EON DIrect Debit

Cake252

I got a bank statement yesterday and was dismayed to find out eon had moved my dd from £100 to £263 without notification.  I rang them today and found out it was so high as I owed them £1400. Bearing in mind I pay by dd debit why hadn't they told me and how did they let it get that big. I have always insisted being a paper customer I didn't want anything online I even pay bt to produce me a paper bill! It turns out they have been sending me emails to an old email address I haven't used for 10 years. I can't even get into it, so they are saying it's my fault the bill is that high as they sent me emails and I should have noticed I wasn't receiving bills.   

I can't understand how I have got a bill that big. The last thing I can find is a review in December 2019 saying that my dd was going to stay at 100 a month but I owed them £546 pound then, and I can't find any further paperwork since.  I can only presume the bills went on line after corona but I have been completely unaware and now feel annoyed I have this big Bill on top of the energy rises.   Also between January and March I apparently averaged 120 a month in energy usage in winter so surely my dd is about right ?? Just how has this happened ?? Any advice anyone as they have offered me £250 off and I've said no ... ! 

QrizB

Cake252 said:

It turns out they have been sending me emails to an old email address I haven't used for 10 years. I can't even get into it, so they are saying it's my fault the bill is that high as they sent me emails and I should have noticed I wasn't receiving bills.  

It's your responsibility to keep your contact details up to date. When did you join E.ON? What email address did you give them then? Have you updated it with them since?

I can't understand how I have got a bill that big. The last thing I can find is a review in December 2019 saying that my dd was going to stay at 100 a month but I owed them £546 pound then, and I can't find any further paperwork since.

Energy prices have risen by 200-300% since 2019, so if you were paying £100pm then you should expect to pay £2-300pm now.

I can only presume the bills went on line after corona but I have been completely unaware ...

Are you still with legacy E.ON, or have you been migrated to E.ON Next along with everybody else? If so, you were probably moved to paperless billing as part of the migration.

Also between January and March I apparently averaged 120 a month in energy usage in winter so surely my dd is about right??

If you can tell us you tariff details (their SVT is NextFlex, or are you on a different fixed one?) and Estimated Annual consumption for both gas and electricity (printed on your latest bill) we can calculate your monthly and annual spend. Any arrears will be on top of that.

Any advice anyone as they have offered me £250 off and I've said no ... ! 

I'd advise you to accept their offer of £250 off.

Cake252

I didn't even know they had an email address of mine. I joined in 2005, so I was unlikely to ask them to change it not knowing they even had one.  I am now with eon next didn't even know I had moved they probably emailed me ....  

Surely if I was in debt they should have moved my direct debit as they normally adjust it ... How can that be my fault ??

Cake252

I haven't had a bill for 2 years as they have sent them to an email address I can't get into so no idea about useage but I have been on the normal tariff a while with no deals 

Sea_Shell

Cake252 said:

I haven't had a bill for 2 years as they have sent them to an email address I can't get into so no idea about useage but I have been on the normal tariff a while with no deals 

Did you not think to investigate why you'd stopped getting bills from them 2 years ago?

Sea_Shell

Also, I'd bite their hand off at an offer of £250!!

Cake252

Didn't even notice i hadn't had a bill if I'm honest ..  I had been saying to my partner I couldn't understand why I hadn't had an update of my direct debit knowing the prices were rising.

The_Fat_Controller

Sorry, but you should have been chasing up the missing bills, not just ignoring the issue.

If you haven't been proactive regarding tariffs in the last 17 years you'll have probably been paying a lot more than necessary for your energy over that time.

As you were 5.5 months in arrears at the end of 2019 the current situation is to be expected, especially if you have been at home a lot more in the pandemic.

As above, accept their offer !

Robin9

Cake252 said:

.......................... I have always insisted being a paper customer I didn't want anything online I even pay bt to produce me a paper bill! .........................

You didn't notice that the bills had stopped dropping on the doorstep.

Cake252

Ultimately then it sounds like it is my fault and I should have chased eon, and been more aware.  Thanks guys will stop moaning and move on 

rp1974

It's not about "fault",however you choose to define that,it's about responsibility or lack thereof.
The head in the sand approach for the debt,that you knew you were in as of December 19 at the latest wouldn't ever be advisable.
Given that you'd no bill for two years,were you looking to use the back billing regulations perhaps?.

As with many other businesses during the pandemic the majority of workers were at home,not in the office so maybe not quite as on the ball as they could or should have been in addressing your debt and left it on the back burner due to furlough,redundancy etc,etc to deal with at a later time,which they have.
Given that you were offered £250 you've little if anything to moan about.