British Gas agents letter- threatening PAYG electric meter.. options?

skintpaul

Some help welcome here, MSE'rs..


I have been out of work for some time, so making nominal payments on electric (and gas), until a new job is found. BG are fully aware of this.


Now had a letter from BCW Group, supposedly 'authorised officers' of BG, saying as 'unable to resolve the matter, serve notice of intention to make application for a Warrant of Entry from Magistrates court. to fit a PAYG meter / disconnect your supply..'


At the moment I cannot afford more than I am paying, and no savings etc to realise, to clear debt. Family / friends alreasy stretched, too.


With other bills mounting, this is getting me quite stressed out.


Questions-


Do PAYG meters cost more to run?


Is electric / gas deemed an essential service, so disconnection against 'human rights' ? (a desparate angle, I know!)


I had applied to the BG energy trust a few years ago, when previously out of work - do they accept second applications?


What to do?


Thank you.

footyguy

skintpaul wrote: »

Some help welcome here, MSE'rs..


I have been out of work for some time, so making nominal payments on electric (and gas), until a new job is found. BG are fully aware of this.


Now had a letter from BCW Group, supposedly 'authorised officers' of BG, saying as 'unable to resolve the matter, serve notice of intention to make application for a Warrant of Entry from Magistrates court. to fit a PAYG meter / disconnect your supply..'


At the moment I cannot afford more than I am paying, and no savings etc to realise, to clear debt. Family / friends alreasy stretched, too.


With other bills mounting, this is getting me quite stressed out.


Questions-


Do PAYG meters cost more to run?


Is electric / gas deemed an essential service, so disconnection against 'human rights' ? (a desparate angle, I know!)


I had applied to the BG energy trust a few years ago, when previously out of work - do they accept second applications?


What to do?


Thank you.

What are the "nominal payments" of which you speak?

You have to pay for what you use. If you can't afford it, but continue to use more than you can afford, (or not make arrangements to pay what is already owed) the supplier will, if possible, probably come and supply a restricted supply meter (commonly known as a pre-payment meter)

Pre payment meter tariffs can be found on any comparison site. You will see they are typically the same as the supplier's standard tariff (or occassionally cheaper)

spiro

If you on a pay on bill tariff rather than paying by DD then the ppm rate is the same these days. Gas and electricity are essential services which is why they don't disconnect you they fit a ppm, if you fail to top it up that is classed as self disconnection. Your supplier will set the ppm to collect for what you use plus £x per week towards the debt. £x will be set based on your ability to pay so you need to prepare a statement of your income, outgoings and any savings in readiness.

macman

How big is the debt on each supply? Have you already agreed a repayment plan and then failed to keep it? If you can only make 'nominal' payments then you probably aren't even paying for ongoing usage, let alone clearing the arrears. A PPM is the only way forward. They won't disconnect both, usually only the gas, as that still leaves you lighting and a source of heating and power.
Much better to voluntarily accept PPM's now, rather than incur further debts by way of court costs and forced entry. If you act now, you can hopefully avoid the court costs.

C_Mababejive

My best advice to you is phone BG,talk to them. If they insist they want to stop further debt accruing by fitting prepayment meters then agree it and have it done by appointment. If they have to get a warrant, they WILL get one and they will pitch up with a locksmith,a warrant officer and Engineer. The Cost of all that will be added to your bill..so best to fix it now ??

Cardew

PAYG tariffs are more expensive than the cheap internet tariffs, but approx. the same as the standard tariffs.


Your problem is that your Debt will be loaded onto the account and some money taken off your credit each day.


However, as stated above, if you don't agree to PAYG meters being fitted, they will go to court etc etc

macman

What credit meter tariff are you currently on?

[Deleted User]

Sorry mate, options....pay whats owing or accept the prepay .Prepays are OK for many people.They are fixed at the suppliers standard/variable tariff. The debts are loaded for repayment of from £3.50 to £16 a week plus the weekly standing charge of between 80p and £2 a week. If you don t allow access to have the meter fitted the cost of the warrant and locksmith will be loaded onto the meter along with the other debt, that is usually around £250. .Best bet is to accept the meter, repay the debt and then get the meter removed so you can then lower your tariff by approx 25% on a one year fix on direct debit

pathtofreedom

skintpaul wrote: »

Is electric / gas deemed an essential service, so disconnection against 'human rights' ? (a desparate angle, I know!)

Short answer is no, if it was millions wouldn't struggle to decide between heating and eating. This is why prepayment meters are bad as if you spend all your weeks money, and the power goes off, you're stuck till you've got some more money to top up.

Have you checked you're getting all the benefits you're entitled too? If you're still struggling you could ask for a referal to a food bank for a 3 day food package, and use the money saved to go towards your BG debt.

Also just do basic energy saving things like turn the heating off and have lots of jumpers / duvets to keep you warm. Turn off anything eletric you're not using at the plug so nothing is left on standby. If you've eaten your way through the freezer just turn it off rather than leave it on empty. Pick food that is fast / low energy to cook to keep costs down.

If you have a disability and claim certain beneifts you might be able to get a slightly lower tarriff, but as you didn't mention anything like that in your original post I don't think this applies.

Good luck with your job search. It might be worth posting an soa on the debt board too to make sure you've cut as much as possible. Also you could talk to some debt management charities to help with any other debts you have.

C_Mababejive

Think of prepayment meters as a long term interest free loan. You owe the money but they are allowing you to borrow that amount and repay it interest free over a few years. There is no other company on earth who would do that for you.

Go into any bank and ask them for a 2 or 3 year interest free loan and they would laugh you out the door.

Whats not to like?

SwanJon

It might be worth applying to BGET again, but if they've helped in the past they may not be able to do so again - can't hurt to ask.
https://bget.app.charisgrants.com/

As above, if it looks like you are going to have to get a PP meter installed, make the decision and book the job to avoid the warrant etc fees.

Third option is to look at Fuel Direct. This will set up a payment from your benefits for ongoing use, and the lowest debt repayment rate.
This has the advantage of keeping your current meter, but takes your control away from how much you are paying.
https://www.gov.uk/bills-benefits

There are no longer any tariffs available for vulnerable people, but there is the Warm Home discount - you've just missed the payment for this year, so it's no immediate help, but you can soon apply for next year's payment.