prices go up and up and up... rant rant

[legrandefromage]

EON (gas) say 'we'd like to put up your dd to a ludicrous amount each month so you dont get into debit'

Eh? Thought you were supposed to pay for what you use not for what you are expected to use...

We were in credit to the tune of £280 in Feb, how have we spent that much just using 4 gas rings in the kitchen? Our central heating boilers has been dead for months!

BT say 'Your new monthly line rental is £...' - like we have an alternative! That is truly a monopoly as there is no alternative to renting a land line from BT in our area...

 

[hamster]

You can always challenge them - explain that your gas usage has gone down. They always do this trick in the spring to give them cash over the summer.

 

[Easy_Rider]

I refused to go on dd, instead I receive the old fashioned quarterly bill with an estimated usage to which I can give my reading and get a new bill, but I do get charged a handling fee for not being on a dd which pisses me off as I don't like anyone being able to take money from my acc. Cock ups have and do happen.
Sky to line rental btw, currently looking into changing all my internet and line rental to them.

 

[Smokes]

Were with EON for electric and they often try this with us. We used to go along with it till i saw something on the telly about it. They try to get as many people as possible in credit by as much as can. X that by tens of thousands of customers and they end up with a huge pile of cash in there bank earning them intrest. As hamster said its summer so they wont be making as much either so its a great time to try it.
Call and tell them that they cant and get or give them a meter reading. In our experience they soon back down cos they know they are tryng it on.
I just tell them that we spend roughly x amount per year and that x divided by 12 does not equal an extra £70 per month.

 

[cchris2lou]

I am with southern electric and gas , and they try to get us on dd but i always refuse . when they send me an estimated bill , I read my meters and pay them what I owe them . saved £40 this quarter . I think by law they need to read your meters at least once a year .

 

[mikee]

stop the direct debits
pay them when they submit a bill

 

[JohnH]

I'm going slightly off topic here, but I wish I could find the episode of Grand Designs where a couple built a super-efficient house (in Oxfordshire, I think). The part that I remember most was at the end of the show when McCloud re-visited them after they'd lived in the house for a while.... Their quarterly gas bill was about £7.50. :shock:

Makes you wonder why house-builders aren't building houses that are that efficient... :roll:

 

[Kerplunk]

At a guess because the cost of building houses like that probably adds more on to the final cost of the house than 15 years of the higher gas bills. Grand Designs builds generally aren't on a standard plot on a housing estate.

 

[Ernie]

there are some valid points here with regards to E.ON and other utilities calculating D/D..i let mine build up so i have spare cash..for retro things ..as the saving rates are sh1te at the minute i dont save..we have some savings/emergancy funds{cooker/washing machine/ engine dropping out of car etc}..i just overpay the mortgage every month to help me and my family and then to really p1ss off the building society {because they are not going to make so much money calculated over that term.}

The argument of the companies using our money as savings and get interest is very good point

Ernie

 

[JohnH]

At a guess because the cost of building houses like that probably adds more on to the final cost of the house than 15 years of the higher gas bills.

You're probably absolutely right Kerplunk -- but there's only one direction that energy prices will be going in the future. I'd like to be given the option of a more expensive house that's super-efficient, but the choice isn't there because no-one seems to be building them...