United Utilities business

michelle667667

I have just found out that United Utilities have not been taking any direct debit payments from my account since Novemeber last year and now they want to up my current direct debit from £20 a month to £88.50 a month to pay back the outstanding amount. Now as a small business I cannot afford this amount and think its highly unfair of them to make me pay this amount off when I didnt even know it wasn't being taken from my account. They say it was an internal thing and so they didnt inform any of their customers and are just now sending out the outstanding bills and expecting everyone just to pay the outstanding amounts off no questions asked. What do I do where do I stand please help. I cannot afford this huge increase every month in my direct debit.

ColinFishwick

But the debt has to be paid somehow. As a business you are expected to know your ins and outs. If they hadn't taken any DD out then your should be no better or worse off when they come to ask for any debt to be paid back. Even if you were a domestic tariff you will still have to pay any monies back give its less than a year old the debt.

What are you expected to achieve by posting this here? a way to get off paying or paying this debt over a longer period. £88.50 isnt a lot a month to pay for energy bills anyway. In future check you bank statements

victor2

michelle667667 wrote: »

... Now as a small business I cannot afford this amount and think its highly unfair of them to make me pay this amount off when I didnt even know it wasn't being taken from my account....

Highly unfair? They've given you free energy since last November through some mistake on their behalf. Let's give you the credit of not looking at your business accounts enough to realise you weren't paying them, rather than suggesting you noticed the payments hadn't gone, but decided not to complain.
They're not charging you interest for the energy you had in advance. Your business has hopefully benefitted from improved cash flow, now you've got to pay for what you've already had - and they're not even demanding it in one payment...

michelle667667

Helpful Colin Thanks. Im in no way looking to "get out" of paying this bill Im lookikng for help and maybe other people who have experienced this too. Of course I look at my account and of course I like to think that I would notice these thing but in fact I didn't. I turn over less than £12,000 a year so not a big business and it will seriously affect my personal circumstances as a single person to pay this much extra each month.
Thought this forum would be great for help..apparently some people are high and mighty and don't really give help just take the moral high ground!
Thanks for nothing

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

If you turn over less than £12k a year, surely you'd have noticed if a major payment wasn't being made? There can't be that much thoroughfare in your business account?


You can always ask for the debt to be paid over a longer period, although to be honest £20 a month would never have covered you so you must expect to pay more.

ColinFishwick

Okay fair enough maybe if you haven't already asked your utility company if you can pay it over a longer period. if they say 'no' then afraid you have to pay what they say you have too.


I dont wish to sound harsh maybe my post came across that way. if your only earning that amount per annum then that's very low.

michelle667667 wrote: »

Helpful Colin Thanks. Im in no way looking to "get out" of paying this bill Im lookikng for help and maybe other people who have experienced this too. Of course I look at my account and of course I like to think that I would notice these thing but in fact I didn't. I turn over less than £12,000 a year so not a big business and it will seriously affect my personal circumstances as a single person to pay this much extra each month.
Thought this forum would be great for help..apparently some people are high and mighty and don't really give help just take the moral high ground!
Thanks for nothing