Energy bill increasing to £1735 per month!!

[Energynightmare]

I know this needs an urgent phone call with eon first thing but I can’t sleep worrying about it. I’ve got a newborn that’s a few weeks old so this combined with the postpartum anxiety is not good at all.

I’ve been with eon for several years and a few weeks ago changed to a different tariff to save a bit of money. I currently pay £155 per month and am slightly in credit. They said on the new tariff I would pay an estimated £118 per month.

Anyways I just got an email from them tonight ‘reminding’ me (although this is the first I’ve heard of if!) that my monthly direct debit of £1735 will be taken next Monday!! wtf. That’s literally more in one month than they estimated I’d be paying in the whole year!

I’ve gone on my account and it won’t let me change the amount. Doesn’t look like anything odd is going on with my energy usage. I have a smart meter so it updates automatically and my estimated usage for October at the moment is showing at £100.

I told my DP just before we went to bed and he said not to worry as it’s so ridiculous it has to be a mistake.

Does anyone know what I can do if they refuse to reduce it? Do they have the right to just take whatever they like??

Im on £700 a month maternity allowance at the moment so there’s absolutely no way I can pay £1735 if they try to take it on Monday. Haven’t slept a wink. Also annoyed that the twats emailed this at 9pm so i have no way of contacting them until tomorrow.

Hi op, I used to work in the energy industry.

Don’t panic, it will certainly be a system error on their side.

Make sure you contact Eon this morning and they should be able to sort it out for you.

The main thing to double check with them is that they can change your direct debit amount in good time before it is due to come out on monday. If not, the best thing to do is cancel it at your bank, and then Eon should arrange a call back to set it up again for you.

£1735 sounds right for the annual amount if you have been paying £155 and you are a bit in credit. What is your account saying regarding expected annual cost

Agree with the above. I think it's an annual amount and for some reason they think you have changed from monthly to yearly DDs. Don't panic!

I'd be cancelling the direct debit - as you have credit with eon - its not going to matter that the direct debit doesn't go through on the first of the month.

Next step change suppliers to a company that will let you pay monthly for the amount of electric you actually owe them, not an estimated amount. Octupuss do this, I give a monthly reading and then pay the exact amount I owe every month

Then set up a separate bank account for the money to be taken from monthly, and each month put the £155 Ito this account - try and get a bank account like "chase" who pay interest on the money. The you keep your money earning interest and put the money away each month.

Ive got £700 in my account for octopus, earning me interest, ok its only earning a little bit but its a cup of coffee and a bun once a month. I also have control over my account not the other way around. I don't want a large utility company having control of what I pay monthly and keeping my money in credit making them money

Why are so many people suggesting going to ridiculous lengths rather than just contacting the supplier. It’s quite obviously an error and it looks that the monthly amount mentioned is the estimated annual cost. That is assuming the OPs previous bills have been based on readings and not estimated for years and years. This matter should be resolved quite easily by contacting the supplier.

There is no need at this stage to change supplier, cancel DD’s, close/open back accounts etc. Paying outside a DD results in higher rates and some tariffs are only available if you pay by DD. OP is looking to reduce her costs, not increase them.

One step at a time is required and the first step is to contact the supplier. If the matter is not resolved on contact, the OP needs an explanation and then can take next steps which would involve a formal complaint and taking action in relation to the DD which she will outline in the formal complaint.

be cause we all know that the call center operative is likely to say

oh yes that is all resolved now

then next Monday the £1700 will be taken from the account

as most of us suggesting these "ridiculous" measures have had a similar experience where we know there is going to be a problem, ring up to be told its all sorted and the problem continues anyway

hindsight is a wonderful thing

Thanks everyone for your help and reassurance that this was pretty certain to be a mistake. I know it might sound silly but with it being a few weeks after giving birth I am still very anxious and there was that 10% of me last night terrified I’d somehow agreed to this in my sleep deprived state!

I’ve been on the phone to eon a few times this morning. Initially they were shocked at the amount, reassured me it was a mistake, said they’d update it to £155 going forwards and then agreed to send me something in writing confirming they wouldn’t take the £1735 on Monday. Then within half an hour I had further emails reverting back to the £1735!! But also saying that my bills would be dropping to £5 per month after that because I was going to be £1600+ in credit. For the love of god..!

Have called again and they’re adamant £1735 won’t be taken on Monday. Don’t know whether to believe them…

Yes it won’t work if OP has other bills. Never occurred to me that sorry. I always do essential bills first mortgage council tax, then utilities 5/10 days later.

But no I don’t think it’s crazy. It is what I would do rather than cancel the DD. But then I do have multiple linked bank accounts so it’s not really a big deal for me to do. Also charges for a day of arranged is like a few pennies.

Also it’s just good luck really that I spotted this in time.

obviously everything is very hectic at the moment so emails aren’t top of the list.

and the email they sent was so casual about it. It wasn’t titled ‘we’re changing your direct debit amount’ or anything like that which might have alerted me. It just said ‘a reminder about your direct debit payment’.

Im so glad I opened it asap and spotted the amount in the body of the email! Although it actually said to change the amount I would need to resolve it at least 5 working days beforehand, which would have been yesterday even thought they were only telling me at 9pm! So that’s partly why I was panicking.

If anyone else is with eon I would definitely make it a habit of always checking these emails monthly.

Neither person on the phone could give an explanation as to why this has happened.

Defo ring the bank OP. Do not take what they say as certain.

This is exactly what I’m worried about.

I did request something in writing from them to say they wouldn’t be taking the £1735 but it would still be disastrous if they do..

Which is why I go to "ridiculous" measures to be in control of my own bank account. I don't want estimated direct debits etc

So I canceled the direct debit, read the meter monthly and pay the bill (which is an option with octopuss) they send me an email reminder to read the meter, so I don't forget either.

And she has a few days to sort things out without going to ridiculous lengths. Talk about a sledge hammer to crack a nut without making the suggestion that OP contacts her supplier in the first instance.

I would ring the bank and put a hold on the payment, and pay the amount through the 'make a payment' section of their website. And tell them that you will not reverse the hold until they sort out their software to show the correct amounts

If you have not got the matter resolved to your satisfaction in the next day or so, your next step would be to speak to your bank re the DD.

But by all means follow what ever advice you want to.

Good luck.

Also, I would email them with the details of your phone calls so far, and ask a question to force them to answer, so you have evidence of your contact with them - they might record calls but I wouldnt trust them to be open with the recordings if this were to go on to become a bigger issue

Someone sensible 😊 thank you for placating the ‘insane’ posters with sensible land. I reckon this is the way OP.

I'd move my money so they can't take it.

op isn't going to know whether its sorted out or not until the 1st of the month - when either eon take the £1735 or not

Then if op doesn't have the money in the account and is left overdrawn - op will pay charges, or worse over her overdraft limit and she will pay those charges

for some that will be a small problem of a nut but for many the £1735 will not be a nut of a small problem but a great cracking problem that will cause issues for several weeks

Don't trust them not to take the original amount. I had similar with utility warehouse (though it was around half of your total). It was my mistake (I entered the reading onto the wrong meter), but despite being told they wouldn't take the full amount they did, and the excuse was that it had been too late to change the direct debit.
Either cancel or put the direct debit on hold, and do not change it until you have confirmation of the direct debit amount to be taken. As PP said you can pay any amount over the phone, or as you are in credit leave it for the month, they will correct it quickly when you're not shown as paying. If they don't resolve it this week contact citizens advice, and they will help.

I had similar with a water company. I found phone calls with the company a complete waste of time. After sort of agreeing with me they would say that they would send me another bill, but wouldn't say what it would be. Each time, it would be exactly the same absurd amount. I think the phone people perhaps didn't have the authority to alter it. I ended up cancelling the direct debit and putting in a complaint, in writing, which eventually got it sorted out.

OP, I had a similar issue with our water company last year - I cancelled the direct debit using my online banking and called on the payment date to pay and sort the issue.

if it’s helpful I cancelled the direct debit 2 days before it was due to go out and it wasn’t taken, so will at least prevent them taking it in error and you having to wait for a refund.

good luck sorting it out, not what you need at what sounds like an already stressful time x

I'd cancel my DD until it's fixed. I'd probably switch supplier afterwards.

I'd talk to my bank - say what you've said here spoken to eon been rectified then changed back to ridiculous amount and eon can't explain why it's happening and it will be disastrous for you if that was taken and you have no faith in eon - what do they suggest.

If they say they can recall the direct debt may be worth doing that - but if they suggest putting a hold on DD then I'd do the above.

My next step would be my own bank and a complaint to eon.

@Energynightmare I would definitely speak to your bank and explain the problem and ask their advice. DD's are usually actioned a few days before the pyt is actually due - so as you say, you needed 5 days to cancel the DD and you don't have that