British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

[kaput]

Hi,

As some of you will know if you've seen my recent threads, I recently lost my job and am waiting to receive unpaid wages from my former employer.

As a direct consequence of their non-payment, I have been unable to honour the Direct Debit set up for British Gas.

After receiving a threat of them breaking into my flat to install a pre-payed meter, I rang them up, and we agreed I could re-instate the direct debit instead.

I opened my British Gas account in April, and based on the size of my flat, age of the boiler, etc, they estimated £63.00 would be enough to pay my bills.

Today, after telling them I was unemployed and waiting for benefits, they decided £103 would be a more suitable amount. They said this was based on my last 12 months' usage, and was decided by the computer. I asked if they could change it to the previous amount.



I feel there are a few issues here:

1. They were informed I was unemployed. Increasing my bill by nearly £40 is hardly a responsible thing to do.
2. They only have meter readings from January (when I moved in)
3. So there's no way they can estimate my 12 month usage
4. They haven't issued a real bill yet, so again, there's no way they can estimate my 12 month's usage

There's no way I'll be able to pay £103 in August. Any ideas?

[charitynjw]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

Install a pre-paid meter?

They'll tag the outstanding sum onto it & you pay off bit by bit.

[kaput]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

I don't want a pre-paid meter as it increases the overall cost, and would cause issues with the landlord and management company as the meters are in a communal area of the building. I don't understand why they wouldn't keep my original DD.

[Eloise01]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

Why haven't they issued a bill since January? Didn't you notice? Can't you provide them with a meter reading now?

[enquirer]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

Quite a lot of utility firms are pulling this trick. They are desperate for cash.

Get them to confirm that the increase is due to an estimate of your previous 12 months useage (you want them to state an impossibility in writing).

Complain - in writing.

Pay what you can afford - but preferably at least £63.00.

[bluebottle]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

It sounds to me like a very ham-fisted and clumsy attempt to justify installing a credit meter. Do BG think all their customers are stupid? Follow Enquirer's advice and also get onto the industry regulator first thing Monday morning.

[charitynjw]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

Quite a lot of utility firms are pulling this trick. They are desperate for cash.

Get them to confirm that the increase is due to an estimate of your previous 12 months useage (you want them to state an impossibility in writing).

Complain - in writing.

Pay what you can afford - but preferably at least £63.00.

I thought that if the bill was based on an estimate, it had to state that fact.

Re-reading the thread, the OP states that it was the monthly dd that was estimated.
Has the meter been read during the year?
Or have all the 'readings' been estimated?

[wales01man]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

The Op needs to check if the bills are estimates or actual,then with the price increase since last year they can divide it by 12 to work out a DD sum ,problem is BG will take the DD for the sum they state unless the bank is told differently then BG may not take payments by DD and bill the OP which would probably be a different tariif dearer most likely. Seems as usual the compay will have an upper hand.
To the OP can i ask why there bill to me seems high

[charitynjw]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

The OP states that the meter is located in a communal area.

Maybe others are tapped into his meter/gas supply.

[wales01man]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

The OP states that the mete is located in a communal area.

Maybe others are tapped into his meter/gas supply.

I think this highley unlikely if it was the case the police should be called and Gas safe ?clutching at straws or are you joking?

[charitynjw]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

I think this highley unlikely if it was the case the police should be called and Gas safe ?clutching at straws or are you joking?

I used to live in Liverpool.
You should have seen some of the strokes they pulled, lol!

[Eloise01]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

can i ask why there bill to me seems high

Perhaps because the account with British Gas was only opened in April (although I cannot fathom on that basis why there was no meter reading taken at that time - not even the OP's own readings, and why there appears to have been no readings since January) and as the OP has said, they have already defaulted on payments and there are arrears on the account.

I wouldn't wish to take the part of British Gas who make obscene amounts of profit on a commodity which few people can manage without (a reason that such companies used to be nationalised), but speaking objectively a private company cares about its profits and ensuring that people pay their bills, and they do not care about their employment status or low income. The OP's record is defaulting on due payments in a short three month period that they have held the account, and already existing arrears. Being utterly objective, would you "loan" someone something (a gas supply) on the basis that they will pay for it, and when they don't pay for it, loan them some more of it???

It seems that the OP has three possible options:
(a) pay the arrears and then pay three monthly bills as and when they are sent
(b) pay by direct debit in which case British Gas will determine what they think an appropriate amount and they will have to live with that
(c) install a pre-paid meter

What I do not understand is the OP's statement that BG threatened to break into their flat and install a pre-paid meter against their wishes when (a) such an action only occurs when substantial arrears are outstanding and (b) they won't need to break in as the meters are in a communal area of the building. Obviously, however, the landlord / management company may have a problem with a pre-paid meter being installed as I believe they cost a fortune to remove and reinstate to normal meters, and future occupants may not be willing to pay the higher costs of such supplies, rendering the property less desirable. Which does lead to a fourth possible option - that British Gas will simply cut off the supply and there will be no gas at all. I believe that unless there are vulnerable people in the household, they are at liberty to do that.

[Inca]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

It takes a court order and a warrant to be able to change to a pre pay meter..and that's literally the last resort..and it certainly wouldn't take a matter of weeks to obtain.I fought BG for a year or more before they got to that level and when they finally produced a sensible bill based on my ACTUAL meter readings I paid the bill 48 hours before they were due to come.
When they arrive to change the meter there is 3 of them,.a BG rep..a gas fitter and a locksmith.(ex next door had it done)..and the repayments are set at an affordable level.
There is British Gas Energy Trust you can apply to for help with a bill.
One thing to remember though,,if you're not paying enough monthly you could have a large deficit to pay which might take your DD to over the £103pcm

Personally I would ask that a meter reader attends and checks your meter,,takes a reading..and work from there.be nice to prove them wrong huh?
Mine is only £45pcm....I have a combi boiler but cook on electric.

[charitynjw]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

You can take your own meter reading & submit it if you disagree with an estimated reading.

It used to be that the meter had to be read by the energy provider at least once a year (this may have changed.)

The new 'smart meters' currently being installed will automatically send a reading to the provider - no need for a meter reader to turn up in person.

[Inca]

Re: British Gas increased my direct debit from £63 to £103!

I always get my OH to check my meter readings (I can't do it because 'insanely' gas is n understairs cupboard about 3 inches from floor,,and electric is in kitchen cupboard about a foot from floor!!)
I don't trust Energy companies..
I know this is unsuitable for OP but when I was absolutely skidding along on the bones of me bum financially I found the PAYG meters so useful,,they paid the debt directly and I became very frugal with usage...lights got switched off..etcetc.