bankruptcy and british gas help

dodecanese

Hi Mumof four
You could maybe try switching to a new supplier shortly before you go bankrupt, and just include your British Gas bill in the bankruptcy. Or, they will probably just want to install a card meter, I dont think they would actually cut you off.

I know its easy to say it now but the whole bankruptcy thing will get easier- this is probably the worse bit, the build up. Its really daunting and you dont know what to expect. The courts and the OR will be used to your debt situation, they'll see it day in day out. If you read through a few of the threads regarding other poster's court/OR experience, the vast majority are pretty positive.
I was absolutely petrified when I was going bankrupt, I worried constantly about every thing that could possibly happen. In reality I found the court staff and the OR were fine, nothing like I expected. I felt very guilty about my spending and expected a real grilling over it, but my OR didnt really even mention it and it was obvious he'd seen it all before.

Im 3 months into bankruptcy now, Im still a bit concerned re my house, but apart from that I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Keep posting and asking questions, all the best.

GettingHopeful

You'll be fine, Mum of Four, we're all here for you.

lazyfox

Hi i know its been said about changing supplier for gas and electric but my supplier wont let me change as i owe them money.It is swings and aroundabouts with household bills.Does anyone know which supplier will take someone like me going br? please ....
Mum of four dont worry hun its great support on here and im not worrying so much now, just filled out all my forms and will phone court tomorrow for a date.Hopefully it wont be a long wait, when i got forms they said up to 3 weeks so heres hoping.

SuziQ

Hi mumof four ans welcome to MSE. I am so sorry to hear about your loss-it's family that really matters at the end of the day,and by sorting your debt out you will be able to concetrate on them again. Is your husband aware of how worried you are? Do you talk to anyone about your loss? I know you will get the very best advice and loads of support on here,but sometimes what we need most is a physical hug!
Hope it all sorts out very quickly for you,Sue.

DebS_2-3

I've never given advice here before - spent most of my time recieving it instead!

I go to court on Friday and I have debts from a previous energy supplier.

I think that getting pre-pay meters might be the best option because depending on how much you still owe BG, they may well refuse to let you leave until more is paid off. nPower let me move my electricity but they wouldn't let me leave until I had got the debt down to under £300.

Good luck.

DebS

shadowdragon

You can stay with BG and get a prepay meter that will take an amount off the arrears per week, a lot of people do it. We were lucky we didnt owe suppliers when we moved into the property but the meters were already here so we decided to keep them, even if i was on 30k a year i would still have them there so convinient. no bills, local shop does the charging up of them. Excellent. Plus you can get a bit in credit during the summer months and use it up during winter. We put 40 gas and 60 elec on each month, all year. They dont cost more than getting a bill.

Also BT do a prepay scheme too, you get a card and just slap some £££ on it and it shows up as a credit when the bill comes in.

Tigerlily31

Hi Mum of four,

I had utility debts too that were added to my BR- Npower is still trying to take arrears from my shiny new prepayment meters:mad: Just wanted to say that pre-payment meters have forced me to budget more and make sure that I put money aside to cover the important things- Now that we're on pre-payment I am obsessed with switching lights, tellys and other electrical goodies off!!! We now spend about £10.00 a week on electricity and £6.00 on gas but I top both up on a Sunday with a tenner.:D

Really sorry to hear about your daughter, it is incredibly hard to deal with life in general when you lose a child, never mind worry about paying the bills- you've come to the right place for support and assistance sorting your new shiny future out

Tigerlily x

Miss_Ratty

Mum of Four, please don't worry, this time is stressful enough as it is. There are so many people on here in the same boat (destination DebtFree!), and I have found everyone to be so helpful. I have £1700 owing to Powergen, and my BR is due to be filed on Friday, however my situation with Powergen is a bit different as my landlord hasn't fixed an electrical problem in 13 months which is costing us £10 per day extra!!! This is all being (hopefully sorted) too, but from what I understand, on the day the BR is declared, you technically owe nothing to anyone, except maybe if your OR takes a percentage of your disposable income, which isn't that much - and as I realised, is better than being down to the tune of £600 per month!

I'm dreading Friday, but everyone on here has been so supportive, and it really has helped. I suffer very badly with anxiety and depression, and even in this difficult time I'm doing ok, probably because I've lifted my head out of the sand, and I can actually see an end to it all, which is something I never even thought was possible.

Big hugs, and wishing you all the best. x

Waspeze

shadowdragon wrote: »

You can stay with BG and get a prepay meter that will take an amount off the arrears per week.

Surely that would show preferential treatment to a creditor if going bankrupt?

peachyprice

shadowdragon wrote: »

You can stay with BG and get a prepay meter that will take an amount off the arrears per week,

I agree with Waspy, you cannot pay arrears to BG, it all has to go into the BR.