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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to tell my electricity supplier that if they reduce my DD payment again I will change supplier?

26 replies

KatyMac · 07/05/2011 10:19

Well am I?

In 2009 I had a long talk with them where they explained if I let them decide how much to take I would cover my bill. I reluctantly agreed.

In July 2009 I owed the £20 (ish), they changed my DD payment about 3 times & in August 2010 I owed £400, that's right I owed money before the winter????

So I went back to increasing my DD payment every time they decreased it (3 times since August 2010)

This time I let the man explained how I would owe them money in the winter & have a low/zero debt in the summer. He couldn't explain the £400 debt in August.

So AIBU to email them & say that if they reduce my payment again without my written permission I will change my electricity company?

OP posts:
Chil1234 · 07/05/2011 10:21

I'd change it anyway and save myself the bother. I've had the same problem in reverse. Past usage said I should be paying a high amount for gas but because I'd traded a gas cooker for an electric one current usage was considerably lower. You can change your own DD amount online if you have an account with them but I agree, it is annoying when things get out of synch.... 'computer says no' and all that.

HecateQueenOfTheNight · 07/05/2011 10:22

Not at all.

Or if they give you a good deal, what about setting up a standing order instead?

or you could get their bank details and make additional payments via internet banking - make sure you put your reference number on and keep your bank statements in case the payments don't get put onto your account.

Original poster
KatyMac · 07/05/2011 10:35

Grr

I wasn't sure if I was over reacting

I may change anyway

OP posts:
ENormaSnob · 07/05/2011 10:37

Oh god my supplier keeps doing this.

We have already put it back up twice and they decreased it again Confused

they are pissing me off with it tbh.

Who has time to keep sorting this shit out.

gillybean2 · 07/05/2011 10:39

This is why I don't do DD. I pay directly each month what I think I should be. Ok so i don't get the DD discount, but I also don't get the stress or worry and know they won't take more/less than I budgeted for

microfight · 07/05/2011 10:55

I had the same problem and was continually ringing about this until I owed near on £600! Grrr
I like Hecates idea of setting up a standing order but wonder whether you'd still get the direct debit discount if you do it this way?
Another option is to send them an over estimated meter reading in the summer?

microfight · 07/05/2011 10:58

I had also wondered if they are simply incompetent or whether they purposely under charge in order that a debt is accrued meaning you can't change supplier if you don't have the funds to pay it off in one go?

oldraver · 07/05/2011 11:05

Ive done this with British Gas when they kept increasing my DD when there was no need (they tried to double over the course of the year). I had to get a bit shirty with them

I have decreased my BT to one I wanted and new would cover the bill by their automatic phone system so I didnt have to talk to anyone. Does your supplier offer that system ?

Original poster
KatyMac · 07/05/2011 12:15

Microfight - that's true

OP posts:
nannynick · 07/05/2011 12:48

I refuse to do DD for Electric bill. I read my meter and send them the readings whenever they ask me to do so, that then generates a bill which I then pay online. I keep getting letters saying I could save £16 if I switch to DD (but the fineprint says that is only if I also take Gas from them - idiots, I don't have Gas!).

Work out your annual consumption, then compare suppliers and switch to someone else who does not insist that you use DirectDebit.

nickelbabe · 07/05/2011 12:50

I used to get problems like this.
I used to work out my annual usage from the last year's bills, then work out the monthly amount from that, and then ring them and tell them why they were wrong.

why do they keep doing it? Confused
sooo annoying.

They can do it after a year, but a lot of them seem to do it after a quarter, or 6 months - and usually, like you say, after the summer period!
what do they think DD is there for??

Original poster
KatyMac · 08/05/2011 17:27

They just phoned & said basically "stuff it"

So I need a new supplier

OP posts:
SagaciousCloud · 08/05/2011 17:59

Scottish Power did this with me except they increase the monthly DD by 50%. Thats right 50%. I told them they were wrong, they disagreed, I switched supplier immediately and got a much better deal.

Don't bether arguing with them. Use uswitch.com and switch.

Sarsaparilllla · 08/05/2011 18:13

I've had this exact problem!

I was paying a set amount, and ended up in credit so they dropped my DD to just £5 without letting me know and so I ended up in debt to them so had to call them up and put the DD to higher than it had been to start with to pay it off - if they'd just left it as it was it'd have been fine over all grrr

Microfight - I think you're right, they want people to have a debt with them so it's not as wasy to switch suppliers

trixie123 · 08/05/2011 18:35

my supplier kept increasing the DD as we would sometimes end the quarter with a small debt (around £150) which we would have no problem clearing. they were trying to double the DD so in the end I cancelled it and pay the bill when it comes in. they discount for DD isn;t worth the several phone calls each quarterly bill necessitated. With online payments its so easy to pay a bill its not really a hassle. Shop around and then threaten to leave - see what you current supplier does then.

ConsuelaBananahammock · 08/05/2011 18:43

I pay everything by Standing Order after our electric company took our monthly DD out 4 times in the space of a week Angry; leading us to go overdrawn, i wrote to them and demanded full refund and also reimbursement for our overdraft charge as well.

coastgirl · 08/05/2011 18:45

We've had this problem - at one point they sent us £750 which they claim we had overpaid! Unless we'd lived for three years in the house without using any gas or electricity at all it seemed a bit odd, but that was an improvement on the previous bill which had us owing them £3000! I'm sure we have a dodgy meter but it never really gets sorted, despite a lot of correspondance.

Original poster
KatyMac · 08/05/2011 18:57

So are all electricity companies stupid?

OP posts:
Mandy2003 · 08/05/2011 21:15

I refuse to do DD as well. I have (from EDF) Energycards that allow me to make payments towards my account at a Pay Point (if I remember), but I generally just save up towards the quarterly bill.

vj32 · 09/05/2011 02:43

I just pay by DD what i actually use each month with British Gas, just submit your own reading over the internet.

Cadpat · 09/05/2011 04:05

Do not use DD - in the overall scheme of things you don't save that much. Do get into the habit of reading your meter and keeping a note. Call the automated meter reading service and then pay the generated bill online via internet banking.

Can you tell I got stung badly via DD after I switched suppliers and continued to get money taken out by supplier 1... gahh!!! Better to be in control of your own bill.

emptyshell · 09/05/2011 07:59

The whole system's set to get your account to a zero balance on some certain date (I think it's in April)... to be honest my eyes glaze over when hubby tries to explain it to me. Despite that, we still end up ringing up and resetting ours when they drop it - just one of those things - at least hubby can do all the phonecalls on the work internal system and save hassle at home for it though.

BrandyAlexander · 09/05/2011 09:19

I do it by standing order. Pay the same amount each month all year round, that way I am in control. Yes, they are all stupid!!

BrandyAlexander · 09/05/2011 09:19

I do it by standing order. Pay the same amount each month all year round, that way I am in control. Yes, they are all stupid!!

nickelbabe · 09/05/2011 10:25

emptyshell is correct.
except they never actually do this - they try to reset it in August, before you are going to need lots and lots of it...