elec bill d debit increased

[tali122]

im �150 in debit with my electricity bill so my supplier has increased my d debit from �30 to a hefty �58 - i told them i could not afford this but they simply said i have to pay this new rate until my bill comes down -what annoys me and i dont understand is that utility companies always bang on about "difficulty paying ?contact us we can help you, we are very charitable blah , blah ,blah" i said i could go up to �40 (as i have negotiated in the past) but no - so are they within their rights to be so inflexible and ,make a mockery of their "We can help you " claims?

[Ethel]

If you are �150 in debit at this time of year when your heating and lighting bill should be negligible, it will only get worse.

If you paid an extra �10 a month it would take 15 months just to clear the existing debt, and of course you will continue to use electricity so it will get bigger.

You say you have negotiated in the past, but obviously this did not work as you are in the same situation again.

You will have to try and reduce your electric consumption too.

Go to CAB for advice if you really are stuck.

[WendyS]

Are you paying your electricity bill on an actual meter reading or an estimated one? If the electricity board has over-estimated you may be able to get them to reduce the payments. Meanwhile, try & reduce your consumption by:
Not leaving any equipment on standby,
Cooking all vegs in the same saucepan (cut according to size)
Cooking meals for two days in the same batch.
Stripwashing by using hot water from a kettle instead of an expensive shower. Can you do most of your laundry by hand and let it drip dry in the garden to reduce power consumption? Prepare for winter by stocking up on warm sweaters, a hot water bottle and bedsocks.

[bednobs]

to be honest i think they are within their rights, after all they have extended you credit to the tune of 150 pounds worth of goods, and are just asking you to pay for them

[bednobs]

to be honest i think they are within their rights, after all they have extended you credit to the tune of 150 pounds worth of goods, and are just asking you to pay for them

[bednobs]

to be honest i think they are within their rights, after all they have extended you credit to the tune of 150 pounds worth of goods, and are just asking you to pay for them

[caz247]

hiya i work as cust service adviser for a utility company but please don't think i'm lecturing you. the usage is calculated annually plus any balance outstanding at reassessment is added to it and divided by 12 months to get direct debit amount. It sounds as if prev d/d at �30 was nowhere near enough to cover your usage

[themas]

I've heard of two cases recently where utility suppliers tried to increase direct debits by a totally unreasonable amount, & altered it when challenged. But these were not debt cases.
Work out your actual (not estimated) consumption over the last year, multiply it by the present price, add any standing charges and VAT (5%) and divide by 12. That will give you the amount you should be paying excluding the debt. Then assume you should be paying the debt over 12 months (based on what caz247 says) so add �150/12 = �12.50 p mth to give the total you should pay. If it is less than what they are asking for you might have a case for a reduction.

You could try changing supplier but don't forget that if you do the present one will almost certainly chase you for the arrears as a one off lump sum - they may well be able to prevent you changing until you have paid up.