ESB Issue

sept09baby

Wondering if you can help.

Basically a few months ago we manged to run up a big ESB bill - about €800. Now I'm back working 3 days we've been paying it off piece by piece.

I got one phone call from them about a month ago asking me to pay (there was a balance of just under €500 made up of the old balance and new charges). I told the guy on the phone I'd get paid on the 28th and pay some off but wouldn't be able to pay off the whole lot. So I paid about half of it on my last pay day.

I recceived a letter today entitled 'Urgent - Final Reminder' saying that despite repeated attempts to contact me I haven't made payment and if I didn't pay off the remaining €264 today we'd be disconnected.

Tried ringing but they don't take calls after 8.

Really don't know what's going on. I've been bringing in down each month and nearly have it paid off. Was planning to pay off the rest when I get paid this month but don't understand why they would disconnect us. I mean we're been bringing down the balance every month and are nearly there. Plus I only ever had one call from them and have heard nothing since (well until the letter arrived).

Why would they do this and is it becomming common practice? Saw an article today saying 30 homes a day are being cut off but didnt think they'd target people who nearly have it paid off

Muzzier23

I wouldnt worry too much about it to be honest. ESB are in the media (I think it was mentioned today on Joe Duffy) and they can do without the negative press.
Do yourself a favour though, ring them 1st thing in the morning and tell them again about your problem and see what they can do for you. Make sure you get the full name of the person you speak to and if you dont get satisfaction, ask for thier supervisor. Dont get off the phone until you are happy that its sorted. I would also suggest that you ask them for written corrispondace in regards to any agreement you make.

This happened to me before. After 3 estimated readings, they came out and did a proper reading, i got a bill of almost €1200. I nearly crapped my pants but they were ok with me once i explained the situation. It took me 6 months to pay it off as well as my current bills.

I could be wrong but as far as i know, if you can show that you are trying to pay it off, they cant cut you off. Dont quote me on that though!

Best of luck with it. I hope it works out for you!

P.S. I dont believe that the ESB can cut you off remotely and that someone has to physically come out to cut you off. Id say you are safe enough tonight. I cant see them sending someone outside of hours.

sept09baby

Thanks. Will be ringing them in the morning but tbh the letter had me panicking. Don't know what they mean by repeated attempts to contact me - it was one phone call. Not like I was hiding!

After seeing the article in the paper I was wondering if this is a new money making scheme to get people to pay the disconnection and re-coonection fees :eek:

Muzzier23

Like i said, just call them ASAP and be honest. Sleep easy
The person who you speak to will usually have the power to sort you out but only if they can see your point. Make sure they have the correct contact details for you while you are on. I had my life insurance cancelled because they had the wrong address for me. :rolleyes:

dxhound2005

Did you know there is an ESB forum on Boards, Biz, Talk To.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1349

sept09baby

Thanks

calex71

Muzzier23 wrote: »

Id say you are safe enough tonight. I cant see them sending someone outside of hours.

You'd think so wouldn't you. Cut us off a few years back around 8 in the evening. It was November, so dark and because they cut the power we lost the gas heating too :mad:

They have been getting a hard time for cutting folks off on the news today so I'd say sleep easy OP.

dudara

Moved to Talk to ESB Customer Supply

dudara

Fnergg

It seems to me that you do not have a formal payment arrangement with the ESB. Or, if you have/had, it must not have been complied with. Otherwise they would not be sending you such letters.

The advice given above is correct: contact them and make an arrangement whereby there will be specific payments agreed. Just don't expect them to agree to some nebulous commitment to do what you can. Be specific with amounts and dates and you should have no problem.

There isn't any money making scam involved in getting people to pay reconnection fees. Such fees are levied by ESB Networks on all suppliers - ESB Customer Supply, Bord Gais Energy, Airtricity - and have been agreed with the Regulator. The suppliers make no profit out of such fees - they simply act as a collection agent for ESB Networks who do the actual disconnections for all the suppliers.

On a broader level, I find it very odd that the media are focusing on ESB Customer Supply's disconnection policies when, proportionately, Bord Gais Energy and Airtricity disconnect more customers on a daily basis.

Also, ESB Customer Supply has been criticised by SVDP in the past for being too lenient and too slow to act where customers falling into arrears are concerned. Now that ESB Customer Supply is clearly acting in a more timely manner they are being criticised for that too!

Finally, the Regulator could help alleviate the undoubted hardship that many ESBCS customers suffer if he lifted the price regulation on the ESB now. ESB prices are being kept higher than they should be in order to help Bord Gais and Airtricity take customers from ESB in the interests of "competition".

Regards,

Fnergg

sept09baby

All sorted thanks. Rang them this morning and explained the situation. It seems the guy I spoke to last month only made a note of the payment I would make last month but not the future payments I discussed with him. Therefore they thought that I hadn't committed to paying the balance

It was just an awful shock getting the letter on the same day that article was in the paper

Muzzier23

Glad you got sorted! Once you are honest with these providers, they are generally OK.

ESB CS: Chris

Hi Sept09baby,

I can appreciate your concern over the letter you received and I am glad to hear that you were able to get this matter sorted out.

For any customer who experiences difficulties in relation to bill payments, I would advise you to contact us as soon as possible. Where problems arise we will work with you to arrange a payment plan which is mutually acceptable.

A disconnection only occurs when all other avenues have been exhausted

In excess of 11,000 repayment arrangements per month have been entered into with customers throughout 2010 (some 80,000 to date this year).

So if you are worried about how you will pay your bill or have any other concerns, please contact us as soon as possible and we will work with you to agree a payment plan, which if you adhere to will help you to get your account back on track again.

Our contact details are available here.

Many thanks
Chris