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Author: Subject: how do you claim back for overpaying on gas ane electric?
daniel mason

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:15 PM Reply With Quote
how do you claim back for overpaying on gas ane electric?

i just logged into my gas and electric account and am £240 in credit. i have obviously been overpaying on my monthly direct debits without knowing,especially on gas as i am £170 in credit at the end of the winter.
is there any way i can claim this back? or go a few months without paying?
the way i see it is if they do this to 2 million people they will be creaming the interest.so id rather it was in my account than theirs!






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Ninehigh

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:15 PM Reply With Quote
My best guess would be to lower your payments...






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ashg

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:29 PM Reply With Quote
Call the bank and do a direct debit indemnity claim for the number of months that equates to the total you have over paid. They will immediately refund your money without question as it is part of the direct debit guarantee agreement





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AndyW

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:37 PM Reply With Quote
I had the same problem. £200 in credit. The wife called them and they returned our money within a couple of days

Try it, ask them for your money back, its your money and as you say they are earning massive interest.

Good luck

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loggyboy

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:39 PM Reply With Quote
We had this, ring them and they can issue you a refund lump some, or just drop your monthlys down to next to nothing till your back to a sensible level of credit. We were paying 5p a month on our water bill at one point because we had overpaid so much.

[Edited on 7/3/12 by loggyboy]

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britishtrident

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:42 PM Reply With Quote
A lot of people will be in the same situation because of the relatively mild winter.





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Slimy38

posted on 7/3/12 at 08:49 PM Reply With Quote
Oddly enough, our inlaws electric bill is £40 in credit, and they've actually RAISED their direct debit!!
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JoelP

posted on 7/3/12 at 09:14 PM Reply With Quote
I wouldnt start messing about with the direct debit, just call them with a current reading, ask for the balance to be refunded, and get them to recalculate a better monthly figure to avoid a build up in future.





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JoelP

posted on 7/3/12 at 09:15 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ashg
Call the bank and do a direct debit indemnity claim for the number of months that equates to the total you have over paid. They will immediately refund your money without question as it is part of the direct debit guarantee agreement


Last time i tried to invoke the DD guarantee, they said it was only for mistakes, not for when you have agreed payments.





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PSpirine

posted on 7/3/12 at 09:43 PM Reply With Quote
The DD guarantee is slightly complicated in this case. it's only when a payment is made in error, or an incorrect amount taken. Now whilst you will have cumulatively overpaid, the amount taken was not "incorrect" as it is an agreed amount with the electric company.

Also cutting the direct debit is likely to break the "maintain a direct debit" clause in a lot of bills which usually attracts a £10-15 admin fee. These obviously go away after an increase in volume on the phone...


I'd just speak to the electric company. Don't know who you're with but whilst Southern Electric have been generally crap, their customer service has been very good - when I was in credit, they refunded to my bank account within a couple of days upon request.

Shame I was £300 debit on my last bill so they've just doubled my repayments

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Hellfire

posted on 7/3/12 at 09:46 PM Reply With Quote
Before you claim the money back (which you're perfectly entitled to do), it might be worth giving the energy company your latest meter readings just to be certain it isn't a fictitious credit based on estimated readings.

Phil

[Edited on 7-3-12 by Hellfire]






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40inches

posted on 7/3/12 at 09:47 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
Oddly enough, our inlaws electric bill is £40 in credit, and they've actually RAISED their direct debit!!


Same here. £170 in credit and monthly payments gone up from £160 to £220!!!!!






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JoelP

posted on 7/3/12 at 09:49 PM Reply With Quote
220

mine are currently £74 for both.





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40inches

posted on 7/3/12 at 10:00 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
220

mine are currently £74 for both.


That's for both, but £74 is a figure I can only dream about Will have to think about downsizing when the last of the rug rats have gone






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David Jenkins

posted on 7/3/12 at 10:01 PM Reply With Quote
I've always got a refund when the DD credit is too high - I just ring up and discuss it with them. Often they'll volunteer to refund.






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wilkingj

posted on 7/3/12 at 10:27 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
I've always got a refund when the DD credit is too high - I just ring up and discuss it with them. Often they'll volunteer to refund.


Agreed. I just ring them and ask for some of it back. Always have a current meter reading so they have the latest figures, and can do the right thing. Shouldnt be a problem at all.









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tony-devon

posted on 8/3/12 at 09:27 AM Reply With Quote
I know the feeling

my quarterly bill is about £128, but they tell me that I need to pay £104 per month

Im over £600 in credit for leccy





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SeaBass

posted on 8/3/12 at 11:34 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by tony-devon
Im over £600 in credit for leccy


£600 x the number of customers they have is a good amount of free capital they can invest and make money...

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RoadkillUK

posted on 8/3/12 at 12:02 PM Reply With Quote
After reading this thread, I thought I'd go and check my gas and lecky. I think I'll take a meter reading today and see what's left

Account balance:
£973.54CR

I bet it drops a little when I give my readings





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theduck

posted on 8/3/12 at 12:33 PM Reply With Quote
This reminds me I need to do readings for mine, I am paying £50 a month at the moment and according to Npower this covers all my gas and electric use AND is paying off my debt from the old house! I was paying £120 a month before! Got to love new builds for this, what my out goings have gone up (mortgage vs previous rent) I have more than saved in gas and electric!
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Hellfire

posted on 8/3/12 at 12:44 PM Reply With Quote
If you contact your energy supplier, they can give you your annual energy consumption figures which you can then use to calculate how much your monthly DD actually needs to be based on your tarrif.

If you leave it for the energy companies to decide, they are going to take higher DD's than they actually need and build up a pot of money which they can invest in overnight stock markets to boost their profit margins.

I find energy companies are like insurance companies - if you become complacent they will shaft you. Loyalty counts for nothing........

Phil






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RoadkillUK

posted on 8/3/12 at 11:04 PM Reply With Quote
Just an update on mine ... I have put in meter numbers on the website and my bill is now .... wait for it ....

£39.74 Credit

Bugger

[Edited on 8/3/12 by RoadkillUK]





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