Account in balance

  • Tony208's Avatar
    Level 4
    Wouldn't it be fantastic if EON simply charged you each month for the electricity you have used? I can't imagine anything simpler but no EON won't do that. Instead they say they want to give you a fixed bill. Obviously a complete impossibility since they have no idea what electricity I will use in future months. So their "fixed" bill is constantly adjusted making it the opposite to fixed. Not only that but they take extra money and build up a credit for you. Money I could earn a decent interest on these days. So complicated I truly have no clue what I spend on electricity since no bill reflects what I actually used. My payment history is almost comical with the mix of payments and credit amounts. No other service I use does this.
  • 11 Replies

  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @Tony208

    Strangely enough, they bill me every month for EXACTLY the energy I use. No more, no less.

    It's called variable Direct Debit.
    Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player. I DON'T work for or on behalf of EON.Next, but am willing to try and help if I can. Not on mains gas, mobile network or mains drainage. House heated almost entirely by baby dragons.
  • meldrewreborn's Avatar
    Level 91
    @Tony208

    you are able to pay by Direct Debit after the generation of a bill. It’s a variable direct debit. It does mean that sometimes bills and thus payments can be higher sometimes than others, often in the winter months.

    Fixed direct debits require the forecasting of future consumption to set a monthly amount, and these tend to build credit in the summer months which gets used up in the winter. They’re supposed to help budgeting through predictable monthly payments, but not everybody likes them.
    if you do not pay by one of the direct debit methods you tariff is more expensive.
    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.
  • Tony208's Avatar
    Level 4
    @Tony208

    Strangely enough, they bill me every month for EXACTLY the energy I use. No more, no less.

    It's called variable Direct Debit.
    Thanks, I have never heard of that. I hate direct debit and would never normally use it but felt forced to, to avoid a higher bill.
  • Tony208's Avatar
    Level 4
    @Tony208

    you are able to pay by Direct Debit after the generation of a bill. It’s a variable direct debit. It does mean that sometimes bills and thus payments can be higher sometimes than others, often in the winter months.

    Fixed direct debits require the forecasting of future consumption to set a monthly amount, and these tend to build credit in the summer months which gets used up in the winter. They’re supposed to help budgeting through predictable monthly payments, but not everybody likes them.
    if you do not pay by one of the direct debit methods you tariff is more expensive.
    Yes I understand the logic but holding large sums of my money in credit hardly seems a way to help me budget. Plus I am more than capable of working out winter months will be more pricey and allow for that.
  • Tony208's Avatar
    Level 4
    @Tony208

    Strangely enough, they bill me every month for EXACTLY the energy I use. No more, no less.

    It's called variable Direct Debit.
    I can't see that option anywhere. How do you change to it?
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @Tony208

    Easily done with either a phone call to customer services, or drop an email to hi@eonnext.com with all your account details and 'Switch to Variable Direct Debit' in the subject.

    I was transferred from Igloo energy when they went belly up and they just put me on Variable DD by default. It's easy enough to change from one method to another.

    The tariff rates are the same, so long as you pay by either fixed or variable DD. It's only if you use a non DD method that the prices are more expensive.
  • retrotecchie's Avatar
    Level 92
    @Tony208

    Easily done with either a phone call to customer services, or drop an email to hi@eonnext.com with all your account details and 'Switch to Variable Direct Debit' in the subject.

    I was transferred from Igloo energy when they went belly up and they just put me on Variable DD by default. It's easy enough to change from one method to another.

    The tariff rates are the same, so long as you pay by either fixed or variable DD. It's only if you use a non DD method that the prices are more expensive.

    Actually, if I give our lovely @DebF_EONNext a shout, she may even be able to 'press the right buttons for you'.
  • Tommysgirl's Avatar
    Guest
    I can't see that option anywhere. How do you change to it?
    @retrotecchie is right. I also pay my bill by monthly variable Direct Debit. If DebF cannot change it for you, you'll need to contact customer services, because Eon-Nexts systems don't let customers change to variable Direct Debit, presumably because they prefer Fixed Direct Debit payments. If you have to ring them, try at 9.00am, you may have a long wait in the queue but it will be worth it. Depending on who you get to speak to they might try to persuade you to stick with the fixed DD but insist you wish to pay by monthly variable DD, and request a confirmation email that they have changed it for you. Remember, "The customer is always right"!😀👍
    It looks like you might not need to contact customer Services, because looking at another post from PeterT at Eon Next, he's been able to change another customers payment method to Variable Direct Debit, so hopefully they'll be able to change yours too.🤞
    Last edited by Tommysgirl; 02-01-23 at 12:24. Reason: Adding info
  • Tony208's Avatar
    Level 4
    @retrotecchie is right. I also pay my bill by monthly variable Direct Debit. If DebF cannot change it for you, you'll need to contact customer services, because Eon-Nexts systems don't let customers change to variable Direct Debit, presumably because they prefer Fixed Direct Debit payments. If you have to ring them, try at 9.00am, you may have a long wait in the queue but it will be worth it. Depending on who you get to speak to they might try to persuade you to stick with the fixed DD but insist you wish to pay by monthly variable DD, and request a confirmation email that they have changed it for you. Remember, "The customer is always right"!😀👍
    It looks like you might not need to contact customer Services, because looking at another post from PeterT at Eon Next, he's been able to change another customers payment method to Variable Direct Debit, so hopefully they'll be able to change yours too.🤞
    Thanks. The whole fixed rate thing makes zero sense anyway because they endlessly change it (for obvious reasons). It's not like paying something like a subscription fee that remains constant.