electricity debt

kez1978

when i moved into a new property in 2002 i didnt get billed for any electricity, i did try and sort it out, but no one could find my house, i did give up in the end as i was spending a fortune ringing around, well after 3 yrs it was eventually sorted, but the bill was over 900 pounds, so i made arrangements to pay it off, i had a meter fitted and they were taking 4 pound a week. Well ive moved again and i still owe over 700 pounds, but im not with the company(scottish power) anymore and i dont want to go with them, i have offered a payment of £20 a month as i am a single parent and after calculations that is all i can afford at present, they wont accept this offer and they want at least £60 a month, i have explained my situation to them but they wont listen, and they have said i will still get all the threatening letters from them, i had one today to say that a representative will be calling round to my property in 7 days to collect, i dont know what to do, ive offered all i can, they did say the only way i can do it is by going back to them and then i can pay £5 a week then, but i dont want to go with them as they are expensive, its like they are trying to bully me into going back to them, any advice would be appreciated, as im constantly worrying that they are going to be knocking on my door.

sassybooboos

Go and speak to citizens advice they will probably ring them and be able to sort it.

UtilityMan_3

Under NO circumstances agree to transfer back!

The debt as it stands is "off supply" they do not supply you, therefore they have less tools to hit you with.

If you return the supply to them, chances are if the debt gets any higher, you will be forced back onto a pre-payment meter, and the extortionate charges involved with them.

TELL them what you are going to be paying, and set up a standing order for that amount. As long as you do not breach that arrangement, there is nothing they can do. If it went to Court, you have the proof you have been paying, what can a Judge do?

high-rise_andrew

F Scottish Power to be honest. The absolute highest amount of Fixed Charge a Pre-Payment meter can be set for to re-coup debt is £4.50 which mine haas been for about a year now. It has bounced between the £2.50 to £4.50 mark but we all know the cost of electric. & then if you go past the emergency and have to pay that back plus get into credit. Acch, I've been getting threatening letters from creditors for years am STILL waiting on one of them taking me to court so I can go bankrupt and shove it up them to be honest. There is NO money, there hasn't been for many years. SP real;ly are too faced if you read what they say to the energy regulators and their leaflets to read on the website lol. Just a bunch of masturbators with small penises to be honest. Hth. x

kez1978

thanks for the help, i will continue to pay them £20 a month, and i will ignore anymore letters from them, if they want to take me to court then they can, as it wont make any difference as to what i can pay.

stimpo

high-rise_andrew wrote: »

The absolute highest amount of Fixed Charge a Pre-Payment meter can be set for to re-coup debt is £4.50 which mine haas been for about a year now.

AFAIK there is no set limit that debt recovery charge can be set at. Most suppliers will see common sense and stick to a tenner a week

stimpo

kez1978 wrote: »

thanks for the help, i will continue to pay them £20 a month, and i will ignore anymore letters from them, if they want to take me to court then they can, as it wont make any difference as to what i can pay.

If thats all you can afford then you need to get a finaincial statement done. CAB can help with this.

Ignoring the letters will NOT make them go away.

kez1978

Ive sent scottish power my proof of income which is £187 a week, i have 4 children and other bills to pay, so i think that they are lucky that i have offered them what i have.

UtilityMan_3

Hi Kez

Just to underline the fact, I never said ignore the letters!

Just keep throwing it back at them, that £20.00 is your final offer.

Off supply debt, usually ends up being sold to 3rd parties and the letters get more threatening.

But there is not a Court in the land, that will force you to pay more than you can afford.

I cannot see it ever getting that far, as long as you pay the agreed (by you) monthly amount.

It always ends in a statement of means form, and that's where you started!

high-rise_andrew

Further to my own post to this thread, I have just had the meter person in & instead of my fixed charge going down from £4.00 a week, it has gone up to £7.00 nearly double ontop of the recent price rises. Emailed my money adviser to have a meet-up coz this is affecting my health again. I requested my meter to be re-set and told them I was on benefits & was already struggling and it having to get switched off after using all the emergency. Wouldn't it be simpler if we had stayed living in grass huts or wattle and daub. If you work out my elec usage over a full year and divide by 52 it only comes to less than £8 a week so £15 on Income Support is a total no-go.
I'm a single person who hardly uses the washing machine, tend to have a wash at the sink and a bath occasional luxury. No dishwash apart from myself. No telly etc. Low energy bulbs and storage heaters. Merry Christmas has come early. Wheeeeeeeeeeee.

smartie1976

I'm sure if you're on benefits that the amount to be paid back is capped, but I can't remember what at. I think it's 4.50 p/w as suggested earlier in the thread, so the £7 seems to be incorrect.
I'd contact your local CAB or if possible offgem (search the net for limits on debt recoup)