prepayment meter worries (British Gas)

wornoutmumoftwo

Ok, it's a long story, but due to unemployment a couple of years ago combined with Child Tax credits etc being stopped due to overpayment (their fault not mine) all our debts basically built up and i'm still trying to get us straight.

Our electricity bill at the end of last year was £1000 (since July 05), we're all electric though. I applied for the British Gas grant which I thought would put us straight, but no sooner did that come through and clear the debt I had another bill of about £600 just days later so , back to square one.

I've made and broken several arrangements due to trying to pay everyone and not having enough to go around really so they said I had to have a prepayment meter. Currently owe them £1160 for this year since January.

They said there would be £10 emergency credit (which was a lie as it's £5), they've told me when I've cleared my debt I can go back onto a billing meter (don't believe them).

I phoned them prior to it going in to make them aware that I have an asthmatic 4 year old, in fact he was ill on the day they fitted it but they said there was no other option, although I told them I was now in a position to offer £40 a week as I have just finished paying another debt off.

Anyway, now I'm a nervous wreck, they told me the meter would take off a % of the debt every 101 minutes, but no more then £15 per week, but the meter isn't even showing a debt. just a weekly charge of £1.21?

I'm keeping it above £20 in case they take the £15 in one go.

I am becoming a nervous wreck and the worry is making me feel ill.

I'm checking the meter at least once an hour, in fact I use no electric through the day but at night I swear it's using up more kwh then the billing meter. (I have storage heaters/washing machine does a short wash at 2am in the morning as I'm on economy 7)

Just need advice from someone who is repaying a debt and how soon do they start taking it back, it was installed on Wednesday and it's sunday now and they've taken none of it.

Thanks

duchy

My understanding is that whatever money you put it-it has to leave you 20% of it for electric but if you think it isn't working right-ask them to send out an enginerr to check it. Chances are he'll also explains to you exactly how it deducts money and what to expect

Terrylw1

So much of the credit you buy must go back as elec, not as debt. However, the fact that is it not collecting any debt would suggest that the engineer has not set the charge. However, on most meters your Supplier could do that for you.

It sounds to me like they have not set the debt recovery side up so you need to give them a call. I find it strange that they are not biting your hand off for £40 extra a week.

To be honest, it's harder to make part payments like that with a PP than a credit. The reason being that it's hard to balance up your credits purchased against part payments of a debt, hence they set it against your purchases on the card/key.

I think you just need to call them to discuss making payment either via the meter or in part in some way to your account.

Did they tell you that your charges have gone up with going on PP? That will eat into your budget.

Faulty meters are very rare, but charges being set incorrectly are not.

I think it would be best to understand a bit more about how the PP collects and how the latest charges have affected your payments before you consider it to be faulty or "speeding" etc.

I always love how Suppliers (and even Ofgem who see it as acceptable) fit PP meters knowing they will cost more per unit to the customer. Tat should be changed!

When you want to go back onto credit, you will be credit checked and may need to pay a deposit.

wornoutmumoftwo

I've worked it out that I need to pay £40 a week onto the meter which would be the £15 I owe them a week and then £25 for electric.

I just checked my last bill which is dated a week before that other contraption was installed and I worked it out that i owe £1171

My weekly service charge is £1.17

So I guess he must have entered it in wrong if he was the one to set it up.

As for them charging more per unit, I was told about it and think it's diabolical, it is unfair and should not be allowed. I understand some of the extra is the VAT but that's all that should be added on.

Surely they are discriminating against lower income/had hard times people (don't want to offend anyone here but you know what I mean).

Thank you both for your advice. I'm just panicking because I'm worried I'll have a week where I have to go into emergency credit without the money to buy more and my son is asthmatic. I'm sure I'll calm down a little when I get used to it.

Terrylw1

Unfortunately, thats the way it is with PP meters and always has been. Ebico are the only ones that do things differently.

Ofgem (the ombudsman) states Suppliers only need to make you aware and thats it. it's pathetic really since they are effectively forcing you to pay up or have a PP meter, hence knowing they will only inflate your debt further. This is to cover service charges but it's well known that they still make a profit as many people never need a service visit!

I don't know you personal situation, however it may be worth speaking to the CAB about this. They have defended a lot of "at risk" parties when it comes to PP meters.

CAB & Energywatch are trying to get Ofgem to change certain areas of PP metering as it is definately contributing to fuel poverty (although Ofgem state it is not!)

If you spend more than 10% on your fuel, you can access extra services.

It may be worth visiting the CAB for advice since you have a substantial debt there to pay off. There are also circumstances where Suppliers are not allowed to fit PP meters e.g. severe illness or disability meaning it would inflate a condition having to obtain credit.

Be very careful with your meter. Suppliers rause their charges at times and customers keep getting stung for a lot of cash when the meters don't update due to a fault. So, keep an eye on the bill charges on your statement as opposed to your meter's charges. If not, you could end up with problems later.

SwanJon

Hi,
Sorry to hear you are going through this, but what they have told you is right - once you're back on track you can ask for the meter to be swpped back, but you'll probably be asked to pay a security deposit to get it done.

As your meter is new I take it it is a KBD key meter (made by a company called Actaris).
You can check what the meter is charging you from the screens (see link).
S shows the balance remaining.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=6778556&highlight=meter+screens#post6778556

It might be that they have sent a message to the meter for the balance to be applied.
It will take 15p (1%) every 101 minutes from the credit on the front of the meter, unless you are using emegency credit (adds up to £15 a week)
It will also take a standing charge to make up the difference between Tier 2 and tier 1, again, unless you are in emergency credit. (that's the £1.21 a week)
You should have been given £10 emergency to start, and then it will be £5.
Really try not to use it as you will then need to pay back the £5, and any 15p's that were missed, and any SC before you get any electricity at all.
If you want you could make extra payments straight to BG, but at the moment you are not being charged interest on this, so you may be better holding onto the money - whichever way you feel more comfortable.

As Terry says, there are circumstances with meters being set wrong, but that tends not to be the key meters. If you are worried, you could paste screens F, K I and I can tell you if it's what it should be.

Hop ethat helps.

wornoutmumoftwo

Thank you.

I was given £5 emergency credit at the very start, not £10.
It's a blue key and I'm keeping th balance above £20 in case they take the £15 in one go.
It is deducting 0.0017 every 101 minutes though not the 15p and I have no screens to show a debt??

I'm waiting til weds and if they haven't taken £15 i'll go and pay it on my pymt card.

I will get the pictures and post them

Thanks very much

SwanJon

It looks like the balance hasn't made it to your meter yet - don't worry about making the extra payment as they only expect you to pay through the meter.
It won't take the £15 in one go - the meter isn't programmed that way, but it's a good idea to keep the meter healthily topped up anyway.
You'll find that you will pick up a message when you buy electricity, and that will transfer to your meter.
Keep an eye on screens S & T - they'll show you when the message has arrived.

I don't need pictures of the screens - just what they say. Sorry, didn't make that clear.
I can't find a region with a £1.21 weekly charge though - which part of the country are you in?

wornoutmumoftwo

Hello again, thanks for your help on this.

The charge is 1.71 a week and I estimate that I owe £1171. I don't have a screen S and T, it only goes as far as J or K.

I live just outside of Glasgow

Thanks a lot

Terrylw1

Good advice from Swanjon.

If you are thinking of paying this off quicker, you could arrange with your Supplier to make some set payments in bulk which would credit the balance on your account with them, but not your meter. They would then need to adjust the collection on the meter again to avoid overcharging you.

It's possible, but it depends on what your Supplier would prefer. If it means visits, they may lose money sending engineers out to do the changes and will be happier to wait longer to collect it. If its just a message to the key, then they may be more open to your suggestion.

Also, sounds like the engineer has set the 1st time emergency credit wrong, so it's more likely that he/she has also set the colection up wrong as well.

wornoutmumoftwo

Thank you again, I really do appreciate all your advice.

I actually told the engineer that British Gas had told me that emergency was £10 and he said no.

I also think it's a bit of a coincidence that my debt is £1171 and the weekly deductions £1.17 - not that i'm complaining, wish I could pay all my debts back at a pound a week.

I have a loan finishing up at the end of Jan which I pay £30 a week and I can then pay another £30 a week to the electricity.

If the weekly amount isn't fixed by the weekend I think I will have to ring them to fix it as I'll be worried something will go wrong over Christmas week otherwise. Though I wouldn't mind it staying like this and me paying them their £15 a week arrears with my payment card.

I use no electricity hardly through the day, the minute I put my immersion on it swallows up the money, about a pound an hour and I have it on for about 3 hours a day.

Once they've corrected the amount they need to take a week my electricity will cost me £5 a day. (I'm all electric).

Thank you all once again