EDF Direct Debit payments problems

Sandybanks

I have my Gas from EDF and the account is set for the method of payment to be direct debit whole bill amount and EDF agree that this is case. Usually I submit a reading around the 27th Month and they produce a bill and the whole amount is taken by them direct debit 14 days latter. This seems to work correctly for around 3 months at a time and then their system will randomly generate an estimated reading, for January this was on the 24th January. When this happens it automatically takes a "budget" amount which does not match the bill and the account gets into a complete mess.  This isnt helped by the online account showing payments as happening 5 days before they actually do. They repeatly advise by text that the budget amount is coming out of my account but usually they dont take it!

Apparently according to customer service they cannot set the "budget" direct debit amount to zero or move the date to after the bills are created and issued which would most likely stop the problem reoccuring.

Ive read about Old EDF online system and New EDF system, how do I tell. I had this happen last year on account with British Gas and It was a complete mess.

QrizB

EDFs billing is idiosyncratic, to put it mildly.

I laster a year or so with them before I got fed up and switched to Octopus.

MeteredOut

Sandybanks said:

I have my Gas from EDF and the account is set for the method of payment to be direct debit whole bill amount and EDF agree that this is case. Usually I submit a reading around the 27th Month and they produce a bill and the whole amount is taken by them direct debit 14 days latter. This seems to work correctly for around 3 months at a time and then their system will randomly generate an estimated reading, for January this was on the 24th January. When this happens it automatically takes a "budget" amount which does not match the bill and the account gets into a complete mess.  This isnt helped by the online account showing payments as happening 5 days before they actually do. They repeatly advise by text that the budget amount is coming out of my account but usually they dont take it!

Apparently according to customer service they cannot set the "budget" direct debit amount to zero or move the date to after the bills are created and issued which would most likely stop the problem reoccuring.

Ive read about Old EDF online system and New EDF system, how do I tell. I had this happen last year on account with British Gas and It was a complete mess.

Does you account number start with 67 (old system) or A- (new system)?

Sandybanks

My account number starts with a 67 so I must be still on the old system! Is the new system any better or worse for wasting customers time? Budget direct debit is a joke. They are not helping you to manage your money they are helping themselves to your money!

dunstonh

 Is the new system any better or worse for wasting customers time?

I've been on Kraken since Summer last year.   It works well.  It looks and feels like Kraken used by other suppliers (I have been with a supplier that used Kraken).

Budget direct debit is a joke. They are not helping you to manage your money they are helping themselves to your money!

Its not a joke.    It works well if your starting balance and monthly payment are in the right ballpark for your level of use.   If you get either of those wrong, then it can take years to get it right (unless you manually correct it)

pseudodox

I was moved over to EDF Kraken late last summer with an initial glitch which was quickly sorted. Since when my billing &  variable DD has worked smoothly.  I submit readings on 25th, get my bill (always spot on) by the 27th & payment is taken 10 working days later.  They have never taken the budget DD & have actually stopped suggesting they might as we seem to have a routine established that suits me & the supplier

Sandybanks

Oh so the Kraken system is from Octopus and some EDF customers have been transfered over starting the midldle of last year. Wonder if I can ask and get transferred?

dunstonh

Sandybanks said:

Oh so the Kraken system is from Octopus and some EDF customers have been transfered over starting the midldle of last year. Wonder if I can ask and get transferred?

Everyone is getting moved over.  They are phasing it over last year and this year.

jak22

It is poor. With meter readings by smart meter the Submit a Reading page shows when they take a monthly reading and usually a day or so later a bill appears - until it stops working. Leaving it too late to contact them results in a budget payment so if the bill doesnt appear in 5 days or so using the How to Get in Touch page contact form resolved it last time.

But this time - maybe changing tariff has triggered a new type of glitch - there's no sign of a meter reading or bill, and the budget amount is showing as a debit amount.

Sandybanks

jak22 said:

It is poor. With meter readings by smart meter the Submit a Reading page shows when they take a monthly reading and usually a day or so later a bill appears - until it stops working. Leaving it too late to contact them results in a budget payment so if the bill doesnt appear in 5 days or so using the How to Get in Touch page contact form resolved it last time.

But this time - maybe changing tariff has triggered a new type of glitch - there's no sign of a meter reading or bill, and the budget amount is showing as a debit amount.

Exactly, and then you spend hours trying to understand the online balance because their figures dont appear to add up on the page and you have to do your sums. It would seem having a smart meter makes it worse because you might naturally  assume that the reading gets automatically credited to your account and because you did not do it yourself you wont have taken a photograph as a reference.

Sandybanks

As I could not get any sense from the customer services team and I already had notification of my next "budget" payment I cancelled the direct debit. Glad I did because logging in today to my online account I find a notification that they are upgrading their system and some of my information is not available. The main thing missing is my bill and payment history. And unknown to me they have decided to produce a bill 12 days before normal and of course thats using an estimated reading. The bill they have produced shows an incorrect amount different to the actual last bill. The online account says that i am due to provide a reading by the 21st Feb, good job I logged in because ive not had the usually email advising they need a reading and so I would have missed the deadline and got another estimated bill. They have no idea wether they are coming or going!