Britons who are with British Gas, Octopus Energy and Shell Energy said their direct debits have doubled since the price rise, despite the price cap being half that, according to Money Saving Expert (MSE). The website, founded by Martin Lewis, said at least 30% of customers with those companies, who were in credit and on a price-capped tariff, reported their direct debits increasing.
Across all companies, 25% of customers in this situation said their direct debits had doubled or more. Energy prices have rocketed in the last year, and last month the energy price cap was increased by 54% for the average household.
The results were gathered from a survey carried out by MSE between April 26 2022 and May 3 2022, with 41,000 responses. It added that the survey was self-selecting, so some people may have responded more frequently.
