www.iva.co.uk

So I just had a letter from my elec/gas supplier saying they are upping my DD by £20 a month!! I only got accepted on my IVA on Monday ffs!

I just called them I said I'm not paying that they said the least we can take is £10 more a month, I explained that we are in the middle of a low usage period how can they up the amount during that time. They refused to keep the payment at what is is, now what? I can't bear the trawl through finding a cheaper supplier it's so blumming complicated, I'm so cross with them!!

Bummer isn't it, Fi ? My lot recently increased my monthly payment by nearly £30 (based on usage over those really cold few months last winter!). NOW they are adding 10% on top of that !!! Trouble is, if you change to a cheaper supplier ow, they might up their prices in a few weeks too!! Been caught like that before !!!!

It is and you're right they have based this on last winter when it was b***** awful weather, they've got a b***** nerve. I get so cross, this happens to me all the time, not only energy suppliers but others, they put the DD down cos I'm in credit then a year later I'm in debit then they hike it up and I'm in credit again, you can't win can you!

ha ha ha I didn't realise I'd sworn in that, clearly the forum automatically beeps it out, whoops, sorry people I just got so cross!

Hiya - Mine tried to up my monthly payments in 2010 - I was paying £30 for Electric & £40 for Gas for a 2 bed flat. It was more than covering the bills and I was always in credit. They then tried to up my monthly payments to £80 for Electric & £70 for Gas in May of last year. I had a right old arguement with the girl on the phone ( i know its not her fault) but I was so mad! There was no way I was paying £150 month for my Gas/Elect.

SO I cancelled my DD's last May and I know only pay when the bill comes in - and now as my Credit is shot to pieces anyway, I wait till I get the final reminder now before paying.

Also - had i agreed to the increases - Going off my last bill - MY electric was only £150 for the 3 months - so they would have made an extra £90 out of me. MY Gas was only £110 - so they would have made an extra £100 out of me - had i kept the DD's.!

I looked at changing supplier but to be honest, they are all as bad as each other!

p.s - I still put my own monthly amount away £50 for each so I have the money in savings to pay when the bil comes in - Its just in my account rather than theirs!

Rant over!...lol...

Susie I think if mine goes up much more I'll be doing that, I guess you pay a little extra for not paying DD do you but sometimes these people have so much of our money for payments. x

yeh - your unit price is slightly higher than if you pay by DD - but they certainly wouldn't amount up to the money that will end up in their pocket - stored away.
Apparantly Utility companies don't like people who won't pay by DD but that's just too bad. The money is better in my account earning a few pence interest.
I also make sure that I don't get estimated bills - so i enter my meter readings online before a bill is due.
I am quite fanatical about my Gas/Electric and each Tuesday - I take the meter readings and see if i've used more or less than last week.
My Electric normally works out around 55 units a week and my Gas at the moment is only 5 units a week - so I can roughly work out what my next bills will be!

My other half finds it quite funny but I like to be organised!

Now I would do the same Susie I can get fanatical about things very easy, might be worth a log for a while just to get a feel of what is being used. x

I used to do that too Susie when I was with Scottish power it was easy as their online system was so easy to use, but we changed to EDF last year and for some reason I can never log onto their online system, I am terrified we are paying too little and going end up with huge hikes in our DD come the winter as I don't think we are paying enough at the moment.

I do get sick of the utility companies constantly calling and trying to get us to have our gas with them aswell, when will they ever understand WE HAVE NO MAINS GAS where we live!!! it gets me mad that people can have dual fuel discounts but we can't benefit at all from this.

I see I am not alone then! I was tempted to come of DD & pay when I get the bill but for some reason as I've just started budgeting that scares me. I don't appear to have an option but to up the amount I pay, I HATE these companies they have you over a barrell

Your right - they do have you over a barrell which is why I like to annoy them by not paying DD and waiting till they threaten me with debt collectors before promptly paying the bill!
I know late payments affect your credit rating but for the next 6 years it doesn't really matter a jott!.

we are in debt on the gas and lekky at the moment (not a lot) but it will even itself out during the summer months,thank God.
We do have a 6 month review on our payments,next one in August,so will see what happens!!!!
British Gas are pretty good at letting you change tariffs as and when,does say they charge on the website but if you ring them they generally wave the fee to change contract.I think its because we have duel fuel with them.
We fixed our rate until 2012 earlier this year,originally the tariff was slightly higher than the rate we were on,an advisor actually rang us and asked if we wanted to go on the fixed rate,glad they did now.

I am with EON for both Gas/Electric - If I went onto paying by DD then I would qualify for fixed rate and a lower rate too but the monthly amounts are just too high for me!
Last month I was really good and paid the day I got the bill, I must have been feeling faint! - so I got a prompt payment discount of 35p!!!

I've been paying mine by standing order for years - I'm always paying the right amount to keep the account clear (ish) over the year and I rectify it myself if I need to.
Had an amusing phone call with some customer service woman a year ago who told me they need to increase my payments by £70 per month and they would whether I like it or not to cover my usage - I pointed out that they can't change a SO, and since it covers my usage at the current rate, the payment wouldn't change.. she said I'd be hearing from them, turned out all I ever got was a letter saying 'we're pleased to tell you your payments will stay the same'... yea, I knew that LOL
I think it's scandalous when they try and increase DD's with no apparent justification, but I guess it's been going on for years and they keep getting away with it

Kazzy - given up paying these things by DDs - i used keep the utility companies cash flow healthly.

No - good old cheque in post when bill arrives now !