Gas Supply - Need advice

[cpjitservices]

Am I really stuck topping up £30 a week on my pre-payment meter ?

 

I have just moved into a new house, not much bigger than my old one, still a two bedroom.

 

Both Gas and Electric meters are pre-payment, I wanted to go onto Direct Debit but apparently I haven't passed the credit check, although last time I was with British Gas they ended up owing me money and I got a cheque off them for £150.

 

I'm now putting £30 a week on my Gas meter, thats with no debts from previous tennants etc. I last topped up on Friday. Boiler is on roughly about an hour before we go to bed and an hour in the morning when we wake up. Boiler is also less than 3 months old.

 

I call British Gas for them to tell me, I have failed the credit check so they wont remove that meter and put me on a monthly payment meter, and if I wanted to switch supplier its just tough t***y because it takes 5 weeks for a new supplier to set my account up anyway so Im still stuck paying them £30 for 5 weeks.

 

I want to switch my supplier to the supplier which I had at my old address, thats going to take 5 weeks apparently. Looks like im in stuck!

 

Electric seems to be fine I put £20 on that on Friday and still have £13 left I can live with that. - oh and that standing charge on the gas £1.80 a day!

 

Any Advice ???

 

 

Thanks all.

[3s-gtech]

Get it switched. If your credit history is good, it's their loss if you change supplier. £30 per week is insane, properly. We pay less than that on a big, poorly insulated house with LPG, which is notoriously costly - you should be on less than half of what you're paying.

[CAM]

Are you sure you haven't got a fault or leak somewhere? Maybe someone leeching it? That seems like an awful lot and utility companies don't check their bills properly (as proven when we had the meter read and the dunce got it the wrong way round resulting in a bill large enough to power the supermarket next door!).

[rich_tech]

if you cant go DD, move to a provider that doesnt do standing charges on pre-pay meters as a matter of urgency, I think Swalec who we are with do not put a SC on their pre-payment meters, as that is a form of robbery for pre-payment meters, £1.80 a day x30 being £54 a month just for that. Thats probably where half your costs are going there.

[E_G_R2]

If you can watch the meter with the boiler running and then when its off and see if the dial/reading changes.

 

Also ^ good advice

[pantscat]

If you know a friendly gas safe plumber ask them to do a drop test on the meter, this'll detect if there's any leak on your side of the meter.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Call utility warehouse, they make sure you're on the cheapest tarrif at all times.

 

They'll even give you cash to help you buy yourself out of your contract.

 

£30 a week sounds a lot. I would ask them to come and see if the boiler is running the correct tarrif as they often get the wrong update.

[CHR1S]

What's your standing charge? (Edit - missed the £.180 a day! Wow high!)

 

Sounds iffy to me, over £4 a day? approx 4p per unit and 30/50p standing charge, roughly 87 units a week?

 

Even with the £1.80 = 55 units a week

Edited November 7, 2013 by CHR1S

[Michael]

I agree, £30 per week is a lot. Inevitably standing charges are always going to be more expensive than DD, as there's far less administration costs for the energy supplier.

 

If you do get your boiler checked, remember to get any gas fires and/or cooker checked at the same time.

 

Another method (although not ideal this time of year), is to turn the gas off temporarily at the meter and see if the dial changes at all.

[StevieM]

Am I really stuck topping up £30 a week on my pre-payment meter ?

 

I have just moved into a new house, not much bigger than my old one, still a two bedroom.

 

Both Gas and Electric meters are pre-payment, I wanted to go onto Direct Debit but apparently I haven't passed the credit check, although last time I was with British Gas they ended up owing me money and I got a cheque off them for £150.

 

I'm now putting £30 a week on my Gas meter, thats with no debts from previous tennants etc. I last topped up on Friday. Boiler is on roughly about an hour before we go to bed and an hour in the morning when we wake up. Boiler is also less than 3 months old.

 

I call British Gas for them to tell me, I have failed the credit check so they wont remove that meter and put me on a monthly payment meter, and if I wanted to switch supplier its just tough t***y because it takes 5 weeks for a new supplier to set my account up anyway so Im still stuck paying them £30 for 5 weeks.

 

I want to switch my supplier to the supplier which I had at my old address, thats going to take 5 weeks apparently. Looks like im in stuck!

 

Electric seems to be fine I put £20 on that on Friday and still have £13 left I can live with that. - oh and that standing charge on the gas £1.80 a day!

 

Any Advice ???

 

 

Thanks all.

 

First things first. If it's going to take you 5 weeks to change supplier - start the ball rolling TODAY or you will be paying £30 for the next 6 weeks! Ebico is the UK's only 'Not-for-Profit' energy company and offers the same price tariff for pre-payment meters as Direct Debit accounts and has NO standing charge. Click here NOW and get started. There are NO contract tie-ins and NO exit fees so if you don't like it, you can leave at any time without incurring a penalty.

 

Secondly, there is NO WAY that a £1.80 a day standing charge does not include re-payment of old debt. Take daily meter readings of exactly how much gas you use, not just how much money you have spent. That way, when it comes to making a claim for a refund you will have all the information that you need.

 

Thirdly, make sure that ALL of your communications with your supplier (and I am inferring that you are currently with British Gas) are undertaken via email so you have a trail of evidence. Download a copy of their complaints procedure and refer to it in your emails if at any time you feel they are trying to fob you off. Also advise them of a deadline for a response of 24 hours before escalating to the next level of the complaints procedure.

 

Fourthly, keep pestering them and don't let them fob you off.

 

Finally, if at all possible, avoid using gas for the next 5 weeks. Boil kettles for hot water. Use portable electric heaters around the house. Allow your account to become massively in debt to this ridiculous £1.80 a day standing charge and let them dare try to come after you for it!

 

As you may have gathered, I have had experience of dealing with British Gas and, without a shadow of a doubt, I have never experienced such incompetence from such a large organisation in my entire life.

 

Good luck and nil carborundum illegitimi!

 

PS No I don't work for Ebico or have any connections, I just think they are a great company.

[HarryMonkey]

My ex has a prepayment meter with British Gas and is in a two bed flat. She heats by gas boiler, as well as hot water and cooks on gas too. She puts around £30 to £40 a month in the meter at this time of year depending on how cold it gets. The heating is on for a couple of hours max. There is no way that you should be paying £30 a week.

[korifugi]

£30 a week?

 

Crickey - I'm on a pre-pay meter and don't even use that in a month, for a two bed house.

 

There's got to be something wrong there - either theres a leak of some kind, some 'enterprising soul' helping themselves to your supply or the supplier is taking you for a ride with an insane tarrif...

 

As above - start the change process now, otherwise you'll be stuck with this meter, I'd also suggest ringing your supplier and reporting your current meter as faulty, as there's no way you should be paying that much - if they say it's fine, then enquire about your tarrif, ask why it is so high.

 

Complain. Loudly. and don't let up.

[CHR1S]

I just did the maths for my gas as a comparison.

 

Large 4 bed house, with above average number rads. £22 including standing charge for a month, up from £15 last month as we are putting the heating on more.

[cpjitservices]

Well I had a worth with BG, and I was told that they could put me on a different tariff a lower tariff but there would be no point as on the 23rd November all the tariffs are going up anyway regardless. I'd apparently only benefit from the new tariff for a few days. Apparently I get charged a Calibration charge on the meter too and thats £1 a day between 2-3AM.

 

Definitely haven't got a leak - Gas check has been done and the meters have been checked!

 

Think Ill look at ebico thanks all.

[CHR1S]

@cpjitservices sorry mate but they are treating you like a mug!! £1 a day calibration charge? Did they offer you to change the smell of your gas for £1 a day too?

 

I would be threatening to call Ofgem right about now.

[Guest Guest]

FYI I've just checked and my standing charge on a monthly bill is 21.49p / day. I would ask for justification in writing as to why yours is £1.80!!!

[Michael]

Well I had a worth with BG, and I was told that they could put me on a different tariff a lower tariff but there would be no point as on the 23rd November all the tariffs are going up anyway regardless. I'd apparently only benefit from the new tariff for a few days. Apparently I get charged a Calibration charge on the meter too and thats £1 a day between 2-3AM.

 

Definitely haven't got a leak - Gas check has been done and the meters have been checked!

 

Think Ill look at ebico thanks all.

 

A calibration charge? What does that mean exactly? Why is it my meter calibrates itself and yours doesn't? I thought that kind of thing was a thing of the past in 2013.

[CHR1S]

How to check your meter

We've heard of dozens of similar cases involving almost all of the big energy companies, and there could be plenty more, because one million meters are changed from imperial to metric every year.

 

If yours is one of them, here's how you can check you're being billed correctly:

 

If your gas meter has the letters fton the front, it's one of the old imperial ones. That means your reading needs to be converted, and the small print of your bill should show this. It'll probably be called a metric conversion factor. But if your meter has the letter M, it's a new metric meter, and your bill shouldn't have a metric conversion factor on it. If it does, you too could be paying too much.

 

from BBC - Watchdog: Are you paying too much for gas?

 

I doubt this is possible with prepay, but could be worth a check?

Edited November 7, 2013 by CHR1S

[Michael]

Latest news: UK firms cleared of gas price manipulation

 

Yeah right...

 

It's pretty obvious to me that creating sub-division companies i.e. a middle man, they're selling gas to themselves at a higher rate, then claiming the wholesale price has gone up. The whole privatisation model is no longer working.

 

When did we last see company A say we'll undercut company B?

 

You see it with Virgin and Sky.

 

You see it was Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco.

 

Do you see it with the big six? No!

[StevieM]

The whole privatisation model is no longer working.

 

I think the clause 'no longer' is redundant in that sentence.

@cpjitservices - Did you ask them exactly what a 'Calibration Charge' is? Email them and get it in writing.

Edited November 7, 2013 by StevieM

[cpjitservices]

Just spoke to BG and this is what it breaks down too.

 

Gas:

Standard Tariff

Usage average is: 2.69 - 8.065 per KwH (Tier 1) 4.524 Per KwH (tier 2)

Calibration charge is 26.09

 

Electric:

Standard Tariff

2.31 Average Usage. : 21.98 Per KwH

13.27 Per KwH

 

New prices as of 23rd November

Gas: 5.05 per Kwh (tier1) , 26.09 Standing Charge, 26.009 (tier2)

Elec: 13.75 Per KwH, 26.09 Standing Charge, 26.009 (tier2)

 

IM confused by all this if im honest.

[cpjitservices]

A calibration is where, the meter during 2am and 3am does some jiggery poker with the credit, re-calibrates itself so that the meter after so much has been used makes the price go down on the per KwH but no idea as to what price.

[featured_spectre]

Check your facebook inbox.

[Sirbendy]

What's the boiler and when was it serviced? In one of our previous rentals we had a B rated Potterton Promax HE - after it got serviced towards the end of our tenancy, it went from economical to roughly what you pay, again on prepay meters.

 

I suspect they screwed with the boiler and upset it. They denied it, but this company came to my current house when I initially had a fault on my "new" system, and tried to screw me over to the tune of £88 inventing faults, after turning up with faulty test equipment and having to borrow my own.

 

Needless to say I ordered them out, and called in a local independent engineer, who fixed and serviced the whole kaboodle for £45, and is coming back next week to do an annual service again.

[StevieM]

A calibration is where, the meter during 2am and 3am does some jiggery poker with the credit, re-calibrates itself so that the meter after so much has been used makes the price go down on the per KwH but no idea as to what price.

 

What? So it costs you £1 a day so that you can pay less for any gas used between and 2am and 3am? Sounds like a bargain to me!

 

Seriously, email them and get them to explain everything in writing and in language that you can understand. If you're still confused, keep pestering them for clarification.