[Mailman]

@meldrewreborn

Another method of attack in situations like yours might be to model what your expected monthly bills are between now and the end of March 2025 covering the autumn and winter months using the corresponding usage data from previous years. Set the direct debit to a figure to ensure your account balance gets no lower than £0 at any point making ad-hoc debit card payments if needed due to an abnormally cold winter. Roll on till April 2025 where you again look at the usage for the next 12 months and do a DD calculation based on 12 months usage. The only difference being that you don't go into debt on your account and credit will be built up during the winter months with the ideal situation arriving at April 2026 where you are once again back at an account balance of £0.

Either that or just go into VDD if you are able to manage it. Works flawlessly for me as I have a savings buffer to pay more for the heaviest winter months.

[Andy65]

@meldrewreborn

I agree with @Tommysgirl that the reply is probably a standard template. What the reply does make clear though is that the 'annual review' that we all supposedly have to ensure our DD is right for the next 12 months, is pointless because Sophie has said that they want to increase/change your DD on an ongoing basis.

It also suggests that they do not want you to have a negative balance, which makes a mockery of the fixed DD. That reply would only make sense if a customer has increased their usage from the norm.

[Mailman]

Originally Posted by Andy65

@meldrewreborn

It also suggests that they do not want you to have a negative balance, which makes a mockery of the fixed DD. That reply would only make sense if a customer has increased their usage from the norm.

Possibly this has been the reason why you got this email to increase your DD. That and the fact that when your EAU numbers are a little out of whack, this makes their DD calculation algorithm questionable. Exactly the reason why I went to VDD.

[meldrewreborn]

@Mailman

affordability for VDD is not an issue, but the whole idea of fixed DD is to have level payments over the whole year. For many people this is a valuable budgeting tool and it’s what I prefer, not because of need.

To be truthful, I enjoy the jousting with companies that overstep the mark, and some compensation help to curb their worst excesses just a tiny bit.

[retrotecchie]

Originally Posted by Mailman

Exactly the reason why I went to VDD.

I was just put onto VDD when I was SoLR'd over from Igloo. I cannot see any reason on earth why I would want to move to a fixed DD. When I do my weekly shop, I pay for my groceries at the checkout. It is what it is. I don't pay Morrisons a fixed amount every week!

[meldrewreborn]

@retrotecchie

We’ll have to agree to disagree. Fixed Direct Debits are supposed to help customers budget, and to avoid having to find extra money in the winter months when bills are higher ( plus Christmas). But if the suppliers can’t set them fairly the whole concept is flawed.

[Tommysgirl]

@retrotecchie

I personally prefer Variable DD too, I was brought up in the traditional way of paying bills in full on receipt. I have a water meter so have to pay that bill by a fixed monthly amount, but my water usage is much the same throughout the year, so they usually only adjust my DD when they increase their charges. I can remember my parents, and everyone else taking their quarterly electricity bills, which were sent through the post, to the local Electricity Board shop and paying in cash, and the counter clerks rubber-stamping the bills as proof of payment. Some less well-off people used to buy weekly stamps and stick them on a card to go towards their bills. I set aside a monthly amount in my instant access savings account during the summer months to go towards the higher winter gas bills, and gain a little bit of interest, but not much 😂. That works for me.

[retrotecchie]

@meldrewreborn

I'm the other way around. I use more energy in the summer months as I spend a lot more time out in the workshop using the power tools than I do in the winter. Without that, my baseline consumption doesn't vary that much anyway. I budget on my most expensive months which are usually July and August so the rest of the year, the monthly bills usually come in lower than that.