[Paul3D]

Hi


A few weeks ago I attempted to renew my energy tariff and after spending hours on the phone I managed to get through. I told the care team that I wanted a similar tariff to what I have now, a variable rate tariff where there is no fixed charge per month, just meter readings and then pay what you owe....

The team assured me this is what I was signing up for yet when I checked my account a few days later it showed a set amount to pay per month and that this was a FIXED price tariff.

I emailed EON at first and told them the problem, they said somebody must have set the tariff up incorrectly and that they have now fixed the issue and I am back on a variable tariff.

All good, I thought.....

A few days later I checked again, still the set amount of £161.47 was to be charged on the 1st May. I rang them this time and went through the same process as before - the care team assured me that this time it was fixed and the money would not be taken.

Another few days went by but still this amount was shown on my account page.

I then got an email saying this amount would be taken via direct debit on the 1st and if that was a problem then I should reply to the email, which I did. Again, I was assured that the issue was fixed and even received an email from the care assistant to tell me it was fixed.

I naturally assumed that this finally meant the direct debit would be cancelled.....

But a few days later the same amount was STILL showing.

By now it was Saturday 30th April, a day before the amount was due to be removed from my account and the tariff would start.

I sent desperate emails to the customer care teams telling them if this money was removed from my account I would be overdrawn and possibly incur bank charges and while one care team member asked for my details, she never replied and nobody else did either.

I have also emailed the complaints dept but not heard anything from them.

So now I have a worrying bank holiday waiting for the money to be removed....and then the problems that arise from that.

I have tried for weeks to stop this happening and not one member of the "care" team has been able to fix it !!

So I will go into debt and the entire thing is EON's fault.

Thanks EON.




Paul

[DebF_EONNext]

Hey @Paul3D,

I'm Deb one of the community co-ordinators. I'm really sorry that you feel this way and that things don't seem to have been explained to you.

Next Flex is indeed a variable tariff. This means that your daily standing charge & unit prices may vary throughout the year.

It sounds like you have your direct debit set to come out at a set monthly amount. With Next Flex although it's not a fixed rate tariff, you can choose to pay a set amount on your direct debit. If your monthly payment isn't covering your usage we can amend this however we will always contact you beforehand though. You can also make extra one off payments to clear the balance if you would prefer.

Our system automatically runs payment reviews throughout the year for direct debit customers to assess that you are paying the correct amount, this factors in any outstanding debit on the account as well as your usage over the past 12 months at the time of review. You can manage your direct debit payments in your online account, just remember that it takes 10 working days for these changes to take affect.

You can also choose to set your direct debit to variable instead of a set monthly amount. This would mean you get billed each month for what you use (providing we have up to date readings & don't have to estimate) so for instance if you use £150 in one month you would be charged for that £150 usage, standing charges & VAT. If the next month you used £180 then you would be charged the £180 for your usage, standing charges & VAT and so on. A variable direct debit also means the direct debit collection date will also vary. With a variable direct debit we will request payment within 14 days of the bill being issued.

I hope this helps 😊 If you are still concerned about this please pop a message over to our energy specialists on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram they are available 24/7. Alternatively you can call us on 0808 501 5200, our lines are open from 9am - 5pm Monday - Friday (excluding bank holidays)

[meldrewreborn]

@Paul3D
If the money is taken, then if you contact your bank you can invoke the DD guarantee and get it immediately (yes i do mean that!) .

But the fixed tariff may have been to your advantage if it avoided increased rates from 1 October that are likely with the variable tariff. Which version was it?

[Paul3D]

@meldrewreborn

Next Flex - which they calculated at £161.47 per month. I plan to change the way I use energy and there's of course summer, so a fixed plan is not for me at this time.

I rang the bank Saturday and they told me yes, they would guarantee it...but didn't give a time-frame.

But isn't sad it has to go this far. It clearly shows the complete collapse of E-On's customer care, from start to finish.

I am mad as hell at the time I have wasted and the way I have been treated.

Thanks for the reply though, I'll hold em to the immediate part ;)



Cheerspaul

[SHELLBELL]

Hi I'm on next flex tariff aswell, my D/D amount has also gone up even thou I'm in quite abit of credit, it won't let me adjust the D/D payment to somethink more affordable. How can I change it? My heating is off and will be for awhile, I'm aware of price rises again in October but I'm worried now about my d/d payments when I'm in credit, surely it should be my decision on the amount for the time being? X

[meldrewreborn]

Your credit will be refunded to you at some stage. Next refund at your review point and keep the dad at a level bases on your future estimated consumption. It’s inevitable that that it will prove to be wrong in time, but it helps most customers spread the pain of high winter bills.

[Paul3D]

Hi Deb, thx for the reply.

Yes, I understand how the Flex works, it is similar to the one I have been on for the last year. But whether it is fixed or variable was not really the point. The catalog of errors that befell me along the way is the problem.

Including the waiting time, I must of spent 3 hours on the phone ! Why do I have to waste so much time correcting E-On's mistakes, I do wonder, when it all should have been set up correctly on the very first call.

Oh well :)



Cheersnak

[Paul3D]

After a ton of apologies everything got sorted, in the end. Although it still took them till just yesterday to update my account and remove the reference to the £161.47 !!

[meldrewreborn]

very pleased for you but it really shouldn't be that difficult, should it?

personally I'd make a formal complaint.

[Paul3D]

No, it should not be this difficult and I have indeed put in a formal complaint - although I wonder how long (if at all) it will take them to reply !