Are Bord Gais forcing people onto pay meters?

utyh2ikcq9z76b

I usually pay my gas weekly, but a recent bill(estimate) came in extremely high, a few friends also had this problem, then I started to get weekly phone calls from Bord Gais wanting me to switch to a pay meter because the account was a few €'s behind, even though the bills would level over the summer (gas not being on much)and the account would balance out, like it does every year!.....Anyone else seeing this?

Cabaal

Forcing, no
Trying to help people manage their bills, much more likely.

When you say a few euro's behind on payment, how much exactly is a "few"? Also is it constantly behind?

You have to remember that at the end of the day they are entitled to be paid for services used and they don't want people running up massive debts,

wmpdd3

No, I got a very unprofessional call from Bord Gais last week. I owe €94 and my next bill is due in 4 weeks time. I realise I am 'breaking their credit agreement' ,but my bill is always paid before the next one comes in.

References were made to my children and my personal situation. I then reminded the person on the line the call was being recorded and would she like to repeat what she just said, she ended the call and said I would be called as often as possible until I was no longer in arrears.

My sister had a very similar call from ESB, the script and references to her children were very similar.


I believe these calls may be outsourced to another company as the operators have no knowledge of the the energy regulator etc.

Another friend got the ESB and Gas meters installed last year and she also said the calls were identical, she was left with no option, but she had very high arrears as both bills included the security deposit.

endofrainbow

Curious to know how someone in a call centre would have access to details like your *personal situation* and your kids?

wmpdd3

they heard kids in backround and commented on how i was going to keep them warm

Cabaal

wmpdd3 wrote: »

they heard kids in backround and commented on how i was going to keep them warm

Sounds like a outsourced debt collection company,

Debt collection reps are never nice people to deal with as they will always try instill a level of doubt and perhaps fear into the situation, they are trained that way.

dudara

wmpdd3 wrote: »

they heard kids in backround and commented on how i was going to keep them warm

If this is the case, then I would lodge an official complaint with the energy provider regarding the conduct of their employees (be they internal employees or outsourced "employees")

utyh2ikcq9z76b

My bill was only €128 + I pay something off every single week!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Regardless of what you pay off every week - is it enough? You use a product that is due for payment 14 days after a two monthly bill issues. You can't just decide yourself to pay it off over the year. Join a fixed monthly budget plan if you want something like this. If you are in arrears and only planning to have the debt settled by the end of the Summer when you will start accruing arrears again for the Winter, then you are a bad payer and a risk. I can see why they wanted to put you on a plan that guaranteed no further arrears. This would be the same no matter what gas or electricity supplier you use.
Talk to them about a monthly budget plan by direct debit if you want to spread the cost over the year.

foggy_lad

Edwin Obnoxious Duet wrote: »

Regardless of what you pay off every week - is it enough? You use a product that is due for payment 14 days after a two monthly bill issues. You can't just decide yourself to pay it off over the year. Join a fixed monthly budget plan if you want something like this. If you are in arrears and only planning to have the debt settled by the end of the Summer when you will start accruing arrears again for the Winter, then you are a bad payer and a risk. I can see why they wanted to put you on a plan that guaranteed no further arrears. This would be the same no matter what gas or electricity supplier you use.
Talk to them about a monthly budget plan by direct debit if you want to spread the cost over the year.

Don't go near Direct Debits with Bord Gais they are useless at managing their system, money gets debited on wildly different dates and often the bills are very late and only arrive in the post a few days before the debit is taken when it should be at least 14 days.

Also OP if your bills are estimated you need to get to your meter and submit a reading and let them adjust the balance on your account, this may remove any arrears or seriously reduce what you owe!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

foggy_lad wrote: »

Don't go near Direct Debits with Bord Gais they are useless at managing their system, money gets debited on wildly different dates and often the bills are very late and only arrive in the post a few days before the debit is taken when it should be at least 14 days.

Also OP if your bills are estimated you need to get to your meter and submit a reading and let them adjust the balance on your account, this may remove any arrears or seriously reduce what you owe!

I agree with all you say but the OP is constantly in arrears and has not choice if he wants a plan to spread payments on a permanent basis.

eucharia1515

It looks like the arrogance of these collections people is out of control. I have had a similar threat of disconnection over the paltry amount of €106.00. I think the language of theletter would be more approbiate to someone in serious arrears, I put it to a rep,who can only infuriate the caller.
Maybe Joe Duffy might establish who is behind this approach.

ShaShaBear

I would have to interject and agree with the above poster in saying that no matter what way you paint it, you still owe them money. Oweing 100 quid on a bill and paying it before the next one is still being in debt to the company, and if you do this with every bill, then you are in effect always behind on the bill. They are well within their rights to offer you a more secure method of payment that cannot result in debt.

foggy_lad

Edwin Obnoxious Duet wrote: »

I agree with all you say but the OP is constantly in arrears and has not choice if he wants a plan to spread payments on a permanent basis.

Probably only in arrears until the next bill is due though like most peopel who pay weekly, Many people around the country have no other option but to pay bills like gas and ESB weekly from their dole or pensions etc otherwise they would get into even more serious arrears, they don't need the extra cost of paying for an unwanted meter or the extra costs associated with prepay meters. THese people get last months Bill paid off before the next one arrives but when lazy companies estimate bills using inaccurate history and don't read meters as often as they should the customer must be allowed some leeway as overestimating can be a serious burden on most families!

You might expect your next gas or power bill to be €xxx but what if it was twice or even thrice the expected amount because the lazy company are charging you for units you have not used yet.

wmpdd3

dudara wrote: »

If this is the case, then I would lodge an official complaint with the energy provider regarding the conduct of their employees (be they internal employees or outsourced "employees")

This is the same case as my sister, she is making a complaint.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

foggy_lad wrote: »

Probably only in arrears until the next bill is due though like most peopel who pay weekly, Many people around the country have no other option but to pay bills like gas and ESB weekly from their dole or pensions etc otherwise they would get into even more serious arrears, they don't need the extra cost of paying for an unwanted meter or the extra costs associated with prepay meters. THese people get last months Bill paid off before the next one arrives but when lazy companies estimate bills using inaccurate history and don't read meters as often as they should the customer must be allowed some leeway as overestimating can be a serious burden on most families!

You might expect your next gas or power bill to be €xxx but what if it was twice or even thrice the expected amount because the lazy company are charging you for units you have not used yet.

No. He said he pays through the year to balance out the winter bills. This is not a case of a single bill being in arrears. It is every bill, bar perhaps one in a year, being in arrears. A much different story, a much worse credit history and a much greater risk.

dudara

@eucharia1515 - I have moved your post to a more recent thread on this topic, rather than dragging up an older thread.

dudara

mikemac1

You are constantly behind OP.

They give you two weeks from issuing the bill to settle up.
And it's no problem to chip away on bills weekly if you're keeping on top of it.

But you are always staying behind and it doesn't seem you will ever manage to solve this.

You've been flagged as a late payer and when winter comes you may fall into even more trouble.

Maybe pre-pay would suit you better.
Or you can agree a set amount every month, ESB do this and I'd imagine Bord Gais do too. But you need to talk to them and let them know.
If you don't engage with them they will flag your account

Degag

foggy_lad wrote: »

Probably only in arrears until the next bill is due though like most peopel who pay weekly, Many people around the country have no other option but to pay bills like gas and ESB weekly from their dole or pensions etc otherwise they would get into even more serious arrears, they don't need the extra cost of paying for an unwanted meter or the extra costs associated with prepay meters. THese people get last months Bill paid off before the next one arrives but when lazy companies estimate bills using inaccurate history and don't read meters as often as they should the customer must be allowed some leeway as overestimating can be a serious burden on most families!

You might expect your next gas or power bill to be €xxx but what if it was twice or even thrice the expected amount because the lazy company are charging you for units you have not used yet.

Maybe it's not just the company who is lazy. Considering you know that you will get a certain amount of estimates in a year, why not take the initiative and send in your own reads to avoid the situation?

lala88

foggy_lad wrote: »

Probably only in arrears until the next bill is due though like most peopel who pay weekly, Many people around the country have no other option but to pay bills like gas and ESB weekly from their dole or pensions etc otherwise they would get into even more serious arrears, they don't need the extra cost of paying for an unwanted meter or the extra costs associated with prepay meters. THese people get last months Bill paid off before the next one arrives but when lazy companies estimate bills using inaccurate history and don't read meters as often as they should the customer must be allowed some leeway as overestimating can be a serious burden on most families!

You might expect your next gas or power bill to be €xxx but what if it was twice or even thrice the expected amount because the lazy company are charging you for units you have not used yet.

wow what a surprise you finding a way to blame the company. If people are so worried about estimated bills why dont they send in the readings themselves? So should they just be let off with playing? If people dont send in readings and get estimated bills thats there own tough ****

lala88

Degag wrote: »

Maybe it's not just the company who is lazy. Considering you know that you will get a certain amount of estimates in a year, why not take the initiative and send in your own reads to avoid the situation?

If he did that he wouldnt have anything to complain about or anyone to blame

wmpdd3

Degag wrote: »

Maybe it's not just the company who is lazy. Considering you know that you will get a certain amount of estimates in a year, why not take the initiative and send in your own reads to avoid the situation?

Just to note when you send in a reading to BG for Gas, there seems to be a blackout period for 2 weeks before the bill where its too late for a read. Also once a bill has been sent, they will not issue another bill like the ESB does,, the DD for the original amount will go out.

I have to say, my BG is read 5 out of 6 times per year so its only really an issue when I see that the bill has been estimated, i work out what the bill should be and pay it / subtract it from next bill.

Femme_Fatale

I used to be terrible for not paying my ESB bills on time, and would receive texts and calls notifying me. Fair enough - there is a due date on the bill and I had an obligation to pay by that due date, or to contact them to advise them I wouldn't be able to pay until a later date. And utility companies do make provisions for that, so long as the alternative arrangement is met. They're not monsters and they understand there are plenty of people who are not in a financial position to pay their bills in full by the due date, but they need to be made aware - they're not psychic in relation to individual circumstances.

So what I started to do was pay in a little bit at a time to my account between bills, resulting in the eventual bill being low, and much easier to pay off in full by the due date. It's two months - a big dent could be made during that time, even if it's just €5 here and there. You don't need a pre-pay meter to pre-pay.

wolfpawnat

lala88 wrote: »

wow what a surprise you finding a way to blame the company. If people are so worried about estimated bills why dont they send in the readings themselves? So should they just be let off with playing? If people dont send in readings and get estimated bills thats there own tough ****

With my gas meter, the genius that arranged the design of the building actually has made it physically dangerous to take a reading. I have to scale a near meter and a half wall (okay, not too bad say you) but there are briars in front of the box that the management company will not cut so it is difficult to open. I have not been able to take a reading in months as I am pregnant and am scared of the wall. But it means I have no idea of the true gas bill, which is worrying, though whatever it is I will have it sorted before the winter as I will be able to get a true reading then.

So it is not always the customers fault either, besides, if a company wants to ensure they are paid in full, they should be willing to actually take readings, they are more than able to do most other things like make phonecalls constantly. If the employees in Tesco's can organise their prices, why not these companies too, they can be fairly lazy.

OP I hear you, I got one huge bill from Airtricity based on estimates and the like, rang them to sort it and give an accurate reading (they always used send me a text and email to inform me they were sending a bill so to submit a reading, they never did that time) and sent out the altered bill then to a more reasonable amount, but it took about 4 calls to get it sorted and every call was about 70% pre pay crap and 30% the actual discussion. I get it, you are pushing pre-pay, it is not ideal for me, I rather my bills, and pay weekly to avoid debt and not having to risk choosing between food or electricity on a Tuesday afternoon with my final tenner of the week! But no, on and on about how it is better and cheaper. If it is cheaper why am I hearing people saying they are spending a fortune every week.

And yeah, some people do not clear the bill in the 14 days, and that is a balls for them, but as long as the bill is cleared, especially by the time the next bill is even issued, they should be satisfied, they are getting their money afterall.

melekalikimaka

wolfpawnat wrote: »

With my gas meter, the genius that arranged the design of the building actually has made it physically dangerous to take a reading. I have to scale a near meter and a half wall (okay, not too bad say you) but there are briars in front of the box that the management company will not cut so it is difficult to open. I have not been able to take a reading in months as I am pregnant and am scared of the wall. But it means I have no idea of the true gas bill, which is worrying, though whatever it is I will have it sorted before the winter as I will be able to get a true reading then.

So it is not always the customers fault either, besides, if a company wants to ensure they are paid in full, they should be willing to actually take readings, they are more than able to do most other things like make phonecalls constantly. If the employees in Tesco's can organise their prices, why not these companies too, they can be fairly lazy.

OP I hear you, I got one huge bill from Airtricity based on estimates and the like, rang them to sort it and give an accurate reading (they always used send me a text and email to inform me they were sending a bill so to submit a reading, they never did that time) and sent out the altered bill then to a more reasonable amount, but it took about 4 calls to get it sorted and every call was about 70% pre pay crap and 30% the actual discussion. I get it, you are pushing pre-pay, it is not ideal for me, I rather my bills, and pay weekly to avoid debt and not having to risk choosing between food or electricity on a Tuesday afternoon with my final tenner of the week! But no, on and on about how it is better and cheaper. If it is cheaper why am I hearing people saying they are spending a fortune every week.

And yeah, some people do not clear the bill in the 14 days, and that is a balls for them, but as long as the bill is cleared, especially by the time the next bill is even issued, they should be satisfied, they are getting their money afterall.

just get someone to read your meter and stop complaining, very simple solution, but you strike me from your post and someone who likes to make things difficult

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

"And yeah, some people do not clear the bill in the 14 days, and that is a balls for them, but as long as the bill is cleared, especially by the time the next bill is even issued, they should be satisfied, they are getting their money afterall."

It's an attitude like this that drives the cost of energy up. Bills already issue with up to 8 weeks credit on a portion. You then get 2 more weeks to pay. Not paying to terms causes huge cash flow costs to companies who operate in an environment where their product is always sold on credit. Instead of paying weekly towards an overdue bill, pay weekly towards an up and coming bill. Who can blame any company pestering you if you are always just clearing one bill before the next comes out.

lala88

wolfpawnat wrote: »

With my gas meter, the genius that arranged the design of the building actually has made it physically dangerous to take a reading. I have to scale a near meter and a half wall (okay, not too bad say you) but there are briars in front of the box that the management company will not cut so it is difficult to open. I have not been able to take a reading in months as I am pregnant and am scared of the wall. But it means I have no idea of the true gas bill, which is worrying, though whatever it is I will have it sorted before the winter as I will be able to get a true reading then.

So it is not always the customers fault either, besides, if a company wants to ensure they are paid in full, they should be willing to actually take readings, they are more than able to do most other things like make phonecalls constantly. If the employees in Tesco's can organise their prices, why not these companies too, they can be fairly lazy.

OP I hear you, I got one huge bill from Airtricity based on estimates and the like, rang them to sort it and give an accurate reading (they always used send me a text and email to inform me they were sending a bill so to submit a reading, they never did that time) and sent out the altered bill then to a more reasonable amount, but it took about 4 calls to get it sorted and every call was about 70% pre pay crap and 30% the actual discussion. I get it, you are pushing pre-pay, it is not ideal for me, I rather my bills, and pay weekly to avoid debt and not having to risk choosing between food or electricity on a Tuesday afternoon with my final tenner of the week! But no, on and on about how it is better and cheaper. If it is cheaper why am I hearing people saying they are spending a fortune every week.

And yeah, some people do not clear the bill in the 14 days, and that is a balls for them, but as long as the bill is cleared, especially by the time the next bill is even issued, they should be satisfied, they are getting their money afterall.

So its physically dangerous to take a reading for you yet you have no problem with someone else doing it....

lala88

melekalikimaka wrote: »

just get someone to read your meter and stop complaining, very simple solution, but you strike me from your post and someone who likes to make things difficult

like many others on here if she was to do that what would she have to complain about then?

wolfpawnat

melekalikimaka wrote: »

just get someone to read your meter and stop complaining, very simple solution, but you strike me from your post and someone who likes to make things difficult

No, I was just explaining that there are cases where the client is not completely at fault. Simple as In my case the genius that arranged the meter site and the management company for not maintaining it correctly are to blame, not the residents or indeed the energy companies. I don't like difficult things unless they are sudoku's and crosswords btw, ut thanks for the inaccurate assumption

Edwin Obnoxious Duet wrote: »

"And yeah, some people do not clear the bill in the 14 days, and that is a balls for them, but as long as the bill is cleared, especially by the time the next bill is even issued, they should be satisfied, they are getting their money afterall."

It's an attitude like this that drives the cost of energy up. Bills already issue with up to 8 weeks credit on a portion. You then get 2 more weeks to pay. Not paying to terms causes huge cash flow costs to companies who operate in an environment where their product is always sold on credit. Instead of paying weekly towards an overdue bill, pay weekly towards an up and coming bill. Who can blame any company pestering you if you are always just clearing one bill before the next comes out.

Until I went to paperless billing I only got my bill 3 days before, not easy for people to find a few hundred euro in 3 days. But I pay off every week and go paperless so I get the full 2 weeks to sort myself, I am merely stating that it is not always black and white. Also these are huge companies that increased their rates by over 20% in a short period of time, sadly people's incomes are dropping rapidly, there should be some leeway. Electricity and heating are essentials, they need to be used and as a result need to be paid too of course, so perhaps these companies should remember that it if they make it too hard, people will not be able to pay at all, rather than perhaps one delayed bill, costs them more in the long run.

lala88 wrote: »

So its physically dangerous to take a reading for you yet you have no problem with someone else doing it....

I stated that it is dangerous and should not be in that position at all. Not that I want everyone else to do it but me.

lala88 wrote: »

like many others on here if she was to do that what would she have to complain about then?

Sure haven't I given you something to get annoyed over for 5 minutes

But anyway, back to the point of the thread, which many seem to have forgotten

I find it fascinating that these people are pushing the pre-pay so much, I understand the companies pushing them, they get paid before it is ever even used and they save on staff, but I wonder do these staff realise that pre-pay would make many of them redundant. Why would they need credit control or even lads to read meters if everyone is pre-pay? They are pushing themselves onto the dole queue.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

You just don't seem to grasp that you are constantly looking for excuses and something to complain about. Your paper bill only arrived 3 days before due! 11 days in the post! Now you have an Post to complain about. My bills arrive the day after the issue date. Nobody is forcing pre-pay on any person other than the habitual bad debtors. Face it, if a customer never pays on time then the company owes it to all the rest of us to reduce costs and get money in on time.

wolfpawnat

Edwin Obnoxious Duet wrote: »

You just don't seem to grasp that you are constantly looking for excuses and something to complain about. Your paper bill only arrived 3 days before due! 11 days in the post! Now you have an Post to complain about. My bills arrive the day after the issue date. Nobody is forcing pre-pay on any person other than the habitual bad debtors. Face it, if a customer never pays on time then the company owes it to all the rest of us to reduce costs and get money in on time.

I merely stated fact, I had nothing to complain about as I had 85% of my bill paid.

No one here is saying that habitual late payers should not be spoken to regarding pre-pay. But one ridiculous bill to me, which I rectified the matter with them, and 70% of the calls were about me switching pre-pay to prevent debt. I get it, I don't get any bad bills in the door and I don't get a shock, etc, but it was one screwed up bill. That is not being a bad debtor and it was nigh on ramming it down my throat that I needed to go on pre pay, not a "oh, have you considered pre-pay, blah blah", I would know, I made the calls.