Quote:
Originally Posted by Taf
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61860717
Someone should remind Ofgem that that is how DD works. You pay the same every month, either gradually paying-off a debt caused by high use over winter, or you build up a credit to be able to clear the upcoming winter bills.
My former provider called me and asked if I wanted a growing credit to be refunded, and the caller was obviously surprised when I explained why I did not.
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That’s how it’s supposed to work but it frequently doesn’t. If your usage and payments are in balance then you will have a modest debit balance in the winter as well as a modest credit balance in summer. But all too often in recent years the energy companies will use any level of debit in winter as “proof” that your payments are inadequate and unilaterally increase your direct debit. By late the following summer you then end up in excessive credit and not all the suppliers are proactive in issuing refunds.
Bulb have been especially bad at this over the last couple of years. More than once they have increased my DD even when we’ve been heading into summer with a credit balance because their projections supposedly show I’m not paying enough. I have manually adjusted the amount down via my online portal several times and had to phone to get a substantial refund on one occasion.