Gas and Electric

Notsosharp

Hiya,

Need some advice really, I am with British Gas ATM and I am meant to be on a payment plan whereby I pay £60 every two weeks for the gas and £33 per two weeks for my electric.

I have tried and tried but I just cannot pay the £60 they are asking, I think its too high anyway and they have over estimated the gas I used but when I gave them a meter reading they told me it was still right.

I think they are being unfair because when I first started with them the amounts they told me to pay were too low so this is partly why I owe them over £400 now for the gas. I have had no end of probs with them, what with them cancelling payment plans. At one stage I was paying half £30 every week instead of £60 every two weeks but this wasn't good enough for them so they canx the plan.

Its really all got into a bit of a mess, and I don't know what to do now. If anyone could advise I would be very grateful!

Thanks

Magentasue

Well, first you need to tell us how many kwh of gas and how many keh of electricity you've used - and over what period.

If you owe them £400 for gas, your payments are too low. And/or you're using too much gas. You need to cut right back if you want to reduce payments once the debt is cleared.

How much do you owe/are you in credit for electricity?

If you genuinely can't afford the payments (have you cut back on everything else - could you make further cuts?), ask BG how much you could reduce your payments by. If they are not prepared to do this, the alternative could be prepayment meters, which most people would prefer to avoid.

Finally, make sure you're on the best tariff for you and consider contacting the following, if you think you may be eligible:

http://www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/grants_to_individuals