prepay meters....

[oopa]

I am a husband with 3 kids.

We missed one month payment back in november when i lost my job as a bricky and we were forced into having prepay meters installed by swalec, we were told that it would work out cheaper for us monthly but AFTER they were installed we were told that a mistake had been made and infact the amount we were putting into the meters each month was correct...

 

via direct debit....

 

£75 per month for gas

£75 per month for electricity

 

now via prepay meters we are putting in over £200 per month! and this is with me still out of work and us living on my wifes wages.

 

I would like to know that when i move at the end of the month into our new house (rented, lost family home) can swalec force us to have prepay meters installed or can we refuse?

[Clare_L]

When you move into your new house, you may find that they are not even your supplier in which case they cannot force prepay meters.

 

Was there a debt on your account before they put the prepay meters in? Why did they insist on this after only missing one payment? If there is a debt, then you need to check how much they have set the meter to reclaim the debt on a weekly basis ie £10 a week which could be why you are putting in this amount.

[caro]

There's advice on this thread about reclaiming possible overpayments. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/utilities-gas-electricity-water/204486-pre-pay-meter-users.html#post2227952

[oopa]

yes they was a debt. my wife had brought a debt with her over a year ago ( i think there is about £250 on each left to pay) and the supplier calculated that our monthly payments should be the £150 per month as mentioned above, which we were happy with, we paid every month and missed just the 1 payment and their attitude stank! it was like i was a criminal and with all the pressure of no work etc i lost it and screamed down the phone etc, i begged for help of these and others, and got nothing in return, i was told that they would refuse any further payments by direct debit and we had to have meters installed as this was the only option open to us, but we were assured they would work out cheaper for us, but they lied! I could rant all day about it but i dont want to waste your time.

all i need to know is that when i move can i tell them to put me on direct debit or can they force me to have meters installed again? and if so can i change supplier and pay their debt off seperate?

thanks all.

[Clare_L]

I would find out who the supplier is first before you move and if it is them, start changing supply before you move, so long as its only within a few weeks or you could mess up things with the currect occupant. If they are NOT the supplier then they cannot insist on prepay meters as they are not your supplier and would have to accept a payment arrangement with you. I would be inclined to send them a budget sheet showing what YOU can afford once you move in.