Help, I can't pay my bill...

MrsKnight2Be

This is my first post, but I am looknig for some advice, so here is my story...

I am currently with E-On and have been paying £111 per month for both my gas & electricity. Trying to tighten my belts I telephoned E-On to ask if I could reduce the payment over the summer and increase it again in the winter. I was told that my bill had been produced that daym they couldn't see the amount it was so to call back the next day. However before I managed to call back I received a call from them, telling me my bill this quarter was over £700, so to repay this I needed to increase my DD to £214 p/m.

Obviously I couldn't afford this and to cut a long long story short after many phonecall, letters, tears and shouting E-On have cancelled my orginal DD so I now have to call to make payment and they won't accept anything less than £214 p/m.

I have asked to spread the debt, which they won't do.

I have asked to carry on paying £111 over the summer while the heating is off, so the bill will have reduced by the winter, but they won't accept anything less than £214 p/m

I DON'T HAVE IT, they can try and take it, but I honestly don't have the money!

Finally, I really don't want to go down the route of a prepay meter, I have a young baby and don't want to risk the meter running out, E-On have said they will take £20 p/w off the meter so effectively I will be paying nearly £200 p/m (inc usage) anyway and I have heard that you can still receive a bill if they don't reset the tariffs!!

I am so sorry this is so long, and I hope I haven't bored you to death, but I am desperate to know what I can do.

Our financial situation will hopefully improve over the next few months and I will try and make overpayments then, but I really need advice now!

Thanks for taking the time to listen

jd87

Firstly do you know why this quarter's bill was so ridiculously high? Is it because you have been paying too little over many years and the debt has built up? Is it because they haven't been coming to read your meter and have been estimating it too low? Have they made some kind of mistake (it happens a lot)?

If we can figure out why they suddenly want so much money then there might be a way of persuading them to go easy on you (especially if it is partly their fault).

Even just paying £111 per month is still quite a high bill. Once this is all figured out (it will be eventually, don't worry) you need to figure out if you are with the cheapest supplier for your area and needs.

lindauk

This seems very high. we have just signed up to E-On on dual gas and electric at £56 monthly DD which i thought was high considering where we live.

i would have hoped they would be a little more understanding about such a huge hike in bill cost. I hope that you manage to get it sorted. Sorry i couldn't be of more help.

Linda

andyrogers

Hi

I had a similar problem wiht E.On, trying to increase my DD from £55 to £94 per month.

I spoke to them on 3 occasions on thier usuall help line number, and basically they were not interested in trying to help me out. I could not budget for this extra amount for the next 3 months, at first they said my usage was this high for the year but actually i got them to admit that it was £70, but they would not reduce the amount down, because this is what the computer said I should be paying

One of the E.On staff were really rude, and like I said non of them wanted to help at all, not interested in my circumstances etc. I put one solution to them and that was to let me pay a reduced rate for the next 3 months and then up my payments in the 4th month and I make up the difference in the fourth month as well, but they did not want to know and basically said the amout they wanted me to pay was "Non Negociable".

So in the end I rang their complaints department on 0845 300 6301 which after speaking to them and saving about my proposal then agree to an have put into action. I also complained about how rude the call centre had been and they were alot better to deal with then the call centre.

Andy

judy2357

We have 5 adults in our 3 bed semi and our bill is £65 per month so I cant understand why yours is so high. I would stop using the tumbler right away as a clothes horse will take its place much more cheaply although its a pain having clothes hanging around the house. Use economy bulbs if poss, turn down the dial on the water cylinder if you have one, probably others on this thread will be able to suggest other helpful hints. Perhaps if you call back you may get to speak to someone more helpful and ask if you can pay any backlog of underpayments over a longer period. I dont actually know if this is poss, but worth a try.

sandraroffey

first of all take a meter reading' do one at the beginning of a week, then another at the end of a week. then go armed with that information to the citizens advice. they are free and will help you sort it. they will even talk to everyone for you. i dont pay that much for a 3 bed flat with three peopel living in there AND my payment is higher because i have ameter so pay more. robbing !!!!!!s. dont let them gt away with it. let us know how you get on. citizens advice are amazing, they will help you.xxxxx

get_me_out

HI

I'm with Scottish Power and did have the pre payment key elec meter fitted. Due to errors in billing giving me a big bill to clear. BUT although they wanted 15.00 per week debt I managed to get them to accept 5.00 per week as on working tax credit as low income and 2 children.

MrsKnight2Be

Thankyou for your help and advice.

The bill is high as the last bill was an estimate (I didn't realise this) I have been told my usage is £160 per month!!!! Which is ridiculous as I am in a 2 bed terrance house with cavity wall and loft insullation and the heating is never on all day or anything!

I asked if they could send someone to check our meter, they said no!

I have spoke to 6 different people and only one person was 'nice' all the others were extreamly rude with comments including...

'Were all in the same boat sweetheart'

'Figures speak for themselves'

'Are you looking for a job' - I have a baby and already work 20 hours per week evenings and weekends.

I have rang the home heat helpline who put me through to a dedecated team who deal with this called the E-On careline, they are supposed to be more caring!!! :rolleyes: They just checked if I was entitled to any more benefits (I currently get child benefit and working tax) I was told no and that I had to call E-On customer services back as they couldn't do anything else!

I have applied for a energy grant from Anglian Water, but unfortuantely they are so in demand at the moment I wasn't granted one!!

I just really really don't know what else to do.

On my final phonecall to E-On today, I told them to come and try and get £214 p/m, as they wouldn't be able to squeeze it out of me even if they tried!!

jd87

Obviously this is a really bad situation and I'm shocked that they have been so rude and unhelpful to you. Unfortunately a quick fix like a grant is hard to come by and you probably can only solve this the hard way. There are two things you need to tackle here:

1. Your usage - It is very unlikely that the meter is wrong. Assuming the meter is correct, then you need to take drastic action to reduce your usage, so that you can pay the debt off quicker and prevent this happening again. Some of this you might have done already, but if you haven't then the main things I would recommend are:

(Sorry if this is patronising by the way, but I want to make sure I cover everything)

- Your current tariff - You might be on a tariff that isn't the cheapest option. Call them again and ask them to move you onto the cheapest tariff they offer. This will usually be an "online" tariff, one where you get your bills on the internet instead of on paper. Get the standard one, not a capped/fixed one (if it is cheaper), yes the tariff could go up, but we've already had hefty rises and I don't think they will go much higher in the short-term.
- Energy saving light bulbs - not as expensive as you would think nowadays, you can get them for around a quid at Tesco. Put them everywhere, even if you don't like them or if they don't look right, you don't have much choice.
- Heating - I think you could be spending a lot on heating. In such a well insualted house you don't ever need it on at all this time of year. Even on a grey day.
- Appliances - You might be unlucky and have lots of really inefficient appliances. Don't use a dryer. Put your washing on 30 degrees always, on the shortest cycle possible, with bio washing powder.
- Showers/baths - get everyone in the household to really think hard about how often they need one and how much water they need.
- Make sure everything is switched off at night. Obvious I know, but I know houses where they leave the lights on all night!

These things might seem small but they make so much difference.

2. Clearing the debt - Reducing your usage will make it easier, but you need to get through to someone who can help you figure out a doable repayment plan. Call them up, DON'T IDENTIFY YOURSELF or give any details, remain as calm and polite as you possibly can on the phone, ask for the operator's name, then ask to speak to a supervisor. If they ask why, tell them it is regarding a complaint about someone you spoke to on a previous call. They might just try to apologise and say nobody is available. Calmly ask them to make sure there is nobody available, ask them if someone can call you back, and as a last resort, ask if there will be a better time for you to call back. Make it clear that it isn't something they can help you with, you need to speak to a supervisor, and the problem won't be going away until you get that. Hopefully, with some perseverance, that will get you through to someone who is more able to help you. Explain the whole story to them and most importantly don't lose your temper or raise the tone of your voice. They are taught that, as soon as a customer gets arsey with them, they can do the same back. Hopefully if you get through to someone reasonable, they can come up with a payment plan, and you can ask them to send someone to check the meter.

If things get out of hand with the person who initally answers the call, and you feel you won't get through to a supervisor via them, politely end the call, wait 20 mins, then try again.

Hope this works out. Sorry if you find any of my advice patronising. This is just how I would go about dealing with it and I want to make sure everything is clear.

blushingbride_3

i currently pay £65 a month in a 3 bed terrace with 3 adults!:( thats with scottish power! i used to pay £30 a month with e-on but swapped to scottish power because they were cheaper! they're since put their prices up!:(
not sure what 2 do now is this high for just 3 people?

SwanJon

Some good advice, but soemthings I'd like to add.

jd87 wrote: »

Call them up, DON'T IDENTIFY YOURSELF or give any details, ...nobody available, ask them if someone can call you back, and as a last resort, ask if there will be a better time for you to call back. Make it clear that it isn't something they can help you with, you need to speak to a supervisor, and the problem won't be going away until you get that.

Without identifying yourself, there is little anyone can do (especially call you back). I'd imagine a manager won't take a call without knowing what it is about first.

jd87 wrote: »

They are taught that, as soon as a customer gets arsey with them, they can do the same back.

I've never heard of a company training that, and if they did I'd be suprised if they managed to survive very long. However it is true that they will try to help you more if you are calm. If you insult/shout they'll just get their backs up and stick to their procedures. Be nice and they might bend them.

jd87 wrote: »

Hopefully if you get through to someone reasonable, they can come up with a payment plan, and you can ask them to send someone to check the meter.

Be aware that meters are rarely faulty, and if it is tested and found accurate (for a given definition of accurate) they can pass the costs of the test onto you.


Pay what you can when you can. If they cancel the plan they can ask for the full outstanding balance. If you are making payments it shows willing and they might keep the plan running a bit longer.
If the plan cancels and you can't afford to pay the bill they are going to move you towards a PP meter. If this looks like being the end result call them and ask for the meter to avoid the cahrges if they force it on you.

As JD says, you really need to look at your consumption - can E-on help with some advice there?
Keep a consumption diary - record the reading at the same time each day and make a note of what was used that day & for how long (washer, dryer etc). This may be useful working out if there is a fault somewhere.
You could also try testing the meters yourself by turningh everything off and seeing if they still move, then turning one thing on (e.g. a kettle) and seeing what difference it makes (you should be able to work it out - eg a 3kW kettle for 12 min = 0.6kWh).