Utility bills, am I paying too much? Gas/electric bill's are crippling me.

[Itsallaboutmememe]

Change-and tell them why
We went to hell with British Gas when my granddad died
He was £160 in credit (said them)
But rather than pay us back they then plucked over £1500 in debt out of thin air
We ended up going through hell and turned out they owed us £450 which we got-well over two years later and the rest ‘wiped’
Which is just what you need when you’ve lost a loved one
I think they thought we’d just cough up to get shot
Take it to the ombudsman and let them deal with it if you get nowhere with them

 

[F the dust.]

Just need some advice, When we moved in our current house the vendor owed £300 on gas/electic. We rang the provider up explaining we were now in the property. We downsized due to our last house being too expensive to run. Still we seem to be receiving large bills. May I ask what some of you're paying quarterly. It seems looking since moving in.19/10/19 we have paid £3400 in gas/electric. We're in a small semi. The boiler is served no leaks or anything. It's actually the same if not higher than our last home. Have we paid off the debt left behind? Or is this average? We're a single income family due to your son having autism and I don't work. It's crippling us to be honest. Any advice welcome.

 

[BettyCrocker]

No not storage heaters, we buy houses needing tlc and I know for sure twice they were left in debt with utilities...I'm convinced though haven't been able to prove it that we're paying those on top of our usage?

i don’t understand why you keep inheriting other peoples utility debts....? Your bills will state The date you started paying the utilities at the property and should have the meter reading to reflect this. You don’t just pay off other peoples debt.... that’s really not how it works. There’s no way on earth that I’d be paying down someone else’s debt, that’s madness.

 

[Juliet]

Honestly I can't believe it. It's really putting a strain on our finances. I'm going to check if we can change provider? I'm hopeless and not sure of our terms. I just panic and get upset at each bill.

Somethings definitely not right there. Contact the providers for a breakdown. And yes move providers if they won’t budge on your bill. You shouldn’t be paying anywhere near that.

 

[Calabria]

Looks like we might have gotten somewhere on why my electric bill is so high (128pm) when I live alone in a tiny one bed flat...

turns out part of the electricity for the communal hallway is being run off my flat!! They’re now going to do an investigation into what I’m actually paying for out there as there are all sorts of sockets with things plugged in!

 

[Calabria]

I’m getting ripped off by Southern Electric. I live alone in a tiny 1 bed flat yet they reckon I use £128 a month on electric when I’m out all day Mon-Fri and away at least one weekend a month. I’ve just switched to Bulb who say my bill should be £36 so we shall see!

 

[BettyCrocker]

Who is your provider??

When you called them regarding the debt from the previous owner, what was said? What is listed on your bill??

That sounds completely extortionate to me, £283 a week. Something isn’t right.

Call the provider back and ask them to go through the bill with you, ask them why it’s so high. Tell them the date you officially took over the property - did you take meter readings the day you moved in? Did you supply them with these already?

 

[liarliarliar]

We pay £158 a month for gas/elec combined in a 4 bed, admittedly we are a bit wasteful and could cut down massively. Heating on most of the time, lights on etc. So yours is definitely extortionate

I've never tried it but could you perhaps look into that lookaftermybills.com in future once you're sorted with British Gas? Saves you searching around yourself and ensures you're getting a good deal etc

 

[F the dust.]

Who is your provider??

When you called them regarding the debt from the previous owner, what was said? What is listed on your bill??

That sounds completely extortionate to me, £283 a week. Something isn’t right.

Call the provider back and ask them to go through the bill with you, ask them why it’s so high. Tell them the date you officially took over the property - did you take meter readings the day you moved in? Did you supply them with these already?

Cards on the table, I had a brake down before we moved. So I'm still struggling. They asked us for the previous owners details regarding their outstanding debt. We didn't have them. So I assumed it was no longer our problem. My husband rang several times and we asked for all our bills dated to be sent out. As we were paperless. Paying weekly. We were never told we weren't paying enough. Inevitably we got behind when we rang way too late for a balance. Since we've been having to pay £200 a fortnight to catch up and my parents paid a chunk off. So I thought we were getting there. Today another bill asking for £600 pound for both gas/electric. It all kind of goes over my head. Sorry if I sound like an idiot. And this makes some sense I'm with British gas. For both . We were making payments of about £80 a mnth previously, sometimes £100 for both. Admittedly we have played less than the required £200 but we've still played something. It's like we just can't get out of this situation.

 

[Lynseyp]

I have always been with British Gas, when we moved into the property we are in now, the previous tenants had pre paid meters - we kept them and we have saved alot of money as you are more careful.
In my last house i paid my bill direct debit every month and i always put heating on whether it was cold or not.
I spend £50 a month on gas and £60 on Electric (3 bed terrace) its alot less than that in the summer as we have solar panels so save on electric.
We also have Smart Meters, let me say they aren't very smart. The electric side is working so we can keep track but the gas isnt connecting to the meter. Have spoken to British gas as they couldn't give a shit. I don't recommend the smart meters at all.

 

[stewpot]

I would go through the ombudsman as that sounds ridiculously high! I pay around £80 a month for gas and electric in the winter months, and I have my heating on quite a lot. I’m with green star energy. Hope you get it sorted x

 

[Princesspinky]

British gas are the most expensive , and they're uselss.
I'm in a 2 bedroom flat (ground floor so it's always cold) im with British gas and I pay around £100 per month , a little more in winter , a little Less in summer .
Are you giving them meter readings ? Are they definitely accurate ? Or are they sending someone to read your meters ?
My gas meter is outside , and they were supposed to be sending someone out to read it along with the electrical one - for some reason the bloke read the electric meter but left the gas out ..... For a full 12 months I'd been recieving "estimated" bills !

 

[LadyB]

The best advice you have been given is to ring British Gas and ask for all paper copies of bills from the time you moved in.

Mam x

 

[Mitchymoo]

There's no way this can be correct I live in a three bed semi with 3 kids and I use the washer and dryer daily for 180 combined a month .

 

[Lauz666]

We pay 45 a month 2 bed new build 2 adults

Really interesting to see how much everyone pays

 

[Jc456]

Thankyou, my hubbie is named on the bill so I can't ring myself. But he can after work. We don't have a large income. It's knocking my MH right back as well.x


Wow, so it's not just me? It's ridiculous. Why aren't these companies monitored and prices capped? Maybe I'm being stupid? My gas/electric bills are higher than my mortgage since moving.


I tried switching they blocked it. I'm. Going to do my damnedest to pay it and try again! Eon seem to be much better.

Mine was with British gas too. I was on the most expensive plan I think as I needed no exit fees so I could transfer over my e.on from previous house. I don't know why I couldn't just transfer it over without opening up the British gas account e.on won't let me keep my tariff I was on before which was really cheap so I need to see if I can get a better deal.
If you look on uswitch or the Martin Lewis engery club e.on do an online exclusive fix which has cheap standing charges and rates. Edf have a good one too apparently.

 

[Carrie2019]

We may £70-80 a month in total for gas and electric.
We’re with octopus.

 

[JulieScoobyDoo]

Yes I believe we have one locally. I might seek their advice. We've questioned them regarding the previous debt. They deny it. Make an off the cuff remark that they even sounded surprised at our electric bill. But claim it's right. We gave them our meter reading the day after moving in. And have since in November. I feel it's like David and Goliath...that they're too big to beat.


No. They were in when we moved in but weren't working and subsequently removed.

You could always try going to the Ombudsman but that is a daunting prospect when things feel too much already. But the Ombudsman would be able to look into why they are so high, why they wont provide you with answers and why you cant leave. It is all very unfair on you.

 

[F the dust.]

Mine was with British gas too. I was on the most expensive plan I think as I needed no exit fees so I could transfer over my e.on from previous house. I don't know why I couldn't just transfer it over without opening up the British gas account e.on won't let me keep my tariff I was on before which was really cheap so I need to see if I can get a better deal.
If you look on uswitch or the Martin Lewis engery club e.on do an online exclusive fix which has cheap standing charges and rates. Edf have a good one too apparently.

Thankyou, I'm worried we're tied in somehow, but I'm definitely seeking advice on the matter. It's unethical if they're making us pay off other pols debt! Because they can't find them!! Not sure it pays to be honest.

 

[spiderpig]

I live in a 4 bed, detached house in Suffolk. I pay £86 a month for gas & electric combined, this is with EDF. I would look at changing x