SSE Airtricity Direct Debit

SandLake

I am a customer of SSE Airtricity Electricity in Northern Ireland and I pay for my electricity via a monthly payment plan.

I have just been billed for a new amount approx 50% higher than my previous monthly amount, I am on paperless billing so I checked my emails and I have not had any emails from SSE for about 6 weeks

I thought I would phone SSE to register my disapproval at this.

SSE say that because their email system has been down since 8th September (!!!) and the fact that my details and bills can be viewed online - that I don't actually need to have received any emails.Their answer is that it is all available online. Their own website says "If anything changes we'll always let you know first".

I, going out on a bit of a limb, told them that the Direct Debit Guarantee states that I have  advance notice of the collection amounts and dates. To me "advance notice" means that I have be sent information not that I have the ability to go and find something out - I have advised SSE that our postal service still works - but they just hung up on me!

tightasaduck's

I have just had my Annual Review from SSE Airtricity (Gas) and despite my consumption having decreased regularly over the past 12 months, they have upped my Direct Debit payment by a whopping 28% from next month. When I rang them and queried this, they reduced it by 2.5% (or £5 per month). When I look at my bills over the past 12 months, I did not use anywhere near what they are now proposing as my new monthly amount. The agent I spoke to basically said that's the best I can do (£5 reduction) -  take it or leave it. I requested to speak to a Manager but all she said was she would get someone to look at it and call me back but that this call back could take up to 10 days! Anyone else experiencing similar problems with SSE? Any suggestions would be most welcome. I can only move to Firmus, as far as I know - are they any better? Those with Firmus - how do you rate them?