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Hi there I'm new to the site and having read through some of the posts and information thats available I'm so glad I found Legal Beagles, I have a problem with electricity debt and would like to know if there is a maxium the electricity companies can deduct from a prepayment meter towards the debt thats owed? I am disabled and owe a lot to Npower who are now threatneing to either put a prepayment meter in or cut off my supply, I wouldn't mind having a prepayment meter in but what scares me is if they take a lot of money per week off what I put into the meter towards the debt and leave me not able to feed myself or pay anything else, can anyone help? is there a maxuim they can take for people like myself or are on disability benefits? thanks
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Re: Hi there
Hello libby and welcome to beagles.
An electricity supplier must follow standard licence conditions, one of which sets out how it deals with customers who have difficulty paying. An electricity supplier cannot issue a disconnection notice until at least 28 days after issuing a bill. You must be given at least seven days notice of disconnection. If you can't pay your bill, contact your supplier straight away. You should be offered an arrangement to pay off the arrears at a rate you can afford. If you can't afford to pay off the arrears in this way, they must offer to install a prepayment meter .Some groups of customers may have extra protection from being disconnected. This may apply to you if you:- are of pensionable age
- have long-term ill-health
- are disabled
- have severe financial problems.
The fuel supplier must make sure that they collect your arrears at a rate, which takes into account your ability to pay, even if they insist on a prepayment meter. You may be asked to fill in a Income & Expenditure form to show what you can afford, if this is the case we can help with that too.
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Re: Hi there
Thank you for your reply, I have told them time and time again that I have very little money coming in, I did go on a payment scheme but they wanted £236 a month I tried to pay but couldn't live, this has been going on for the last 3 years now, I'm at my wits end with it, they then ignored me for a while and have now sent a letter from there collections dept, saying they will come and fit a prepay meter and if thats not possible they will disconnect me, I don't mind a prepay meter as long as they don't expect a fortune off the debt as all I will be doing is feeding the meter to pay the debt.
When I was trying to pay in installments I asked them to spread it out over a longer period to bring it down and make it easier for me to pay but they refused.
I don't think they can cut me off because I use a nebulizer as I have Asthma, I also have cronic arhtritis, the other problem is that my electric meter is under the stairs, my daughter could load it for me but I'm worried they won't put one in because of the location.
I will contact them again and ask them about the prepay meter and how much would be taken off for the debt, I thought there was a limit on what they could take for a debt if you are in recept of benefits.
Thank you so much for your reply.Comment
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Re: Hi there
Hi Libby - firstly welcome to the site. You've definitely come to the right place. People and advice all brilliant!Originally posted by libby View Post
Personally if you can, I would avoid a prepayment meter at all costs as it is by far the most expensive way of paying for your electricity. I was in this position with SWALEC and they did agree to reduce my payments. How much do you owe? How long have you owed it for? What have you done to pay it off so far?
Sorry to be nosy but this information helps us give advice. NPower do seem to be being tough on you - I guess what I'm really asking is is there a reason for this?
It may be useful for you to fill in an Income / Expenditure sheet and post it here for us to look at. If you're income is less than your expenditure you can prove hardship and they need to recognise that in a sensitive manner. There's a link at the top of the page "IE Sheets."
Off to read NPower's customer charter!
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Taken straight from their website:
Debt management
If you want to discuss a problem you are having with paying an npower bill contact us on 0845 606 0646. Lines are open from Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 8.00pm and on Saturday from 8.00am to 6.00pm. Below are some of the ways that we and others may be able to help if you're struggling with your bills. Also, there are contact details for other organisations who may be able to help you.
Payment plans
You can pay what you owe by weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments over short or longer periods. We will agree an amount for you to pay back, taking account of:
- the charges you will have to pay for future energy use;
- how much you can afford to pay; and
- any problems you’ve had with payment plans in the past.
Prepayment meter
If appropriate we can install a prepayment meter and set it to cover the energy you use and to pay back the money you owe based on what you can afford.
Direct payments (Fuel Direct)
This may be helpful if you receive certain benefits and a prepayment meter is not suitable for you. If the Department for Work and Pensions agrees they will take an amount from your weekly benefits and pay it to us to cover what you owe and your future energy use.
Money advice agencies
If you are in general financial difficulty or have a number of debts, you may be able to get help and advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) or a money advice agency (like the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)). You can also find the contact details of your local CAB in your phone book. You can also go to the Money Advice Trust for a list of other agencies who may be able to help you. With any of these agencies, we will take account of what they tell us when agreeing a repayment arrangement.
I think the IE sheet would be useful!Comment
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Re: Hi there
Hi Libby
Im a new member but having been in a similar situation felt I had to comment on your post. Firstly, Are you getting Incapacity benefit or DLA? Have you informed the supplier that you have a long term illness? and that you have medical equipment in the home that needs electricity? If so, you may be able to ask to go onto a special tariff - I know my supplier has offered this to me because I have to use a CPAP machine nightly to prevent me from stopping breathing in my sleep. My supplier arranged for me to go onto a 'reduced' tariff and also allowed me to pay off £000's of arrears at a managable rate and issued an assurance that they will not cut me off as this was causing me serious concern. I must admit that my arrears had mounted up due to me stopping payment because of a complaint, which they then took 2 years to start to investigate - so they may be being lenient because they failed in their duty of care (imho) but there are guidleines to prevent vulnerable people being treated unfairly. They could also help you with energy saving measure by insulating your home or renewing a deficient boiler etc so definately worth discussing with them. Even if you are only able to go onto a reduced tariff now - this will help! Regarding the debt - if you have already told them about your illness its worth a try to get them to recalculate your account using the reduced tariff? A request wouldnt hurt! Furthermore, you say you are on benefits therefore you should ask them to deduct payment from your benefit - think its called 'fueldirect' which would be fixed at a manageable amount. Personally, I would get advice from CAB or even give the Ombudsman a call to get advice. Hope you get it sorted soon.
Just realised that the above post has also provided a number to call them and mentioned Fueldirect - Having looked at the site over the last few days that would definately be my first call!
There are many ways to achieve the same result - careful consideration and planning are the key to getting the result that you want!Comment
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Re: Hi there
Hi again, a bit of an update and thanks for your replies xxxxxxx
I have spoken to a chap from npower who was very understanding and sympathetic, I've arranged for a prepayment meter to be fitted on the 10th Dec, they do know I'm disabled and I use a nebulizer for my asthma I also suffer with cronic Arthritis, they have agreed to only take £3.00 a week off the debt via the meter all I have to do is give them proof I'm in receipt of benefits which is no problem, so it appears to be sorted, I've just got to be really careful what I use electric wise in the house after the meter is fitted, but as there is no other way that I can settle this I just have to get on with it the best way I can!
Thanks again everyone, brill site xxxxxxxx
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Re: Hi there
i would also ask the supplier to provide you with an energy monitor which you can get for free and it can moniter each plug used via the meter is easy to fit and it will help you to manage
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i have one of these and it is surprising how much you can save just by only boiling the water you need instead of a full kettle everytimeIf you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of payments.
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