in debt with eon

beccalj

Morning people
I'm sure my story is that much different to others here but I need peoples advice!
ok, so this is my first year on benefits and I know nothing!
I had to unfortunately leave my husband as he became abusive to me and my son (I was luving in Egypt) took me 3 months to escape with him and arrived back in England destitute.
It took around 6 months for benefits to be sorted - so was already in debt!
My son (who is 3) has difficulties with talking prob from the trauma he went through, I had to join him to a nursery to get him help.
Thats the sob story over with!
so now I am in a better position and can pay but have this massive debt, I did call eon a few times over the year and told them I cant pay and what can they do to help - nothing was the answer! They also ignored the home heating help line when they emailed them. This has now meant I have lost out on the vulnerable persons discount (noone told me there was a time scale)
eon also do not have me on the cheapest tarrif. I knew nothing about being able to pay out of your benefits.
I called turn2us who ate trying to help with getting me help to clear the debt.
Its so hard to ask for help I have worked all my life in a very high position and now cant get work because of the erractic hours I have available due to my sons appointments.
So my question is what do I do? ! I have no idea anything of these supports exsisted.
I need to pay £82 per month for gas and electric
thanks

macman

You don't actually say how much you owe, or when you last paid anything, but it may be best to accept a voluntary PPM installation in order to reduce the debt that way. The fact that you have paid nothing for x months (if that is the case) will not make them very keen to offer you a workable repayment schedule. if you cannot agree and maintain the repayments, then eventually they will impose a PPM on you anyway, with consequent extra costs.
But if you do stay on a credit meter with Eon, then you can certainly switch to their cheapest tariff (though you won't be able to switch supplier if the debt is over about £200).

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi beccalj

I'm really sorry you weren't given the help you needed when you called.

We offer a number of different payment arrangements to help with debt. These include Monthly Direct Debits, Regular Cash payments (either weekly/fortnightly/monthly) or prepayment meters.

It's important to make sure any arrangement covers the ongoing usage or the debt will continue to build. On top of this, we can spread the outstanding balance over a more manageable period.

Given the circumstances you describe, we may be able to offer an arrangement that keeps the debt re-payment rate relatively low.

We have a team called Caring Energy who will be able to advise on this and more. They offer vulnerable customers help both handling current bills and reducing future ones.

They'll know more than our general call centres about the Home Heat Helpline and other schemes. For instance, depending on where you live, there may be help available through the Water Trust Funds.

We work with Severn Trent, United Utilities and Southern Water to provide energy debt relief to those eligible within these water areas.

Don't know if you're in any of these areas but, if you are, this may be an option. Caring Energy will be able to advise in more depth.

Let us have up to date meter readings. This will make sure the account has been billed accurately. We can also look at your tariff at the same time.

If practical, we can fit a prepayment meter and put the debt on the meter to collect at an agreed weekly amount. This is usually the lowest debt repayment method we offer.

The payments through benefits scheme is known as Fuel Direct. This tends to be a last resort and has to be agreed by the Benefits Agency.

Again, sorry you weren't given more help before but hope this is of interest. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

Fire_Fox

Weren't your benefits backdated so you got a lump sum? If so didn't you share this between your creditors? If you have several debts you might be best posting on the Debt-free Wannabe board, and considering a Debt Management Plan with one of the charities CCCS or Payplan.

Nada666

If you are now receiving benefits for yourself and your son your income should be reasonable. There is no need to go to the expense or inconvenience of pre-payment meters or fuel direct payments. Make sure you change to their cheapest tariff.

You say you need to pay £86 per month - is that £86 of debt or does it include ongoing useage? If debt is it over twelve months?

beccalj

Hi guys thanks for your responses
Malc - thank you I have called that line and they are calling me back to let me know what they can do.
The £86 is the gas and electric in total with no debt
With regards to the back payment - you would think so but believe it or not, not everyone else stopped asking for payment for the 4month! Ie rent water etc so that all had to be paid back to the people that lent it to me!
The fact is my outgoing bills left me £50 a month to live on - including food. So I didn't just not pay my bill I couldn't. And any month I did have any money left over I would send a cheque to E-on.
Anyway I have since called British gas as home help told me their tariffs are better, based on my present usage of electric they will charge me £24 a month, half of that of E-on. They couldn't help me with the gas at the moment because I have no meter readings for that.
What do you do when the bill is more than the amount you have left over each month?!
I'm going to call Thames water as well because apparently they do a vulnerable persons scheme so if I can lower that bill I can pay more on other utilities.
I am just desperately looking for work I basically cried in the job centre to get attention, because their attitude is 'you have a 3 year old with difficulties your not our priority to get you back to work'

beccalj

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Weren't your benefits backdated so you got a lump sum? If so didn't you share this between your creditors? If you have several debts you might be best posting on the Debt-free Wannabe board, and considering a Debt Management Plan with one of the charities CCCS or Payplan.

Hi, thanks for the advice - only have this debt thankfully

macman

Beware: no supplier can supply you at half the rate of another. The difference is about 15% at most. Use a comp site with your estimated kWh figure to find the best tariff.
I don't understand why your first post say that you have 'this massive debt' and now you say that you have no arrears at all with Eon? And your post is entitled 'massive debt with Eon'?

beccalj

macman wrote: »

Beware: no supplier can supply you at half the rate of another. The difference is about 15% at most. Use a comp site with your estimated kWh figure to find the best tariff.
I don't understand why your first post say that you have 'this massive debt' and now you say that you have no arrears at all with Eon? And your post is entitled 'massive debt with Eon'?

Hi, I didn't say I don't have no debt??!! I do have a very large debt with them.
This tariff is with sainsburys under written by british gas, fixed rate tracker I think they called it. I have to go on line every month and submit a meter reading so I don't get behind with paying what I am using. And they search on what I tell them to get me the cheapest rate

beccalj

I see what you mean macman - it was in answer to your question - is the £86 with or without paying off the debt
its £86 with no debt repayment

macman

But if you are in arrears with Eon by more than about £200 (you don't state the amount), then they will block your switch to Sainsburys. You are presumably not in a position to clear the arrears before you switch? I don't think you've thought this through.