British Gas Bill

fedupwiththeworry

Hi,

I just hate Friday the 13th !!

Got a gas statement through the post today and they want to put up the monthly DD from £54.00 p/m to £136.00 p/m.

We have an arrears total of £545.25 on the bill. The last statement had arrears of £589.79 so it has gone down although I appreciate they are looking at the probable usage for the winter period ahead.

Our boiler packed up a few weeks back so we are not using any gas whatsoever, in fact the quarterly charge for gas used of £115.92 seems unbelievable bearing in mind this was purely for hot water and maybe 2 weeks worth of heating, anyway I digress.

We cannot afford any more than £54.00 p/m especially bearing in mind our electric will increase as we are having to use electric heaters, so I rang BG to explain the situation and that we wouldn’t be getting a new boiler until before next winter at the earliest so wanted to carry on paying £54.00 p/m which would totally clear the arrears in 10 months.

The lady on the phone was really nice but even after calling back having spoken to her supervisor could only reduce the amount down to £91.37 p/m because they can only do a payment plan over 6 months. I told her this was just not possible and what would happen if I just continued to send in what I could afford i.e. £54.00. She said that as this would not have been approved they would then start to add £14.00 p/m late payment fees plus debt management fees may get added etc. I queried why the quarters usage bill was so high and she said that boilers can use up to 33% more gas if they are not functioning correctly.

She asked me to check the meter again which I did and it still reads the same as it did when they read it on the 3.11.09. so she knows no more gas is being used.

Is it worth my time writing to the complaints Dept to hopefully get something authorised ?

Other than that all we can do is send in the monthly chq but it will take longer to pay off because of the fees.

Thx

Gerrard_8_lfc

I dont mean to sound bad but...

what can you complain about ? They are a energy supplier not a debt collection company. The last thing they want is to be chasing you for money

6 months to pay for gas you already have used is imo very good.

If you dont agree no doubt they will install a prepayment meter to reclaim the money back by taking a percentage of any top ups made.

Fire_Fox

If you aren't going to be using any gas you will need to make sure you are on a no standing charge tariff for the forseeable future. You can definitely write to BG making an offer of payments based on your circumstances, you may find a suitable template letter on a sticky on the Debt-free Wannabe board. Definitely keep paying every month as you suggest.

I hope you are aware that electricity tends to be a very expensive way to heat your home? You may want to check a price comparison site to see if you can get a better tariff from another supplier, check if there are any grants available to insulate your home better and/ or install a new boiler (try Warmfront), also look at buying electric underblankets rather than heating bedrooms. You do not want to end the winter with a debt for gas AND electricity so I would read your meter regularly and adjust your use accordingly.

fedupwiththeworry

Gerrard_8_lfc wrote: »

I dont mean to sound bad but...

what can you complain about ? They are a energy supplier not a debt collection company. The last thing they want is to be chasing you for money

6 months to pay for gas you already have used is imo very good.

If you dont agree no doubt they will install a prepayment meter to reclaim the money back by taking a percentage of any top ups made.

I would complain because I've made an offer based upon what I can afford and bearing in mind there will be no further gas usage they would be in a better position in 10 months time than if I were to pay the £136.00 p/m they want and still be using gas.

The lady also said they can't install a pre-payment meter because no gas is being used.

fedupwiththeworry

Fire_Fox wrote: »

If you aren't going to be using any gas you will need to make sure you are on a no standing charge tariff for the forseeable future. You can definitely write to BG making an offer of payments based on your circumstances, you may find a suitable template letter on a sticky on the Debt-free Wannabe board. Definitely keep paying every month as you suggest.

I hope you are aware that electricity tends to be a very expensive way to heat your home? You may want to check a price comparison site to see if you can get a better tariff from another supplier, check if there are any grants available to insulate your home better and/ or install a new boiler (try Warmfront), also look at buying electric underblankets rather than heating bedrooms. You do not want to end the winter with a debt for gas AND electricity so I would read your meter regularly and adjust your use accordingly.

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestions will do as you say re tariff and letter etc.

Yes we understand electricity is dearer but have no choice as the boiler is un-repairable (BG engineer and independant engineer) and we cannot afford a new one at the moment.

We are using the heaters very sparingly don't worry but have 2 children so have to take that into account. Luckily it's turned quite mild at the moment.

Out of interest regarding heating the water, is it best to keep an immersion turned on all the time so it just keeps the water heat "topped up" or to let it cool down and turn it on to heat when we know we need it for a bath etc.

zzzLazyDaisy

Have you checked if you are entitled to a grant for a free replacement boiler under the warm front scheme?


Eligibility criteria:



1. Householders aged 60 or over in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Job Seekers Allowance (income-based)
• Pension Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

2. Householders with a child under 16, or pregnant women with maternity certificate MAT-B1, in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Job Seekers Allowance (income-based)
• Pension Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

3. Householders in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Working Tax Credit (with an income of less than £16,040, which must include a disability element)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Child Tax Credit (with an income of less than £16,040)
• Housing Benefit (which must include a disability premium)
• Income Support (which must include a disability premium)
• Council Tax Benefit (which must include a disability premium)
• War Disablement Pension (which must include a mobility supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance)
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (which must include Constant Attendance Allowance)
• Attendance Allowance

fedupwiththeworry

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Have you checked if you are entitled to a grant for a free replacement boiler under the warm front scheme?


Eligibility criteria:



1. Householders aged 60 or over in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Job Seekers Allowance (income-based)
• Pension Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

2. Householders with a child under 16, or pregnant women with maternity certificate MAT-B1, in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Council Tax Benefit
• Housing Benefit
• Job Seekers Allowance (income-based)
• Pension Credit
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

3. Householders in receipt of one or more of the following benefits:

• Working Tax Credit (with an income of less than £16,040, which must include a disability element)
• Disability Living Allowance
• Child Tax Credit (with an income of less than £16,040)
• Housing Benefit (which must include a disability premium)
• Income Support (which must include a disability premium)
• Council Tax Benefit (which must include a disability premium)
• War Disablement Pension (which must include a mobility supplement or Constant Attendance Allowance)
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (which must include Constant Attendance Allowance)
• Attendance Allowance

I'll have a look at that thank you.

Mynewt

Forget the Template letter idea, being honest I suspect you can ill-afford the time or the extra worry waiting for the snail-mail to arrive and be answered.

I would in all honestly forget speaking to their customer service teams they are usually very limited on what they can and can't do. Instead find your supplier's complaints number and contact this team.

They have a far larger remit and are usually made up of experienced agents. Clearly outline your current situation and what you are able to afford they should work out a solution for you, if you are not getting the service you need (which is a different concept to the answer you want) request a copy of their complaints procedure and follow it to the letter, right up to and including intervention by OFGEM.

That said any payment you make to your supplier at the VERY LEAST must meet your consumption, depending on your financial circumstances they may be able to accept as little as £3.00 per month per fuel towards any accrued outstanding balance.

Also see if your supplier has an energy efficiency team that you can speak with as a reduction in your consumption will also decrease the amount you will spend on on-going usage.

In addition make sure you're on your supplier's best tarriff (this most likely be one of their online tarriffs), as any reduction in your overall consumption (gas and electricty) will allow you more funds to put towards the arrears or other affairs, also disucss the pro's and con's of prepayment meters considering you situation in some cases these meters can be exceptionally helpful, but they need careful consideration.

Remember as posted elsewhere your supplier aren't a debt collection agency and are not duty bound to accept any offer you suggest, but they are duty bound to treat you fairly.

Fire_Fox

fedupwiththeworry wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestions will do as you say re tariff and letter etc.

Yes we understand electricity is dearer but have no choice as the boiler is un-repairable (BG engineer and independant engineer) and we cannot afford a new one at the moment.

We are using the heaters very sparingly don't worry but have 2 children so have to take that into account. Luckily it's turned quite mild at the moment.

Out of interest regarding heating the water, is it best to keep an immersion turned on all the time so it just keeps the water heat "topped up" or to let it cool down and turn it on to heat when we know we need it for a bath etc.

Children are very resilient, perhaps yours played in the snow last winter? There are children living in igloos with no central heating at all! Layer everyone up, pop a spare duvet on the sofa for evenings, buy electric underblankets for anyone old enough (not suited to for tiny tots) and save your heaters for when frosts during the day or snows.

Only turn the immersion on when required, boil a kettle to wash or wash up if you run out of hot water. Showers use less energy than baths, especially if you turn the water off while soaping up. If not it does no harm to share the same bathwater! Try doing your laundry at 30-40C and avoid the tumble dryer.

Fire_Fox

Mynewt wrote: »

Forget the Template letter idea, being honest I suspect you can ill-afford the time or the extra worry waiting for the snail-mail to arrive and be answered.

I would in all honestly forget speaking to their customer service teams they are usually very limited on what they can and can't do. Instead find your supplier's complaints number and contact this team.

They have a far larger remit and are usually made up of experienced agents. Clearly outline your current situation and what you are able to afford they should work out a solution for you, if you are not getting the service you need (which is a different concept to the answer you want) request a copy of their complaints procedure and follow it to the letter, right up to and including intervention by OFGEM.

Template letters are the route recommended by debt charities, and the OP will need to have a paper trail of offering to pay and internal complaints before the ombudsman will get involved.

Mynewt

You have call recordings for paper trails as well as SAR's (Subject Access Requests) if you ever require further confirmation. At this stage neither are likely to be required, if however the OP is progressing deep into the supplier's complaints procedure these may be required, I strongly suspect however an amicable solution will be brokered long before then.

As for OFGem's intervention the OP doesn't require a single piece of paper in their hands, so long as the complaints procedure has been followed (which OFGem can check) there will be more than sufficient infomation for them to intervene.