OutFox the Market raising my direct debit even though i am on a fixed price contract

debitcardmayhem

recci said:

Brie said:

Check that they have raised your DD fairly. 

Get your bills for the last year to see how much fuel you've used.  Calculate that amount on your fixed tariff and divide by 12 to get the monthly amount.

My guess is that they will say you need to pay more than what you calculate.  And will spin some line about "keeping you safe financially".   Don't put up with their bull.  Keep repeating over and over "my calculations show that my DD should be £XX and you need to ensure that's what you take otherwise I will be raising a complaint". 

I have only been with them 3 months and have never even submitted a meter reading yet. They dont know how much i have actually used to make any sort of Guestimate. 

In that case did you give them a true estimate of your annual usage, oh and if you have smart meters then they can work it out.

recci

I dont have a smart meter and never will have one. The point is why are they saying its due to the Ofcom price increase when I am on fixed tariff. Nothing anyone has said so far has anything to do with what I am actually saying. 

Brie

Yes they need to guess but you can correct them as long as you have a fairly accurate idea of your energy use for the last year.  Doesn't need to be with OFTM.  

Brie

What's the problem with having a smart meter?  Makes life much easier overall as you don't have to go out in the rain to read the gas meter or get out a torch and crawl around a cupboard to get the electric reading.  

And yes you are on a fixed tariff but as has already been stated that doesn't mean your DD can't change.  What is fixed is how much per unit of energy you are paying.  It has little to do with how much energy you are using.  

400ixl

If you don't have a smart meter (one day you WILL have one, you won't have a choice, but not a debate for today) then it is recommended that you submit your own meter reading monthly to ensure you are staying on track and your direct debit is aligned. The price of a unit is fixed, but the number of units you use is variable (apologies if you already know that).

It could of course be as simple as they sent the email to everyone when it should have only gone to those on variable tariffs. Have you checked to see if the standing charge or unit rates have actually changed?

rp1974

recci said:

I have only been with them 3 months and have never even submitted a meter reading yet. They dont know how much i have actually used to make any sort of Guestimate. 

Do yourself a big favour then and do so now,as they don't have any information to base your DD amount on,assuming you do have access to that and can determine wether it's a reasonable adjustment,or not.
To clarify all that's fixed about your tariff are the standing charge and unit rates,not the Direct Debit amount which will vary according to your usage.
The email that you seem to be getting particularly hung up on,is simply a badly worded generic send to all style,quite possibly sent by mistake,bottom line is your not paying enough for what they think you'll use,which is a guesstimate,down to you really for not sending readings and going into the Autumn/Winter period with a limited credit amount and Ofgem have told suppliers not to let customers fall into debt.

theoretica

recci said:

I just got an email from OutFox the Market saying: 

We were recently in touch to confirm your new energy prices following the recent change to the Ofgem Price Cap. Details of these prices can be viewed here and will be effective from the 1st of October 2024.

To reflect the new energy prices we need to change your Direct Debit. Full details are included below.

Throughout this difficult period of unprecedented energy costs, we have held back from increasing Direct Debits for as long as we can to provide additional support for our customers.

I am on a fixed contract that I specifically went with to avoid the price increase, surly they cant do this? 

If they increase my direct debit due to this what do I do?

It seems none of these companies can run themselves...

What do you do?  Send them a message saying surely some mistake and see what they say.

tim_p

So what was the price per kWh and s/c initially and what is it now?

born_again

recci said:

I dont have a smart meter and never will have one. The point is why are they saying its due to the Ofcom price increase when I am on fixed tariff. Nothing anyone has said so far has anything to do with what I am actually saying. 

Could be a std letter, that they are using. Not un common for a wrong one to be sent.
But get a reading sent in. 3 month & no reading. With the highest usage still to come.

cannugec5

“ If you are on one of our fixed tariffs, there is nothing you need to do. Your prices will remain the same until the end of your contract. You should provide meter readings near your usual billing date as normal.” 

Quoted directly from the email you linked to. 

Generic email. Sent to all customers. Does not apply to those on a fixed tariff. 

You have commented that people have not read your opening post properly. I don’t think you read the email before coming here to complain about it.