How do Bord Gais calculate DD charges?

Just wondering if anyone knows how Bord Gais calculate their charges for paying bills by monthly direct debit?

I ask, because about 8 months ago, my monthy charge was suddenly increased from €46 per month to €72. I rang them immediately and asked them to lower my repayment as I was struggling to meet it. The guy on the phone was quite rude and said if it was "up to him" I shoud be paying €85 pcm, so I just left it.

Then without any warning after my phone call, it increased to €92, then next time to €120. I now have my new bill and I am €242 in credit so my payments are going down to €95 pcm now.

Am I crazy paying by DD, cause it seems they can charge what they like without justification? I would be interested to hear how others deal with their gas bill.

Our gas bill is bimonthly and is normally less than 100 euro, we just get a bill in the post and pay it. We have a 4 bed semi and gas is used for heating, sitting room fire and gas hob.

I'm not a BG customer, but pay my ESB and FloGas by standard Direct Debit for the amount due (based on estimated or actual use) at standard billing interval (~every 2 months), the same as most people I imagine.

Can you not do that with BG?

cause it seems they can charge what they like without justification?

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Maybe I'm missing your point here, but they charge based on your estimated or actual usage of gas, so where does justification come into it? The estimates and readings balance each other out...

I am €242 in credit

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I'm not really seeing what the benefit of this is to you?

Being €242 in credit is of no real benefit to me - I could have used this money to pay off other bills instead of them having it. But when I asked them to reduce my monthly payments, they refused.

Can you ask to pay the exact bill amount bimonthly?

rmelly said:

Can you ask to pay the exact bill amount bimonthly?

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I can cancel the DD, but I would rather not have to, as I pay all my bills this way - it's the only way I can manage them really. It would be better if I could send them say €50 each month to their account, rather than they taking varying amounts from me. I must check if this is possible.

They probably have a strange usage pattern for me as I have spent 3 months of each year (for the last 2 years) away from home and the usage would have been zilch.

Check what payment plan you are on. It mightn't have anything to do with DD. Could you be on non standard tarriff? I am on DD but I am charged varying amounts each bill depending on usage.

I used to pay like this too with the esb, you pay a fixed amount every month. It was all fine until they just decided to nearly double the amt I was paying even though the bill was being covered every two months. They said they work it out on averages over the year but if i had carried on paying what they wanted i reckon i would have been €400 in credit at the end of the year. So i told them where to stick it!

Rois said:

It would be better if I could send them say €50 each month to their account, rather than they taking varying amounts from me. I must check if this is possible.

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I have often seen in my local post office people with various bills and saying to the assistant I want to pay €50 off this bill, €20 off this one etc, would a bi monthly bill not suit your circumstances better and then pay half when you get the bill and half a month later.

Occasionally my payment has been maybe up to a month after the pay by date, but I have never had a call or letter from them.

I had similar experience with Bord Gais a few years ago, the monthly DD shot up and I didn't get much joy from them when I tried to get an explanation.

I stopped the "budget plan" (what a misnomer!) and now pay a monthly amount to the Gas a/c via my online current account. I vary the amount depending on winter/summer or other bills due. If there's a balance on the bill when I get it, it's paid by DD.

As a reminder to myself to pay something towards the Gas, I make the payment when my credit card bill comes in, so at least it happens every month!