Clearer comms needed on DD payment holidays & SVT details

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  • Lampshade's Avatar
    Level 8
    Hello I'm new to this community forum. My fixed rate V8 tariff expires next week and I'm being transferred to the standard variable rate - no other choices offered.

    Like many I was confused and suffered massive anxiety by the disparity between the figure mentioned in my renewal email ... and the far higher figures shown when I clicked through to select the new tariff - I fired off an email, a twitter DM, sent WhatsApp message, tried to get through on the phone - all to no avail so far. Been more than a week and I see on other threads that people seem to be waiting at least 2 weeks for a response ....

    Whilst I now understand (via someone on the Martin Lewis MSE forum) that the much higher rates shown on the new SV tariff details reflect what the prices would have been before the EPG announcement - I have no idea when they will be adjusted will be sorted and whilst eon-next have flagged up some kind of note about this, they didn't really make it clear what they meant

    Plus ... I was also completely taken unawares when I spotted that I will no longer be on the rates for direct customers even when the EPG/EBSS figures are eventually factored in. This sparked even more anxiety - especially as I have not been able to get any response from customer services ...

    Eventually I came across somewhere on the eon-next site (can't remember where to find it again) a paragraph stating that if the EBSS payment brings the direct debit down to below £1 the customer will be put on a direct debit payment holiday ... and so is temporarily no longer treated as someone who pays by DD and attracts the lower standing charge and unit rates that direct debit customers enjoy ...

    Wouldn't it have been sensible to add this paragraph to the tariff info details display? So that affected customers could immediately see why their new tariff was being shown as "pay on receipt of bill" and not be left wondering why this had happened without warning? Not just have it buried somewhere that you might or might not come across by chance/much googling?

    Also I'd like to know why is it that customers who are taken off direct debit payment and put onto a "pay on receipt of bill" rate not by choice, are being charged the higher rates that pay on receipt of bill payers are charged?

    Perhaps the EBSS will still cover the bill for the next few months in these cases - and perhaps it won't - I don't know because I don't know exactly what the new charge will be if it's not at the EPG rate for direct debit customers ...

    Surely in these cases, the rates should be adjusted down to the direct debit customer level - even if in theory the amount to pay might still be less than £1 for now?

    But even if that is refused, much clear and "one-stop shop" style communication from eon-next would have been so much more helpful - and helped eon-next too probably by preventing such a massive avalanche of panicked customers contacting customer services!

    I still haven't selected the new tariff because I still don't know what to do and I resent being put onto the non-direct debit customer rate without being consulted or able to discuss this with a real human being person ... so what to do? My current tariff expires next Sunday (Nov 6th) ... I repeat, what to do???
  • 35 Replies

  • JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Lampshade

    Are you absolutely sure that someone on a DD tariff whose DD is under £66 will be moved to a more expensive Payment on Receipt of Bill tariff whilst on DD holiday?

    I have not read that anywhere.
    I'm an Eon Next dual fuel customer with no particular expertise but have some time on my hands that I am using to try and help out a bit.
  • JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Lampshade

    Further to my last post, you will automatically move to Next Flex when your fix ends in any case.

    You can find your tariff rates in the following link…
    https://www.eonnext.com/tariff-search
    Last edited by JoeSoap; 25-10-22 at 20:12. Reason: Added link
  • JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Lampshade

    The more I read over your post the more I want to ask.

    Just to be clear… Have you been offered Next Flex Direct Debit Version or just Next Flex Payment on Receipt of Bills Version?
  • Lampshade's Avatar
    Level 8
    @JoeSoap Thanks for asking - I've been offered just the Next Flex Payment on Receipt of Bills Version ...
  • JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Lampshade

    Ah right. Hopefully you will get a reply from Eon Next soon.

    Have you considered upping your DD to £68 so that a DD payment would always have to be taken?
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @JoeSoap the tariff for payment after receipt of bill is circa 8.6% higher if it is not paid by Direct Debit, but the same as fixed Direct Debit otherwise
    Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
  • JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    @meldrewreborn

    My understanding is that Next Flex Payment on Receipt of Bill Version is a higher rate tariff and is never paid by DD.

    It is also that if you are on Next Flex Direct Debit Version you can choose Variable Direct Debits (the DD matches the monthly bill) or Fixed Direct Debits (the DD is a fixed amount to spread the load). Which ever way you choose to have the DD set up still means you are on the cheaper Direct Debit version tariff.

    The issue here is that @Lampshade is not being offered the Direct Debit tariff… only the dearer Payment on Receipt of Bill tariff and believes it is because they will be on a DD holiday due to the EBSS payment being above the normal DD amount.

    I think I’ve understood everything right… but stand to be corrected.

    I have suggested increasing the usual DD to £68 so that a DD (be it £2 or £1) will always be taken regardless of whether an EBSS amount of £66 or £67 is credited. This should mean a Direct Debit Version tariff can be selected. It may be possible to make this DD change in the online account.
  • JoeSoap's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Lampshade
    @meldrewreborn for info

    Now I’ve just thought of something else…

    You’re coming off v8 and onto Next Flex so surely this is a much more expensive tariff and your usual DD would need to rise from its current level anyway. That in itself may mean that even with the EBSS applied there is still some amount of DD payment that will need to be taken, which would mean you would qualify for the DD version.

    You could work it out yourself using the new rates and your estimated usage.
  • Andy65's Avatar
    Level 47
    @Lampshade

    Are you absolutely sure that someone on a DD tariff whose DD is under £66 will be moved to a more expensive Payment on Receipt of Bill tariff whilst on DD holiday?

    I have not read that anywhere.

    I have not seen anything about this either, I'm one of those where my DD is under £66 and as far as I can see my rates haven't changed. I'll know for certain in a couple of days when my bill is generated.
    I think this is just a misunderstanding.