Talk of mass stopping of direct debits to utility companies

[ivykaty44]

so rather than keep letting the utility companies take the money every month, and as much as they like

you put the gas and electric money to one side instead and stop letting the companies have your money between bills to use to make millions

People need to grow up. The disastrous education system that sees all morons becoming graduates mean that the majority of people under 30 speak like a sixth former. Its again just a bunch of indiscriminate activists trying to destroy the infrastructure of a country which will surely sink into the channelif it gets any worse.

The 3 last hikes my energy companies tried to make I phoned them up and the results were:

1. guy was really rude and convinced me it was necessary “or cancel & pay quarterly” so I just accepted it

2&3) I stood my ground & reminded them of how much I was already in credit & both companies lowered their planned hikes (not to original payment but a much smaller uplift) with a mutually agreed review again after 4months before heading into winter.

I find d/d do help me keep on top of bills so don’t really want to change, especially when I can phone & get an explanation/more realistic uplift.

However my bank alerted me to the fact that despite my d/d with one being on a monthly basis, they are in fact taking it 4weekly (so 13 payments over a year, not 12)

Company has denied this but I’ve said if next month’s payment is taken early they are in breach of the d/d agreement.

No idea if they will but it is something else to be wary of (& not something I may have noticed in previous years when my mental health was in the gutter)

I really feel for anyone having any sort of crisis because it does take a lot of mental energy away from recovery having to keep on top of things like this.

I have a second electric meter for an outbuilding gym, home office/ storage. Solar panels on the roof so doesn't use much power just really paying standing charge. DD went up to £333 from £10. I have cancelled that DD and won't reinstate until I've used up the credit. They don't seem to understand that the building doesn't use much power.

Wow!

I love this example though, it really shows that some of what people like Martin Lewis have been warning about is true.. some energy providers are increasing direct debits far, far in excess of any justifiable amount.

It’s sad because it’s (clearly!) reducing trust in the whole system so likely to backfire badly.

They do get extra yes. Many people never question their bill. Two of my family members were billed incorrectly, excessively, over years, and they never refunded the extra thousands.

Yet I owe them money apparently? How? Where does this deficit show on their accounts?

If they're not at a loss, how can they be creditors? They've lost nothing.

The thing I like about giving monthly meter readings and being billed only for what I've actually used, is that I have kept a record of usage and bill so can compare and easily spot if over charged.

I've got my readings and associated bill going back 12 years, in a notebook.

However my bank alerted me to the fact that despite my d/d with one being on a monthly basis, they are in fact taking it 4weekly (so 13 payments over a year, not 12)

I had Eon try this on for a while and then they'd also slap on a late payment charge after about 2 days. Chancers

I love this example though, it really shows that some of what people like Martin Lewis have been warning about is true.. some energy providers are increasing direct debits far, far in excess of any justifiable amount

Bulb just pluck numbers out of the air and try to use their customers like a bank.

The £400 is spread over six months as far as I'm aware, so if you were not in credit on 1st October then £67 would not cover many people's bills.

I know how average payments work. However, I prefer to keep the money I owe for winter myself rather than have an energy company predict my usage and predict my bills and then pluck a DD payment out of thin air.

I have had experience of companies being generous in what they think I will use. Whereas with my spreadsheet, I can do the same calculation myself

Just get a smart meter.