MSE News: Call to reform pre-pay energy as 1.4 million cut off

C_Mababejive

You see..if we had a nationalised gas industry,things would be so much better..

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

Ok, well i wouldn't ask for anything for free but i do hate the stigma that comes with having a pre-payment meter!!! Why is it that everyone thinks that if your poor/struggling to pay bills/on pre-payment meters then you must be on benefits???

As a family we have no benefits coming in bar tax credits now (only due to having a baby under 1 so it won't last) but we struggle like hell to pay our bills each month. We don't have luxuries at all, its all due to being stuck in the stupid trap of renting meaning our rent is way over half of our monthly income...and no it's not possible to move and get cheaper rent - not here anyway. LHA for a 2bed is just about what you'd pay for a studio flat here, so ridiculously worked out.

Gas is often something we go without, even with a baby and young child in the house. This area has extortionate council tax rates, 2 different companies you have to pay water rates too and all insurance rates are through the roof. Gas is almost a non-essential to us sadly.

My husband works 60+ hours a week to pay for everything and yep we are still poor, very poor infact - so please don't make everyone out to be scroungers if they are struggling. Sometimes i do think it'd be easier to give up the work and claim benefits as i know far too many people who don't bother working who are far better off than us - but guess what, we have morals and we were brought up to make our own living!!! It's be nice if the government decided to give incentives such as cheaper housing to those who ARE trying to make something of their lives instead of those that don't bother at all.

The stupid fact that pre-payment meters DO cost more hurts the people that are struggling the most, so it's very easy for those who are lucky enough to live comfortably to form a negative reaction to anyone on a PP/meter.

Sorry for the rant...i just hate the fact so many people give those who are really struggling a kick while they are down.

Andy_WSM

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

The stupid fact that pre-payment meters DO cost more hurts the people that are struggling the most, so it's very easy for those who are lucky enough to live comfortably to form a negative reaction to anyone on a PP/meter.

It's not a "stupid fact" that they cost more, it's a fact of life. The cost of running the pre-payment network has to be paid for & pre-payment meters cause a hell of a lot of call-outs for the engineers. Why should I pay for these costs on my electricity bill when I am not a part of the cause of the increased costs?

"lucky enough" to live comfortably? Sorry, you make your own "luck". I commuted a 350 miles return journey every day for a year to secure a better paid job so I could climb out of poverty. Many people wouldn't do this and just say "the job is too far away". I don't consider I am "lucky" to be in a better position now than I was a year ago, I worked hard to achieve it...

Cardew

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

i do hate the stigma that comes with having a pre-payment meter!!!

The stupid fact that pre-payment meters DO cost more hurts the people that are struggling the most, so it's very easy for those who are lucky enough to live comfortably to form a negative reaction to anyone on a PP/meter.

Gas is often something we go without, even with a baby and young child in the house.

I really don't think that there is a 'stigma' attached to pre-payment meters.(PPM)

It is an inescapable fact that generally PPM are used by the less well off in society. However it would be a pretty small minded bigot that would have a negative reaction to people in such a situation.

The fact is that these days people who PPM do not pay a great deal more than the majority of customers in UK. That is because the majority still have a Standard tariff(BG disingenuously call it their most popular tariff).

What I find surprising is that so many people pay monthly/quarterly for their phone, mobile, and internet and yet not for their essential gas and electricity. Could it be that they know that the phone/internet/mobile will be cut off if they don't pay?

I also have to say I find it surprising that you can state you cannot afford gas with young children in the house, yet are able to afford the internet. That wouldn't be my priority.

KimYeovil

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote: »

The stupid fact that pre-payment meters DO cost more hurts the people that are struggling the most, so it's very easy for those who are lucky enough to live comfortably to form a negative reaction to anyone on a PP/meter.

Sorry for the rant...i just hate the fact so many people give those who are really struggling a kick while they are down.

Plenty of people with credit meters are not 'living comfortably'. There is no magic command that states if you are poor you are not capable of managing your gas/electricity yourself. If you believe cheaper tariffs are available on a credit meter then use a credit meter.

I hate it when so many bleeding hearts promote short-sighted measures that will harm the poor and cause them higher costs.

plumber2009

To all the critics.

Just wait until you lose your job and then see how easy it is to find work and pay the bills with a petty £65 per week handout. Theres Food, Clothing, Public transport, TV Licence, Water ,Gas and Electric to pay for and thats what i can think off just from the top of my head.

I have worked all my life until i recently lost my job.I have paid thousands in tax and insurance over the years and last year it was over 10k.

Prepay meters cost a lot more compared to a quarterly bill by DD. My weekly gas and electic bill's have more than doubled since i have been switched over to prepay.

And as others have said, i guess i fit into the "lasy and cant be botherd" section.

Just think before you speek. Its to easy to pre judge and criticise.

my 2 cent.

Joyful

I have never seen a PP meter being 50% higher than a credit. Are you having a debt taken back? If not shop around for a better Supplier. In my previous note I have backed up what you say.

ariarnia

Premier wrote: »

As I asked, have you used a comparison site recently to check you are getting the best deal? I suspect you are not.

That's if you're interested in actually saving money of course

Also, as I suggested, look to see if a single rate tariff would work out cheaper. With just 10% night usage, I strongly suspect you could save by moving from the current E7 tariff you are on.

As i said before, I have looked and there are better deals, but when I first moved into my first flat back in march I called (British gas I think) and asked if I was with them (there was nothing on my metre that told me who my supplier was) and if I could switch to them.

I was told that I could switch but that I would then have to pay a subsidy (the lady said it was like bt line rental) on top as swalec own all the transformers in the area and that my current supplier would probably be the cheapest after this was added on. I don't know if I'm misunderstanding this, but the lady definately told me it wasn't worth my while to switch.

Can I move off E7 - I haven't asked before to be honest, but I didn't think you could, and i know my landlord doesn't want the flats converting from pre-pay.

This is my first flat where bills haven’t been included (shared student flat with bills, then a bedsit with all bills but phone) so if I can do something differently that’s grand, but when I asked I was told there wasn’t really any point.

I do agree that E7 is a waste of time for me as I’m never in during the day and the odd time I’ve wanted the storage heaters on (I’ve never had them before so seeing how they work) by the time I’ve got back in most of the heats gone already.

I've got a halogen heater for direct heat in winter and I'll be coming in, turning that on for an hour and then going under the duvet and having early nights infront of the tv for the winter I think.

Premier_2

ariarnia wrote: »

As i said before, I have looked and there are better deals, but when I first moved into my first flat back in march I called (British gas I think) and askedif I was with them (there was nothing on my metre that told me who my supplier was) and if I could switch to them.

I was told that I could switch but that I would then have to pay a subsidy (the lady said it was like bt line rental) on top as swalec own all the transformers in the area and that my current supplier would probably be the cheapest after this was added on. I don't know if I'm misunderstanding this, but the lady definately told me it wasn't worth my while to switch.

Can I move off E7 - I haven't asked before to be honest, but I didn't think you could, and i know my landlord doesn't want the flats converting from pre-pay.

This is my first flat where bills haven’t been included (shared student flat with bills, then a bedsit with all bills but phone) so if I can do something differently that’s grand, but when I asked I was told there wasn’t really any point.

I do agree that E7 is a waste of time for me as I’m never in during the day and the odd time I’ve wanted the storage heaters on (I’ve never had them before so seeing how they work) by the time I’ve got back in most of the heats gone already.

I've got a halogen heater for direct heat in winter and I'll be coming in, turning that on for an hour and then going under the duvet and having early nights infront of the tv for the winter I think.

Pay a subsidy to who?
If you change supplier you don't pay the existing supplier anything, and the new supplier the price as per their tariff.

Change to the better deal today!

Regarding your landlord, he can't stop you switching supplier, or indeed stop you from changing away from PPM (but you may be liable for any cost in returning the property to the condition in which it was originally let i.e. the cost of re-installing a PPM at the end of your tenancy)

Yes you can move away from E7 if it's not suited ...and if you prefer to use expensive halogen heaters compared to cheap rate storage heaters then E7 probably isn't the best tariff for you. Seek advice from your supplier, preferably a new one that doesn't give you nonsense about paying a subsidy. Again, if that involves a meter change (i.e. the supplier requires a single rate meter installed) then you may be liable for any cost of reverting that back at the end of the tenancy.

ariarnia

It would be a charge on top of their advertised rate on the comparason website becuase they have to pay to use swalecs electriciy in my area which would be representated by just a more expensive charge per unit.

I don't prefer to use an expensive heater - what I prefer is to benifit from the electric I'm using and if that means heat on demand rather than my flat being heated while I'm out and cold when i get back then that's me paying for heat I'm getting rather than for heat that's wasted.

I only need heat in my studio flat from about 6pm to about 7pm when I'm getting ready for work the next day. I'd rather pay 20p for that heat directionally from a halogen heater than at 17p a unit from a storage heater I've had to put on top up at day rates as it's lost all it's heat before then.

I will ask about comming off e7 and see what they say, but it does say in my contract that I need to get permission from the landlord before any changes can be made to the flat and I would assume that would include a meter change.