Bulb and struggling to pay increased payments

niktheguru

btr30 said:

Been reading the thread over the last couple of days and I am pleased that OP has come to a solution that prevents her going on prepayment meter.
As an aside my own consumption has gone up significantly during lockdown, with daughters returning from uni, working at home etc,we have moved from avg10 KWh per day to around 14 KWh per day. Gas has also risen due to being at home all day over the winter.
Point being, consumption profiles have changed, which may not reflect original consumption estimate and direct debit repayments.
To be fair to Bulb, I thought their repayment plan was a reasonable offer, and OP could have moved onto a cheaper tariff with them without having to immediately clear debt to move away.

I thought bulb only did one tariff, their vari-fair.

btr30

niktheguru said:

I thought bulb only did one tariff, their vari-fair.

Sorry, a few years since I have been with Bulb. I think you are correct, I had a variable tariff with them as it was cheapest available at the time Pocketed a few referrer bonuses and then moved away when they put increased their rates, as better options were then available.
However, had no issues with them as a supplier.

3littlegems

molerat said:

3littlegems said:

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

Do you actually know what your consumption is ?  Those figures are really just a guess and give a figure of £130 a month, It is obvious that you are using way more than that. You really need to get a grip of your actual use - actual meter reads over the past 12 months will show you that - because if you give those figures to a new supplier you are likely to end up in the same situation in 12 months time.  You need to understand how much you are using and where you are using it, not just blindly entering readings into a website, and carefully read the monthly statement to understand the state of your account.

No i dont know what my consumption is. I pass my meter readings to bulb every month. Those figures are from my most recent bulb statement. If im passing figures for the past 12 months why arent Bulb protecting the correct usage??
Please stop telling me to get a grip, its down right bloody rude.
My account isnt in a state thanks

 

BedrockFred

3littlegems said:

BedrockFred said:

""I am sure that Bulb would be delighted if you paid off the debt by credit card and moved on. However, you run the risk of paying more through high interest payments""
There are plenty of interest free credit cards around but I agree moving the debt around will not help unless the OP realises that they must cut down somewhere be it lowering the thermostat , keeping warm by other means ie extra jumpers etc or even considering getting rid of some of the debt like the car on contract hire, although she says the car etc isn't a problem of course it is it's all debt building up the payment holidays will have to be paid for somewhere along the line 
Moving the debt will not cause it to go away and moving supplier by paying off on a interest free credit card will be another bill to budget for
Suggested by me and many more speak to CAB they will not judge and they are very good

Why are you so concerned about my debt? Do you think we are the only people that took payment holidays last year??? No, is it a problem with the companies involved..No so therefore it isnt your problem either. The car can not be got rid of until the contract ends
I have no need to talk to Tully or CAB
The outstanding balance will be paid today and yes i will be moving on.
Have a look at my original post, it wasnt about the debt it was about whether or not i could be forced into allowing a third party nose through my accounts!!!!
Im not bloody stupid, of course i need to cut our consumption down, but its very difficult with 8 people in a house which isnt energy efficient due to outdated windows and low cavity wall installation. 

You really need help from a professional but I'll say no more keep your head in the sand 

3littlegems

Gerry1 said:

The OP has been paying her DD in full, so there's no wilful underpayment there.  However, the DD is only a contribution to a kitty that may or may not prove to be sufficient to pay the bills.  If the consumption turns out to be higher than the OP thought it would be when she signed up then she has been underpaying, albeit unwittingly.  That's why Bulb flagged it up and wanted to increase the DD twice: once to reflect the higher usage and then again to claw back the arrears.

As others have noted, the OP urgently needs to make absolutely sure that the figures given to the new supplier accurately reflects the actual usage, that steps are taken to use less, and that any non-essential expenditure may need to be trimmed if the energy bills still remain a problem.

I'll be bold enough to suggest two items for the chop.

1. Cancel any TV subscriptions.  Sorry, but they can't be justified if basic energy bills are a problem.  Saves at least £100 per year?
   
2. Better still, cancel the TV Licence, saving £157.50 per year.  Just make sure you only watch catch up TV: don't watch, download or record any programme as it's broadcast on TV, and don't watch anything via the BBC iPlayer.  That still leaves a vast amount of available choice !

The consumption has been higher because 8 of us have mostly been at home which no one for saw happening this time last year!! We have been in this property nearly 2 years and i moved with Bulb from the previous property. Full meter readings always given. Payments started at £96, increased to £100 and then upped to £132 which is where i am now. There was credit at some point. They only asked to up it to £175 in October. 
We have the basic packages on everything, no big Sky bill here thanks, low phone contracts, Free Amazon prime due to my eldest's students status Do you know how hard it is to entertain 6 kids without putting ones self in a mental institute?? 
Im not at the point of canceling my entire tv license just yet!

3littlegems

BedrockFred said:

3littlegems said:

BedrockFred said:

""I am sure that Bulb would be delighted if you paid off the debt by credit card and moved on. However, you run the risk of paying more through high interest payments""
There are plenty of interest free credit cards around but I agree moving the debt around will not help unless the OP realises that they must cut down somewhere be it lowering the thermostat , keeping warm by other means ie extra jumpers etc or even considering getting rid of some of the debt like the car on contract hire, although she says the car etc isn't a problem of course it is it's all debt building up the payment holidays will have to be paid for somewhere along the line 
Moving the debt will not cause it to go away and moving supplier by paying off on a interest free credit card will be another bill to budget for
Suggested by me and many more speak to CAB they will not judge and they are very good

Why are you so concerned about my debt? Do you think we are the only people that took payment holidays last year??? No, is it a problem with the companies involved..No so therefore it isnt your problem either. The car can not be got rid of until the contract ends
I have no need to talk to Tully or CAB
The outstanding balance will be paid today and yes i will be moving on.
Have a look at my original post, it wasnt about the debt it was about whether or not i could be forced into allowing a third party nose through my accounts!!!!
Im not bloody stupid, of course i need to cut our consumption down, but its very difficult with 8 people in a house which isnt energy efficient due to outdated windows and low cavity wall installation. 

You really need help from a professional but I'll say no more keep your head in the sand 

Are you actually kidding me?
I dont need professional help at all. 
I am fully aware of our income, outgoings and current debt none of which i need help to manage
Jesus....some people

tim_p

3littlegems said:

Jesus....some people

Yeah! I’m sure others are thinking the same. 

3littlegems

Ok so here is what i hate about Bulb and a little update 
Before paying i checked my online account which stood at - £311.50
My recent statement states my account is -£ 448.05
And a recent email says i need to pay £503.06 to bring my account into credit
So i messaged the person i had been in contact with yesterday asking for confirmation on what to pay. He confirms that its £311.50 to clear the account not the £500 i had originally been told, that amount included a credit being on the account which should be there for this time of year, he said. But i wasnt required to pay it
Ive paid the £311.50 without making any more debt
I ask him going forward will the £132.23 cover my usage, yes he says.
Looking at my online account just now and the DD is for £132.23 but it states to cover my usage i should pay £159.60 and at a minimum i can pay £143.64. So he is wrong telling me that the above amount will cover my usage!
I also asked him to tell me what my full usage was from Jan 19 to Jan 20 and he replied with only sending me what i used for each January and not the entire year. So ive asked again.
Why is it so difficult for them to provide their customers with their confirmed annual usage??? Its not even available online just what your spending.
So Bulb are happy to keep me on £132.23 knowing full well this is absolutely not covering my usage. I of course will up the DD until such time i can change suppliers but im not prepared to jump ship until i know exactly what my usage actually is. 

[Deleted User]

Each and every Bulb bill shows your estimated annual consumption:

pearl123

Why don't you request to know what your  annual usage has been via email. When request is put in writing it's likely to get a better response.