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US: new law provides debt-free date More debt taken on than repaid in December Savings rise as consumers pay down debt Household debt `could trigger another downturn` More families could fall into debt with energy companies Recession ends Debt defaults lower than expected Britons take three months to clear Christmas debts Budgets to be `squeezed` in second half of 2010 Irish Reduce debt Teenagers concerned about parents` debt Homeowners reduce mortgage debt Advice issued to help people avoid Christmas debt Mortgage lending falls 10% in November Cost of new mortgage debt drops Families facing debt this winter `Upsurge` in homeowners struggling to service mortgage debt Cost of debt - CFA wants `level playing field` Debt news: Britons `more inclined` to spend than save Pre-Budget Report `fails to ease debt fears`

Energy firms `not refunding overpayments automatically`

01/07/2009

A new report by consumer group Which? has claimed that energy firms are not making automatic refunds to some customers who have overpaid, according to The Telegraph.

Which? said that some companies were keeping hundreds of pounds worth of customers` overpayments before a refund would be issued.

Overpayments can occur when customers who make fixed payments towards their bills end up using less energy than expected.

A spokesperson for Debt Advisers Direct said: "In these difficult times, it`s important that we all manage our finances well, and keeping a close eye on household bills is just one way of doing that. Claiming back overpayments can be a big boost to the finances, especially for people in debt.

"That said, having some credit on an account can be an advantage in the winter, when usage typically rises and more people find themselves falling into debt on their accounts."

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Debt Advisers Direct offer free debt advice and a range of debt solutions, including debt management plans, debt consolidation loans and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements).

US: new law provides debt-free date 02/02/2010 - Thanks to a new law, credit card providers in the More debt taken on than repaid in December 01/02/2010 - According to figures from the Bank of England (BoE), in Savings rise as consumers pay down debt 29/01/2010 - According to a survey of 13,000 savers by ING Direct, Household debt `could trigger another downturn` 28/01/2010 - The high level of debt carried by the British public