need help urgently please

rach!_3

hi there
when we moved into this property we were with e.on and i changed suppliers they sent me a final bill of almost £500, which i cannot afford to pay all at once, i emailed e.on to offer payment of £10(as we have recently sent all catalogues etc onto a dmp, and now have very little left over so offered them £10 per month with the promise of paying more if i get any extra cash, they emailed back saying that they couldnt accept this and wanted £52 p/m when i said this wasnt possible they told me they would send it to a dca as they can accept payments of less, i have had a intention of court proceedings today from UDS they say the minimum they can take is £47 p/m which i really cant afford, they said they will have just take me to court, when i asked what happens now she said we will pass it to another agency and if you cant make an agreement with them then it will go to court, when i asked how long before the other agency gets in touch she said she doesnt know.
i dont want to have to go to court i dont want it to go through court, but they wont accept what i can pay. i am in a state and dont know what to do, can anyone help me please?

KimYeovil

It is up to you to check your meters and see if you can afford to switch suppliers.

In your favour, with your situation E-on are unlikely to receive a monthly payment from a court any higher than you are offering (but you will also have to pay for all the costs) so if you persist they may cave in. But it is of course unjust for you to be given an interest free loan for four years. They may well take you to Court so that you face some consequence for your negligence.

rach!_3

my negligence? i havent been negligent, i asked more than once for a payment card to be sent and never recieved one. i never recieved a bill in the time i was with them, the only bill i ever saw was the final bill. which the previous occupier told me it was the same with her.
ok so if they take me to court will it be one near me? and if not do you have to attend as if it is one far away i dont know how i will get there and what will happen at court?

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi Rach!

I’m sorry to hear you are struggling to pay this bill, I understand it can be difficult.

Firstly, check this bill is accurate. How long does it cover?

Have you been paying a regular amount? How has this sum built up?

How long has this debt been unpaid? From experience it usually takes over a couple of months of being unpaid before UDS are involved.

In regards to the arrangement you’ve been offered, it looks as though E.ON have offered an arrangement to spread the debt over a 12 month period or so, this is already substantially longer than a typical payment plan.

E.ON are likely to reject your offer as it would mean the balance would not be paid in full for a 4 year period.

One option may be to make a part payment if possible and then set up an arrangement for the rest. This would then be more manageable?

Are you in receipt of any benefits?

If so there is help available for people living in the Severn Trent, United Utilities and Southern Water areas. If you receive water from one of the above there is a fund available to provide debt relief to low income families.

This trust is designed to provide grants to those who need it, for more information on this contact the relevant company.

Aside from this I’m not sure what else to suggest, a 12 month payment plan is generous for a situation where there doesn’t seem to have been any billing errors. Like I say it’s important to check the bill accurate.

I hope this is of some use.

Brian

E.ON_Company_Representative

Just saw your next post, sorry!

Have E.ON explained why you weren’t sent a bill? How long does the bill cover?

Brian

rach!_3

if i remember corrrectly it will be around 3 months
as we have only been here for 6 months and i have made 3 months payments to my new supplier
i recieve water from yorkshire water and our benefits are tax credits and child benefit

E.ON_Company_Representative

This will explain why you only received one bill. E.ON bill quarterly, so by the time your first bill was due, you had transferred and you received a final bill rather than a standard quarterly bill.

Was this £500 bill for electricity and gas? Does it cover the winter? It is bound to be higher over the worst seasons of the year, weather wise.

Brian

rach!_3

its only electric in the house so just electric and it was jan - march
ive just spoken to the lady who lived here before me and she said that UDS
TOLD HER IF SHE GOES BACK AS A CUSTOMER SHE CAN ARRANGE SMALLER MONTHLY PAYMENTS ON TOP Of her normal monthly payment and they allowed her to do this, would this be an option for me? by the way hers was over £500 and for about 5 months warmer weather time
p.s. excuse the caps

E.ON_Company_Representative

If you returned to E.ON as a customer it would be unlikely that you would be offered a payment plan that is any lower than what you have already been offered, as I stated before 12 months is way over the normal arrangement guidelines.

The only option I can see that would allow you to pay less would be if E.ON supplied you again and a prepayment meter was installed, the debt could then be collected at a much lower weekly amount, i.e. £10 a week.

In regards to the bill, as it covers the coldest period of the year and the property is all electric, the size is plausible. However I strongly recommend checking the accuracy of the meter readings (actual not estimates) to ensure the bill is correct. In particular the opening reads from when you moved in and the closing reads from when you joined the new supplier.

Brian

rach!_3

ok so if i wanted a prepaymen meter in do i have to get permission from my LL?

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi Rach,

It would certainly help from a diplomacy perspective.

However all in all, the meter doesn’t belong to the Landlord, and if we arrange for it to be changed it will be changed. It’s owned by a third party in the supply network.

At the end of the day if a prepayment meter will help you we will be happy to take this plan of action.

Brian