BG Electric - MASSIVE monthly increase - options anyone??

msc1977

Hi - i dont know if anyone can help - we have been paying £29.50 a month for our BG electric for a good couple of years now - i was aware that we werent clearing our debt but know it always goes down through the summer.

On 12th March i received a bill for £408 statung we have reassessed your account and yur payments will remain the same at £29.50 blah blah - then 5 days later i receive a letter saying we have reassessed your account and as of 2nd May 07 your payments will increase to £93.00 a month!!!

I dont deny we owe the money but i simply cant afford an extra £60 a month, i just can't pay them something they dont have. I called BG and explained the situation and all they can offer me is to reduce to £70 a month which we will still struggle at or a meter paying off the debt at £10.00 per month plus our usage.

Can anyone give me any advice - what happens if i switch supplier - will BG demand the amount in one go, or might they take a payment plan.... any advice would be much appreciated!

Cardew

You can't change from BG unless you clear your debt first.

I really don't know what other advice you want.

You might be able to get BG to spread your debt out over a year or even more; but thats really it.

The pay meter option will mean you paying more for your electricity than by DD.

Essentially you have had the goods(as you appreciate) and have had, in effect, an interest free loan for a couple of years, and BG are letting you pay it back over a further period.

Gal

If you think about your argument logically - ie it will go down in the summer - You owe them £408 and were paying £29.50 a month, even a year at that amount wouldn't have cleared that, and your using on top of that so if anything its going to keep going up.

There is nothing that you can do as such to reduce the amount they are asking for other then try and cut down your usage in the future. PP Meters as pointed out means you lose the discount offered by having a DD set up but you can obviously pay the debt off at smaller amounts - Although this means £40 a month going towards this and you pay for what you use on top - Which I would estimate it more then £30 anyways.

Imo I would take the £70 as the reason your DD is so high is probably down to the amout you owe them currently.