[Karln]

So
Who else is joining the Don`t Pay campaign this Autumn?

I am because I am sick to death of been over charged for energy while the energy companies flaunt and rub our noses in the massive profits they make ever quarter.

[DebF_EONNext]

Hey @Karln,

Thanks for taking the time to post. I completely understand the sentiment behind this campaign (it is a very tough and worrying time for many) however I also think it's important to highlight the risks or consequences that could be involved with it too.

• If customers don't make payments on their account this could lead to late payment fees
• It could lead to debt recovery for example through debt collection agencies which could have a negative impact on their credit score which could lead to issues obtaining a mortgage or other credit
• It could lead to a prepayment meter being fitted in the property and any subsequent debt being added to the meter.

Of course customers do have the option to cancel direct debits, however, we would always recommend that they speak with an energy specialist first as cancelling may mean they need to be placed on another tariff, which could be more expensive & would also mean they would lose any direct debit discounts that are already in place.

There are other options available such as a variable direct debit. There is also other support available too such as the Warm Home Discount & the E.ON Next Energy Fund. You can find out more about support we can offer in our Help with Energy Bills thread and you may also find our Price Cap Q&A thread useful too.

[theunknowntech]

More likely you'll hurt people like me on lower incomes who actually make an effort to pay what we owe each month. All that'll happen is that all these extra costs get cycled back around and applied to everyone's energy bills.

Also, complaints can be closed automatically if they are considered frivolous and the Ombudsman won't bite (nor charge the supplier) if it thinks the case has no merit. As I said, I won't be taking part in the campaign at all and neither will over 1,000 of my real life friends and contacts.

[Andy65]

Not me I'm afraid @Karln, objecting is one thing but why would you potentially want a default on your credit history?

[UKDave51]

Are you going to refuse the £400 grant the government are giving you too?

[mkilbride84]

@Karln Good luck with that. Slippery slope to bad credit, and for what? Do you think energy prices are suddenly going to drop because of this?

[Anasa_EONNext]

@Karln I am so sorry that you feel this way and as @DebF_EONNext has said above it's not as straight forward as it seems, I totally get the reason behind it believe me I'm in the exact same situation as you are, we all are no one is exempt from the increase and it's happening across the board with all suppliers. I understand the sentiment behind it and the success of the 90's poll tax strike but you have to remember that this was a law that was being imposed on us directly by the government where as with your energy provider you essentially have a private law agreement, which means that if you don't pay for the goods and services provided a court will have no difficulty in finding in favour of a business.

We're doing all we can to help our customers during this time and there is the government grant of £400, there's lots of help available so please reach out if you need to.

Good luck with the campaign and for fighting for what you believe in 🙂

[theunknowntech]

I've had a chat with Blastoise186 about this today and trust me, the Discord call lasted a good three hours! While we both understand the frustration, we've decided that we won't be supporting the cause, because it could trigger a conflict of interest for both of us as forum volunteers - and we also don't want to risk getting our perfectly clean credit records messed up. Given that we're also on cheap fixed rate deals right now, there is no benefit for either of us taking part.

I also wish to make my position clear and also clarify the same for Blastoise as well. To protect ourselves from any potential issues, we will not be responding to any threads on the forums we're on that bring up the campaign (other than this one comment that I'm posting here, and the one Blastoise186 might post on the OVO Forum if he decides to) and we won't be providing any assistance to help fix any consequences caused as a result of anyone taking part. We are still willing to offer our usual advice to anyone who needs it for just about anything else though as usual.

This isn't a decision we have taken lightly and neither the OVO Forum nor E.On Next community teams were involved in the process. In actual fact, this is the first time any of them will have heard our decision but Blastoise feels that the best stance for us to take is to remain neutral.

Oh and by the way... Just be advised that the campaign website is sending your data to the USA and storing it there because the web server it runs on is in Chicago. Since the USA doesn't come under GDPR rules, you might want to be careful with what you enter into it.

Thanks for understanding!

[Karln]

@UKDave51
£400 grant that will be spread over 6 months so roughly £66 a month.

Not going to exactly help is it?

[Karln]

And this is why our country is like it is (spineless).

We did the same back in the poll tax days and we got that stopped and yes i was part of the not paying movement and my credit score is the highest it has ever been.
Its called scare tactics.

I am just peed off the main reason is when i contact eon next via email they simply don't reply.
my last email was about an interview i watched on the tv with the CEO of eon next talking about the scheme eon next has in place for customers on low wages or benefits asking for more information on this scheme but never got a single reply.

eon next like to take customers money but don't do a thing to help the most venerable in my eyes.