The Winter of Discontent #2 Food, energy, transport, jobs, housing etc

[under the ivy]

Royally fucked off this morning with Bulb. Changed my DD by an extra £50 without consent - they want £190! I’m in credit by a fair amount but yet they’ve increased it due to wholesale prices and so I don’t go into debt. Fair enough… if I could afford it

I was on hold for over 30 minutes and stated my case. Got the DD reduced to the original amount and the difference refunded, but still. The cheek of them just authorising a different amount!

 

[Purrrrrrr]

Went into Tesco this morning not been for a while. All the aisle seems so far apart you could easily get another aisle in between each row. Can't say if this is normally the cases don't shop[ there

 

[Mimble]

Surely you can still do that, but others might want to dig deeper into what is going on. Unless you really believe 100% that everything going on right now makes perfect sense?

For me, nothing going on right now makes any sense and if you look into history you will see this isn't the first time the economy has been crashed on purpose If we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.

I'm not going to argue with you re history, because I know it's pointless, but no actually to the 'you can just have a moan anyway, what's the problem to posting conspiracy videos or whatever'. It changes the tone of the thread totally so anyone who does say something against the conspiracy theory grain gets a pile on and eventually no one else comments on it. Look at the Corona thread. It's turned into another anti vax powers that be thread.


For my own personal reasons I am pretty aware of conspiracy language and how it works and how pointless it is to engage. When conspiracy promoters say things like 'just encouraging people to dig deeper' or 'there's other sides to this' - it isn't that at all, it's pushing one uncritical narrative forward of a master plan that relies on totally twisted 'sources' from conspiracy platforms. It becomes the version of the Christmas party where everyone starts to go quiet and thinks of ways to leave when someone says something like 'and about 9/11'. It's not enlightening anyone, it's just changing the tone of a conversation into one people can't participate in and stay away from because no one wants to deal with getting a pile on for challenging it. It's not broadening discussion, it just narrows it and stops it. Even if users are blocked by someone the thread and any other current affairs thread just morphs into another conspiracy echo chamber. I genuinely think some posters are purposeful about it because there's no one left to argue with on the Corona or anti vax thread. I'm not trying to backseat mod I'm just saying it's already happening in this one and it will probably start to happen in every other current affairs thread as well.

I realise this is blunt but your response just showed how upfront you are about this and I'm not going to disrespect you by shrouding what I'm saying in some meely mouthed passive aggressive bull. There's nothing I can do about it anyway, it's just an observation.

 

[smellsofbiscuits]

Royally fucked off this morning with Bulb. Changed my DD by an extra £50 without consent - they want £190! I’m in credit by a fair amount but yet they’ve increased it due to wholesale prices and so I don’t go into debt. Fair enough… if I could afford it

I was on hold for over 30 minutes and stated my case. Got the DD reduced to the original amount and the difference refunded, but still. The cheek of them just authorising a different amount!

This is why I want Octopus to send me a monthly bill. Our bills account is budgeted down to the last penny to avoid going into an overdraft. I was going to switch to a DD next month but seriously re-thinking it.

 

[Mimble]

This is why I want Octopus to send me a monthly bill. Our bills account is budgeted down to the last penny to avoid going into an overdraft. I was going to switch to a DD next month but seriously re-thinking it.

What, I had no idea they could do this. I was considering jumping to DD for mine too, but if they can authorise new amounts without asking you then no.

 

[emmer_moans]

Royally fucked off this morning with Bulb. Changed my DD by an extra £50 without consent - they want £190! I’m in credit by a fair amount but yet they’ve increased it due to wholesale prices and so I don’t go into debt. Fair enough… if I could afford it

I was on hold for over 30 minutes and stated my case. Got the DD reduced to the original amount and the difference refunded, but still. The cheek of them just authorising a different amount!

Are they allowed to do that, increasing a DD without informing you?

What, I had no idea they could do this. I was considering jumping to DD for mine too, but if they can authorise new amounts without asking you then no.

Are they allowed to change the amount like that? The only DD I have that can go up is my mobile phonebill if I go over but that's preagreed. Taking an extra 50 quid like that will leave a lot of people in the lurch

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I'm not going to argue with you re history, because I know it's pointless, but no actually to the 'you can just have a moan anyway, what's the problem to posting conspiracy videos or whatever'. It changes the tone of the thread totally so anyone who does say something against the conspiracy theory grain gets a pile on and eventually no one else comments on it. Look at the Corona thread. It's turned into another anti vax powers that be thread.


For my own personal reasons I am pretty aware of conspiracy language and how it works and how pointless it is to engage. When conspiracy promoters say things like 'just encouraging people to dig deeper' or 'there's other sides to this' - it isn't that at all, it's pushing one uncritical narrative forward of a master plan that relies on totally twisted 'sources' from conspiracy platforms. It becomes the version of the Christmas party where everyone starts to go quiet and thinks of ways to leave when someone says something like 'and about 9/11'. It's not enlightening anyone, it's just changing the tone of a conversation into one people can't participate in and stay away from because no one wants to deal with getting a pile on for challenging it. It's not broadening discussion, it just narrows it and stops it. Even if users are blocked by someone the thread and any other current affairs thread just morphs into another conspiracy echo chamber. I genuinely think some posters are purposeful about it because there's no one left to argue with on the Corona or anti vax thread. I'm not trying to backseat mod I'm just saying it's already happening in this one and it will probably start to happen in every other current affairs thread as well.

I realise this is blunt but your response just showed how upfront you are about this and I'm not going to disrespect you by shrouding what I'm saying in some meely mouthed passive aggressive bull. There's nothing I can do about it anyway, it's just an observation.

As I said there is nothing to stop you from posting what you want to post, You are the one telling others what you don't want them to post about.

I have no need to argue with you. But I shall post what I like unless the admin asks me not to, Nothing I or others have posted here is woowooo CT anyway.

Are they allowed to do that, increasing a DD without informing you?
Are they allowed to change the amount like that? The only DD I have that can go up is my mobile phonebill if I go over but that's preagreed. Taking an extra 50 quid like that will leave a lot of people in the lurch

I thought only standing orders could be adjusted, not DD. Scary that they can do that. I can imagine people going overdrawn and then getting charges

 

[emmer_moans]

As I said there is nothing to stop you from posting what you want to post, You are the one telling others what you don't want them to post about.

I have no need to argue with you. But I shall post what I like unless the admin asks me not to, Nothing I or others have posted here is woowooo CT anyway.



I thought only standing orders could be adjusted, not DD. Scary that they can do that. I can imagine people going overdrawn and then getting charges

Oh wait my phone bill is standing order, I get them confused.

 

[JoeBloggs]

I thought only standing orders could be adjusted, not DD. Scary that they can do that. I can imagine people going overdrawn and then getting charges

I understood than a standing order is set up by the customer and they have complete control, a DD is set up by the company and under the agreement they can increase it by notification in advance. A SO is a set amount a DD may not be (depends on the contract) but like a variable phone bill, you may spend £20 one month and £30 the next and they can call for those amounts.

 

[emmer_moans]

I understood than a standing order is set up by the customer and they have complete control, a DD is set up by the company and under the agreement they can increase it by notification in advance. A SO is a set amount a DD may not be (depends on the contract) but like a variable phone bill, you may spend £20 one month and £30 the next and they can call for those amounts.

I need to brush up on these things it seems, now that things could go up out of my budget I have been lucky that I've not had any bills go up unexpectedly yet but we'll see what my latest energy bill will be.

 

[under the ivy]

I have the Bulb app and I’m constantly checking it. It says what I pay and what they ‘recommend’ I pay. I had no option to keep paying my regular amount, they just automatically amended it and it’s pending.

 

[Doctor_Wibble]

Oh wait my phone bill is standing order, I get them confused.

Standing order is the one that you control, as it is an instruction from you to your bank for them to make a regular payment and you can stop that at any time.

Direct debit is where you authorise someone to take money from your account and it's tricky to cancel those without confirmation from that third party.

(apologies if obvious, intended as a general informative as not everyone is clear on the difference)

 

[CatCafe234]

This is why I want Octopus to send me a monthly bill. Our bills account is budgeted down to the last penny to avoid going into an overdraft. I was going to switch to a DD next month but seriously re-thinking it.

I won’t pay gas and electric bills by DD as I don’t like the idea that they can just increase the DD when they want, and nor do I like the fact that they push for you to be in credit so they can hold onto a credit balance on your account. I also think that the so-called ‘savings‘ you make by paying by DD exist only on some imaginary spreadsheet somewhere … I save a certain amount into a utilities account each month so at least I’m getting the interest (ha!) but I do recognise that I’m in a privileged position to be able to do that and it’s not an option for everyone. However, it does annoy me that it’s becoming practically impossible to have a gas/electric account that you can pay quarterly, most suppliers now seem to be monthly DD or nothing.

 

[under the ivy]

The idea with DD (in my usage anyway) is to build up my amount over Summer when the heating is off so you get a surplus in Winter to ‘use’. This has never been the case though. It’s not like I could say ‘I don’t owe you anything this month as I’m enough in credit to cover it’ - it just doesn’t work like that. The credit thing seems mythical!

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I understood than a standing order is set up by the customer and they have complete control, a DD is set up by the company and under the agreement they can increase it by notification in advance. A SO is a set amount a DD may not be (depends on the contract) but like a variable phone bill, you may spend £20 one month and £30 the next and they can call for those amounts.

Ahh Right. I have two accounts one for bills and one for spending and savings. I should have remembered really as my rent goes up and I don't have to sign or do anything. My fuel is PAYG as prefer that.

 

[MarthaFarkus]

I pay £40 per month for both gas and electric but I pay it manually. I simply cannot afford to pay the £118 pm for both that SSE want if I pay by DD. I just pay the excess, if there is one, when the bill comes in. It’s going to be a lean Christmas in the ‘Farkus’ house this year. I’ve lost over £500 a month since my daughter turned 18 in May, I work but it’s bloody difficult now.

 

[under the ivy]

We used to be PAYG with the stick that you top up - it was £50 a week some weeks and even then we’d go on the ‘emergency £5’ (which gets taken off the next time you top up). I don’t think you can win either way with fuel unless you sit in the dark and don’t put a switch down

 

[JoeBloggs]

Standing order is the one that you control, as it is an instruction from you to your bank for them to make a regular payment and you can stop that at any time.

Direct debit is where you authorise someone to take money from your account and it's tricky to cancel those without confirmation from that third party.

(apologies if obvious, intended as a general informative as not everyone is clear on the difference)

Online banking has made this easier, you can cancel them yourself but it may have implications if you are in a contract.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

We used to be PAYG with the stick that you top up - it was £50 a week some weeks and even then we’d go on the ‘emergency £5’ (which gets taken off the next time you top up). I don’t think you can win either way with fuel unless you sit in the dark and don’t put a switch down

I do mine online. Every time I have extra I put it on the meters. Mine is only around £15 an mth each though

 

[Jc456]

What, I had no idea they could do this. I was considering jumping to DD for mine too, but if they can authorise new amounts without asking you then no.

They'll make you aware of an increase but it has to be fair