Hi all

First time poster, but looking for a range of advice if possible please.

For about 4 years with E.ON we have been paying a monthly direct debit of £21 a month for my gas supply to E.ON and more often than not have been in credit with them. Then, to my surprise - I received a letter yesterday informing me that they are going to increase my DD to £75 a month - an almost 4x increase.

And all this is on the basis of "what we'll think you use" - how scientific.

A bit of background on the house as well - we are two single blokes who work from 8 until 7 and are hardly in the house as it is so wee very rarely use the gas other than an hour of eating in the morning and an hour at night. Plus using the cooker (very rarely)!

Any advice on what to do/say/steps moving forward would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Glenn

GlennS:

And all this is on the basis of "what we'll think you use" - how scientific.

Probably true.

Did you say whether this was for gas, electricity or gas and electricity?

GlennS:Sorry - this is just gas supply.

OK. What you should do first is to check your last bill or statement for two things. (1) the size of any running debit balance (if any) and (2) whether the most recent reading recorded was an an actual reading or an estimated reading. If it is an estimated reading I suggest supplying a customer reading to E.On and asking for the bill and payments to be recalculated.

If it is an actual reading check that it is approximately the same as the reading currently on the meter. There is another fairly unusual possibility but that will do for now.

Considering there have been numerous reports in the press and other media relating to huge energy prices increases didn't alarm bells start ringing when for 4 years your payments remained the same?

Even if you had a very loose grasp on your consumption, you would know if your using more, less or about the same energy year on year, so if your usage is consistant given these increases logic would tell you my payment should increase?

Rant (keyword there jalexa for future quoting ;D) over. Follow Jalexa's steadfast advice, as its is highly liley that due to under estimations you have accrued a debit balance, you will need to clear if the increase is unaffordable perhaps negoitate a lower rate of repayment. I beleive E.on will initally be seaking to recoup the under payment and maintain your usage by spring, so for the next 5 or 6 payments - just make sure it is reviewed in spring.

GlennS:

wee very rarely use the gas other than an hour of eating in the morning

a big breakfast?

Lol on the "eating" typo.

Just so you are aware - I looked at our last quarterly statement and we were £120 in CREDIT with them.

GlennS:

....I looked at our last quarterly statement and we were £120 in CREDIT with them.

OK. Now concentrate on the whether the reading on the last quarterly statement was estimated or actual (and how the number compares with the number currently on the meter)

GlennS: - will do that.

.

Good. Don't get distracted from the number but if you have been on the same tariff for 4 years it's well worth checking that your tariff is (still) competitive.

I presume you are familiar with comparison websites. There is a link to one on this Forum.

As its the most likely cause at present i'm going to assume that those readings are all (or at least mostly) estimated.

Where are the meters located? Do you have easy access to the meter and more importantly is there anything preventing a meter reading from obtaining a reading?

Hi Glenn

Already some very good advice on here.

I suspect you have suffered a number of under estimated bills in the past. Have you supplied us with readings or had your meter read regularly in the past?

What might have happened is we have now received an up to date reading and this had led to a large catch up bill. This could have wiped off the credit on your account and even put you into debt.

Should this be the case, your Direct Debit will have been reviewed and the payments adjusted accordingly. If there is a debt then the Direct Debit will have been set to cover ongoing usage plus an amount to re-pay the debt.

Give us a call if the new figure does include an amount related to a debt. Ask for the re-payment time to be extended. This will reduce the amount of the monthly payments.

Sorry if this is a bit speculative. Not sure of all the details from what you have posted. However, follow what Jalexa and Mynewt have advised. Make sure you are being billed to actual meter readings; check you are on the right tariff; and look at other suppliers through a comparison site.

Hope this helps a little. Give me a shout if I can help further.

Malc