Eon energy reviews: Give your feedback
Options
Comments
-
At my wits end with E-On. Had a letter advising me that they are increasing my Monthly Direct Debit by 50%. Because I am in debt for four days, due to a recent bill raised. Come at a very funny time, having given them the recent monthly reading, and changed to a smart meter. Spoke to Customer Service Adviser who advised me that it's based upon usage and arrears. Explain the reason for high usage 12 months ago, was down to moving house and leaving LPG (How I miss their customer service team), after going round and round in circles for over 60 minutes, they said that the new direct debit figure stands. However based on usage and bills over the last 12 months the new figure is still far too high for a single person rattling around in a house. The issues have now been escalated to the Complaints Team. Who rang me today, and again, gone round and round in circles, keep telling me that it's all based on usage and arrears. Even walk through the bills, showing that the account was in credit at the end of last month and the so-called arrears have recently been generated a bill. Sadly, the complaints adviser will not accept it. Therefore it has now been terminated and is being referred to the Energy Ombudsman. The option that I offer, was to leave the Direct Debit at its current amount, and should any increase be required I can make it via their payments system online. Sadly again, not allowed that option. My account is currently 4 days in arrears. Therefore, I have instructed a switch to Scottish Power, who has offered me the same monthly Direct Debit that I have been currently paying for the last 13 months. Additionally, I have paid half the outstanding four-day debt, and the remaining balance will be paid via Direct Debit at the end of the Month. What really annoys me is that they are making assumptions on my usage, whereas would rather pay on what I use. The system needs to be changed.0
-
At my wits end with E-On. Had a letter advising me that they are increasing my Monthly Direct Debit by 50%. Because I am in debt for four days, due to a recent bill raised. Come at a very funny time, having given them the recent monthly reading, and changed to a smart meter. Spoke to Customer Service Adviser who advised me that it's based upon usage and arrears. Explain the reason for high usage 12 months ago, was down to moving house and leaving LPG (How I miss their customer service team), after going round and round in circles for over 60 minutes, they said that the new direct debit figure stands. However based on usage and bills over the last 12 months the new figure is still far too high for a single person rattling around in a house. The issues have now been escalated to the Complaints Team. Who rang me today, and again, gone round and round in circles, keep telling me that it's all based on usage and arrears. Even walk through the bills, showing that the account was in credit at the end of last month and the so-called arrears have recently been generated a bill. Sadly, the complaints adviser will not accept it. Therefore it has now been terminated and is being referred to the Energy Ombudsman. The option that I offer, was to leave the Direct Debit at its current amount, and should any increase be required I can make it via their payments system online. Sadly again, not allowed that option. My account is currently 4 days in arrears. Therefore, I have instructed a switch to Scottish Power, who has offered me the same monthly Direct Debit that I have been currently paying for the last 13 months. Additionally, I have paid half the outstanding four-day debt, and the remaining balance will be paid via Direct Debit at the end of the Month. What really annoys me is that they are making assumptions on my usage, whereas would rather pay on what I use. The system needs to be changed.
your usage will be based on actual readings, if you DD is increased if you input your readings/ smart meter, will this matter in the long run? Your effectively paying for the energy your using not guessing.
Have you checked your smart readings over a period of time to confirm this correlates with your online account? Use electricity/gas a lot during the day e.t.c?
Most people should get into credit during winter period due to the increased energy usage.
The fact your switching because Scottish power are not increasing your DD is a silly reason. They will increase your DD according to your actual readings as you might not be paying enough to be in credit in the mid to long term.
I don't mind if EON doubled my bill, but when I give them my actual readings, the DD and therefore account will be adjusted in the long run.
If you cannot afford increases to your energy bills without understanding the principles that it is based on actual usage, you need to do some research.
Also perhaps you should look at your finances if your having it difficult making ends meet. The debtfreewannabee forum is a start."It is prudent when shopping for something important, not to limit yourself to Pound land/Estate Agents"
G_M/ Bowlhead99 RIP0 -
At my wits end with E-On. Had a letter advising me that they are increasing my Monthly Direct Debit by 50%. Because I am in debt for four days, due to a recent bill raised. Come at a very funny time, having given them the recent monthly reading, and changed to a smart meter. Spoke to Customer Service Adviser who advised me that it's based upon usage and arrears. Explain the reason for high usage 12 months ago, was down to moving house and leaving LPG (How I miss their customer service team), after going round and round in circles for over 60 minutes, they said that the new direct debit figure stands. However based on usage and bills over the last 12 months the new figure is still far too high for a single person rattling around in a house. The issues have now been escalated to the Complaints Team. Who rang me today, and again, gone round and round in circles, keep telling me that it's all based on usage and arrears. Even walk through the bills, showing that the account was in credit at the end of last month and the so-called arrears have recently been generated a bill. Sadly, the complaints adviser will not accept it. Therefore it has now been terminated and is being referred to the Energy Ombudsman. The option that I offer, was to leave the Direct Debit at its current amount, and should any increase be required I can make it via their payments system online. Sadly again, not allowed that option. My account is currently 4 days in arrears. Therefore, I have instructed a switch to Scottish Power, who has offered me the same monthly Direct Debit that I have been currently paying for the last 13 months. Additionally, I have paid half the outstanding four-day debt, and the remaining balance will be paid via Direct Debit at the end of the Month. What really annoys me is that they are making assumptions on my usage, whereas would rather pay on what I use. The system needs to be changed.
Hi welcome to the forum. Suppliers have an obligation to ensure that consumers do not get into debt. Rather than wait 3 months for The EO to tell you that the supplier has done nothing wrong, you need to sit down and do the sums. I am not sure what you mean by 4 days in arrears - based on what? What type of tariff are you on?
As far as assumptions are concerned, they do have to be made, and suppliers have computer programmes to do this. The fact that you used x units last year doesn't mean that you will use x units this year. Weather is a big factor.
The key thing to remember is that DD payments are at best an educated guess. They are not used for billing purposes. You will be billed on tariff and usage. Any DD payments made will be used to offset the amount due. You will only pay for the energy that you use at the contracted tariff rate. DD payments go down as well as up.0 -
If you are not in credit for your heating supply at the end of November your DD is too low, simples.
At the end of Oct I was 2 DDs in credit and end Nov 1.75. My own forecasts show that end Dec I will be 1 in credit, end Jan .5 in credit and end of Feb 0. If we get a cold snap it could go down lower.
Any supplier can give you a low DD but spitting your dummy out and possibly paying more per kWh is a silly thing to do. Besides that, E.On have one of the easiest DD self managing tools out there. Also self managing your meter reading and billing cycle to match DD timing helps, I always get billed just after a payment.0 -
If you are not in credit for your heating supply at the end of November your DD is too low, simples.
At the end of Oct I was 2 DDs in credit and end Nov 1.75. My own forecasts show that end Dec I will be 1 in credit, end Jan .5 in credit and end of Feb 0. If we get a cold snap it could go down lower.
Any supplier can give you a low DD but spitting your dummy out and possibly paying more per kWh is a silly thing to do. Besides that, E.On have one of the easiest DD self managing tools out there. Also self managing your meter reading and billing cycle to match DD timing helps, I always get billed just after a payment.
Just an observation on your post - works OK IF your annual review is Spring/Summer. Mine was mid November - and EON handed me back my credit! So end of December I will be in debit by ~ 1 month's DD. If I used the DD Manager to eliminate the debit by say May, I would then have to reduce the DD substantially to avoid a big credit balance by next review. Rather defeats the object of spreading the pain evenly:)0 -
At my wits end with E-On. Had a letter advising me that they are increasing my Monthly Direct Debit by 50%. Because I am in debt for four days, due to a recent bill raised. Come at a very funny time, having given them the recent monthly reading, and changed to a smart meter. Spoke to Customer Service Adviser who advised me that it's based upon usage and arrears. Explain the reason for high usage 12 months ago, was down to moving house and leaving LPG (How I miss their customer service team), after going round and round in circles for over 60 minutes, they said that the new direct debit figure stands. However based on usage and bills over the last 12 months the new figure is still far too high for a single person rattling around in a house. The issues have now been escalated to the Complaints Team. Who rang me today, and again, gone round and round in circles, keep telling me that it's all based on usage and arrears. Even walk through the bills, showing that the account was in credit at the end of last month and the so-called arrears have recently been generated a bill. Sadly, the complaints adviser will not accept it. Therefore it has now been terminated and is being referred to the Energy Ombudsman. The option that I offer, was to leave the Direct Debit at its current amount, and should any increase be required I can make it via their payments system online. Sadly again, not allowed that option. My account is currently 4 days in arrears. Therefore, I have instructed a switch to Scottish Power, who has offered me the same monthly Direct Debit that I have been currently paying for the last 13 months. Additionally, I have paid half the outstanding four-day debt, and the remaining balance will be paid via Direct Debit at the end of the Month. What really annoys me is that they are making assumptions on my usage, whereas would rather pay on what I use. The system needs to be changed.
Hello Sculder and welcome to the Forums. Already some great advice on here. Thanks all. Thought I'd pop on with a bit of information about our Monthly Direct Debits.
We look to spread payments as evenly as possible over a full 12 months. The aim is for accounts to have as close as possible to a zero balance by the annual review. At this point, any credit over a fiver is automatically refunded. Any debit balance is included in the ongoing arrangement and spread up to the next review.[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Amounts are based on current prices and past usage and also take into consideration any credit or debit balance on the account. If there's no outstanding balance, our assessment will be based on how much energy has been used over the past 12 months and calculated using your current tariff. As there are arrears on your account, these will have been included in the new amount and spread up to the annual review.
To make sure accounts are on track, we check arrangements every 3 months but only make changes at the mid-point and annual reviews. At the other times, we'll let you know if we think a change is needed but leave it up to you to make any alterations.
Were any previous bills estimated? If they were, I suspect the latest bill has brought the account right up to date and, if previously under-estimated, led to the arrears and subsequent increase.
Payments need to cover the energy being used and, as Hengus says, we've a duty of care to keep accounts from building up too much debt. Totally accept, usage changes so we've an online tool called the 'Direct Debit Manager' that molerat and brewerdave mention. This helps customers make sure payments are covering usage and lets them alter the monthly amount to better suit changing circumstances.
Hope this helps explain Sculder.
Malc“Official Company Representative
I am an official company representative of E.ON. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to queries about the company, so that I can help solve issues. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. I am not allowed to tout for business at all. If you believe I am please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com This does NOT imply any form of approval of my company or its products by MSE"0 -
Hello Sculder and welcome to the Forums. Already some great advice on here. Thanks all. Thought I'd pop on with a bit of information about our Monthly Direct Debits.
We look to spread payments as evenly as possible over a full 12 months. The aim is for accounts to have as close as possible to a zero balance by the annual review. At this point, any credit over a fiver is automatically refunded. Any debit balance is included in the ongoing arrangement and spread up to the next review.[FONT="]
[/FONT]
Amounts are based on current prices and past usage and also take into consideration any credit or debit balance on the account. If there's no outstanding balance, our assessment will be based on how much energy has been used over the past 12 months and calculated using your current tariff. As there are arrears on your account, these will have been included in the new amount and spread up to the annual review.
To make sure accounts are on track, we check arrangements every 3 months but only make changes at the mid-point and annual reviews. At the other times, we'll let you know if we think a change is needed but leave it up to you to make any alterations.
Were any previous bills estimated? If they were, I suspect the latest bill has brought the account right up to date and, if previously under-estimated, led to the arrears and subsequent increase.
Payments need to cover the energy being used and, as Hengus says, we've a duty of care to keep accounts from building up too much debt. Totally accept, usage changes so we've an online tool called the 'Direct Debit Manager' that molerat and brewerdave mention. This helps customers make sure payments are covering usage and lets them alter the monthly amount to better suit changing circumstances.
Hope this helps explain Sculder.
Malc
Hi Malc,
When you say that you (E-On) review the DD how do you let your customers know? I am coming to the end of my deal and am very likely to leave. My account is £150ish in debt but I've never been advised to raise my DD until this month when the suggestion has been to double it! I keep every E-On e-mail and letter I have ever received and there is nothing advising me to increase the DD at any time.
It's a pity you don't offer any competitive deals to keep customers - I spoke to an adviser on the phone today who pretty much assumed I'd be leaving before I had even got into any sort of discussion!
For the record I would like to stay with E-On and would do so if they were even close to other company prices!0 -
groundskeeperwilly wrote: »Hi Malc,
When you say that you (E-On) review the DD how do you let your customers know? I am coming to the end of my deal and am very likely to leave. My account is £150ish in debt but I've never been advised to raise my DD until this month when the suggestion has been to double it! I keep every E-On e-mail and letter I have ever received and there is nothing advising me to increase the DD at any time.
It's a pity you don't offer any competitive deals to keep customers - I spoke to an adviser on the phone today who pretty much assumed I'd be leaving before I had even got into any sort of discussion!
For the record I would like to stay with E-On and would do so if they were even close to other company prices!
Hello groundskeeperwilly and sorry you're thinking of leaving.
As above, we review Monthly Direct Debits quarterly but, if necessary, will only change them at the mid-point or annual reviews. If we do, we'll write to confirm about 2 weeks before the change is due. This is by letter or email if you've given consent for us to contact you this way. With interim reviews and where we believe a change is needed, we'll put a message on bills asking customers to contact us to discuss the arrangement.
The timings of the reviews depend on when the annual review is due. Tariffs don't always run alongside payment arrangements as the two are often set up at different times. To help customers keep on top of things like this we introduced the Direct Debit Manager I spoke about earlier.
We look to spread payments as evenly as possible over a full 12 months. Sometimes an arrangement seems to be ticking along nicely and then builds up too much debit as we go into the colder months and usage surges. This, though, is usually where customers haven't been with us very long and where we don't have a good usage history (12-24 months). Although, a change of circumstances can also result in this. Again, the Direct Debit Manager can be useful here.
Guessing, though, groundskeeperwilly and this might not apply to you. Glad you would like to stay if our current tariffs appealed a bit more.
Malc“Official Company Representative
I am an official company representative of E.ON. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to queries about the company, so that I can help solve issues. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. I am not allowed to tout for business at all. If you believe I am please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com This does NOT imply any form of approval of my company or its products by MSE"0 -
Having spent most of the day trying to get through to call centre because I cannot believe this 30% price hike for a new tariff is correct, and if it is I want an explanation, I have been told by a manager that it's "a business decision" and I should "feel free to shop around".
This price hike is unethical. Absolutely disgusted by E.ON. Been a customer for years. Will now be switching. I thought the government had stopped this sort of increase in fuel bills, or was it discussed but nothing happened?0 -
Having spent most of the day trying to get through to call centre because I cannot believe this 30% price hike for a new tariff is correct, and if it is I want an explanation, I have been told by a manager that it's "a business decision" and I should "feel free to shop around".
This price hike is unethical. Absolutely disgusted by E.ON. Been a customer for years. Will now be switching. I thought the government had stopped this sort of increase in fuel bills, or was it discussed but nothing happened?
Hi - welcome to the forum. Blame the Competition and Markets Authority report. Notice the frequent references to better deals as a result of the Report's recommendations:
Roger Witcomb, Chairman of the energy market investigation, said:
Competition is working well for some customers in this market – but nowhere near enough of them. Our measures will help more customers get a better deal and put in place a modernised energy market equipped for the future.
With far too many customers paying hundreds of pounds more than they need to, they will be alerted to the better value deals that are out there and it will be easier for them to identify a good deal and switch to it. Those that can help with this process, like price comparison websites, will be given the ability to play a more active role. In other markets, they’ve played a big part in driving down prices, increasing switching and enabling suppliers of all sizes to reach customers and, freed up, they can do the same here.
More active customers will not only save themselves money but keep suppliers on their toes, addressing many of the problems that we’ve identified. There are promising signs in this market with smaller suppliers getting more of a foothold and making it easier for customers to get involved will push things more quickly in the right direction.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.5K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.2K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.9K Spending & Discounts
- 235.6K Work, Benefits & Business
- 608.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173.2K Life & Family
- 248.2K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards