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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think a 75% price hike is taking the massive cockending piss?

35 replies

EleanorHandbasket · 20/05/2013 17:38

Yes, Eon, I'm looking at you, you bunch of ratbags.

I have just, like a week ago, switched to their cheapest (!) tariff and given a meter reading.

They have decided to send me a letter telling me my gas/electric direct debit is going up by 75%.

Well they can shove that up their arses. That's based on us owing them £300. But we've just come out of the colder weather so surely it's going to go DOWN now?

Arsing arses. I'm off to manually change the dd back down.

AIBU?

OP posts:

Original poster

EleanorHandbasket · 20/05/2013 18:15

No one wants to rail against the bastards with me?

They would only let me dial down the direct debit to a 40% increase. How can that be right? I submit all my meter readings on time. I've paid the same amount for the past 18 months. It's nuts. It would be much more sensible to hike it up gently throughout the year than to do this.

Raaaah.

OP posts:

Kittykatzen · 20/05/2013 18:20

We've just binned them too. Massive increase in our direct debit. Funnily enough when they called us after the switch to woo us back they could miraculously beat our shiny new deal with a competitor. We still told them to shove it.

StatisticallyChallenged · 20/05/2013 18:22

Same here. Their fixed annual review date can be problematic when we've had a rubbish, late and long winter.

PGTip · 20/05/2013 18:36

They can't increase your dd without your permission, they will tell you they can but they can't! If they push it tell them that you will have the dd returned under the terms of the Direct Debit Guarantee with the response 'Amount not Due'. Then advise your bank that you may have to return a dd on the day it is debited as the company have increased the payment without your authorisation. Every energy company tries to put up prices in spring they earn more interest of your money.

CuntChops · 20/05/2013 18:38

You're back! (acknowledges you know not who the fuck I am) good to see you anyway

NewAtThisMalarky · 20/05/2013 18:42

It will be based on their price increase plus their need to claw back the amount you owe them. How long did it take for the £300 to accrue? If a year then it means to stay the same you need to pay £25 more per month plus whatever the increase is. I can see that, depending on how much you pay, 40% might not be unreasonable?

HoneyDragon · 20/05/2013 18:49

Aaaaah EON

Dear Mrs Honeydragon

Your current balance is

Gas £345 CR

Electric £265 CR

We are writing to inform you that as of the end of this month we will have to increase your direct debit by an extra 12.50 per month.....

---> me

Call Eon

Me: eh?

Eon: sorry we have to increase your dd

Me: but I'm IN CREDIT???

Eon: Yes but we still ave to increase your dd

Me: ok, we'll can you send me back the £605 I'm in credit back please?

Eon: sorry. No. We might need it when it gets colder

Me: its fucking Feburary, we've ran it down to £600 as its freezing, we were in credit for loads more.

Eon: sorry we can't refund it. Unless obviously you went elsewhere, hahah ha ha.

2 weeks later

Eon: Mrs Honeydragon, we've noticed you leaving us, we are not happy about that and would like to urge ou to reconsider....

Me: Fuck off.

Eleanor. Think of it as not a utility but an elaborate savings scheme

ftm42 · 20/05/2013 18:53

Oddly, we changed to a cheaper tariff with First Utility and our first new bill as way higher! You'll most likely find something in teeny weeny small print that you won't have read (how many of us do?) about them being at liberty to do whatever they like.

With the new guidelines recommending that utilities should always offer the cheapest tariff, it's all become a bit of a farce. Any business would be daft to always offer you the cheapest service, without there being some catch.

nenevomito · 20/05/2013 18:54

That sounds about right for EON. They always increase your DDs for no bloody good reason. "Oh but it helps you if prices go up later"
"So your telling me you plan to hike up your prices again!"
"No that's not what we said..."
"I'm just reading between the lines"

Switches provider.

littlemrssleepy · 20/05/2013 18:55

We switched to OVO. Cheapest tariff on all the comparison websites and if your account is in credit they give you interest (calculated monthly) of 3%. Better than an ISA really......considering massively over paying

ShowOfHands · 20/05/2013 18:56

We had the same shit. £500 we were in credit and they kept trying to adjust it up. We told them to give it back or we were leaving. In the end they gave it back. We're back in credit again now. I've told them over and over again that we have a logburner and use that for heating, we're not about to start having radiator fucking parties with the windows open and the hob on full blast for the fun of it but they insist we might.

VivaLeBeaver · 20/05/2013 18:57

All the companies are as has as each other. I left Scottish power to get my £300 credit back.

WEnt to Ovo who reckoned they were different, small, caring company, yadda, yadda. Did online quote using exact meter readings from last 12 months and they quoted me £85 a month.

So signed up and lo and behold my dd was £110 a month. I rang up and gave them hell so they agreed to put the dd down to £95 a month which I still wasn't ver the moon about but agreed. Six months on and the fuckers have put it up to £120. Bastards.

LadyMaryQuiteContrary · 20/05/2013 18:58

EDF never read your meter and never send out a bill. You phone with your readings and they still don't send you a bill. You move house (take readings and call them to tell them you're moving) and one year later they pass your 'bill' on to a debt collection agency for an amount that you know nothing about because they have not sent you a frigging bill ever!

Bring back Nationalisation. They should do this with the water companies too.

VivaLeBeaver · 20/05/2013 18:58

Really, I get interest? Might actually have to do a meter reading then!

BringBackBod · 20/05/2013 19:05

They must like me.
£41.22 in debit for Electricity- monthly payment staying the same.
£29.23 in debit for Gas- payment gone down by £8 per month.

What have you lot done to upset them .

ComposHat · 20/05/2013 19:13

I'm with Ebico, it is the same price regardless of how you pay, so I just put twenty quid aside each month for the electrcity bill and pay it quarterly.

I resent handing over money for something I haven't used to boost the balance sheets of a money grubbing multi-national.

nextphase · 20/05/2013 19:17

Don't bother with BG either.
"Hello Mrs Phase, were ringing about your bill, were going to double your gas payments"
"how much was the last bill"
"£80"
"So were £80 in debit to you after one of the coldest winters going, I don't think the dd needs to increase that much"
"but you need to be in credit come the winter"
"Nope, I'd rather be in debt to you at the end of the winter, and level with you mid summer, ie keep the money in MY ACCOUNT"
"But, Mrs Phase, we don';t make any interest on your money

Its all kept in a holding account for you"
"well, I'll keep it in my account then"
"OK, bye luv"

Bizarre!

Quangle · 20/05/2013 19:26

Edf did this to me when I was in credit too. And just going into summer season so about to get even more in credit. Then have to wait 20 mins for them to answer phone so I can tell them to get stuffed. Thieving liars.

Xales · 20/05/2013 19:31

Southern Electric

Your gas is in credit by £50 we will carry it over the next year.

Your electric is in credit by £290 it will be refunded to your account within in the next few days.

No mess no fuss I didn't even have to ask they just did it automatically.

So no complaints here, sorry

firsttimekat · 20/05/2013 19:37

Eon gave us an automatic refund of 100 at the annual review, I found it really helpful as it balanced our yearly payments and then they adjusted our dd so it doesn't accrue again. No complaints here.

SueDunome · 20/05/2013 19:41

Another vote of praise for Southern Electric. They've also refunded our credit in the past without us asking.
Last winter when all the other companies were massively hiking their prices, I was dreading the bill, but was pleasantly surprised when I received it.
Also, they read the metres every time without fail, so no estimated bills, but only two bills per year.

Sommink · 20/05/2013 19:52

Utility warehouse sent my a bill for my estimated meter reading for March (my fault for the estimate....was away when the reading was due) so they estimated me 3 times the amount of gas I had used for December or January. This months bill has cost me nothing and i'll have another £20 off next month too.

Loulybelle · 20/05/2013 19:54

This is why i do not have direct debits, they can sit and swivel.

Xales · 20/05/2013 20:01

Want to add that when Southern Electricity wanted to up my DD several years ago, I called them up and said no.

They advised why they wanted to, I accepted their advice and then told them to leave my DD the same and they did.

It it your money and your bank, they cannot withdraw more than you allow them to.

BMW6 · 20/05/2013 20:11

I'm with BG but submit meter readings online for Gas & Electric at end of every month, then pay the following month for the actual cost.
Don't all of the utility companies offer the same? Used to pay monthly DD with Southern Electric and ran up huge credits which were always repaid direct to bank a/c without fuss.

Mind you, our water DD has rocketed from £18 to £34...... I will see if that ends up as another big credit!!

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