Bulb and struggling to pay increased payments

3littlegems

Hi
Wonder if anyone can help. So we currently pay £136.00 a month and they are wanting to up the payments to £195.00 which we cant afford. The hike up is due to us owing £500 that seems to have slowly built up over a year or so. So i used online chat today to say we couldnt afford it but i could offer an extra £10 a month and pay off extra when i could. They`ve refused and said the lowest they could offer was £170 and actually by the end of the chat that figure changed to £180!  I was advised to use a third party called Tully to assess our financial situation which i have refused. I am well aware of what we can afford but it seems Bulb have to verify my situation through a third party and only once they get a reply from Tully will they arrange a payment plan and thats only if Tully deem it fit that we have more important things to pay than bulb! 
I asked the agent to raise a complaint and that the conversation would follow on through email.
Can i be forced to use this third party?
I've received an email and she's still telling me i need to use Tully and then drops into the conversation that i have to give access to my bank accounts to Tully!!! Can this be right??  She`s also advising to use their other recommended advisors Citizens Advice. I dont need financial advise i run a good home budget but i cant magic money from what i dont have. Husband was out of work for 5 months last year we had to have a 6 month payment breaks on our big loan and lease car, we managed to keep up with everything else and we are still doing that now but we cant afford this increased payment.
Do i really have to let this third party get involved?  What happened to the days where you could ring a company, ask for help, sort out a payment plan etc Why do i have to give access to bank accounts for this to happen. Do i have any other options or is it a case of sucking it up and allowing this Tully them access? 

BedrockFred

3littlegems said:

Hi
Wonder if anyone can help. So we currently pay £136.00 a month and they are wanting to up the payments to £195.00 which we cant afford. The hike up is due to us owing £500 that seems to have slowly built up over a year or so. So i used online chat today to say we couldnt afford it but i could offer an extra £10 a month and pay off extra when i could. They`ve refused and said the lowest they could offer was £170 and actually by the end of the chat that figure changed to £180!  I was advised to use a third party called Tully to assess our financial situation which i have refused. I am well aware of what we can afford but it seems Bulb have to verify my situation through a third party and only once they get a reply from Tully will they arrange a payment plan and thats only if Tully deem it fit that we have more important things to pay than bulb! 
I asked the agent to raise a complaint and that the conversation would follow on through email.
Can i be forced to use this third party?
I've received an email and she's still telling me i need to use Tully and then drops into the conversation that i have to give access to my bank accounts to Tully!!! Can this be right??  She`s also advising to use their other recommended advisors Citizens Advice. I dont need financial advise i run a good home budget but i cant magic money from what i dont have. Husband was out of work for 5 months last year we had to have a 6 month payment breaks on our big loan and lease car, we managed to keep up with everything else and we are still doing that now but we cant afford this increased payment.
Do i really have to let this third party get involved?  What happened to the days where you could ring a company, ask for help, sort out a payment plan etc Why do i have to give access to bank accounts for this to happen. Do i have any other options or is it a case of sucking it up and allowing this Tully them access? 

sorry if you used it you have to pay for it
Putting it bluntly don't have what you can't afford, live within your means in other words 
6 month payment break will also have to be paid for along the line

3littlegems

wow super helpful there! Read the post, im not refusing to pay what i owe im asking whether they can force me to use a third party? Dont have what i cant afford? Sorry i didnt for see the pandemic, loan and lease care have been in place for 2 years plus. Family of 8 doing our best to survive. Thanks for the judgement

BedrockFred

But it sounds to me you have stretched your budget without thinking of what is around corner 
You know put a little away for a rainy day 
On the third party I really don't think they can but not certain what is certain is it's got to be paid one way or another, try talking to CA they can be very helpful

molerat

No they cannot force you to use a third party but you need to work with them or you may be forced onto a pre-payment meter which would make matters worse for you. The big problem here is that you are paying £136 per month and have built up a debt of £500 over a year which means you are actually using £177 a month so paying £170 will not pay down the debt. Why is your usage so high ?  How much energy do you use in kWh per year ?

3littlegems

molerat said:

No they cannot force you to use a third party but you need to work with them or you may be forced onto a pre-payment meter which would make matters worse for you. The big problem here is that you are paying £136 per month and have built up a debt of £500 over a year which means you are actually using £177 a month so paying £170 will not pay down the debt. Why is your usage so high ?  How much energy do you use in kWh per year ?

We are a family of 8, 3 bed house. Everyone was home in the first lockdown with husband not furloughed. And here we are again only this time husband has a job and is working through. I cant see the kwh on my statement for the year but on my mse energy club account its got Gas 18,734 kWh/yr and Electric 5,701 kWh/yr 

molerat

There is no way that use is costing that much, that should only cost around £120 tops - my daughter pays £130 for 7K electric and 24K gas and is in credit ! Those figures are way out, MSE club only knows what figures you put in. You need to get a grip of your actual usage and ensure you are on the cheapest possible tariff with your current supplier as with that debt you will not be able to switch. Have you been giving the supplier regular reads, are the bills showing actual readings or estimates ?

Gerry1

Get rid of any instantaneous electric showers, that would make a huge difference.

If everyone has a 10-minute shower once per day, that's just a tenner under £700 per year if it's a 9kW shower and you're on Bulb's Vari-Fair tariff paying 15.7752p per kWh.

3littlegems

molerat said:

There is no way that use is costing that much, that should only cost around £120 tops. Those figures are way out, MSE club only knows what figures you put in. You need to get a grip of your actual usage and ensure you are on the cheapest possible tariff with your current supplier as with that debt you will not be able to switch. Have you been giving the supplier regular reads, are the bills showing actual readings or estimates ?

Ok found it on the statement. Estimated annual Gas usage is 17372 and electric 5469 and It says that my personal projection cost for the year will be £977 electric and £586 gas.   I pass readings monthly and yes the bills show my readings not estimates. We are on the cheapest tariff with Bulb. Im not disputing the usage but how im required to have a third party nose through my accounts to justify what i can pay

3littlegems

BedrockFred said:

But it sounds to me you have stretched your budget without thinking of what is around corner 
You know put a little away for a rainy day 
On the third party I really don't think they can but not certain what is certain is it's got to be paid one way or another, try talking to CA they can be very helpful

Did anyone else see the pandemic round the corner? or the fact my hubby would be out of work for 5 months? Not everyone can put some away, we do what we can where we can. Our usage shot up because 8 people were at home, not even in the summer did usage drop.
All i want to do is sort a payment plan with Bulb without allowing a company access to my accounts, dont think thats unreasonable

3littlegems

Gerry1 said:

Get rid of any instantaneous electric showers, that would make a huge difference.

If everyone has a 10-minute shower once per day, that's just a tenner under £700 per year if it's a 9kW shower and you're on Bulb's Vari-Fair tariff paying 15.7752p per kWh.

Dont think its an electric shower, its turned on via the bath taps. Kids are dirty creatures so yes there are regular showers, the small ones share but thats not practical for the teens.