Help with southern electric gas meter please

jemtom

i got into arrears when i first moved into my house 2 years ago i have been paying monthly but its not covering what i use and the arrears so the man suggested i have a prepayment meter as tey are cheap. although i have heard they are not cheap but expensive, i am getting worried now as dont want to be running out of gas if i cant afford to put it in? can anyone tell me whether its like paying monthly or is it the most expensive way to sort it out?
thanks
Jemma.

Premier_2

jemtom wrote: »

i got into arrears ...

i am getting worried now as dont want to be running out of gas if i cant afford to put it in? ....

What should worry you more is that if you can't afford what you use, but use it all the same, you'll only get yourself in even more arrears.

At least with a PPM, if you can't afford it, you won't be allowed to use it

jemtom

i only found out last week that my payments were not covering my arrears if i had known earlier i would have tried to pay more but currently cannot afford it and they wont accept what i am paying now. i have a little boy and through the winter there is no way i can be without heating. i was asking for advice not to be accused of some sort of theif or be called a child maybe if you cant say anything helpful dont say it at all.

dogshome

Hi jemtom - From your posts it appears that for some while SE have been under estimating your gas bills and charging accordingly, ( Moved in 2 years ago and only found out about debt last week ? )

If this is the case, it's usual that the time to repay the debt by installments is at least as long as it took to build up, but you have to ask for it

Depending on just how this debt built up, there could be other avenues whereby the supplier is at fault, so post the details
All the best

specialsparky

Hi Jemtom,
Unlike one of the responses I will try and be helpful. If you are in trouble with paying the first thing to do is to talk to your supplier. Dogsholme is spot on ask your supplier to check if they have been underbilling you and ask for their help. Pre Payment meters are ok if they stop you getting further into debt and also allow you to pay your debt off. Their tariff is not the cheapest but you have a debt so lets get that cleared first and suppliers don't charge you intrest so don't forget it is like a bit of a loan. If you agree to have a PP meter fitted voluntarily then they cannot add anymore charges to your account, but if they go to a collection agency and court you will have maybe as much as £300 added if they fit a PP meter under a court warrant. So make sure you avoid that
Another way is if you are benefits then you can ask for your debt and future consumption to be paid from your benfit through something called Fuel Direct . Talk to your supplier and ask for this option if you are on benefits.
Good luck and I hope this helps

GYOB

The best thing to do is contact Southern Electric on 0800 980 0414 and ask to speak to their Credit Management department. They are in the best place to dicuss options and look at your debt.

There are other options to look at before getting a Pre-payment meter installed. If you spend a certain percentage of your income on gas/electric you may be eligable for their Energyplus Care tariff (not available on a pre-payment meter) and if the debt has built up over a 2 year period you can spread the repayments over a 2 year period. They may also be willing to spread it over a longer period of time. If you're on benefits you may be eligable for Fuel Direct. While these won't help with arrears already built up they will help reduce what you spend in the future.

If you'd rather not spend ages on the telephone you can use their online form (https://www.southern-electric.co.uk/Public/ContactUs/ContactUs.aspx?id=22442) reuqesting that someone from Credit Management contacts you.

specialsparky

Hi,
not strictly accurate from GYOB.The Fuel Direct scheme takes a certain amount of money from your benefits and pays it directly across to your supplier. This will include outstanding debt, currently recovered at a maximum of about £3 per week. Additionally, a further amount will be deducted to pay for your current consumption. Once set up your supplier will not chase you for payment as long as you are on Benefits and the DWP pay the amount over each week. You can stop paying by this method by notifying the DWP, however any outstanding debt becomes due for immediate payment.
Fuel Direct is a last option scheme and is only used when all other options to pay have been examined, these include PP meters and payment arrangements.
If you are on benefit, then contact your supplier. They can set this up for you
Good luck and I hope this helps

stef240377

The energy care plus tarriff is available if your on benefits and a prepayment meter as this is what i am on. I get a cheque back every 3 months for the 20% reduction for both gas and electric. This was arranged for 3 years with a review after this time to see if still eligible.