E.On hiked my DD up 760% - How's this legal?

themastergoose

Need a little help with E.On. Screenshots below, but the general issue is that they increased my fixed monthly direct debit from £108 a month to £930. Their justification is that it's based on my current usage, account balance and the recent price rise.

I've called them up, they've refused to change it saying they can't. I asked for a variable direct debit to collect the full bill instead each month, and they've said I also can't do that because of the tariff I'm on. They can move me to a much more expensive fix (I'm already on a 2 year fix at somewhat reasonable prices) that allows payment in full each month.

So what do I do? They'll remove my 2 year deal if I cancel the DD and also charge me more for doing do, or I stay put but the dummies and their own system can't get a realistic DD for whatever reason/excuse they want to use?

Screenshots:

themastergoose

Also meter readings below, usage is low and consistent:

themastergoose

elsien said:

So have you taken readings to check their figures are accurate, and do you have arrears that make up part of that amount? 

No debt (well, I owe a fiver), and they're billing to smart meter readings. I'm clueless as even their own payment tool recommends £108 a month but they can't (won't?) change it. 

Almost £12K annually for a single occupancy 2 bedroom house, and I'm out working a full time job 5 days in 7.

[Deleted User]

Sit down for 5 minutes and using your smart meter readings calculate your annual usage in kWh. Use this figure to calculate what your DD payment should be on the tariff that you are on.

Have a cup of tea.

Sit down again and compose an email with the Header COMPLAINT.  Using the information above, tell E.oN Next that you believe that a more accurate DD payment per month would be £X. Insist that the supplier provides you with a complaint number. Your complaint should be dealt with by a more experienced team member who has the power to make corrections. Out-of-interest, what estimated annual usage is showing on your bill? If this is widely out from your calculation, then add this detail to your written complaint. (You could gently remind E.oN Next that as smart meters retain import data for 13 months, they could do a manual data pull to confirm your calculations).

pochase

Ok, makes not much sense at all. I have done no complete calculation, but you should be somewhere in the region of 170£ per month.

What is a bit strange is the list of meter readings you posted. Why is there smart and a "meter reader"?

Also very strange is that the reading went down between 12/02/22 and 15/02/22 by over 900KWh. Or that on the 10/2/22 you do a manual reading of 5957 and the same is a smart meter reading the next day.

You did not get by any chance a new meter in February?

markin

Not sure you are a low user, i would make a quick guess you would need to be paying at least 160 a month to keep out of debt.

RobM99

With a complaint letter, call or email, three rules;

1. Be correct. Make sure what you're complaining about is right (I think that's obvious here though!)
2. Be persistent
3. Be polite (not easy I know!). It's not fault of the person you're communicating with - they haven't set the rate.

pochase

A stupid question. 

Your screenshot shows that the recommended DD is 108.15. You are trying £108, have you also tried £109?

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Also both @markin and I believe you DD should be higher, £160 to £170 at least. Have you tried this amount.

Last one is the variable direct debit, it should be available for each form of tariff except prepaid of course? Do you  have it in writing (Chat?) that they will not allow it? Shat should be 100% successful complaint.

[Deleted User]

I'd also be inclined to make a manual card payment of £5.45 to zeroise your account.  I went from FMDD to VMDD with Eon Next a couple of months back with no issues so would challenge their assertion that VMDD is not available to you.  It was to me, less than 2 months ago.

Also I'd look closely your previous Eon Next bills as they should be giving you a figure for their extimated annual consumptions (EAC) for both utilities.  I've been in my house since August and their EAC's are not at all accurate - they may give you a clue as to where they are getting their numbers from.

Robin9

The Electric readings are quite straightforward but what are the gas 31,33 etc -  are you a very low gas user or is the smart up the creek ?

Exodi

pochase said:

Ok, makes not much sense at all. I have done no complete calculation, but you should be somewhere in the region of 170£ per month.

What is a bit strange is the list of meter readings you posted. Why is there smart and a "meter reader"?

Also very strange is that the reading went down between 12/02/22 and 15/02/22 by over 900KWh. Or that on the 10/2/22 you do a manual reading of 5957 and the same is a smart meter reading the next day.

You did not get by any chance a new meter in February?

I don't think this is strange, I interpret it as 'Smart' being where the reading is pulled directly from the smart meter, and 'Meter Reader' being where a physical person attends the site to verify readings.

I would suggest that the manual reading of '5154' was incorrect, subsequently corrected by the reader 3 days later. I don't think there's anything mysterious about the OP entering a manual reading, around the same time the provider pushed for a smart reading.

Gas meter is presumably new.