Direct Debit Incorrect. Someone Else Paid My Electric Ireland Bills

Back in 2011 I switched both my gas & electricity accounts to Electric Ireland, and to achieve maximum discounts, opted for on line billing and bill payment by direct debit.*

All necessary and correct details were provided. Each monthly bill showed the balance due, and the following bill showed payment received.*

I don't use on line banking and my bank issues statements on an annual basis in December. Granted, I should have noticed if there was a problem, but scrutinising a year's worth of transactions is tedious and given all my monthly bills show the previous months' payments received, I wasn't too concerned.*

Today I received a letter from Electric Ireland stating that they had made an error when setting up the direct debit for payment of my electricity bills. They did receive payment each month, but they were taking it from someone else's account. They've refunded the injured party (rightly) but are now demanding €600 from me.*

Without going into all my financial worries & woes, like many others I'm struggling, but always manage (sometimes with the help of family) to pay all my bills and mortgage in full and on time.*

I don't have €600 to pay a year's worth of bills I thought were paid.*

Electric Ireland did offer a payment plan and suggested they'd permit me to pay €15 per week to clear the balance (along with also paying the current bills).*

I'm really struggling with this whole situation and would appreciate hearing others' views or suggestions as to how best I can deal with this problem.*

Thanks for your reply Cashier. Perhaps my post didn't display correctly on your computer? My bank provides me with statements only once annually. No discrepancy was apparent to me.

I am not trying to avoid paying for a service I received. Am simply hoping for helpful suggestions regarding how best to deal with the situation in which I find myself now (through an admitted error on Electric Ireland's part).

Many thanks.

I receive monthly bank statements. Being involved with the Ulster bank fiasco and not receiving statements for 3 months I realise how much I rely on them to help me balance my books. This is despite the fact that I have few transactions and keep a healthy credit balance in my account. I suppose that I let my bank statements reconcile my affairs. I wonder how many people keep a running debit/credit account of their affairs separate and down on paper so that when they get their statement it really only confirms their own records.
I suppose the OP would not notice that money wasn't leaving his account. But if that was the case then the money should have been sitting in the account at the end of the year, so the argument doesn't really make sense.
If an ATM is used and it shows the balance left in the account then alarm bells should start ringing.

i agree with the above 2 posters, if money is so tight you shoud of noticed the extra in the balance.
However it doesnt solve your problem.
I would haggle with electric Ireland and get your repayments down to a quantity you can afford. let it be 5euro/wk.

I'm sorry, but I can't believe money is tight but you only check your bank account once a year!!!

I check my balance almost every day and keep a running spreadsheet budget of what is due in and out. I would certainly notice if a bill wasn't being taken.

If you can't afford what the ESB are asking for then tell them they will have to allow you to pay it over a longer period.

You are posting on an online forum looking for advice but you don't use online banking? It's obviously not an Internet problem. Relying on statements issued once a year is madness

Sounds like they are being very fair with the offer.

The only advise I can give is to get internet banking to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.

Many thanks for all your helpful replies about how to improve my banking facilities.

I am happy for this thread to be closed.