trying to get rid of a prepay gas meter

ForzaFifer

i moved into my own flat last month, it has a prepay gas meter with British Gas, which i dont want, but im having a nightmare trying to get it changed to a credit meter.

British Gas have told me i dont qualify for a credit meter, they wouldnt tell me why exactly, something to do with my credit score (even though i have a good score) and also my top up history (even though im about £25 in credit)... They also wouldnt tell me when they performed the check either. It took them 2 weeks to send me a prepayment card and as soon as i got it i topped it up, so i dont get it.

im finding British Gas really difficult to deal wtih, im not really sure what to do now.

Does anyone have experience of switching from prepay to credit?

Biscuit_Tin

ForzaFifer wrote: »

i moved into my own flat last month, it has a prepay gas meter with British Gas, which i dont want, but im having a nightmare trying to get it changed to a credit meter.

British Gas have told me i dont qualify for a credit meter, they wouldnt tell me why exactly, something to do with my credit score (even though i have a good score) and also my top up history (even though im about £25 in credit)... They also wouldnt tell me when they performed the check either. It took them 2 weeks to send me a prepayment card and as soon as i got it i topped it up, so i dont get it.

im finding British Gas really difficult to deal wtih, im not really sure what to do now.

Does anyone have experience of switching from prepay to credit?

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/switch-prepaid-gas-electricity/

I experienced no issue with getting BG to change a prepay gas meter for a credit meter.
Not sure if that was because of a good credit history, or simply because I had had a credit gas meter with BG at a previous property.

I think it took them about 2 weeks from asking in total to come and exchange it, iirc.

As I had no reason to use the gas at the time, I never bothered with a payment card.
According to their website, it can take up to 3 working days to obtain a new card through the post, or you can pick one up at your local top-up shop (Paypoint)
https://www.britishgas.co.uk/help-and-support/meters/pay-as-you-go/faq/how-do-i-get-a-new-card-or-key-for-my-meter

Edit:
Your previous threads over the past month about this that seems you already knew some of this :cool:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6010840/just-moved-flat-switching-supplier
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6016459/prepay-gas-meter-has-debt-from-previous-owner

dogshome

Brit Gas are known for taking a very hard line when asked to swap over a PAYGO meter to Credit one.
The way forward is to Switch the account to another supplier - EDF have a much more relaxed attitude

[Deleted User]

dogshome wrote: »

Brit Gas are known for taking a very hard line when asked to swap over a PAYGO meter to Credit one.
The way forward is to Switch the account to another supplier - EDF have a much more relaxed attitude

I agree , EDF are the muppets who allow anyone to join them on a credit meter basis without "due diligence " of a simple credit history check which would reveal some new occupiers as serial long term defaulters and debtors..
Incredibly stupid of a big 6 supplier to allow this when there are occupants who join them with the intention of not paying a bean for their energy use in the approx 2 years it takes to get access to the meters to end their free energy and £3k s worth of debt.
Meanwhile the "professional " renter has moved properties, owing 2 years rent as well, to the next poor landlord to sucker.
As a long term meter reader I have seen this in action for years. One cheeky fiddler I met simply moved two doors down from an EDF supplier, leaving a trail of debt to a Scottish Power property to continue rent free and energy free living. I read meters for both Scot Power and EDF so I would be the only person who could see what was happening.
This is the reason that all suppliers should be diligent enough to at least do a credit history search like everyone else would if several thousand pounds worth of credit is at stake.
I would nt call BG s stance " a hard line " as that is what the whole of the industry in the main has to do .
Its simply makes financial sense to defend themselves against criminals who try to defraud by stealth. The losses a supplier makes from these people are simply passed onto the honest to pay in higher tariffs.