[aaabbbccc]

Don't know who is reading this but Eonnext are suddenly increasing my Direct Debit to about £288 per month from £77 per month (Electric not gas). This is based on an estimate which seems to be the way they operate. In 12 months from last september (2023) their estimate will be right, because they need a years worth of readings but that's not stopping them charging me this right now. As I am losing my job soon due to my company moving I don't want to pay this huge increase. Is there anything I can do to stop it or am I resigned to (a) cancelling the DD with all that entails or (b) getting a smart meter and hope I get charged for what I'm using not a lousy overestimate ?

[meldrewreborn]

@aaabbbccc

A fixed direct debit has to be fair and reasonable. It should represent the cost of a years supply of energy (based on todays prices and an estimate of your annual consumption) PLUS or MINUS your current account balance, and then that total divided by 12. So if for instance your account is in debit, you will be paying for your future energy and clearing your account debit at the same time making the headline monthly figure seem too much. You don't need a smart meter to have accurate reading - you can log into your online account and log them yourself. Cancelling the Direct Debit will increase your prices, so is not recommended.

The estimate of annual consumption is a huge element in the calculation. Its certainly not unknown for these to be inaccurate, especially if the account is less than a year old. Eon Next staff do monitor posts but volunteers answer most questions and help point out to you the right way to get your issue resolved. The handles of respondents wilt include Eon Next if they're employees.

When you can, go through your own computation of what you think your Direct Debit should be and compare that to their figure. Post back with your findings (no personal details) and we'll try to assist you. There is general expectation that prices will go down in April and again in June. Once your new DD is set you can reduce it by 10% through your online account.

[wizzo227]

You could try asking hi@eonnext.com to change you to "variable direct debit" "as metered" which is what I do, and then all efforts to use less now directly result in the right decrease to your next bill. I'm expecting my next bill for electricity-only for January to be less than fifty pounds, but that is one person only and with quite a lot of "where did the electricity go?" detective work in previous years. I use a computer and internet every day and I do hot food every day, but miserly choices and purchases in the past allow me to have those with less bill used than most people get through.

[meldrewreborn]

@wizzo227 going onto variable direct debit might entail clearing any debit balance first.

If @aaabbbccc responds we will have a clearer picture of the situation.

[aaabbbccc]

This is the scope of my problem:

THIS IS WHAT THEY SENT ON 23rd January 2024, at the end it says £11.50 DR as you can see :

Full PDF bill attached
Your energy account
25th December 2023 - 22nd January 2024
On 25th December 2023
your balance was £15.01 DR

1. We have charged you
These charges are based on your meter readings. VAT is included.
Electricity £18.81 DR
24th December 2023 — 31st December 2023
Electricity £55.28 DR
1st January 2024 — 19th January 2024
2. You have paid
Direct Debit collection
2nd January 2024 £77.60 CR

Your balance on
22nd January 2024 £11.50 DR
Hi Raymond,

You'll find a full PDF breakdown attached, which you can keep for your reference.
You pay by monthly Direct Debit, so your payments are up to date.
A reasonable amount of debit or credit is normal, but if you're concerned do get in touch.
Any way we can help, we will
The E.ON Next Team

Account overview
Your current balance is
£11.50 DR


NOW, THIS IS THE ONE WHICH IS BOTHERING ME. THEY SENT THIS ABOUT A DAY LATER:

Hello Raymond,

Keeping your account on track.
We're here to help you keep your account in good shape and make sure you don't build up too much credit or debt.
We've just checked if your monthly Direct Debit (DD) payment is set to the right amount for the energy you're using and we think it needs to change.

You're using an average of £203.91 more each month than your current DD payment covers, which means your account balance is £79.08 behind where we'd expect it to be at this time of year.
It's perfectly normal for your balance to go up and down - you could be in debt at the end of winter or in credit at the end of summer. But sometimes you can build up too much debt, which is
when we'll ask you to make a one off payment to clear your debt and change your monthly DD amount to cover your ongoing energy use.

What you need to do.
The quickest way to get your account back on track is with a one off payment of £79.08 on a credit or debit card (tap the button below) and by changing your monthly DD to £281.51.
Make a payment

If you don't do this we'll change your monthly DD to £288.10, starting with your March payment. We'll also continue to review your account regularly to check your DD is set to the right amount.

If you're struggling to pay.
Think we've got something wrong or worried about how you'll pay for your energy? We've got lots of payment support available, or get in touch and we'll do all we can to help.

Or you could contact Citizens Advice or Citizens Advice Scotland, who offer free and independent energy support at citizensadvice.org.uk/energy - or call them on 0808 223 1133.

Back to Me:

OK, so now this person is telling me I am using £203 more of electric every month than my £77 a month covers, (Sorry, but I'm not, and the £77 was their idea anyway) then
threatening if I don't pay £79.08 they are going to start charging me £288.10 a month from March onwards. Big deal, I'm still going to be paying
£281.51 a month even if I pay the £79. How can they say I'm using that £203 when the meter readings I have been giving them (and I have) say otherwise ?
What the hell is going on here ?

PS if you need more readings just ask. I'm absolutely sure I'm not using £300 a months worth of electric, even in winter.
I have also applied for a smart meter, arriving february 9th (2024), Maybe I would be better off on pay as you go, because
this is just ****ing me off.

Would it help if I just paid that £79 off? Would I get better emails then ?

[JoeSoap]

@aaabbbccc

Can you have a look at the meter readings on your statement and see if they are actual readings or estimates? To ensure your account is up-to-date make sure the latest reading is not estimated and check it looks sensible against what your meter is actually reading now.

If the latest reading on your statement does not look sensible against what your meter says then submit a manual reading to bring your account up to date and generate a fresh bill.

Edit… I see that you do submit your own readings so presumably the bills are accurate. They charged you £55 between Christmas and New Year so if this was based on accurate readings then by extrapolation you seem to be using well over £200 of electricity a month at present.

It just might be worth clearing your balance and switching to variable DD so you have more control but you will need to speak to customer service if you choose this method. I think you need to speak to them in any case to resolve this.

[aaabbbccc]

Hi this was what was on my PDF statement for 23 Jan:

On 25 Dec 2023 your previous balance was £15.01 DR
We have charged you (VAT is included)

Electricity (estimated) 24 Dec 2023 - 31 Dec 2023 £18.81 DR
Electricity 1 Jan 2024 - 19 Jan 2024 £55.28 DR
You have paid
Direct Debit collection 2 Jan 2024 £77.60 CR
On 22 Jan 2024 your new balance was £11.50 DR

This implies to me that 24-31 Jan was an estimate by them, and was £18.81
The £55.28 was for 1-19 Jan and wasn't an estimate ?

[JoeSoap]

@aaabbbccc

I mis-read your previous post. It’s difficult to make any sense of things without seeing statements with meter readings.

As you submit meter readings there should not be many (if any) estimates and you should have a good idea of your consumption. We don’t know how you heat your house but if not with electricity then your monthly electricity bills should not vary wildly month on month I would have thought.

Armed with the info on your bills you should be able to have a decent stab at your forecast consumption so as to agree a sensible fixed monthly DD going forward. Failing that, as previously mentioned, it may be worth changing to variable monthly DD where you only pay for what you actually use on a monthly basis.

[retrotecchie]

@aaabbbccc

They have had to make a guess (estimate) for the period to 31 December as the tariffs increased on 01 Jan. Ideally you should have submitted a reading on 01 Jan to make sure you were billed for the correct units at the correct price. My guess is they took the total meter reading since last read and split the units proportionally across the two tariff ranges. Unless you provide an accurate reading on the transition date (01 Jan) that is all they can do.

My advice. Go to your online account and make a card payment to pay off any outstanding balance (£11.50). Then with a zero balance, contact customer services and request to be changed to variable direct debit, then submit regular monthly readings and pay by DD the full amount of your bill each month, but make sure you provide accurate readings. Always do it as close to the first of the month as possible as this is when the tariff changes every quarter.

[Mailman]

@aaabbbccc

We need to know something more about your AAC (actual annual consumption) of electricity in kWh to make further comments to your situation other than what has been suggested. Failing that he latest statement should also state your EAC (Estimated Annual Consumption). Mine is pretty accurate so either will do. It may or may be that Eon Next have it right re the DD amount and difficult to judge without this kWh information.