[snowdrops]

I’ve just read an email from our energy supplier that as of next month they’re putting our monthly payments up…..
to £503 a month on a predicted 3 monthly use of £2115.98.
How the hell can we afford that, we’ve already got rid of 1 car to save some money. 
We’ll be turning the b%goer off at this rate. Wouldn’t mind but apparently we’re £606 in credit!

[johnjsdb]

similar here, I just amended the monthly amount to about my monthly amount minus the goverment grant

[mumofstig]

Same thing here 
What is annoying is that, although, like Snowdrops, I'm well in credit, they're still assuming that I need to pay more than the "average", plus it's a guestimate based on the next 13 months - why? They have a record of my last yea'rs usage, they should just assume the same 12 month usage again, surely?

[Growster...]

That's just awful, Snows!

Somehow, the suppliers must have known that all these rises were inevitable this year, because the pundits were saying 'get a fix NOW' around this time last year, but power was already pretty expensive then!

Cheating customers is easy for them sadly, and yes, Mum, last year's numbers should still be the basis of this year's account, but that doesn't suit the suppliers as all the press seem to be predicting a cold winter, so they just feed on that and sit back to have their job done for them!

How the MSM keep banging on about what the weather is going to be like, I have no idea. They do the same about 'climate change', just to put the fear of God up everybody, but if the Met Office can't even predict rain the next day, how on earth do unqualified journalists - especially on the BBC, 'know' what's going to happen?

Blimey, it's nearly half-six, and I'm off on a rant already..:0~

[AndyRVTR]

If you're not using that amount of energy each month just tell them not to increase it, if you are using that amount then its right that it should be increased.
Our account is in credit by around £300 but Bulb wanted to double our monthly direct debit, however, we actually use less than our current monthly payment so I told them not to increase it and look at our account. I got an email a couple of days later saying they had made a mistake and we're now paying less than we were before 

[New shoot]

I’ve just read an email from our energy supplier that as of next month they’re putting our monthly payments up…..
to £503 a month on a predicted 3 monthly use of £2115.98.  Wouldn’t mind but apparently we’re £606 in credit!

I agree with Andy.  It is definitely worth challenging a silly direct debit hike like that and telling them to get lost.  If the government grant is being refunded to your bank account, you might want to increase your payment a bit to take account of that.  They will take it and then return it and that is what I’ve done on mine.

I was with EON and they were terrible for this.  A few years ago after they had done it again and upped my direct debit by about 50% for no reason, I moved to OVO.  Now I manage my own account online, submit monthly meter readings so I know exactly where I am on billing, change my direct debit when I want to and and get a refund or top up if and when I want to. 

If you are on variable rate you can switch at any time with no penalties.  If you are on a fixed rate there may be a fee, but if your supplier is ripping you off that badly and won’t back down, I would consider going for it anyway.

[Lardman]

I posted on the other thread my lot also tried to do this.  It's almost as if the systems used to calculate the DD amounts assumes a starting balance of zero and a £/kWh at current price rather than any applicable tariff rate.

That's an absolutely shocking increase Snow, given the cap is set at 2x what the price was last year.  I don't see how any of them can justify anything more than a (2x - subsidy) increase on any variable rate bill.

[bayleaf]

It seems a hell of a lot. Is the meter working correctly? I read about some meters giving incorrect readings after installation and people being overcharged as a result.

[snowdrops]

Thanks all.
Bay leaf, Yes I assume the smart meter is working correctly as it’s relatively new & there hasn’t been an issue before.
Andyrtv, yes if I am using that amount of energy, which I don’t think I am, I will of course expect to pay for it.

My response has been to ring Shell, press numerous digits to talk to some one to be told I’m in a queue & to ring back or press 1 & they’ll ring me back & I get to keep my place in the queue, so fair play to them for that & 20 minutes they did, but it was a bad line with a chap of unknown origin trying to tell me he could see why I wanted to reduce my DD as I had £606.? In credit. In the end I told him I will cancel paying by DD a set amount & just pay for what I use each month, he tried to persuade me to stay DD as I will lose my discount of the grand total of £4 a month by doing so. I told him I would take my chance. After I came off the phone I wish I’d told him I’ll have the credit back to my account, but at the moment I haven’t got the will power to go through it all again, at least I’d get 4p interest on it in my account. So that might be a job for tomorrow .
Thanks for listening, now I need to go & lay down as I really didn’t sleep well last night worrying about it!

[mrs bouquet]

That is just dreadful.  Mine is currently £176/month and I am £736 in credit.  I don't know if that includes the government £66/month or not.  I am just beyond caring.  The c/h is off and it will stay that way as long as I can possibly bare it.  Fortunately the weather here has been lovely.  Mrs Bouquet

[snowdrops]

Well today I went to Shell online & had a read, then logged into my account & with a few clicks requested a refund which has to be paid by cheque because I don’t have a direct debit . I also had a look how to pay by direct debit, & bearing in mind I was logged into my account it gave me a monthly direct debit of……..
£111  , whether this included my £606.60 credit & the government EBs thing, I’m not sure now . So goodness know what was going on!

[New shoot]

It might just be that whatever software they use for calculating payments is just unable to cope with the combined effects of a freeze on the energy cap, the EB payments and the underlying prices of energy, that I assume they must be using somewhere to work out how much they are down 

Tracking your bill month by month, as you have decided to do, should give you a clearer idea.  It was really not fair of them to worry you into a sleepless night though 

[snowdrops]

Thanks NS, I did wonder how someone who is already struggling would have coped, it could have been enough for someone to have taken drastic actions ! 

[Goosegirl]

I am so grateful that we stuck with Shell when we moved in a couple of years ago and Y got a fixed rate tariff for three years so we're ok until the end of June 2023 which has been confirmed by Shell, plus they're deducting the grant in monthly payments from my DD. Might it be useful for people to take a weekly meter reading so they can see what they're actually using then forward it later on to the company plus getting any credit sorted out, or am I asking too much common sense from these companies? 

[mumofstig]

am I asking too much common sense from these companies? 

YES!!!!!