically downhill since we left UP late summer of last year, then they won't need anywhere near 8 weeks to resolve matters for you

Streaky_Bacon

willh254 wrote: »

I've only today raised a formal complaint with Utility point so I believe I have to wait 8 weeks before I can take that to the ombudsman. Is that your understanding?

Yes, if you've only just started the complaint you will have to wait 8 weeks.

Hopefully a formal complaint will get it sorted for you. I had formed the impression that you had already done so but had no response for months.

willh254 wrote: »

£60 compensation sounds nice but I'm thinking I'll never see it from them. Does the compensation keep compounding like that every 10 working days or is it a maximum of £60

No, it doesn't keep accruing, unfortunately. Just £30 for not paying the credit balance within 14 days, and then another £30 for not paying the first £30 within 14 days.

Swipe

tk47 wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what is causing the issue you are claiming about with Utillity Point. :huh:

Utility Point messed me around too with late refunds and late payment of compensation so the OP is not alone.

kigtic

We're also having the same problems with Utility Point.  We changed suppliers beginning of December having previously requested the credit balance to be refunded.  So far we have had nothing back.  We were promised it in January within 5 working days plus and extra £30 after raising a complaint but still nothing.  Now waiting for the 8 weeks to elapse before we can go to the Ombudsman.