Think we are screwed

[Jkelmum]

So last week I open a water bill in oh name ...turns out he asnt paid since sept so we have been taking to court and now owe 172. which i am paying tomorrow ..then today i get the next water bill of 112 so that needs paying urgently
Then to top it off we have our joint gas and electric bill 1002 he asnt been paying on the payment card

I think his tablets are really messing with his head cos i know he will swear he as done it or thought he as done it ...so as of now wether he likes it or not i am taking charge of our finances

But ive no idea where to start ..I need to reduce what we owe plus not get into anymore debt

I need to ring E-on but dont know what to say as last time we got behind i should of taken charge and havent and now its a huge figuire

 

[mellllly]

Just phone them up and exaplain your situation, Just say your OH hasnt been very well blah blah! They are not likely to turn down a payment plan as such!
Or go and see CBA!?

 

[Jkelmum]

I rang and the min they will take is 100 a week ...Gunna screw us at that but figure if i try do that and if i cant pay what i can and ring ..she said its bcos they like u out of debt by end of tax yr or something ...i swear i am gunna kill him when i see him

 

[bexxie]

I rang and the min they will take is 100 a week ...Gunna screw us at that but figure if i try do that and if i cant pay what i can and ring ..she said its bcos they like u out of debt by end of tax yr or something ...i swear i am gunna kill him when i see him

Ring them back and say No this is all i have and you will accept liek it or lump it..they will do either a payment card to pay off arrears or pass you on to a debt recovery agency. If you arent worried about your credit rating then stuff them and change suppliers.......OR they will offer you a pre-payment meter they have to do something....they cannot just cut you off with a young child to consider.

Is your money so you call shots. Been there and done it.
xx

 

[Rebaby]

If you are willing to pay the money off and agree a payment plan with them then they HAVE to accept whatever figure you give them, even if it's £1 a month or whatever, so don't be conned into having to pay it back so quickly, especially if it's going to affect you in other ways.

When we moved out of our flat a few years back we were sent a cheque for £400 because they had been over-charging us on our gas account (we were hardly using any) but then when they double-checked the meter readings it turned out they should have only refunded us £140 and they wanted the rest back and they wanted it NOW. Well, we'd just moved house so we were totally skint and anyway it was their mistake so i paid it back in tiny installments and there was nothing they could do about it (even though they huffed and puffed and claimed otherwise, in the end they sent me out a payment card to make payments at the post office)

If you can manage £100 a week then great, as it will get it paid off faster and be a worry off your mind but if that £100 going to them will mean you can't pay something else, or can't eat or whatever then ring them back and say actually you can't afford that and they will have to reduce it.

Sorry you're having such a stressful time of it, money worries really suck!

 

[pinkmummy]

As long as you are paying a minimum of £1 a week or month not sure which. There is nothing they can do hun Hope you manage to get it sorted xx

 

[kitty1987]

Me and my housemate struggled with bills last year and we were allowed to pay gas and water at £10 a week . If you make it very clear how much you can afford they shouldn't argue with you, they usually take whatever they can x

 

[Maybe-Baby]

Hi
I used to work for E-on keep at then tell them you want a prepaid meter instaled and that you want to srt it to take £5 a week arrears back from you on the prepayment card, They cant refuse . x

 

[bexxie]

But pre-payment meters are a total rip off not good advice,the money the companys gain from those is something like 90% more than if on a monthly tarrif....I cant believe you suggested those,ok for desperate last resorts.

 

[proudbabys]

Phone e-on and explain the situation to them, they will understand. Companies like that will or should work with you in order to settle your bill.

They would rather work with someone willing to pay there bill, even if its in installments, than someone just ignoring there letters.

Good Luck in your phone call.

 

[DizzyMoo]

I had to leave Eon because they wouldn't accept my offer to pay off debt with them, They are one of the worst companies to try to sort debts with so i do feel for you hun, I offered severals amounts as a payment plan but all were declined & they kept asking for ridiculous amounts up front. I left & went with scottish power

 

[Foogirl]

But pre-payment meters are a total rip off not good advice,the money the companys gain from those is something like 90% more than if on a monthly tarrif....I cant believe you suggested those,ok for desperate last resorts.

I agree. Resist any attempt to put you on a pre-payment meter. They should allow you to pay off a certain amount every month, and it should be affordable to you. Tell them what you can afford and go from there. Then consider putting all your utilities on a monthly direct debit. Yes it is a pain in the backside as they keep trying to increase it and you end up in credit with them, but rather they owe me 100 quid than I owe them 1000!

If they refuse to help you, go to the CAB. They will help you deal with the companies.

I am surprised also you've been advised to move companies. Most will refuse to let you switch whilst you are in debt to them.

 

[besterd]

Lol I've also had that situation when I was still living with a flat mate. Thought ha was paying everything and I even gave him money every month for it just to find out at the end of some month that I was left with a huge bill.

Well I think you should take charge of the payments from now on. And even if you did phone them up and still can't pay the money I think you should go to your bank manager. They will usually be keen on helping you

 

[Moomad]

Oh this is sad Am I right in thinking that these people work on a commission basis? I know debt recovery agencies do as my brother worked for one. He'd often accept an immediate payment much lower than the original bill as they buy debts off companiesfor less than the bill. Just something to think about.