New Customer Questions

_Kaiser_

Morning all,

Moved into a new apartment recently and the Estate Agents have setup an account for electricity service with yourselves.

As a general rule I dislike Direct Debits for variable amounts as in my experience no Irish company can manage them without messing up at some point (at which point the customer is out of pocket until it's sorted out - as has happened to me on more than one occasion), but I've provided my bank details to avoid the €300 "deposit" that you insist on otherwise.

So with that in mind..

-  How do I change the billing date? Like most people I'm paid monthly and the default due date doesn't suit
-  The apartment also has a gas system that the agency have setup with Bord Gais by default. Can EI do better on the whole lot if I was to switch it to them?

Thanks in advance

Electric Ireland: David

Hi _Kaiser_

Thanks for your post.

_Kaiser_ wrote:

How do I change the billing date? Like most people I'm paid monthly and the default due date doesn't suit

A monthly equaliser payment method may suit you best, but to set this up for electricity, you would need to be an existing customer with Electric Ireland with at least three previous bills. For gas, however, you can set up an equaliser straight away.

The amount to be collected each month is calculated by the system and is fixed, but you get to choose your preferred date of collection (from the 1st to the 28th of each month). In some instances, a meter reading may be required to ensure the amount calculated is based on the most accurate and up to date usage data.

After 12 months the monthly payment is reviewed, and any debit or credit balance will be included to calculate the next year's monthly amount.

If you were to set up a normal bi-monthly direct debit in the meantime, we can (given sufficient notice) adjust a collection date after a bill has issued. You would just need to contact us when you receive a bill if the stated date of collection doesn't suit.

_Kaiser_ wrote:

The apartment also has a gas system that the agency have setup with Bord Gais by default. Can EI do better on the whole lot if I was to switch it to them?

As a new dual-fuel customer you could get up to 15% off on electricity and 11% of on gas - see here for further details.

Please do let us know if you have any further questions.

Regards,
David

_Kaiser_

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

Hi _Kaiser_

Thanks for your post.

Originally posted by _Kaiser_
How do I change the billing date? Like most people I'm paid monthly and the default due date doesn't suit

A monthly equaliser payment method may suit you best, but to set this up for electricity, you would need to be an existing customer with Electric Ireland with at least three previous bills. For gas, however, you can set it an equaliser straight away.

The amount to be collected each month is calculated by the system and is fixed, but you get to choose your preferred date of collection (from the 1st to the 28th of each month). In some instances, a meter reading may be required to ensure the amount calculated is based on the most accurate and up to date usage data.

After 12 months the monthly payment is reviewed, and any debit or credit balance will be included to calculate the next year's monthly amount.

If you were to set up a normal bi-monthly direct debit in the meantime, we can (given sufficient notice) adjust a collection date after a bill has issued. You would just need to contact us when you receive a bill if the stated date of collection doesn't suit.

Originally posted by _Kaiser_
The apartment also has a gas system that the agency have setup with Bord Gais by default. Can EI do better on the whole lot if I was to switch it to them?

As a new dual-fuel customer you could get up to 15% off on electricity and 11% of on gas - see here for further details.

Please do let us know if you have any further questions.

Regards,
David

Thanks for the quick reply David..

OK, so the account for electricity was opened at the start of this month and I've already received a bill request for €20 due on the 28th. Is this somehing you can amend on the system if I PM you the details, or do I need to call the Helpdesk?

With regards to Gas, I've received nothing from Bord Gais yet but can you/the Helpdesk search by address and get the details that way to add it to the a/c?

Cheers

EI: Una

Hi again _Kaiser_

We will indeed check to see whether we can change the due date of your electricity direct debit to a date that suits you better than the 28th of April. Just private message us your Electric Ireland account number, your name and address in full, and the telephone number we would have for you. A direct debit is presented to the bank for collection approximately a week (only working days) in advance of the due date so this deadline might be passed. It is unlikely, as it is six working days, but it can sometimes be that early in advance of the direct debit. We will check for you ASAP to be sure however.

For setting up a gas account with Electric Ireland, just provide us with the gas point reference number (GPRN) and an up-to-date meter-reading. If you do not know the GPRN, the estate agent may have it.

Kind regards,
Una

_Kaiser_

Hi Una,

I've actually since spoken to the Callcentre as I had some time between meetings and have sorted this out. Interestingly it seems EI cannot guarantee a bill due date unless you go on the equaliser plan which I found crazy to be honest as it makes it impossible to plan when you're paid monthly.

Anyway, in the end one of the team leads was able to sort it out so now I'll pay a fixed amount every month on a set date and once a few bills have been generated I can re-evaluate the amount as needed then to ensure I'm not hit with a massive balancing amount in 12 months.

Appreciate the follow-up though

EI: Una

Hi _Kaiser_

No problem, happy to help.

Just for anyone else who might be reading, electricity/gas bills are generated based on when ESB Networks/Gas Networks Ireland read meters or an estimate is generated if the meter is not read, so the billing date every two months does vary. We can set up a payment plan (a one-off payment deferral would be classified as a payment plan) when a customer is not in a position to pay the bill in full by the due date, this is no problem at all. Or else, there is the option of the Equaliser, as _Kaiser_ has availed of.

If a customer would like a payment plan and they pay by direct debit, it is important to contact us as soon as possible on receiving the bill, just to prevent the direct debit being presented to the bank for collection (which can be approximately a week in advance of the direct debit due date).

Kind regards,
Una