EDF - utterly confusing bill.

ToomanyPies

pochase said:

That is still the case, EDF only bills every 6 months if you are on a fixed DD.

It's crazy. You build up a huge balance which makes you think you are comfortably off and then wham! the bill is issued and the balance is gone. I suspect that is the issue with the OP

Thoraherdscows

Thank you all for your responses. Apologies for belated response.
I'm Like to think of myself as reasonably intelligent, but answers to questions seem to muddy the understanding !

I am really struggling to understand EDF's billing system.

Anyhow...It seems I have been on a 'deemed tariff' since October last year. I have no recollection of being informed of this. researching what that actually means , it all screams that I should get he hell off that asap. I have also had it confirmed in writing that I am £1139 in credit, even though none of that shows on my statement. 

Some advice please -  Do I have the right to move onto another tariff, and if so is the best option at this juncture to request to be on a fixed term contract based on monthly readings ? - this seems to be what most of my friends seem to be doing.

Should I also opt for providing meter readings and asking for my credit back ?

The scary bit is is that fact that their increased Direct debit of £421 is based on estimated values that are actually LESS than my actual readings . This is frightening. 

I welcome your thoughts. Thank you

EssexHebridean

the "deemed tariff" is just another way of referring to the Standard variable rate that we are pretty much all on right now. 

If your supplier has any fixes, you are entitled to ask to be switched to them, but look carefully because it is highly likely they will be far, far more costly than the SVR. 

Should you ask for your credit back? That depends on when you were last billed for your use? If you have been billed up to date and still have a 4 figure sum in credit, I'd say it would be reasonable to request some of it be returned. If however you've not seen a bill for a while, then I'd say sit tight until you ARE billed, then revisit the question. 

Should you be providing meter readings - yes if not on a smart meter - monthly would be ideal. if you are o a smart meter then check that the smart readings are being used (bills should show "S" against the reads) and then double check that the figures seem to match those on the meter.

Thoraherdscows

Thank you.

Maybe I misunderstood the 'deemed' explanations whilst researching. A lot of what I read seemed to suggest that it was a tariff that you are placed on if you have not had a conversation with your supplier to choose a contract (ie, if you have just moved into a property, or a new supplier has taken over your old supplier , so therefore more expensive than any other tariff).

One of the things I am really struggling to understand is if I am so much in credit, why additional direct debits are required, and why the credit cannot simply be used to pay the bill. One of the most depressing things I struggle to deal with is the fact that I believed that once my debt had been cleared, I really thought my bill would come down.

Why we are not all on the streets rioting surprises me  - no news to anyone here, but some of the behaviour of these companies is absolutely criminal.

pochase

The question is still when did you get your last bill, and as @EssexHebridean asked are the meter readings correct?

EDF will add everything you pay as a credit to your account, but will not deduct any usage between the six monthly bill. SO you will be in credit by a lot, but that will change the second they bill you.

EssexHebridean

Look at it this way
- you MAY have been billed for use up to, let's say 10th January - in which case, that £1k+ credit is probably more than you need, as you've been billed for a good half of the winter period already.
- you may have been billed for use up to, let's say 10th December - in which case I'd say that you may still have too much credit, but as you won't have been billed even for the cold snap in December, then you also may not...
- you may not have been billed for use since as far back as 10th August - in which case you have all of this winter's use about to be billed, including that cold snap in December and a chilly start to the year too. In which case, you are going to see a huge chunk of that credit disappearing when your next bill is raised. 

Where you are in the billing cycle entirely informs whether the credit you have is too much, not enough, or somewhere in between. 

Robin9

@Thoraherdscows

Have you contacted EDF to get an up to date statement as I suggested ?

Thoraherdscows

Thank you everybody. It really is very much appreciated. This is causing a huge amount of anxiety for me at the moment, which is only exacerbated by EDF's continuous refusal to place a phone call to me, even though I have now requested this five times.

Attempting to resolve this on their wattsapp channel is extremely frustrating. The irony being that part of the complaint I started included points made about being unable to speak to someone on the phone, and yet they still continue messaging me

I've since established that the credit does not take into account any usage from November last year, and that they will no longer offer a fixed price contract. Their standard variable rate and deemed tariffs are priced the same. 

Whilst I probably know the answer to the question, does anyone know of ANY suppliers offering a fixed rate contract ?
I've obviously started looking, but wondered if anyone had heard of anything.

Also - this may sound like a really simplistic question, but forgive me as I really can't get my head round it. I don't understand how I can have a direct debit set up with a monthly amount going out, and yet I have apparently not been billed for usage since November, but in reality the money is still going out.... when they do come to take that money, are they going to continue taking from my account or use the credit ?!

Thank you

Thoraherdscows

pochase said:

The question is still when did you get your last bill, and as @EssexHebridean asked are the meter readings correct?

EDF will add everything you pay as a credit to your account, but will not deduct any usage between the six monthly bill. SO you will be in credit by a lot, but that will change the second they bill you.

No - they're not correct. I will amend that, but sadly the usage is is MORE than their estimations as I mentioned earlier.

pochase

EDF only bills every 6 months, so if your last bill was in November, the next one will be in April.

They will raise the bill and use your existing credit first, thereafter they most likely will adjust the direct debit for the next 6 months.

There is to my knowledge at the moment no fixed tariff available, and if there would be one it most likely would be more expensive.

You should start to submit meter readings to avoid estimated readings.

What were the readings in the November bill (Date?), and what are the readings today.  Pease give also your rates and standing charges, this will allow us to calculate your usage, and you will know where you really are standing.