Scottish Gas

[stephen2010]

Hey guy,

 

I have just recieved a bill today from scottish gas demanding £121.33. They have asked for this debt to be paid by the 8th of march which is not possible.A prepay meter is not an option either with all the charges on them.So If i paid them £30.00 a fortnight am i likely to have my gas cut off or be fined by them?

 

thanks

 

stephen.

[pelham9]

First things first - do you actually owe ths money? They often get things wrong. If you have not done so already you must check.

 

a) that the bill is based on an actual reading by them and that the arithmetic is correct. If it is an estimate send them the correct reading particularly if their estimate is high.

 

b) have there been periods of over two years when THEY have not read your meter? If so they may owe you money.

 

c) have there been periods longer than one year where they have not billed you.

 

d) check your meter

i) Is the neter number the same as on your bill?

ii) If you are in a flat does the meter actually supply your flat?

iii) make sure thaat your meter does not record in cubic feet. If it does are the charging you in cubic meters by not using the correct conversion factor?

 

If any of the above apply tell us about it. If we have bill that we can trust we can advise further.

[stephen2010]

First things first - do you actually owe ths money? They often get things wrong. If you have not done so already you must check.

 

a) that the bill is based on an actual reading by them and that the arithmetic is correct. If it is an estimate send them the correct reading particularly if their estimate is high.

 

b) have there been periods of over two years when THEY have not read your meter? If so they may owe you money.

 

c) have there been periods longer than one year where they have not billed you.

 

d) check your meter

i) Is the neter number the same as on your bill?

ii) If you are in a flat does the meter actually supply your flat?

iii) make sure thaat your meter does not record in cubic feet. If it does are the charging you in cubic meters by not using the correct conversion factor?

 

If any of the above apply tell us about it. If we have bill that we can trust we can advise further.

 

Yeah the bill is correct. Am just trying to work out if i can pay this debt in installments as I have heard about 15.00 charges they have been giving out and i can't afford to pay this bill all at once.

[nottslad]

have you offered payment by installments to them?

[stephen2010]

have you offered payment by installments to them?

 

Not yet. The last time i offered this i was told i had to have a card meter installed which i didn't want. I ended up paying this in installment and there was not fine,but the bill was only about 80pounds that time.

[nottslad]

have you considered a monthly direct debit? i know some posters on here say they are a bad idea, but they can work out beneficial - you have the same amount to pay on a monthly basis to cover your ongoing usage; the same amount through the year so the seasonal variations are easier to budget for, and then a bit on top each month towards your outstanding balance.

[stephen2010]

have you considered a monthly direct debit? i know some posters on here say they are a bad idea, but they can work out beneficial - you have the same amount to pay on a monthly basis to cover your ongoing usage; the same amount through the year so the seasonal variations are easier to budget for, and then a bit on top each month towards your outstanding balance.

 

I wouldn't be keen on that tbh. since each bill is quarterly i would be good if it could be paid over that period.

[nottslad]

but you have to respect it is for a supply that has already been used and if you want to be billed quarterly, most suppliers will want full payment on demand - ie when you get the bill.

 

If you are unable to pay the balance of your bill on receipt then perhaps quarterly billing is not the right option for you

[Mummy 3]

If you have a payment plan set up i cant see thm putting you an a pre-payment meter if thats not what you want. If your not keen on paying by DD, british gas may have a payment card that you can top up every week/month and that pays your bill. I know BT do cards like this as we have one so may be worth asking or looking on their website.

[mattlamb]

Yeah, to back up mummy, most suppliers allow you to pay using a payment card in Post Offices or PayPoint outlets (many newsagents). You can normally pay what you want when you want using these. You would get a bill each quarter still but obviously your payments already made go towards this.

It is normally straightforward to calculate how much electric or gas has been used iin a week, after you have taken the meter readings. This allows you to pay for what you have used.

I like payment cards - I pay for my electric, gas, telephone and water and TV licence in this way.

[pelham9]

If you pay your quarterly bill within two weels most suppliers give you a prompt payent discount usually 2% of the bill.

 

For most people struggling to pay the direct debit system with its discount is not cost effective simply because they usually have loans eg credit cards which charge very high interest rates. Monthly standing orders and and payment cards have no discount for paying in advance.

 

If you keep records of your quarterly bills you should have a very good idea of your weekly cost each quarter. If you have enough discipline ( perhaps that is the problem?) you should consider putting that amount of money + a small amount more away each week in a savings account. You can then pay your quarterly bill by withdrawing the savings each quarter. All this can be done in a few minutes online.