Have energy companies stopped offering variable direct debit?

Mee

I'm still paying via VDD with BG (dumb meter) - though not happy that they generate bills outside the quarterly tariff price review since the introduction of the new billing system.

BobT36

summerlover said:

Been with British Gas “Variable direct debit” for years, like clockwork I’ve been getting a reminder to supply my meter readings around the 14th, have a bill generated around the 20th, and taken out of my account in full by direct debit on the 4th. 

Recently when British gas switched systems all the dates got muddled up and it was a mess. They refused to change the date of my Variable direct debit, said it’s not possible, despite the fact that’s what I’ve done for years. So I switched to Octopus

Now they’re saying the same thing? Is this something new? Can people no longer supply meter readings and have it paid in full automatically on their CHOSEN DATE?

Octopus said “With Variable we unfortunately can't create a set date each month. However, when you submit your readings, you can pay straight away, and then have 14 days to pay for that usage. So if you have set dates that you submit your meter readings, you can have a schedule for when you pay as long as it's within 14 days of submitting these readings.”

I had this trouble too, after they moved to smart metres. (Octopus)
Before that, I'd give them readings, and they'd take my payment on a date. 1 set of readings per month, 1 bill, 1 payment.

Now I'll give them a reading, then they'll come along and take a smart one instead either before or afterwards, and then bill on a random date based on that, so I was ending up with two bills / payments etc.

They maintained "that's just how it works", annoying since I didn't have a problem before that. 
So what I had to get them to do is set the smart metre reading date to my chosen date, based on when I wanted the bill / payment to be taken x days ahead. So to get the bill & payment taken between the 1st & 6th of the month, I have to have them set the reading date to the 18th of the previous month. It's generally about right with that. 
I then just make sure I take MY readings on the 18th. Their stupid smart metre then comes along and does it too. The readings on my bill usually say "Smart" but they do actually match my Customer ones, so it's all good. Now I just get 1 set of readings (Sometimes two) and 1 bill, 1 payment again. 

Such a mess around, and irritating that it goes backwards in terms of functionality. 
And before anyone says "But they're smart metres, you don't need to give a reading!!" (as Octopus also argued to me), I'd point you to all the problems in the past months / years where people thought their smart metres were taking readings, and they weren't. Even my own gas metre just randomly stopped reading for a time. I'd rather take my own (with picture) and control exactly when they're taken, and know that it's correct. 

peter3hg

BobT36 said:

summerlover said:

Been with British Gas “Variable direct debit” for years, like clockwork I’ve been getting a reminder to supply my meter readings around the 14th, have a bill generated around the 20th, and taken out of my account in full by direct debit on the 4th. 

Recently when British gas switched systems all the dates got muddled up and it was a mess. They refused to change the date of my Variable direct debit, said it’s not possible, despite the fact that’s what I’ve done for years. So I switched to Octopus

Now they’re saying the same thing? Is this something new? Can people no longer supply meter readings and have it paid in full automatically on their CHOSEN DATE?

Octopus said “With Variable we unfortunately can't create a set date each month. However, when you submit your readings, you can pay straight away, and then have 14 days to pay for that usage. So if you have set dates that you submit your meter readings, you can have a schedule for when you pay as long as it's within 14 days of submitting these readings.”

I had this trouble too, after they moved to smart metres. (Octopus)
Before that, I'd give them readings, and they'd take my payment on a date. 1 set of readings per month, 1 bill, 1 payment.....

The obvious solution is to take your reading as a check but not to submit it unless there is a problem.
You appear to be needlessly complicating the process and then complaining that it is needlessly complicated.

Qyburn

summerlover said:

Octopus said “With Variable we unfortunately can't create a set date each month. However, when you submit your readings, you can pay straight away, and then have 14 days to pay for that usage. So if you have set dates that you submit your meter readings, you can have a schedule for when you pay as long as it's within 14 days of submitting these readings.”

I was with Octopus and without a smart meter for the last half of 2022. The way it worked was they generated a bill and scheduled a DD each time I submitted a meter readings. If it was more than a month they'd generate a bill using an estimated readings.

BobT36

peter3hg said:

BobT36 said:

summerlover said:

Been with British Gas “Variable direct debit” for years, like clockwork I’ve been getting a reminder to supply my meter readings around the 14th, have a bill generated around the 20th, and taken out of my account in full by direct debit on the 4th. 

Recently when British gas switched systems all the dates got muddled up and it was a mess. They refused to change the date of my Variable direct debit, said it’s not possible, despite the fact that’s what I’ve done for years. So I switched to Octopus

Now they’re saying the same thing? Is this something new? Can people no longer supply meter readings and have it paid in full automatically on their CHOSEN DATE?

Octopus said “With Variable we unfortunately can't create a set date each month. However, when you submit your readings, you can pay straight away, and then have 14 days to pay for that usage. So if you have set dates that you submit your meter readings, you can have a schedule for when you pay as long as it's within 14 days of submitting these readings.”

I had this trouble too, after they moved to smart metres. (Octopus)
Before that, I'd give them readings, and they'd take my payment on a date. 1 set of readings per month, 1 bill, 1 payment.....

The obvious solution is to take your reading as a check but not to submit it unless there is a problem.
You appear to be needlessly complicating the process and then complaining that it is needlessly complicated.

Not really. It worked just fine until they started billing based on the smart metres. 
It's better now where the smart metre date and billing date is now on my preferred reading date. But I wasn't going to just take readings and then checking each time to see whether it had recorded or not, it was too haphazard. Clearly they aren't reliable. 

The only way to ensure readings 100% got taken and used on the SAME date each month, was by doing it myself. That ensures that the readings are taken, I know exactly what they are, and they're done on the same date. 
Also annoying is Octopus previous usage doesn't show a history of READINGS, only "usage", have to mess about calculating that. It's why it also helps to have my own set of readings so I have that proper history. 

Edi81

I have this with utility warehouse.submit reading on last day and pay the last working day of the next month. 

Qyburn

BobT36 said:..

The only way to ensure readings 100% got taken and used on the SAME date each month, was by doing it myself. 

It took a couple of calls but I managed to get Octopus billing monthly using the smart meter (not metre by the way). They take the reading midnight at the end of the month. This keeps it  consistent with my history of manual readings which are all for whole calendar months.

One slight point of confusion to me, Octopus date that reading as the next day. For example if the reading date is 1st Feb, that actually covers use up to and including 31st Jan. Caused me a bit of confusion as previous suppliers wanted readings at the end of the month.

jak22

With EDF and smart meter, from time to time no bill would appear after the monthly read requiring contact to correct. Finally even the monthly read didn't happen, and correcting it didnt remove a pending budget payment as well as the variable. The advice was to let it correct itself and as repeated issues didn't lead to a switch to Kraken the best option was to try Octopus.

Gerry1

MattMattMattUK said:

summerlover said:

Been with British Gas “Variable direct debit” for years, like clockwork I’ve been getting a reminder to supply my meter readings around the 14th, have a bill generated around the 20th, and taken out of my account in full by direct debit on the 4th. 

Recently when British gas switched systems all the dates got muddled up and it was a mess. They refused to change the date of my Variable direct debit, said it’s not possible, despite the fact that’s what I’ve done for years. So I switched to Octopus

Now they’re saying the same thing? Is this something new? Can people no longer supply meter readings and have it paid in full automatically on their CHOSEN DATE?

Octopus said “With Variable we unfortunately can't create a set date each month. However, when you submit your readings, you can pay straight away, and then have 14 days to pay for that usage. So if you have set dates that you submit your meter readings, you can have a schedule for when you pay as long as it's within 14 days of submitting these readings.”

British Gas seem to no longer be able to offer variable Direct Debit since their switch to the new billing system, though from what I have seen on here some people have managed to get them to continue offering it and they may reintroduce it for new users in the future, but it appears only for those on smart meters. 

Octopus offer monthly variable Direct Debit, but only for those on Smart Meters, though slightly different in that the customer cannot move the billing date, but can move the payment date, so they generate my bill on 22nd of each month and then take the total via Direct Debit on the 5th of the following month. My understanding is that EDF also offer the same, but again, only for those on smart meters. 

Wrong on both counts, at least for existing customers.  I was on MVDD with BG and it's continued the same on the new system, although the transition was a muddle.

Octopus offer MVDD if you phone them.

I don't have a smart meter.