bankruptcy and british gas help

mumof_four

hello i have finally plucked up the courage to post after many weeks of reading the forum,i have never posted on any forum before so please be kind!!
I have finally made the decision to go bankrupt after speaking with national debtline and finally raising my head from the sand and realising that a miracle is not going to happen.Ifeel so ashamed,embarrassed,worried and scared i cannot even tell you,but i know it is the right thing to do.I feel stupid about how i got into debt,too much robbing peter to pay paul and forgetting that peter needs to be paid back at some point!My inability to face reality was increased even further last year when my baby died very suddenly the grief and depression following her death has been awful but as i said i know that i have to do this to move forward in my life and have one less thing to worry about.
I have one specific question i hope someone can help me with and its to do with british gas....one of my many debts is with british gas it stems from when we swapped supplier from someone else to them (electricity)they didnt bill us for ages and then finally presebted us with a bill for a £1000 which we couldnt pay so they agreed to let us pay it off monthly,however the mistake we made was that we just added our current use to that debt so at the moment i pay £100 a month but really i am just paying for what we use now the original debt still remains we havent really paid any of it off after about three years(i hope it makes sense)the lady at national debtline has scared me because she has said that british gas can cut off our electricity supply and if i go bankcrupt they may well chase my husband for the debt as they will argue he used the electricity as well.I am really concerned as i dont want to be without electricity and dont know what to do should i contact british gas now ,say i am having financial difficulty and ask to go on a meter???
if any one can help i would be really grateful i hope this makes sense as i said i've never done this before!!

Debt_Monkey_3

Who's name is the account in?

mumof_four

hi
the account is just in my name

Debt_Monkey_3

If the account is just in your name, the whole debt up to the date of the bankruptcy order will be included in the bankruptcy.

There are laws about utilities and cutting people off in bankruptcy, its not very easy.

If you want peace of mind, either swap supplier at the same time as you go bankrupt or switch to a meter on a new account.

GettingHopeful

Just to say that lots of us have stuck heads in sand and thought a miracle would happen - I'm one of them, and have constantly done the robbing Paul bit. The OR knows that scenario and you will be fine, just get yourself sorted.

I am so sorry to hear about your baby, devastating, and feel for you. As you say you need a new start and BR could be the answer, all the very best.

lazyfox

Hi mum of four , i am going bankrupt too.I have loads of debt since marriage ended in 1998.I have been struggling to pay all of them but now after almost 10 years i am on the road to bankruptcy something i should of done years ago.You will be fine and the chance to start all over again is like a big weight of your shoulders.Good luck and keep us posted on how your doing,loads of people on here have done it and are a good source of support , go for it good luck !!! take care .

So_Sad_Angel

Hi Mum of Four,

Just wanted to say welcome sweetie, what an awful time you`ve had & no one can go through that without devastating effects on you health & decision making.

As GH says...we all struggle on & the `head in the sand` is a common side effect...as is the peter & paul thing.

I can`t help on the gas issues but getting a card meter installed is good advice. Time to sort this once & for all & then you move on without the worry of debt weighing you down so much.

You`ll get loads of support on here.

Angiexx

mumof_four

thanks for all your kind words,as usual woke up this morning feeling sick to the stomach with worry but i feel better knowing the support is out there.
thanks

sandraroffey

a pay as you go meter was my life saver. do it at the same time you declare yourself bankrupt. you will never have a gas bill again. good luck. from now on the only way is up!!!!!xxxx

shadowdragon

Hi

Welcome to the forum, the advice is good, get a card meter, it really makes you realise how much you waste when pre paying for it. Its a nightmate in our house, im always turning lights off in rooms where my partner is!!!! its quite amusing really.

Sunk

SNAP
British gas took 2years to set my account up...yes 2years!.
Anyway they can only go back as far as 12months.
So our bill came to £1200.00....goodwill gesture for delay in setting up account/over 12month period etc £600.00 credited.
Left £600.00 outstanding, then went BR, rang British Gas and they credited account with compensation code.
All clear...in fact I have had 2years worth of free gas.