Discount without Direct Debit

pops

I'm an existing ESB customer with Nightsaver and I pay all my bills online, so don't get any bills in the post. To avail of the new discounted rates do I have to set up a Direct Debit? I really don't want to do this and ideally would prefer to stay with ESB.

EI: Una

Hi pops,

If you're an existing customer for a minimum of 12 months, you would not be required to pay by direct debit in order to avail of the new rates.

Give our Sales team a call if you like on 1850 30 50 90.

Regards,
Una

Davy

Electric Ireland: Una wrote: »

If you're an existing customer for a minimum of 12 months, you would not be required to pay by direct debit in order to avail of the new rates.

Does it say that on the website?

Electric Ireland: David

Hi Davy,

On our FAQ section on the website (question 3), customers are advised that if they are an existing ESB Electric Ireland customer and would prefer not to pay by direct debit when switching price plans, they can nonetheless call us on 1850 30 50 90 to have this arranged.

An agent would need to process any such applications, as the online application facility is not currently in a position to take into account some of the Ts&Cs involved. (In some cases, the human touch is better. )

Thanks,

David.

ixtlan

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

On our FAQ section on the website (question 3), customers are advised that if they are an existing ESB Electric Ireland customer and would prefer not to pay by direct debit when switching price plans, they can nonetheless call us on 1850 30 50 90 to have this arranged.

An agent would need to process any such applications, as the online application facility is not currently in a position to take into account some of the Ts&Cs involved. (In some cases, the human touch is better. )

Thanks,

David.

That is indeed very useful. Could I ask that you make this clearer (or more accurately state it) on the information about the price plans?

It says "Payment by Direct Debit is mandatory on the ESB Electric Ireland SuperSaver Price Plan". Period. No except for...
https://www.esbelectricireland.ie/switchchange/priceplanTerms.htm#one

I had pretty much given up hope of getting any discount for my elderly parents. Lifelong customers of ESB, who will not sign up to a direct debit or online billing, until I saw this post.

Ix.

Priori

ixtlan wrote: »

That is indeed very useful. Could I ask that you make this clearer (or more accurately state it) on the information about the price plans?

It says "Payment by Direct Debit is mandatory on the ESB Electric Ireland SuperSaver Price Plan". Period. No except for...
https://www.esbelectricireland.ie/switchchange/priceplanTerms.htm#one

It's not actually the same tariff; it's something called the 'Reward' tariff. I got it applied for my granny's account, and asked them to explain it to me. It's not very obvious from the website that it's available, but when you contact them directly the reps are happy to tell you about it. My guess is it's not on the website because the online switching application isn't yet advanced enough to discern whether or not you're eligible for it, which seems to be more or less what Electric Ireland: David is saying above.

Electric Ireland: David

ixtlan wrote: »

That is indeed very useful. Could I ask that you make this clearer (or more accurately state it) on the information about the price plans?

Thanks for the valuable feedback ixtlan, I will ensure it is passed on to our webteam.

If you have any other questions/queries, don't hesitate to ask.

Regards,

David.

spanner555

Also, I have discovered you cannot avail of the full discount if you continue without direct debit payments. You get something like 8% discount for cash payments, but 12% if you setup a direct debit.

Unfortunately credit card payments cannot be setup either.

I will be checking out eirtricity for their tariffs before I commit.

Electric Ireland: David

Hi spanner555,

That's correct; getting the maximum discount available would necessitate setting up a direct debit. However, without direct debit you can still avail of discounts of up to 10% (8% plus 2% for online billing), or 13% if you are a dual-fuel customer (i.e. if you have both gas and electricity with us).*

Have you considered combining cash payments with direct debit; i.e. pre-paying your bill (in weekly instalments, for instance), and then leaving the direct debit to take care of the balance (if any) when the bill issues? It's an option that some of our customers find very convenient, as it essentially gives you the opportunity to budget for your electricity usage.

Just a thought. If you have any questions I'll be happy to help.

Thanks,

David.

*This applies if you are an existing customer on our Reward price plan, rather than a returning customer

prettygurrly

ixtlan: one solution would be to set up the direct debit to your account and let your parents pay you in cash at some point before payment date. their name is still on the account so if any bills are unpaid they will have the poor credit history. it will be a little extra hassle for you but might work around your parents situation.