EDF charges aggh!

[canistartagainplease]

Thats it really, im just venting to mn because the dog is non plussed while i steam.
Usually pay £69/mth dual fuel, now they annouce they are taking £336.24 out of my account and upping the charges to £107/mth. No negociation.

I know its been cold and use has been greater, but its the high handed way they announce that "your account balance of * will be taken on or immediately **

Well steve Hayfield customer service director, you can have your cash and im going to relocate to one of your competitors.Ha!

Btw this is coming out of savings, but how do people manage if hey havent put a bit by? pay day banking I guess.

trying to discuss it with them,but the customer service phone keeps ringing out.

got through, geordie guy called martin sorted out new balance.

Hi, didnt want you to be unanswered . I have had MAHOOSIVE problems with EDF since last May when I had large arrears from the bad winter before then. Have spoken to them every 4-6 weeks to arrange new increased direct debit which they write to say they have sorted. Without fail, EVERY month they then take the whole arrears (which was around £500) rather than the agreed increased direct debit - giving me a heart attack when I check my balance. I then have to get my bank to take the money back whereupon EDF write to me to thank me for cancelling my direct debit. I think it is sorted now - nearly a year later... my arrears are now nearly £700 despite my regularly paying off large chunks of the amount owing!! It has been an absolute nightmare and I will be switching suppliers as soon as I can. I really hope yours is sorted with just one phone call, I wouldnt want anyone else to go through the hassle I've had .

I'm paying an increase to £103 plus £50 a month until backlog is cleared, and im trying to cut back on all power we use. Even so its gone from 69 to 153.
And yes im looking round for a different supplier.
ve just signed a petition on 38 degrees website, campaigning for lower fuel bills.

I think one of the problems is that unless you call up and give a meter reading the company do not send bills out for over 6 months at a time - by which time you can be in debt.

I telephone them every February/March to give a meter reading and set my direct debit to approx the correct amount to try to avoid getting into debt with them.

TBH I think district councils would be better to set building regulations much stricter on new builds with insulation, solar panels and rain water usage. All items would reduce heating and utility costs. Cutting usage is far better than trying to make private companies reduce bills and lessen profits for their shareholders

underground heat pump, could be bulked purchased and installed at far lower cost on new buildings

rainwater harvesting could be installed in all new homes in bulk meaning washing machines and toilets would use rain water for flushing and washing, your shower can use rain water to - leaving your drinking water the water you pay for, decreasing bills still further from just a water meter.

Have you got enough insulation? It's meant to be 270mm in the loft now, some electric companies are doing free cavity wall insulation, and I think EDF may be one of them. Money saving expert and free stuff junction had it advertised. My parent had cavity wall insulation done and could tell the difference that night.

Whenever we have to replace appliances I get the most water/electric saving one even if it costs more because it will be so much cheaper to run. Eg our electric and water bill halved when we got the dishwasher.

Oh and I don't let the fuckers have a DD either. I put money by. They do a discount for DD but it isn't worth the stress.

Ivykaty I could not agree more. I mentioned this to a group of women who work in the building industry a few years ago. Their (short-sighted in my opinion) viewpoint was that the extra cost required for solar panels/wind power included in developments would put people off buying new builds. 'And anyway, we insulate so much that should be good enough'. Trying to get anyone involved in the mass building industry to think of energy conservation is pushing water uphill.

litteredant - but we know that the cost of a new build with energy savings devises would be cheaper than one man trying to put them in his own home. Added to which it is a great selling point - a house that will cost 70% less to run in utility bills will be exciting to a lot of people as long term there savings would be greater than the extra mortgage repayments.

it is so sad that people are short sighted and can't understand the long term benefit to their own purse.

Looking at the water harvesting stuff I wonder how long it would take to recoup money spent on instalation in an old build? Same with underground heating or wood burner?

Dont any of these companies do research? I would be more likely to buy a house with solar panels and grey water recycling than one without.

I'd like to see more triple glazing in this country too. It's been -17 in the west mids village I live in. Try telling me it's not cold enough to warrant it.

I switched to EDF in August, using one of the switching agencies that give you cashback, that I found on MSE. I have had no problems with electricity, but they have messed up the gas big style! Every few weeks, they have sent me a letter stating the previous supplier gave them an incorrect meter reading and they hope to resolve it within 8 weeks. Then a couple of weeks before Christmas, they sent me a bill for about £75, to cover September to the end of the 1st week of November. Problem solved at last? Er, no, because I got another of their' hoping to resolve the problem in 8 weeks letters' a couple of days later, although they still took the direct debit for the gas. Then nothing until a fortnight ago, when they sent the same bloody letter! Agh!
I have been burying my head in the sand, but I do need to ring them, don't I? I will probably have to pay the gas from savings, even though I have been the most careful I have ever been about using central heating this winter. I am going to switch suppliers as soon as I can.