British Gas

[snowdragon]

Can someone help me re British Gas please

 

I have been getting letters from them asking us to pay a gas bill for nearly £200,

apparently they seem to think we have just joined them even though we never left them.

 

We were going to go with another company but BG said no

so we never went through with it

 

but now BG are saying welcome back etc and we need to pay this outstanding bill.

 

We pay BG every two weeks by payment card at a paypoint.

 

I have told them over and over again (by email and letter) we do not have this kind of money as I am on JSA and in financial difficulties but they still want us to pay it.

 

We are supposed to be paying them £25 every 2 weeks for both gas and electric so £50 in total or a £100 a month,

 

now out of £142 that is impossible and I have said so so we have been paying what we can afford which is £5 a fortnight on each making £20 a month,

we are already in a DMP, sorry for long post, any advice please and yes we tried CAB

[dx100uk]

who set the payment levels and how long ago?

 

if you are on jsa then you need to

be requesting their social tarrif.

 

 

dx

[snowdragon]

hi,

 

they BG set the levels despite being told about our situation,

they have said we can go on the vunerable list but it does not start till next year?

 

BG set the levels this year if I remember right,

no way can I afford £25 a fortnight on both,

takes me all my time to be able to give them £5 every 2 weeks on both,

we are lucky if we have £20 left when we have paid all the bills and that's without food

[snowdragon]

ty

[snowdragon]

Well now guess what, they have told us we are in debt with the electric as well

[snowdragon]

still no joy, they have now passed the debt on to WESCOT. does nobody listen at BG? can not pay what I can not afford, our DMP said if the bill was for a previous address then we could add it to our plan

[nohope]

Your best option would be to request pre pay meters then the bills can be payed of through them and they won't be going up every month, plus it will get wescot of your back.

[dx100uk]

they are for a previous address how old are the bg debts?

 

dx

[snowdragon]

They are both for where we live now, been here 14 months.The debts are for this year, BG said they closed our account and then reopened it so class us as "new" customers even though we never actually left them! We were going to but BG said no as we had some arrears due to my job loss etc and now of course the bills are getting more and more in debt, do not really want pre payment meter as if we have no money to put in them we would I guess have no gas or electric, we came to an arrangement with our water company as we are in arrears with them also, We now have to pay them £10 a month instead of £57 a month

[nohope]

Water company's don't have the option for pre pay so they will take reduced payments as its the only way they can get any money other than taking you to court.

 

Electric and gas suppliers do the pre pay for people in your position to help you.

 

You may not want them but I can't see you have any other option as you can't cover what they want from you each month.

 

I had to go down this root a few years ago due to high bills and low income and it worked out the only option.

 

It all boils down to budgeting and being carefully with the electric and gas.

 

As your on Jsa you should be able to get the debt payments set at about 3 a week on each meter.

 

I no its not what you want to do but mite be your best option.

[snowdragon]

ok, ty for that, I am on JSA, get £142 every two weeks, they have passed the debt for gas to Wescot and now waiting to hear from them.

Out of my JSA I have to pay rent as do not get full housing benefit, £10 a month towards council tax, £60 a month for DMP, £10 A month for water, £13.22 a month for tv licence and supposed to pay £100 a month for gas/leccy ( £ 25 each every two weeks )

[nohope]

If its left to long with wescot there next step will be to fit pre pay meters by getting a court order which will give you no bargening power at all as they will set the rates for the debt between 8 and 10 and they will not drop it.

 

If they refuse to take the lower payment you are offering then arrange pre pay with them and there more likely to do reduced payments for the debt on the meter.

 

I've known someone get it as low as £2 a week to be taken of the meter and as your debt is only 200 you have a good chance to do the same sort of thing.

[snowdragon]

ok, thank you, the electric is now also over a £100. Thing is our gas cooker is not even installed! all we have is the GCH, have no shower, dishwasher so do not know where they get the amount for these, have always given them meter readings as well