Utility bills seem to have gone up and i think i'm paying too much for my internet service

[Accy cyclist]

Question. Can the providers put the monthly debits up without my knowledge or agreement? They seem to have been put up by about 6 to 10 pounds each a month. I pay £37.79 for my internet. There's no tv package and i assume my phone calls are limited. I pay £21.31 a month for my water,even though me and the provider agreed a monthly rate of £17 something. I only use a small amount of water,mostly a few toilet flushes, a bowl of washing up water and that's it. I don't have a washing machine and i only use my shower now once a week as i use the one in the gym.

 

[Drago]

Sorry Accy, I think youre being had. My internet, phone, leccy, water, gas and milk are only £3.99 a quarter.

 

[Slick]

Don't assume anything, call them and ask.

 

[Cuchilo]

My gas and electric send me a yearly account saying i am in credit by X amount but my bills are staying the same . I call them every year and get my money back with the warning from them that winter is on it way
Every year they owe me between £300 - £800

 

[User6179]

My gas and electric will be 25-30% more expensive when my deal ends in January if I stay with the same provider on their cheapest deal.

BTW don't trust comparison sites, they don't compare your current price, they actually compare over the following 12 months, so if you only have one month left on your cheap deal they will add this to 11 months on your companies standard deal, so they can basically lie and tell you a deal is 2-300 pounds cheaper than what you are on, when in reality it is more expensive!

 

[Andy_R]

Sorry Accy, I think youre being had. My internet, phone, leccy, water, gas and milk are only £3.99 a quarter.

Paying way over the odds there matey. 4 shillings and 6 pence per year for water and gas. Electricity and internet haven't been invented yet, so I'm good there.

 

[PaulSB]

@Accy cyclist as it happens I had an email from my energy supplier this morning telling me my direct debit will increase by £20 from next month. This, they say, is to ensure I don't run up debt through having too low a monthly payment to cover winter usage. They are probably correct in this estimate. It depends on what type of DD you set up but before there is a change in payment the supplier must inform you.

Often a direct debit is a fixed amount and if that is to change the supplier has to inform you once of the change. If the DD is for a monthly variable amount, a phone bill for example, the supplier must tell you the amount to be taken and the date before every payment.

Your internet sounds expensive. We just moved to a £25/month all inclusive deal. Obviously it depends what package you have

 

[PaulSB]

My gas and electric will be 25-30% more expensive when my deal ends in January if I stay with the same provider on their cheapest deal.

BTW don't trust comparison sites, they don't compare your current price, they actually compare over the following 12 months, so if you only have one month left on your cheap deal they will add this to 11 months on your companies standard deal, so they can basically lie and tell you a deal is 2-300 pounds cheaper than what you are on, when in reality it is more expensive!

The value of comparison sites is they provide a starting point for the consumer to get the best deal. You're right though one has to be very careful with the offers as the headline ones aren't usually the best. Anyone who switches regularly should at best maintain prices and would be very lucky to achieve the £2-300 promised. At best that happens once.

Over the past five years I've reduced our monthly cost from £110 to £69 including 100% renewable electricity. In the face of ever increasing energy costs I think this is a great result. This is achieved partly through annual switching and partly being more frugal with our energy use.

It's essential to know annual consumption, unit cost and standing cost to calculate the best deal.

If I can maintain or drop our cost by £20-30 next March I'll be happy.

 

[Smudge]

If you dont do anything about utilities, you just get ripped off.
You have to do this dance every year, where you have to spend time check the competition and what deals for a 12 or 18 month contract. You then either switch or get your own supplier to match them. The same with vehicle insurance.

I pay £15.90 p/m for line rental and adsl broadband, as i got Plusnet to match a deal the post office were doing.

 

[Smudge]

For gas & leccy, the smaller companies are loads cheaper than the big players.
I use Ovo for electric and Better Energy for gas.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Sorry Accy, I think youre being had. My internet, phone, leccy, water, gas and milk are only £3.99 a quarter.

Lol, £3.79 here

 

[Levo-Lon]

Direct debit, they can take what they like ,it's upto you to argue it.

Standing order they cant

 

[Accy cyclist]

I found this. https://www.talktalk.co.uk/shop/bro...VWed3Ch28ZAerEAAYAyAAEgJLoPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Would it be possible to ditch my Sky deal and just swap to these?

 

[numbnuts]

Gas/electric just gone up £8 per month

 

[Smudge]

I found this. https://www.talktalk.co.uk/shop/bro...VWed3Ch28ZAerEAAYAyAAEgJLoPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Would it be possible to ditch my Sky deal and just swap to these?

As long as you're not tied in a contract, you can leave anytime with no financial penalty.
If you dont want the hassle of leaving, just tell Sky about this deal and say your leaving and they'll likely match it.