EDF Faff

My on-going mini-niggle with utility companies continued yesterday with EDF getting on my nerves. EDF supply both our electricity and gas and have done so since we moved here; the only reason I haven't changed companies is sheer apathy and the belief that they are all as bad as each other.

Anyway, we used to pay our bills by direct debit until EDF kept upping the monthly payments and then, in a massive and obviously foolhardy moment, decided they would increase our gas payment from £35 a month to £55 a month in one fell swoop. As you can imagine, I wasn't having any of that, so I phoned to enquire what on earth they thought they were playing at.

'We're helping you build up credit in your account for the Winter,' they said.
'Well, that's no good, is it?' I said. 'If I want to save ahead, I'll do what I always do and put extra in our savings account and earn some interest on it until it's needed to pay the bill with. Or have you suddenly become a bank?'

Of course they hadn't. And being suspicious of their motives, I rather thought they were using our money to earn interest for themselves, whilst justifying their methods with the rather pathetic guise of pretending they were doing us a favour by helping us budget for the Winter.

Ha! I duly cancelled both direct debits. 'I think,' I said, 'that I would like quartely bills sent, and I will pay for what we've used after we've used it and not before.'

Ever since, EDF have phoned periodically to extol the virtues of paying by direct debit, hoping to get us back on board with their interest-free loan scam, but I remain stoical in my determination to stick to the age-old method of 'paying for what you've had, no less, no more.'

However, a couple of months ago, during another conversation with a very pleasant customer service lady who sounded weary of the whole direct debit malarkey, she said how would I feel about reading my own meters every quarter and entering the readings on-line for which I would receive many hundreds of Nectar points. 'Okay,' I said. 'I'll do that.'

I like collecting Nectar points - they pay for my food shopping at Christmas every year. Spending 5 minutes every 3 months reading my own meters seemed a good way to add to the Nectar coffers, plus it meant the readings would be correct all the year round rather than the one correct, one estimated pattern we've been used to.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I duly got a reminder through the post that I needed to read both meters and submit readings. Which I did. Clickety click tap tap tap, all done, easy peasy simple pimple. I received a confirmation e-mail, thanking me for taking part in the scheme and telling me how many Nectar points I had 'earned.'

Lovely! And three days later, 2 accurate bills arrived, which were duly paid.

Yesterday, there was a knock on the door.

'I've come to read your gas meter,' said the man from EDF.
'I've already read it, submitted readings, got the bills and paid the bills for this quarter,' I said.
'I still have to read your gas meter,' said EDF Man.
'Why?' I said. (I have learned this cunning questioning response before doing something I am asked from all the children I have taught.)
'Because we need to verify your reading,' said EDF Man.

It was on the tip of my tongue to say, 'So you're calling me a liar, are you? Accusing me of submitting false readings in order to scam EDF out of some money?'

But because the hall, stairs and landing are starting to look particularly lovely, and are making me mellow of nature just by looking at the shiny new paintwork, I said, 'So even though I've signed up to this 'Take Your Own Reading' scheme, you're still going to come and do them yourself, to make sure I've read them properly?'

EDF Man looked at. He didn't reply immediately, which suggested to me I'd hit the nail on the head.
'I just need to read your gas meter,' he said.
So he did.
'I don't want another bill,' I said. 'I've just paid one.'
'You won't get another bill,' he reassured me.
I bet I get another bill, I thought.

And I bet he turns up again today to read the electricity meter.