Shell energy delaying a £67 payment until spring for 1000s of customers.

Chrysalis

Thoughts on this one?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/shell-delays-payment-of-cost-of-living-grants-until-spring-investigation-finds/ar-AA15YUDS

Supplier in the right or wrong?

MikeJXE

Disgusting. 

If it was the other way round we would soon have it taken by direct debit 

Like I have said many times Energy companies are a law unto themselves 

Spoonie_Turtle

They've applied it to people's credit and just not lowered the Direct Debit amount?  Right or wrong depends on whether a) people can withdraw that credit and b) whether DDs were increased for the price rises. 

But as it stands, I can't see what it is they're doing wrong?  Paying the last payment in April is hardly the same as making them wait until April for any payment.

ariarnia

if you mean according to the rules of the scheme it looks like the government think they might be doing something wrong. 

if you mean like morally. if its because like the article says. its an administration problem then i dont think theres anything 'wrong' with that. its annoying but its not like they have to wait for the full 400 and its just a billing cycle thing so the final payment will be a few weeks later.  

but it does beg the question why the other suppliers havent had the same problem with the same amount of notice and processes. 

MikeJXE said:

Disgusting. 

If it was the other way round we would soon have it taken by direct debit 

Like I have said many times Energy companies are a law unto themselves 

i think exatly the same thing happens on our account depending on when we send in our meter readings for our gas (non smart). sometimes if we give it at the last minute its not in time for the bill so its counted against the next month or if we give it to early theres a couple of days estemated. it all works out in the end. 

MattMattMattUK

From the article:
A spokesman added: “The scheme started on October 1 but some customers with early direct debit dates will have had the direct debit process started before-hand, hence they missed the first payment.”

He said the delay affected “a few thousand customers” and stressed the discount would be applied to direct debits in April. “Those customers will not miss out on the support,” he added.

I just cannot get worked up about that, they are certainly not doing what the headline tries to imply. 

calleyw

Had all my payments from shell.  Its credited around the 1st of the month, bill generated around the 5th and DD take on 15th.  Which is the bill minus the government help.  My first credit was 2nd of October.  So think its very small amount of people who have been affected

molerat

So in reality the situation is nothing like the headline suggests, the fact being that a few thousand customers are one month behind with their government credit rather than the headline of not getting their payment until spring.

MikeJXE

Spoonie_Turtle said:

They've applied it to people's credit and just not lowered the Direct Debit amount?  Right or wrong depends on whether a) people can withdraw that credit and b) whether DDs were increased for the price rises. 

But as it stands, I can't see what it is they're doing wrong?  Paying the last payment in April is hardly the same as making them wait until April for any payment.

I see so they have done nothing wrong ?

So does that mean I can delay my direct debits by one month to my energy company ? 

Thought not 

bristolleedsfan

Shell’s practice is within government guidance of how the scheme should be administered, Ofgem said.

The guidance allows companies until June 30 to make any payments they were unable to make and counts adding to credit balances as a payment being made

born_again

MikeJXE said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

They've applied it to people's credit and just not lowered the Direct Debit amount?  Right or wrong depends on whether a) people can withdraw that credit and b) whether DDs were increased for the price rises. 

But as it stands, I can't see what it is they're doing wrong?  Paying the last payment in April is hardly the same as making them wait until April for any payment.

I see so they have done nothing wrong ?

So does that mean I can delay my direct debits by one month to my energy company ? 

Thought not 

Just think in April, you will get £66 off your bill. The rest of us won't...🤷‍♀️👍
DD are requested approx. 5 days before they debit. 

Yet another great piece of journalistic licence that is fundamentally incorrect. Or to put it another way. "Click Bait"

EssexHebridean

MikeJXE said:

Like I have said many times Energy companies are a law unto themselves 

Well, you might have said it many times, but it doesn't make it true. Indeed, the article actually says in this case "the business department said it had ordered the regulator to investigate." - so someone is certainly checking that they're not behaving improperly. 


To an extent this is again people conflating "the bill" with "the DD" isn't it - Shell HAVE applied the EBSS payment against "the bill" - they have chosen to do it by not altering the DD. I'm getting mine in exactly the same way - it's fine - it means that the help to pay energy bills is ending up where it needs to be with absolutely no input needed from me.  It should be noted that MSN are being slightly naughty in my view in that they are referring to "Cost of living" grants in the headline, when the article makes it clear that they are in fact talking about the EBSS - two different things. Indeed - energy suppliers don't even pay the Cost of Living payments. This was never something that was promised to people as cash in their hand to spend as they liked - it was targeted help, looking to assist with a very specific area.