Advice on pre-payment meters for gas & elec

ggtth

I am in a bit of debt for elec & gas after loosing my job through redundacy.

Scottish Gas want to put in pre-payment meters. I guess the debt will go on the meters? Is there a minimum debt payment amonth. I am told that it will be £4 per week per meter so £8 per week repayment. That is quite a lot of money as I am only getting short of £60 a week in benifits.

Can the repayment amount be lower? Anybody got any experience with Fuel Direct and is it an option for me?

Thanks.

Buddingblonde

Are you on an income based benefit - income support or income based esa or pension credit guarenteed credit? If so then fuel direct might be an option HOWEVER you have to weigh up the pros and cons carefully.

Pro - the debt is repaid at £3.30 per week per fuel from your benefit,
Your current useage is also taken off your benefit

Con - you lose a large chunk off your benefit each week which you have no control over until your useage is reassed by the fuel company.
It can take ages (paperwork has to be ordered from the DWP, then sent back to them and they then approach the supplier to get a costing for your current useage).

Which supplier are you with? If you are with British Gas or EDF you could apply to their trust fund for help with the debt you have. I have made applications in the past for friends and family who have seen a change of circumstances leave them with a fuel debt.

loonatic

my debt recovery was at first 15.00 a week per meter the lowest they went for me being on income support is 3.45 and im with scottish power although they have in the last 2 days altered my meter to collect 15.00 again without any notice

undaunted

If you have pre payment meters fitted you may also find that there is a charge to do so should you later want them removed again.

Fuel direct will incur no such charges and the supplier can't just alter the amount as suggested above. I don't see the large chunk out of your benefit argument (above) myself as one way or another you have to pay them something. To my mind Fuel Direct would therefore be your best bet at the moment.

Good luck