Problem with EDF

[Pommier]

In April I phoned EDF because the bill didn't arrive. At the call centre they said I was on prelevement automatique (which I'd never asked for) and the bill had been sent by email to an incorrect address. The payment had already been taken from the bank. I said I wanted to go back to paper bills which I would pay by cheque. They sent me a copy of the bill.

We've since changed to a different bank.

Last week I received a letter saying the prelevement had been refused by my old bank and I must urgently make payment. I phoned and repeated the story and was told a paper bill would be sent that day.

Today (six days later) I phoned again as the bill hadn't arrived. 'No we can't send you a bill, or an email of it.' 'No you can't speak to a supervisor' 'Just send us a cheque'

Reluctantly I've sent a cheque (don't want to be cut off) but wondered where I can write to complain.

The English speaking line no longer exists, although it's listed on EDFs website, and I can't log onto 'Espace Client' as the system cn't recognise that we've moved house!

[Polly]

Forget phones & email, get a recorded delivery letter (avec avis de réception, ie proof of delivery to EDF) off to EDF asap stating the facts, details of the cheque you have sent and the address to which they should now send all correspondence.

Keep copies of EVERYTHING.

[amos]

I tried to contact edf about 10 days ago on their English speaking phoneline and while I eventually got fed up waiting to be connected the message (in English) seemed to indicate that I would be dealt with, if I had the patience and sufficient phone credit presumably! The no I used was 05 62 16 49 08.

[P-D de Rouffignac]

I always advise owners of a second home in France (i.e. one they do not occuply all the time) to arrange to have their EDF and other utility bills to be paid automatically by their French bank, using a 'prélèvement', while having the bill sent for information to their home address in UK or wherever. This avoids the situation where a bill goes astray and does not get paid, where bills arrive at home when in fact you are in France, and so on. The cut-off procedure is pretty swift and just another hassle to deal with, as the services are tending to centralise via call centres, and consequently you deal with an anonymous voice and not necessarily with sympathy.

In the present case I can't see precisely what you will achieve by 'complaining' (this is not meant as a crticism) and for the sake of a quiet life I'd set up another 'prélèvement' and put it down to experience.

Whoever said 'You can't fight City Hall' was probably right - you can but it's a thankless and tiresome excercise.

P-D de R.

[velcorin]

I got used to having the DDs taken out of our account before receiving the bills (or never) in Spain and Germany. The option of paying by other methods simply does not exist. In France, I'd totally agree with P-D, the downside in time and effort to not worth it (unless you're retired here). Years ago the first few times some utility ripped me off (Telefonica in Spain said we had 4 phone lines) it took us EUR300 and 12 months of no phone at all to get our (1) phone line back. When you keep getting ripped off it hurts less and less each time.

[Pommier]

But I live in France. This isn't a second home and the point is that the bill has not been sent anywhere!

What I'm trying to find is an address to send a recrded delivery letter to, to make a complaint and to make sure that the prelevement autmatique is cancelled.

EDFs website only gives phone numbers to contact.

[Graham & Brenda]

The contact address quoted on our bill is

EDF SERVICE CLIENTS

TSA 90002

93733 BOBIGNY CEDEX 9

Perhaps someone who lives nearer to you can say if theirs is the same.

[Pommier]

Now I'm dead embarrassed! The letter I received last week didn't have a reply address, and I didn't look at a previous bill just at the website which only has phone numbers for contact.

A letter will be winging it's way to EDF today.