Bord Gáis - Deposits

robd

hdowney wrote: »

as far as i know if you set up dd with esb you don't have to pay the €300 deposit. my friend moved into a new place feb of last year and changed the esb to his name. they told him either pay the deposit or set up dd and then you don't have to

Also, If you've had an account with them before. They waved mine last time as I had account with them for 7 years in last house.

SteoL

hdowney wrote: »

as far as i know if you set up dd with esb you don't have to pay the €300 deposit. my friend moved into a new place feb of last year and changed the esb to his name. they told him either pay the deposit or set up dd and then you don't have to

Just got off the phone with the ESB. Thankfully they waived the deposit as I used to be a customer and was able to quote my old account number which was in good standing. That's a relief I must admit. Will call Bord Gais as soon as I have a moment. I can probably pay €200 (and setup DD) when I am paid in a fortnight. Not a chance of paying €400 tho.

Mr. Presentable

It's completely understandable that they'd want a sizeable deposit. Most renters I know have at some point left accomodation with rent and utilities owing. It is just something sensible to factor in when planning to move to rented property.

I have had three rentals in the past - no problems ever getting the deposit back.

SteoL

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

It's completely understandable that they'd want a sizeable deposit. Most renters I know have at some point left accomodation with rent and utilities owing. It is just something sensible to factor in when planning to move to rented property.

I have had three rentals in the past - no problems ever getting the deposit back.

I think to expect someone to have €400 lying around is a bit much. And to demand payment of this within 10 days is just cheeky IMO. People just moving into a new place have already paid a substantial sum and this needs to be considered by these companies. Like I said I can probably pay €200 when I am next paid which is in 2.5 weeks. Could not afford more than that unfortunately.

diceyreilly

Doom wrote: »

I'm with Flogas, I had to pay € 200 deposit

I didn't.. Must have changed in.. With Bord Gais for the sparks too and didnt pay it.. Just didn't have the money after paying the deposit and months rent..

I understand why they charge it buy why so high.. The interest they must make on it too..

tara73

diceyreilly wrote: »

I understand why they charge it buy why so high.. The interest they must make on it too..

that's what I am thinking. If it would be 100 euro max., ok, but 400??? that's madness, and they make a huge amount of interest with taking other peoples money for nothing.

Irishdudedave

Just been speaking to Airtricity on the phone and I was informed that if you take both gas & electricity from them with the 12 month contract plan then no deposit is necessary.

I know this wont suit everybody but it actually fits my requirements perfectly and at least they have some solution available to people who cannot stump up massive deposits!

diceyreilly

diceyreilly wrote: »

I didn't.. Must have changed in.. With Bord Gais for the sparks too and didnt pay it.. Just didn't have the money after paying the deposit and months rent..

I understand why they charge it buy why so high.. The interest they must make on it too..

They only charge the deposit if you don't sign up for direct debit, otherwise there's no deposit.

SteoL

Karsini wrote: »

They only charge the deposit if you don't sign up for direct debit, otherwise there's no deposit.

Bord Gais? That is incorrect. I was given 2 options.

1. Pay €400 deposit.
2. Sign up for DD and pay €200 deposit.

Given 2 horrific experiences where I ended up screwed by a certain mobile phone operator I now refuse to give people control to DR my account via DD. Which leaves me with 1 option.

Irishdudedave

SteoL wrote: »

Boird Gais? That is incorrect. I was given 2 options.

1. Pay €400 deposit.
2. Sign up for DD and pay €200 deposit.

Given 2 horrific experiences where I ended up screwed by a certain mobile phone operator I now refuse to give people control to DR my account via DD. Which leaves me with 1 option.

I know its not ideal but what I do is have a separate account for all my direct debits. When the bill comes in the door I simply transfer money from my main account into this second account to cover the bill. That way they can only take what they are entitled to.

Its a pain that the direct debit is so blatantly abused to the point where this is necessary but at least it puts control back in my hands.

robd

Irishdudedave wrote: »

Its a pain that the direct debit is so blatantly abused to the point where this is necessary but at least it puts control back in my hands.

Except that the bank charges you exorbitant fees for refused direct debits and for unauthorised overdrafts which you'd have difficulty/stress getting back from either party.

SteoL

SteoL wrote: »

Bord Gais? That is incorrect. I was given 2 options.

1. Pay €400 deposit.
2. Sign up for DD and pay €200 deposit.

Given 2 horrific experiences where I ended up screwed by a certain mobile phone operator I now refuse to give people control to DR my account via DD. Which leaves me with 1 option.

I think I quoted the wrong post, was referring to Flogas. I switched away from Bord Gáis for that exact reason.

Lawrence1895

SteoL wrote: »

Bord Gais? That is incorrect. I was given 2 options.

1. Pay €400 deposit.
2. Sign up for DD and pay €200 deposit.

Given 2 horrific experiences where I ended up screwed by a certain mobile phone operator I now refuse to give people control to DR my account via DD. Which leaves me with 1 option.

I do everything via online banking. If anyone is messing with a Direct Debit, I can just cancel the whole lot with one klick

SteoL

Lars1916 wrote: »

I do everything via online banking. If anyone is messing with a Direct Debit, I can just cancel the whole lot with one klick

Good thinking. Maybe just setup DD, pay the €200 and just do online transfers to pay bills. As you said, if they start acting the maggot with the DD I can just cancel (although I would suspect i would then receive an additional bill for the remaining €200 deposit).

foxy06

I had trouble recently with Bord Gais too. I have been with them for about 8 years and always paid through the post office about 20 euro a week or so. I have moved a few times in that period and the deposit was never required as I had always been up to date with them.

I moved again over Christmas and they were looking for a 400 deposit. Told them to look up my account (I was actually 80 euro in credit with them when I moved) and I was told it is automatically applied to any account when a person moves. Now if I was a new customer or had been in arrears fair enough but this is a crock of ****!

Just by some miracle Airtricity called to the door so I signed up with them. No deposit required so I'm hoping the customer service is a bit better. Couldnt get a straight answer from anyone in Bord Gais. Just kept passing the buck. Feck them anyway:mad:

From what I read at the time I moved here, my conclusion was that the only way Bord Gáis would waive the deposit is if you're a homeowner and choose to pay by direct debit, tenants are liable for a deposit no matter what.