EDF don't make sense

[Gefreiter Krueger]

Can you understand this gas/electricity bill?

Having reviewed your account, we've noticed that you've paid for more than you've used with your monthly payments of =A374.00. We'll refund =A3116.35 to your account on or around 5 Nov 13.

Based on our projections of your future usage at the price on your tariff, we've flattened your payments with a new Direct Debit amount at =A380.00, starting on 16 Dec 13.

Is it just me or do those contradict each other? Am I using more or les= s? Why am I now paying a bigger amount each month AND they're refunding= me money? What the f*ck?

-- =

For 93 million miles, there is nothing between the sun and my shadow exc= ept me. I'm always getting in the way of something...

[Mathew Newton]

Price increases?

[Brian Gaff]

Well, from what I can gather, they seem to be saying that through the warm periods you are owed some money, b and will refund the overpay, but as the cost has gone up and its the cold part of the year, based on what you were paying before y ou need to pay more. I agree its pretty daft in that they could just keep the overpay and put it toward the cold higher priced bills, but I suspect they want to appear to be being fair. I'm waiting to see what happens to my bills when the Blue tarrif runs out. Brian

[The Nomad]

Because!

I've just had a load of missed calls from 0191 number (EDF energy) and as I'm feeling awkward today when they rang again just now I said Mr N was not available and could Mr N ring back? No this an out going number only! I was not on the cheapest tariff, and they could ring again!

So two questions:

1) Why am I not FFS automatically on the best rate? customer service my .... 2) How the hell do I talk to you if your number wont accept calls?

I fell a slightly shouty call later if I can find a number that won't cost more than my energy use for a month!

Oh and just tried to change the tariff on line and after going through the hoops it say "sorry can't change your tariff - contact us! no doubt on a premium rate number!

Avpx

[John Rumm]

They aim to have to have you pay about the right amount averaged out over the year. However this tends to be based on historical usage, and possibly some prediction of how cold they expect this year to be.

It tends to go wrong when there is a big year on year change in degree days[1] as there was last year and the year before where we moved from a year that was 10% warmer than average to one that was 11% colder. Thus creating a big swing in demand. You also upset the system if you make changes to your usage for any reason (patterns of use, changes to insulation, boiler etc)

[1] You can find tables out there is you google - but its basically an indication of how much heating is needed and on how many days.

[John Rumm]

Lots of entries for EDF

[John Williamson]

nPower used to change the direct debit every time they read the meter. So during the light use quarters, I paid more than during the heavy use quarters. As a result, I was always either in debt, and had to pay more next quarter, or they decreased it as I was in credit.

[Gefreiter Krueger]

They really got confused when I wasn't living here for two years, then m= oved back and installed electric heating in my garage for parrots, then = changed it to gas (fed from the house central heating).

I'm also not a typical user - I don't tend to heat the house very much s= o my usage doesn't really change throughout the year.

-- =

I've been charged with murder for killing a man with sandpaper. To be h= onest I only intended to rough him up a bit.

[Gefreiter Krueger]

So they removed the whole point of direct debit, that you pay the same d= uring colder months.

-- =

The Archbishop of Canterbury and The Royal Commission for Political Corr= ectness announced today that the climate in the UK should no longer be r= eferred to as "English Weather". Rather than offend a sizeable portion of the UK population, it will now = be referred to as "Muslim Weather" - (Partly Sunni, but mostly Shi'ite).=

[dennis]

They have done an annual review and decided they need to refund the extra you have paid.

At the same time they have looked at your use, the expected weather and decided you will have to pay more next year.

They could keep the extra but then you would be screaming about them getting interest on your money.

[Dave Liquorice]

I just dig about for an 0800 number on the website an call that, they all tend to end up in the same call handling system anyway. Even if you don't make a best guess from the options and who ever you end up speaking to will either transfer or give a number. Another way to defeat the "press 1 for ..." is to keep quiet, eventually the system will give up and transfer you to a tellie tubbie.

[Dave Liquorice]

Refund beacuse they are nice and to stop you wailing about them having your money and not paying interest.

Increase 'cause the prices have, or are very likely to, rise during the next 12 months.

Use? Look at your bills, enter the readings into a spreadsheet. Do a bit of modeling/averaging.

[Roland Perry]

In message , at 11:59:35 on Fri, 1 Nov 2013, Gefreiter Krueger remarked:

I think you mean "the whole point of a budget account" (which you happen to pay by DD.

I pay by DD, but quarterly in arrears based on meter readings.

Even energy companies seem confused by the difference.

[The Nomad]

Ta, I'd (sort of) forgotten about them

Avpx

[Gefreiter Krueger]

Actually I owe THEM money, but a lot less than I did earlier. I'm using= a lot less than I'm paying for, so the DD should be DEcreased.

As for refunding me when my account is already =EF=BF=BD100 owed to them= ....

-- =

The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight = its enemies is "Lunch."

[Gefreiter Krueger]

There is no difference as the only DD energy companies do is monthly, the same amount every month.

The different one is like your phone bill, where your DD is different every month depending on how many calls you make.

[Gefreiter Krueger]

I gave up working out how they calculate it. My bill is 4 pages long.

I have the opposite problem with credit cards. They keep changing me to email instead of paper, or worse, both, so I have to check whether I've received that bill already.

[Bob Eager]

Rubbish. Do try and get things right, even if you appear to live on another planet. This is just not true. Companies offer quarterly direct debit...

to-pay.shtml

[Huge]

And if all else fails, call the Sales number. They're always free.

[Gefreiter Krueger]

Never heard of it. So you simply pay exactly what you use, no chance of having to change things or owe anybody anything?