Peoples Energy

badmemory

That was exactly how the whole thing started for me.  They will not be backing down, even if you can give them figures to prove the extra they want is not needed.  I am over £300 in credit with them.  When I leave them in February I expect to be nearly £500 in credit & am very worried that I will struggle to get it back.

ColBal

Think I may have found a way round this. Been through it with many emails and phone calls getting nowhere. On the PE website tab About Us/Our Approach there is a list of Customer Member Representatives (with a company email address). I contacted the one that was closest to me and he seems to have got it sorted..Got this in an email from a support guy
"As such I have today excluded your account from this seasonal payments system to prevent said increase from occurring. Would you consider this reasonable grounds on which to consider the complaint resolved? If not please let me know what more I can do for you and I will be more than happy to assist."
Early days yet as the DD isn't due for another couple of weeks, but fingers crossed

badmemory

Well done for sorting this.  I will not be going that route as unfortunately I no longer trust them at all.  I have even considered paying the £30 a fuel to leave, but that would not be at all MSE.  I haven't ruled it out yet though!

Jay_pii

I didn’t receive the email, just a really confusing phone call from someone who hadn’t got a clue how to answer any questions. I’m on a fixed tariff until March 2022 but they want me to make a one off payment of £95. I’m sure the terms of a fixed contract mean they can’t change their prices. I am also in credit after they hiked our direct debit up a couple of months ago. I said I am not prepared to pay any extra to which they replied then your direct debit will increase in October. I will use the advice given by ‘col bal ‘ to fight this and like ‘badmemory’ I feel like paying the fee and moving on. I’m fighting this tooth and nail, I’m so angry…

Telegraph_Sam

This is now following a well established pattern with no doubt many customers being invited to cough up regardless of their circs. Increasing prices in the middle of a fixed term contract is plainly illegal. But increasing D/D's and/or asking for advance payments is something different and far less clear cut (and open to abuse). One step would be to find out just what the terms amd conditions were that you signed up to. Whether these were fair or unreasonable could be something for the lawyers.
I might repeat the suggestions that I made on 27th Aug (11.13 pm, page 6) that you contact Dalkeith Trading Standards and Consumer Advice. If sufficient no of consumers draw these sharp practices to their notice - "class action" - there is a chance that they could intervene directly as well as giving you the appropriate advice on how to react.

Jay_pii

Telegraph_Sam said:

This is now following a well established pattern with no doubt many customers being invited to cough up regardless of their circs. Increasing prices in the middle of a fixed term contract is plainly illegal. But increasing D/D's and/or asking for advance payments is something different and far less clear cut (and open to abuse). One step would be to find out just what the terms amd conditions were that you signed up to. Whether these were fair or unreasonable could be something for the lawyers.
I might repeat the suggestions that I made on 27th Aug (11.13 pm, page 6) that you contact Dalkeith Trading Standards and Consumer Advice. If sufficient no of consumers draw these sharp practices to their notice - "class action" - there is a chance that they could intervene directly as well as giving you the appropriate advice on how to react.

I will take a look at Dalkeith..  I have sent an email raising an official complaint to the people’s energy as well as sending an email to the ‘people’s rep on the web site’.
ofgem say to contact the supplier in the first instance and they will intervene after 8 weeks if the issue is not resolved.
All this from a company who sell themselves on their ethical values .

badmemory

I wouldn't mind if they could show me any evidence at all that my DD is not going to be enough.  They can't & I have tried to give them the figures to prove that they are incorrect.  Maybe they have had an all winter weather forecast that tells them that we are going to be below zero for the next 6 months.  I'm not sure that even that would justify the increase.  Is anybody else's at exactly the 25% mine is?

For those who have only had a phone call, the email comes a few days later.

I too don't think they are behaving very ethically, perhaps that is what happens to you when you buy other company's customers when they are going kaput.  SoLR!!  At 75 they have me down as vulnerable, have to wonder what they would have done if I was in my 80s.  Probably put the DD by 50%.

ETA  I still have steam coming out of my ears!

ColBal

Some of the T&C on their website seem contradictory. Here's a couple of relevant ones..

6.10 The Direct Debit is based upon the amount of energy we estimate you will use (based upon the information provided by you) from the Contract start date.

6.10.1 If you are joining us through the winter (October, November, December January and February) the Direct Debit monthly amount may be set at a rate 25% higher than the average. 

This will then return to the agreed monthly amount for the remaining period.

6.10.2 You agree that we may increase the monthly Direct Debit payment by up to 25% to cover additional usage in the winter months.

12.4 In addition to our right to vary your Contract (in accordance with this clause 12) we can mutually agree changes to the Contract with you. 

These changes can be requested by either you or us but they must be mutually agreed by both you and us. If the change (whether requested by you or us)

 would increase the Charges payable by you or would put you at a disadvantage, we'll send you a written notice of the effect of the change. 

We will require your express agreement before we make the change. If we tell you about a change we’d like to agree and we don't hear back from you 

within a reasonable period, then we won’t make the change. All mutually agreed changes to your Contract will be confirmed in writing within 5 Working 

Days of the change being agreed.

They would probably argue that an increase to your DD is not a Contract change..

badmemory

It looks like they changed the t & cs when I renewed in Feb from the ones before.  But the bit about mutually agreed is a pile of BS.  They already have over £300 of my money by Oct that will be over £400, then 5 months at the inflated price, when I calculated that I would be overpaid without them inflating the price.  I am seriously worried I will never get that overpayment back.  If they would put in writing something along the lines of - based on your usage to date we expect you to use **** which will cost £**** but they can't.  I've been with them for 3 years so they know my usage & also that it is going down (replacing old stuff that used more).

An increase in a DD is not a contract change provided that the increase is caused/justified by an expected shortfall in payments.  Certainly that is not the case with mine.

badmemory

I thought People's Energy had a rep on here.  Guess they would just disappear when the proverbial hit the fan!