EON saying I HAVE to go on to a pre payment meter

lolo06

i have been struggling since around Feb to pay my bills due to income decrease and i have tried to pay as much as i can and its mounted and mounted. they want £960.00 from me and i cannot aford to pay them no more then £100 a month but they want £230 odd for my current consumption and debt on direct debit.

i spoke to them again and they siad i have to go on a pre payment meter. i am really worried about this especialy cause i have children and the winter can get pretty tough. their reasons were that the debt can get transfered to the meter, and every time i top up they will deduct £10 towards the debt.

i feel like i have no choice and im stuck in a corner.

what can i do.

KimYeovil

You say in the eight months since February you have tried to pay as much as you can but the debt is still mounting. This suggests that it is not feasible for you to continue to use a credit meter - you are not cutting back your use sufficiently (even over summer) and you are not paying off your debt. If I misunderstand and your debt is decreasing then by all means complain to them again if you are able to repay. But otherwise it is only reasonable that they have decided to seek recourse in using a prepayment meter to help you manage your consumption and your debt.

Remember your rate of repayment will be much lower than if you continue paying by direct debit.

And it is important you act reasonably quickly as otherwise there may be several hundreds of pounds warrant and locksmith costs added to the debt. Please make sure you do not mess around with petty delays until that eventuality is provoked.

mynameisthehulk

What is your current consumption? Sounds like you might be using more than £100 per month on average, so to start with you need to at least be paying your consumption, being able to afford it or not really doesnt matter.

lolo06

KimYeovil i think you are being completly unfair and emplying that i dont want to pay.
there is alot more to the story, i only gave you info on what i needed help on.
first of all my consumption for the summer was BELOW average according to them. But there is a energy issue in my rented property which i am dealing with, with the landlord.

i have come on this website to get advice, not for people to pass judgments or to tell me
Please make sure you do not mess around with petty delays until that eventuality is provoked.

hope this explains it further

mynameisthehulk

lolo06 wrote: »

KimYeovil i think you are being completly unfair and emplying that i dont want to pay.
there is alot more to the story, i only gave you info on what i needed help on.
first of all my consumption for the summer was BELOW average according to them. But there is a energy issue in my rented property which i am dealing with, with the landlord.

i have come on this website to get advice, not for people to pass judgments or to tell me
Please make sure you do not mess around with petty delays until that eventuality is provoked.

hope this explains it further

How much gas and electricity do you use per year in kWh?

lolo06

the lady on the phone said that the last quatre i used nearly 9 kwh on elec which according to her was below average. i also use more elc then gas.

i dont know how much i use per yr. i have only started learning how they work it out.

sorry propably not much help.

mynameisthehulk

lolo06 wrote: »

the lady on the phone said that the last quatre i used nearly 9 kwh on elec which according to her was below average. i also use more elc then gas.

i dont know how much i use per yr. i have only started learning how they work it out.

sorry propably not much help.

Bless you, 9 kWh is about £1 worth of electricity, so I think you might have used a bit more than that, 9 kWh per day, maybe?

Ring your supplier and get them to tell you, it will help you in so many ways to have this information.

Gman0365

lolo06 wrote: »

what can i do.

A) Pay off the outstanding debt and remain on direct debit with your credit meter.

Pay the £230 per month that they are requesting by direct debit and keep your credit meter

C) Let EON install the prepayment meter and it will allow you to continue to use your gas supply whilst still making small payments towards your outstanding debt.

KimYeovil was only pointing out that if you dont decide what your going to do from the above options then EON will make the decision for you. They will ultimately force you to have a prepayment meter and if you refuse to have one installed then they will simply remove the credit meter that you are currently using and disconnect your gas supply. This process involves the customer footing the bill for the outstanding debt, the warrant to enter the property, the gas engineer and the locksmith!

If you are finding it difficult to pay off the debt then the best option is the prepayment meter. EON will be guaranteed to get their money every week and you will be able to keep better control on your current usage.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi lolo06

Firstly, make sure your bills are all correct and charged to actual meter readings rather than estimates.

If this is the case, then you will have used the energy and we need to look at a payment plan to cover ongoing usage as well as re-paying the debt.

Are there any special circumstances like vulnerability at the property? Are you in receipt of any benefits?

It may be we can spread the debt over a longer period. This will reduce the monthly payments.

The most effective way of reducing bills is by cutting back on your consumption. I do understand this is not easy when children are involved but we may be able to help with this.

We have an Energy Efficiency team who specialise in helping customers reduce consumption. I would suggest having a word with them. Ask for a copy of a booklet called 100 ways to save money by saving energy. It is free and has a lot of useful tips to help you cut back.

Also, check out our website. This contains a lot of good advice about saving energy.

It may be a Prepayment meter is the best option for your circumstances. This will at least allow us to set the debt on the meter at a lower rate than possible with a Direct Debit.

Prepayment prices are very similar to our standard rates but you will lose any discounts you currently receive.

The important thing is to talk to us. If you are not happy with the response you receive ask to speak to a manager.

Malc

KimYeovil

(Is there a Gman0365 filter on Babel that I can feed my responses through before I post them?)

lolo06

thank you all for your help. i appreciate it.

i called them again this evening and they confirmed that i have only used 9 kwh of electcity these last 3 months. they said most of the outstanding amount was before that.

i am asuming that my boiler may have somthing to do with it, becuase it broke about 4 1/2 mths ago. but any way im sorting that out now with the landlord.

thanks again.