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some time ago I swapped my gas and electric supplier to First Utility as they were the cheapest for my volume of usage.
During the past year I have built up a credit of £160 and am now moving onto an even cheaper tariff with them for the next 12 months.
As part of the 'process' I have asked them to refund the credit balance and adjust (down) my direct debit due to the fact the costs is going to be around 20% less than what I've being paying...and gosh, what a trial this has been.
After several emails and promises they would phone me back I eventually had to ring them up..I got a rather stroppy person who tries to persuade me I needed to keep the credit 'for winter'...then she said I need to leave one months payment still in credit (despite another payment being due next week)...after some effort she then said she'd have to get this approved, and put me on hold for 2 minutes...then she came back and said it had been submitted for 'authorisation' and if 'authorised' we be paid back to me in 10 working days. Then I got an email later saying it would be 'around' 15 working days......meanwhile they want me to keep the direct debit the same as before, despite the cheaper tariff.
This is what they will be doing with all their customers, no doubt, and will have £m's no doubts sat in their bank as an interest free cash sum for them to avoid having to borrow money no doubt. It's a right scam.
I've threatened them with leaving, I've demanded payment 'within 24 hours' and had no response...if they don't like what you say..they just ignrore you...make it hard to communicate and when you do you always get a different person who replies without having read the history, so you get contradictory answers all the time.No doubt deliberate.
I've now got mad with them (as you do) and made a formal complaint about the process...but guess what....no reply.
I don't want to come off the tariff because it's the cheapest on the market...but the price i'm paying in frustration and providing them an interest free loan is really annoying me.
I'm minded to cancel the next direct debit due next week and tell them they already have enough money in my account to pay the next 2 or 3 bills...I'm sure they would soon be on the phone to me then....I don't mind building up credit during the summer, within an overall annual plan, to cover the winter months...but this is a carry over at the end of the yearly cycle, and they should pay me back straight away, shouldn't they ?
Any suggestions on how to get blood out of a stone would be welcomed !!
During the past year I have built up a credit of £160 and am now moving onto an even cheaper tariff with them for the next 12 months.
As part of the 'process' I have asked them to refund the credit balance and adjust (down) my direct debit due to the fact the costs is going to be around 20% less than what I've being paying...and gosh, what a trial this has been.
After several emails and promises they would phone me back I eventually had to ring them up..I got a rather stroppy person who tries to persuade me I needed to keep the credit 'for winter'...then she said I need to leave one months payment still in credit (despite another payment being due next week)...after some effort she then said she'd have to get this approved, and put me on hold for 2 minutes...then she came back and said it had been submitted for 'authorisation' and if 'authorised' we be paid back to me in 10 working days. Then I got an email later saying it would be 'around' 15 working days......meanwhile they want me to keep the direct debit the same as before, despite the cheaper tariff.
This is what they will be doing with all their customers, no doubt, and will have £m's no doubts sat in their bank as an interest free cash sum for them to avoid having to borrow money no doubt. It's a right scam.
I've threatened them with leaving, I've demanded payment 'within 24 hours' and had no response...if they don't like what you say..they just ignrore you...make it hard to communicate and when you do you always get a different person who replies without having read the history, so you get contradictory answers all the time.No doubt deliberate.
I've now got mad with them (as you do) and made a formal complaint about the process...but guess what....no reply.
I don't want to come off the tariff because it's the cheapest on the market...but the price i'm paying in frustration and providing them an interest free loan is really annoying me.
I'm minded to cancel the next direct debit due next week and tell them they already have enough money in my account to pay the next 2 or 3 bills...I'm sure they would soon be on the phone to me then....I don't mind building up credit during the summer, within an overall annual plan, to cover the winter months...but this is a carry over at the end of the yearly cycle, and they should pay me back straight away, shouldn't they ?
Any suggestions on how to get blood out of a stone would be welcomed !!
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