disconnect threat!

celineos

Im in arrears on my bill and have been trying to pay it off each week but iv just gotten a letter saying i have 7days to pay off the total amount or ill be disconnected and on top of that ill be charged for the disconnect and reconnect (for the engineers who get paid weekly regardless if there called out or not??).

My problem is that i moved into a home with a night saver meter and my bill came in at a high rate as i use mostly daytime electricty. I only noticed this when my friend pointed it out, i rang the EI and told them i wanted a daytime meter and that way i could pay off more of my arrears, there responce was to charge me for the new meter (why you need a new meter is beyond me, its 2012 and a meter doesnt exist that you can switch from daytime to nighttime? or maybe just add up my daytime units as daytime not night? iv never been charged for a new phone when i change tarriffs)., i also notice they dont charge to install a nighttime meter.

Im on welfare of €171.00 with a child to support that needs a nebulizer for her asthma that runs from the socket shes only 5yr, and just cant afford there service charges, im in arrears because of them and if they just change my meter id be able to pay more off the arrears. Am i the only one who sees the sense here.

Priori

C'mon now, you're not seriously going to try to blame that fact that you're in arrears in the difference in price between a 24hr and nightrate meter? If you only use about 3 or 4 units in those hours (midnight to 9 at the moment - I actually have a nightrate meter myself) you'll actually start to see a slight saving.

BostonB

I think you need to tell them you are having problem and need a plan to get on track, otherwise they won't know and they'll send you out these automatic bills.

The other issue is many service companies (and I can't remember if EI have) have outsourced their bill and arrears collection side of the business and the companies that do this for them are on commission. So are more pushy than usual to get get payment.

You can avoid all that by agreeing a plan with EI.

I don't know much about it so Perhaps someone else with more knowledge of how it works, will give more details and correct me where I'm wrong.

http://www.esb.ie/main/press/pressreleaseWS.jsp?id=401
http://irishenergynews.com/home/index.php/2011/10/25/400000-households-in-arrears/
http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/latest-news/esb-uses-uk-debt-collectors-as-130000-in-arrears-on-bills-3029085.html

Electric Ireland: David

Hi celineos,

There is a charge of €186.41 (incl. VAT) to change to a standard 24hour meter. Previously it had cost the same to install a Nightsaver meter, but we removed this charge so as to encourage customers to avail of cheaper off-peak rates. (As I pointed out in the last thread I answered, there is a 49.5% reduction over against the day price for any electricity you use in the designated hours).

Customers experiencing difficulties with paying in accordance with our credit terms of 14 days are advised to get in touch with us as soon as possible to discuss a suitable payment schedule, with a view to prevent arrears accumulating. If you would like us to have a look at your account for you please send the following details to us by private message:

• Your full name, address and contact number
• Confirmation that you are the account holder

celineos wrote:

a child to support that needs a nebulizer for her asthma that runs from the socket shes only 5yr

Sorry to hear of this, I know this must be difficult. Any customers who rely on medical equipment are advised to register as priority support customers - see here for further information.

Thanks,

David.

celineos

Priori wrote: »

C'mon now, you're not seriously going to try to blame that fact that you're in arrears in the difference in price between a 24hr and nightrate meter? If you only use about 3 or 4 units in those hours (midnight to 9 at the moment - I actually have a nightrate meter myself) you'll actually start to see a slight saving.

So the fact my meter is double what the rate during the day means nothing Day rate 0.1729 night 0.0855, i have a 5yr child im not going to stay up all night washing and tell her to watch tv after 11.pm, and to leave appliances on while your asleep is dangerous to say the least. So yes my bill is stupidly high because of the nightsaver meter.

Electric Ireland: David

Hi celineos,

Just to be clear, the Nightsaver day rate compares to the standard day rate as follows:

• €0.1962 per unit (Nightsaver Day Rate)
• €0.1838 per unit (Normal Day Rate)

Both the above figures are VAT-inclusive. Customers on the standard 24hr tariff do not have the opportunity to avail of the cheaper rate of €0.0970, which, if you use about 3 or 4 units in the designated hours, can lead to savings.

We don't recommend using appliances while sleeping, but timing an immersion for early in the morning would almost single-handedly use up the requisite amount of units. An electric shower too would use approx. 1 unit every 7-10 minutes it's on (depending on the model). See here for more info.

Thanks,

David.

celineos

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

Hi celineos,

Just to be clear, the Nightsaver day rate compares to the standard day rate as follows:

• €0.1962 per unit (Nightsaver Day Rate)
• €0.1838 per unit (Normal Day Rate)

Both the above figures are VAT-inclusive. Customers on the standard 24hr tariff do not have the opportunity to avail of the cheaper rate of €0.0970, which, if you use about 3 or 4 units in the designated hours, can lead to savings.

We don't recommend using appliances while sleeping, but timing an immersion for early in the morning would almost single-handedly use up the requisite amount of units. An electric shower too would use approx. 1 unit every 7-10 minutes it's on (depending on the model). See here for more info.

Thanks,

David.

It does asy on my bill that my units are normally double that of nighttime e.g.
unit type day - unit price € 0.1506
unit type night - unit price € 0.0745

this is on the back of my bill and varys from bill to bill slightly but is always double, am i reading something wrong?

Electric Ireland: David

No, you're reading that right celineos, but what I wanted to make clear, in case there was any misunderstanding, is that while the Nightsaver day rate is approx. double that of the night rate, so too (to a slightly lesser extent) is the Standard day rate. If you were on the Standard rate you would be charged the full unit rate around the clock, without any opportunity to avail of the night rate.

So the effective difference for you, in terms of the unit rate, is about 1.3 cent.

celineos

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

No, you're reading that right celineos, but what I wanted to make clear, in case there was any misunderstanding, is that while the Nightsaver day rate is approx. double that of the night rate, so too (to a slightly lesser extent) is the Standard day rate. If you were on the Standard rate you would be charged the full unit rate around the clock, without any opportunity to avail of the night rate.

So the effective difference for you, in terms of the unit rate, is about 1.3 cent.

The difference is alot for me, my units on my last bill, would estimate at roughly €14 on my last bill inc vat, that in turn would be €56 a month extra i could pay back on my arrears, im looking over my bills and noticed that my usage jumped from 50/90 unit march to july and 550 units in july aug bill, nothing has changed in the home and the nite rate is a constant 50/60 units, does that sound normal?

EI: Una

Hi Celine,

As per post #4 from David, feel free to private message me your details if you wish - David is not in today and I am here until 6pm.

Regards,
Una