Bulb and struggling to pay increased payments

3littlegems

BedrockFred said:

3littlegems said:

BedrockFred said:

I don't think your being unreasonable at all, maybe my comments seemed a bit harsh 
I will say for you at least your not turning a blind eye to your debt and want to sort out things, try speaking to CAB see what they say but don't let Bulb fit a pre payment meter they are costly 
Don't mean to upset you. Right now with your payment holiday and energy bills you are building up more debt  

No not turning a blind eye. Payment holiday for loan and car arent the problem nor is the credit card. I just dont understand why Bulb are being so difficult, i loathe them and if they werent the cheapest id switch

Are you sure Bulb are the cheapest have you tried CA comparison or Which
Bulb will not allow you to switch with the amount of debt you have with them
What about switching your credit card for a 0% card some are as long as 28 months 
Again speak to CAB 

Well i thought they were and the mse energy club said they were the last time i checked recently. However ive just put the figures in from my current statement and a few are coming up cheaper Utility Point and London Energy are showing the most deals, WHICH also showed these. They`re companies that i haven't heard about so it makes me nervous to switch. What is CA Comparison? Credit card is an option, id pay the debt off in one hit and then switch but hubby wasnt keen.  

MalMonroe

BedrockFred said:

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

How on earth is that helpful to anyone? 

Gerry1

3littlegems said:

What is CA Comparison?

Citizens Advice.  Shows all suppliers, unlike MSE CEC.

KxMx

We don't pay a fixed DD to energy supplier, this is usually set by them to extract the most money they can get out of you. 

Some are fine with this as it allows credit to be built for the winter, I see their point but it's not for us. 

Instead we have quarterly bills and put money away each month in a dedicated account so when the bill comes the money to pay for exactly what we've used is there.

3littlegems

KxMx said:

We don't pay a fixed DD to energy supplier, this is usually set by them to extract the most money they can get out of you. 

Some are fine with this as it allows credit to be built for the winter, I see their point but it's not for us. 

Instead we have quarterly bills and put money away each month in a dedicated account so when the bill comes the money to pay for exactly what we've used is there.

It wouldnt be a problem to put the bill money away each month, i just assumed it was always cheaper to pay monthly

Gerry1

3littlegems said:

However ive just put the figures in from my current statement and a few are coming up cheaper Utility Point and London Energy are showing the most deals, WHICH also showed these. They`re companies that i haven't heard about so it makes me nervous to switch.

Utility Point have a dreadful reputation so are best avoided.  Check that London Energy will supply you: they often appear in comparison site results even if you're outside their supply area which is limited to Greater London postcodes.  But LE should be relatively safe because it's an Octopus white label set up by the GLA.

I've found Neon Reef are fine, although I haven't left them.  Online communications only, but they were lightning fast when I had a query.  They are a sister company of Utility Point but seem to have a totally different ethos.

If you search the MSE forum you'll find several threads ('Add your feedback on...') giving advice about the merits of smaller suppliers, and there's also a ranking on Citizens Advice.

MalMonroe

3littlegems said:

KxMx said:

We don't pay a fixed DD to energy supplier, this is usually set by them to extract the most money they can get out of you. 

Some are fine with this as it allows credit to be built for the winter, I see their point but it's not for us. 

Instead we have quarterly bills and put money away each month in a dedicated account so when the bill comes the money to pay for exactly what we've used is there.

It wouldnt be a problem to put the bill money away each month, i just assumed it was always cheaper to pay monthly

Some suppliers give you an annual discount for paying by DD - not a lot, I think they deducted £12 from my bill last year. I'm with Octopus now (I have tried Bulb, we didn't get along!) Bulb isn't the cheapest any more.

Have you thought about speaking to someone like Citizens Advice or StepChange? StepChange is a debt help company but they can also give you advice about energy supplier debt. They could probably also tell you about any benefits you may be entitled to because you do have a large family. I know you say your husband is working but even so, there may be some financial help your family is entitled to. It's obvious that you are a proud person and that's really commendable but when you have children to consider, it's worth making a free phone call, just to see if there is any help you can have. It isn't begging and it isn't sponging, it's what you could be entitled to.

Places like Citizens Advice and StepChange do not try to make you feel embarrassed or belittle you in any way whatsoever. I know because I had to turn to StepChange a few years ago when I was at the end of my tether with financial worries. If they can't help you, then okay but at least you tried. And it's better than getting involved with that Tully company. Just my opinion of course. Please feel free to ignore.

MalMonroe

KxMx said:

We don't pay a fixed DD to energy supplier, this is usually set by them to extract the most money they can get out of you. 

Some are fine with this as it allows credit to be built for the winter, I see their point but it's not for us. 

Instead we have quarterly bills and put money away each month in a dedicated account so when the bill comes the money to pay for exactly what we've used is there.

Direct debit arrangements also work the other way in that if you pay a supplier a fixed DD sum throughout the year and you are in debit for a few months during winter, they don't chase you for the money. If you are in credit (usually in the summer) you can ask them to repay that credit. So if you keep an eye on your consumption and your payments, as you do, then really paying a monthly DD is not detrimental at all. Plus most suppliers offer an annual discount incentive for dual fuel being paid for by DD. Suppliers can't actually extract more out of you than your energy consumption costs. Especially if you are vigilant about usage.

[Deleted User]

With the greatest respect, suggestions of new suppliers and tariffs is avoiding the ‘elephant in the room’. The OP may not like the thought of third-party access to her Bank accounts; whether it is Tully or A N Other respected interlocutor, she has to accept that there is a debt problem that needs to be addressed. I worry when I read comments like ‘ I don’t see where I can cut usage’. The simple fact is that a debt has accrued because of under payment. Any increase in payments to Bulb has to cover both under the payments going forward and remediation of the existing debt. If a supplier believes that the customer is just playing for time, they will limit their financial risk going forward by putting in a prepayment meter.

3littlegems

Gerry1 said:

3littlegems said:

However ive just put the figures in from my current statement and a few are coming up cheaper Utility Point and London Energy are showing the most deals, WHICH also showed these. They`re companies that i haven't heard about so it makes me nervous to switch.

Utility Point have a dreadful reputation so are best avoided.  Check that London Energy will supply you: they often appear in comparison site results even if you're outside their supply area which is limited to Greater London postcodes.  But LE should be relatively safe because it's an Octopus white label set up by the GLA.

I've found Neon Reef are fine, although I haven't left them.  Online communications only, but they were lightning fast when I had a query.  They are a sister company of Utility Point but seem to have a totally different ethos.

If you search the MSE forum you'll find several threads ('Add your feedback on...') giving advice about the merits of smaller suppliers, and there's also a ranking on Citizens Advice.

Super helpful thank you. I havent checked direct with LE but as im in Sussex i guess thats a no for them. Octopus only came up as £1.00 cheaper which was a shame as i have seen good reviews on them. Info on citizens advice has been handy and will look further on mse