Beat the Gas/Elect price rise40% ? Do what they do

[IIIUMINATI]

Would it not be possible to provide your suppliers Gas/Elect with readings which were much higher than actual and pay them based on the readings you have provided. Build up a credit over the next 3/4 months before the colder months arrive .We know that companies will take full advantage to increase prices during high consumption.
The cold allowance £200 paid to pensioners could be worth £280 ?
The way I see it is we are entering the futures market be it only in a small way a bit like capping the rates but a 40% return is not bad.
Any thoughts comments

[noggsy]

Cracking idea ! Only problem I can see is if the meter is outside and read by their meter reader.

[scousegeezer]

You cannot do this under any circumstances. IT IS DECEPTION AND A CRIMINAL OFFENCE, if they find out about it - and trust me they will. If you lodge a reading in the summer mopnths that seems out of all proportion and then submit a winter figure that is obviously too low , they will sus you out. DONT DO IT.

[IIIUMINATI]

what about all that building work you had done in the summer

[IIIUMINATI]

Only joking but what about people on here who have overpaid some as much as £900 .What are there options.
They can ask for there money back and as I have read repayments are normally very prompt but what if all the overpayment's were estimates
and the customer decided to stop paying until the overpayment was exhausted. Surely in that case the problem has been created by the supply company.

[Rooster-UK]

PLEASE NOTE: The CAG does not, under any circumstances, condone breaking the law.
We USE the law, we don't break it.

As Scousegeezer has noted, to do what you suggest is deception.

Rooster-UK.

[ozzywizard]

Huge huge risk. . . . I have been a Team Leader at British gas and a manager at Powergen, also been heavily involved with fraud projects. At both companies it does flag up, they do send a meter reader out to your property and they will read the meter by law as they can demand access (notice to you needs to be given but not enough to use that kind of electric to bring it back in line) and they will procecute.. you may think they wont as not a major offence but they love to make an example of such activities.

[sytra]

I personally wouldn't do it, but would love to get one over the "big power co's" after all they rip us off all the time!! yet nothing gets done about it..

I dont think British gas have been out to read our meter in well over a year. Last time we had a bill with "actuall reading" it was still more than the meter showed so proving that they still just estimate the readings. our gas meter is outside so they have no excuses.

They have only read the meters this time round as we are leaving them.

Sytra

[lookinforinfo]

I accept that Illuminati was joking but there is a serious side to his post.
Whilst it is fraud if we over -read our consumption to obtain lower bills when prices increase, why isn't anything done about power companies underestimating consumption so we have to pay more when prices increase?
It doesn't appear to accidental.

[Surfer01]

They only have to check domestic meters once every two years so it is highly unlikely that they will cotton onto the readings varying. I would say that giving a higher read than normal is unlikely to be deception as they will need to prove it.
A simpler way to do it is to set your monthly DD payment a bit higher during the summer months and then if you have built up any credit to reduce it in the winter.
We supply readings on a regular basis and although our gas averages at £23 per month usage at present, we pay £30 per month as we know in winter it will increase. Also if you are in credit it is easier to switch at any time rather than suddenly been confronted with a huge bill.
It is dead easy to work out your consumption. Try it using your readings.

[IIIUMINATI]

Question
Postage stamps are 1st 2nd class no cash value is printed on the stamp
however if a price rise was announced and you purchased £100 of stamps before the increase and then used them say a year later you would have made savings but by using them would you have broken the law.
If you have a pre payment gas meter and you could afford to purchase £1000 of tokens and credit the meter with this amount what is your position (apart from being very warm)

[Allwood]

Originally Posted by IIIUMINATI

full advantage to increase prices during high consumption.
The cold allowance £200 paid to pensioners could be worth £280 ?
The way I see it is we are entering the futures market be it only in a small way a bit like capping the rates but a 40% return is not bad.
Any thoughts comments

Please note that the £200 is paid by household if there are 4 pensioners living in one house then they will qualify for £200 not £800

[IIIUMINATI]

Winter Fuel Payment

The deadline for claims for Winter Fuel Payments was 30 March 2008. If you have any queries about your claim for winter 2007/08 contact the Winter Fuel Payments Helpline. You should have your National Insurance number ready when you call.
The Government will again be making Winter Fuel Payments to most people aged 60 or over for winter 2008/09. Further information will be available on this site from July 2008.
There will be an additional payment for winter 2008/09 of £50 for households with someone aged 60-79 and £100 for households with someone aged 80 or over. This will be paid alongside the Winter Fuel Payment.
As a result of pensions reform the minimum age at which both men and women will be able to receive a Winter Fuel Payment will rise incrementally to 65 between 2010 and 2020.


Further £50 yipeeeeeeee

[stardust_john]

I wouldnt do it intentionally, it was bad enough when I fluffed a reading and mixed up the numbers and my account was hammered to the extent of a years gas. They were understanding and sorted it out for me but I still feel the heat rise when I got the bill. I now am on protected tarriff so I dont have to worry untill end 2009 and then I dread to think.