Be wary of moving to Pre-Pay Power

Graces7

Not sure if this has been mentioned

but what about Social Welfare allowances on the prepay account?
No I am no thinking if changing; just had a bill from Electric Ireland for 2 months as a total of E13. Yes, E 13,, they have underestimated a bit but that will sort next time.

Penny Tration

Used prepay power for two months. Previous, a 2 month bill would be about 230 euro. In two months, despite deliberately being more careful with electricity (turning things off where we wouldn't previously, charging phones in work, things like that), we had to top the meter up by 470 euro. Faulty box, apparently. They offered to send an engineer out, but not refund any money.

So my mam has just paid them a couple of hundred euro to end the contract. Except they refuse to remove the box for two weeks, despite being told on her first call that it'd be a couple of days tops.

Think we'll stick with bord gais!

astrofool

green_screen wrote: »

Used prepay power for two months. Previous, a 2 month bill would be about 230 euro. In two months, despite deliberately being more careful with electricity (turning things off where we wouldn't previously, charging phones in work, things like that), we had to top the meter up by 470 euro. Faulty box, apparently. They offered to send an engineer out, but not refund any money.

So my mam has just paid them a couple of hundred euro to end the contract. Except they refuse to remove the box for two weeks, despite being told on her first call that it'd be a couple of days tops.

Think we'll stick with bord gais!

Charging your phone, at most, will cost about €2 a year.

Penny Tration

astrofool wrote: »

Charging your phone, at most, will cost about €2 a year.

I know that. It's the mother that refuses to believe it :pac:

Greenmachine

Prepay power is basically an idiot tax. Such providers should not exist. If you can't manage a bi-monthly bill, then you probably don't deserve to even have electricity. There is opportunity there even on bi-monthly bill to pay part of the bill off in advance.

The_Conductor

Greenmachine wrote: »

Prepay power is basically an idiot tax. Such providers should not exist. If you can't manage a bi-monthly bill, then you probably don't deserve to even have electricity. There is opportunity there even on bi-monthly bill to pay part of the bill off in advance.

Lots of people have difficulty budgeting- labeling them as 'idiots' is neither reasonable nor accurate. If there was not a market for such suppliers- they wouldn't exist- the simple fact is they are providing a service that people are willing to pay for. Its a service- akin to any other service.

An accountant has opened an office specialising in tax returns and claiming refunds- just up the road from me. Are his clients idiots too? They could theoretically sit down and fill out the forms. Are they too thick to do a tax return? I don't think so (I've done enough of them myself). Its a service they are willing to pay for.

Are the people queuing up in McDonalds for their offerings idiots? Once again- they are simply availing of a service. Is it good for them- thats an entirely different matter.

Pre-pay power users are not idiots. Perhaps they genuinely have difficulties in budgeting, or perhaps they simply like the manner in which it works- either way- they are paying for a service- akin to any other service.

I personally would never have a pre-pay meter installed- but at the same time- I wouldn't sneer at someone who does- and label them an idiot.

Greenmachine

The_Conductor wrote: »

Lots of people have difficulty budgeting- labeling them as 'idiots' is neither reasonable nor accurate. If there was not a market for such suppliers- they wouldn't exist- the simple fact is they are providing a service that people are willing to pay for. Its a service- akin to any other service.

An accountant has opened an office specialising in tax returns and claiming refunds- just up the road from me. Are his clients idiots too? They could theoretically sit down and fill out the forms. Are they too thick to do a tax return? I don't think so (I've done enough of them myself). Its a service they are willing to pay for.

Are the people queuing up in McDonalds for their offerings idiots? Once again- they are simply availing of a service. Is it good for them- thats an entirely different matter.

Pre-pay power users are not idiots. Perhaps they genuinely have difficulties in budgeting, or perhaps they simply like the manner in which it works- either way- they are paying for a service- akin to any other service.

I personally would never have a pre-pay meter installed- but at the same time- I wouldn't sneer at someone who does- and label them an idiot.

It's about personal responsibility. Some people are never going to be capable of it. It's a sad reflection of society to be honest.

jfmeto

Greenmachine wrote: »

It's about personal responsibility. Some people are never going to be capable of it. It's a sad reflection of society to be honest.

yep YOU


said it

runawaybishop

The_Conductor wrote: »

Lots of people have difficulty budgeting- labeling them as 'idiots' is neither reasonable nor accurate. If there was not a market for such suppliers- they wouldn't exist- the simple fact is they are providing a service that people are willing to pay for. Its a service- akin to any other service.

An accountant has opened an office specialising in tax returns and claiming refunds- just up the road from me. Are his clients idiots too? They could theoretically sit down and fill out the forms. Are they too thick to do a tax return? I don't think so (I've done enough of them myself). Its a service they are willing to pay for.

Are the people queuing up in McDonalds for their offerings idiots? Once again- they are simply availing of a service. Is it good for them- thats an entirely different matter.

Pre-pay power users are not idiots. Perhaps they genuinely have difficulties in budgeting, or perhaps they simply like the manner in which it works- either way- they are paying for a service- akin to any other service.

I personally would never have a pre-pay meter installed- but at the same time- I wouldn't sneer at someone who does- and label them an idiot.

Just because the poster says one particular service is stupid you its not fair to infer they are saying all services are stupid. You are using analogies that are not comparing similar situations. Here's a better one for you:

In order to help people who are spending too much money on McDonnells a new business has set up beside them. You just pay them more money for the same food and they also charge you a subscription charge. McDonnells allow you to pay in advance or in arrears whereas the new business allows you to pay only in advance. Sure, customers can choose who they do business with, just as people can choose to label them as idiots.

zom

Why don't any of you mention lazy ar5hole landlords who trap tenants into paying this "idiot tax" just because they too lazy to come and check the meter / tenants payments? It is surely giving them peace of mind, they can lay in the pub drinking buzz with lads rather than going to see their tenants ans see if they have electric bills sorted. The scheme is becoming more and more popular on this field, and as Ireland is landlord heaven it scares me more.

ted1

zom wrote: »

Why don't any of you mention lazy ar5hole landlords who trap tenants into paying this "idiot tax" just because they too lazy to come and check the meter / tenants payments? It is surely giving them peace of mind, they can lay in the pub drinking buzz with lads rather than going to see their tenants ans see if they have electric bills sorted. The scheme is becoming more and more popular on this field, and as Ireland is landlord heaven it scares me more.

Its a pitfall of renting. And genreally it's the previous tenants who have the meters fitted it costs the landlord money to remove the unit so they leave it in situ

redarmyblues

Try buying a house with a overdue meter due to the extortionate daily standing charge and then try in numerous phone calls and emails to discover the balance due at takeover and then tear your hair out. Avoid this laughing academy like ebola.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

redarmyblues

I am going to, but I had to pay off the balance, which is to be refunded by the vendor, on proof of the amount owing being provided to the vendors solicitor.

Beano

zom wrote: »

Why don't any of you mention lazy ar5hole landlords who trap tenants into paying this "idiot tax" just because they too lazy to come and check the meter / tenants payments? It is surely giving them peace of mind, they can lay in the pub drinking buzz with lads rather than going to see their tenants ans see if they have electric bills sorted. The scheme is becoming more and more popular on this field, and as Ireland is landlord heaven it scares me more.

It is not the landlords responsibility to check meters or that tenants have paid their bills

Andy454

Is this not the most reverse screwed up thing ever!!

You pay in advance for the power your going to use and in return they're going to charge you more!!!

Meanwhile the guy that sticks a direct debit that's paid up to two months after the power is used gets the cheapest rate!!!

Where is the energy regulator???

37.5cent a day meter charge is the same as 2 kwh on ESB standard rate!!

That's equivalent to:

700 hours of appliances on standby!
66 hours of an energy saving light bulb!
40 hours of television!
A sink immersion heated 4 times!

Equipment rental! Rubbish - prepay power is earning interest on the money your paying them up front!!!

L1011

Andy454 wrote: »

Where is the energy regulator???

Prices were deregulated, so pretty useless in this case.


This is normal now with everything - those who have more cash or better management of the cash they have can spend less over all. Prepay power, mobile contracts, bulk purchases of food/groceries, etc, etc. Unfortunately and unavoidable facet of life really.

JustAddWater

And the retailers charge 20c for every prepay power topup. Have seen signs in lots of shops

Your getting fleeced everywhere

wampyrus77

prepaypower isnt wort it they promise to €50 free credit but i never got it, omg they lied to me and they broke their promise on a signed contact and they charge 19cents per unit of Electricity, €4 per phone call

mr wrigt

I thinhk that prepay R massive scamers. i try to use as little as possible, but still i have to top up 25 a weak. I tried to swith all the appliances of during the night by pullin the plug, even the heating was of, all of them use some power in standby mode. i had 21.12 on the meter last night. This morning i had 19.87. WTF?????? And after i had swithed of all the stuff, the meter was showing 0.00 KW usage.
SO, 21.12 - 19.62 = 1.50 ???????
Thats 1.50 X 30 = 45 euro every mont i have to pay for what?????
And i would not trust the people that write here, that prepay is posible the best thing that can happen to you. they are part of prepaypowers marketing scammer group.

The_Conductor

Mr Wright- that sounds like a daily standing charge- which is one of the features (indeed- if you were paying monthly on billpay- you'd have a standing charge too- even if you used no electricity- but no-where near as high as this!)

ted1

mr wrigt wrote: »

I thinhk that prepay R massive scamers. i try to use as little as possible, but still i have to top up 25 a weak. I tried to swith all the appliances of during the night by pullin the plug, even the heating was of, all of them use some power in standby mode. i had 21.12 on the meter last night. This morning i had 19.87. WTF?????? And after i had swithed of all the stuff, the meter was showing 0.00 KW usage.
SO, 21.12 - 19.62 = 1.50 ??????? 1KWH kosts around 0.20 euro. so it used almoust 8 KWH Thats the same, as running the ketle for 4 hours constantly.
Thats 1.50 X 30 = 45 euro every mont i have to pay for what?????
And i would not trust the people that write here, that prepay is posible the best thing that can happen to you. they are part of prepaypowers marketing scammer group.

The PSO Levy is 20c a day, the meter cost is 37.5c a day. There's also a 51c standing charge. That's 108.5c a day without using anything.
An A rated fridge uses about 408 kwh a year or say 1.1 kwh a day. So that's a minimum off 128.5.5 cent a day.

People have been advised not to go with prepay power. I really can't understand why people signed up. Before the 135 Meter fee your already paying 20% more per kwh as they match the standard rates which no one pays because they get 20% off