SWALEC Gas Bill

[jackburton]

Hi all,


Got a phone call yesterday from SWALEC Gas regarding my Gas Bill.

Due to 2 factors.

1. Them calculating paying of arrears in 12 months based on a estimated metering reading (outstanding was £400, asked to pay £77 a month)
2. A number fo DD bouncing (my fault)

They are now asking for £947.

They wanted half of that immediately to stop any further action but I managed to reduce that to £150 next week.

But they want £50 per week (or £200 a month) which is a load of money.

Any suggestions on whether I can get this to a more manageable amount or do I just have to pay it as they suggest?

Thanks

[jamiecg74]

There are 2 ways to look at this.

1. Swalec should've read your meter during the billing year in order to keep your account up to date. They have to at least every 18 months for safety reasons. Having said that, I would always ensure that you check the reads on your bill to make sure your account is right.
2. Did the direct debits bounce because of insufficient funds in your account? Swalec would not be responsible for this unfortunately.

Is the balance with Swalec based on an up to date meter reading?
If so, am I right in assuming that the £947 is the current balance based on your meter reading right?

Try and get them on a 1 or 2 years payment scheme to pay off the arrears and your usage at the same time. Ask them to calculate (if possible) what your annual usage is based on when there were correct meter readings and advise you how much you use in a year.

If the £947 is the balance then thay may divide by 12 or 24 months, and then add your projected annual usage on top of that. For example, if you use £800 per year, it would be like this:

£947 / 12 months = £79 per month
or
£947 / 24 months = £40 per month

This would be added to your annual usage (eg £800) over 12 months = £66 per month.

Then add the two together and that would be your payment scheme.

12 months = £145 per month
or
24 months = £106 per month

Obviously if your projected annual usage is lower then, your payments would be lower than what I have calculated.

Hope this helps!