I've just had my first gas bill for my flat. it is nearly £200. i moved in the second week of november last year and this bill is to 6th feb this year. they want the money by the 20th feb. I telephoned EDF to query the bill and was told this bill was accurate, but i was more than welcome to pay £70 for someone to come and test the line. I live alone in a small flat with my dog. So unless he is getting up in the middle of the night and having several baths and cranking the heating up i'm really at a loss. I offered a token payment of £30 per month on a payment plan, the customer service said this wasnt good enough and said he wanted £80 a month out of me. i'm on a very low income and after the chappie on the phone worked out my incoming and outgoing it leaves me with £20 a month to feed myself and my dog. I am on incapacity benefit because i have IBS and Menieres Disease (I'm pretty much house bound.) The government say that a single person needs £86 a week to live, pay bills, food etc. I get £102 on the highest tier of incapacity. I'm paying £30 in rent and £40 in council tax. By the time i finish paying bills and buying food i have nothing and barely manage. I told the man at EDF i couldnt pay that and he said that i would have to and that he couldnt let me go without agreeing a payment plan. So i said ok so i could hang up the phone, i was nearly crying and didnt want to speak to him anymore. Was he within his right to refuse? what would have been a proper amount to offer? The man at the customer service said he was being nice by offering £80 a month for me to pay, but in order for me to continue to pay this £80 a month i had to turn my gas usage right down. I only ever have the heating on low. So I've turned the heating off now. its a bit cold, but i've got extra jumpers and a few blankets. The chap assured me that i had a brand new meter so it was accurate. i cant tell you how upset i am about this. i cant stop crying, and i cant see any way out. I'm so cold!