Energy company increasing direct debit

It is Octopus!

I have a DD which is for the actual usage. The disadvantage is that I pay more in the winter but the advantge is that they never owe me money and nor do I owe them. I don't know if all companies offer this. I used to have to read my meter every month but then had to have a smart meter to get the best rate so now it does it all automatically. As far as I know my smart meter works fine. I'm with British Gas but I expect other providers can do this. Certainly worth it if your DD is too high.

Labadi0747 my advice would be to email the CEO's office. I've found it the only way to get things sorted. They're about to give me a third amount of compensation because of the aggro I've been put through!

my advice would be to change to octopus.
why waste time and mental energy wrestling with poor customer service.
if you can find an octopus customer and they recommend you, you will both get £50 off your next bill.

This happened to me and I was informed by email. I went to my online account and reduced the amount back to what it had been but was too late and they took the extra £40. I complained by replying to the email and was immediately offered the money back and an apology. Since then the amount has actually been reduced. (This was Eon Next )

Dickens

Germanshepherdsmum
I simply refuse to pay by direct debit. I want the money in my account, not theirs. Control is everything.
Control is everything

Yesss!

- I think we are in a minority though. And we are penalised for it.

However, I recently forgot to read my meter so E-ON estimated my usage...

... and over-estimated by nearly £900 - I'm still in credit!

If that is how they operate their DDs, they can go hang and take their smart meters (my neighbour has had nothing but trouble with her malfunctioning one) with them.

How they arrived at that figure I've no idea - it's supposed to be based on previous usage. It wasn't!

I rather like the old-fashioned way of getting a bill for what I've used and paying it.

Just to say that you can pay for what you have used each month by DD. It works well for me. I do have a smart meter though and find it helpful. No trouble with it at all.

I don’t have a smart meter and refuse to have one. The meter here is only about ten years old and functions perfectly well. I diarise meter readings. Ovo seem to be happy to have a reading every two months but we do it every month without fail. I refuse to have a DD for energy. I pay for what I have used as soon as I receive and have checked the bill. Until then the money is in our account, not theirs.

I had this from Octopus energy! They wanted my £51 per month to go up to £89! I’ve always been in credit. It is summer - there is no heating on - we are in the summer, so my credit will increase.
I replied to them, telling them no way and that I couldn’t afford the increase.
They just accepted it!
If you haven’t got the money then you can’t pay!
Write and tell them - don’t pay the increase

Have paid by DD for years. Had built up credit asked to be reimbursed, no problem. Earlier this month supplier messaged to let me know tgey will be reducing DD by 50% as they have calculated with reduced price and warmer weather I won't need so much. To read my gas meter I have to lie flat on the front garden to see the dials. No way doing that every month.

Quite often you can actually go on your online account and lower it back down to what you have fit of your on credit. They do it to me every year and I just put it back to what it was and refused to increase it. Their DD amount is made up of what they expect you to use, plus a little bigger just in case and does t include any warm home discount a of pension payments. So often it is far from right. If you can t do it on the online account ring them and advise you want the direct debit returned to what it was as your on credit and there Sno reaosn to increase it at all.

You can contact them and get your overpayment refunded. Also negotiate your payments.

Octopus have just advised me to decrease mine by £15 a month, I'm only in credit by £120.00.
Seems odd if your in credit.
I didn't think they request you pay extra unless you were in debt.

Decreasing your dd is the opposite of increasing it ….

I am with London Power ( Octopus ) and was told by them that they are reducing my monthly payment .I am more than pleased that I moved to them.

Another vote here for Octopus
I persuaded my son to change to them too and he is more than happy after being with SSE who were always trying to get him to increase his DD
Octopus asked him what he could afford and accepted it.he is still in credit
Also because I recommended them we both got a credit of £50 each