problems with british gas

[linnikins]

help!! I have an outstanding bill of £838 with british gas. They suggested that I pay £100 per month to pay off the balance and this would include what I consume each month but no time scale was ever mentioned .
Some time ago I recieved a phone call fron them and they said that I was not paying the bill off fast enough, and wanted to put the direct debit up to £180 per month. I have explained to them that I am struggling financially, and have an IVA, but they said if I didnt agree that they would disconnect me and take me to court to recover the balance. I have told them repeatedly that I cant afford more, and that £100 per month is a struggle, but that I will maintain that amount.I have since recieved numerous phone calls, some quite hostile,the last person that phoned said that this was now being passed to someone else to deal with and that they would not be anywhere near so lenient!!
I have today recieved another letter saying that my direct debit will go up to £202.04 per month to pay off the bill. I can not afford this and cant understand why they are insisting on this revised amount. What can I do ?

[ozzywizard]

They will not dissconnect you, here next stage is to apply for a warrant to fit a prepay meter with charges of up to 230 pounds. Best thing you can do is phone them and make appointment for a prepayment meter of which there is no charge and then you pay for your conmsumption as you go along and have the debt set on the meter at a rate that is affordable for you.

[lolly371]

hi linnikins. not long ago i was in exactly the same situation, until i discovered that british gas have a grant for people struggling with their bill.(funny, they never mention it to people!) i applied, which did take some doing, but the first benefit i found was that during the 2 months-ish it takes them to process your claim, your account is frozen, meaning they will take no action, so you get a bit of breathing space. when i did hear, they paid my entire £500 debt. they do need to know you have a valid reason for the debt (in my cas bg refused to accept any meter readings for 2 years and estimated all bills) and they also want to be convinced that it wont happen again in the future, but it is worth doing just for the peace from phone calls in the meantime. you could even clear a bit of the debt while you are waiting, if you are unsure of success. i hope this helps, good luck!