Bord Gais

Lux23

Has anyone else noticed a massive increase in their gas bill? Ours was 124 euro last time and was 293 euros this time round which is massive even with the 25% increase.

ST*

Did the bill cover the christmas period? people being at home alot over the hols and all. is it an estimated bill?

Lux23

There wa no-one there over Christmas we were all away and we rang them up so it is correct. Someone else I know got a bill for 320 and his last one was about 140.

Raytown Rocks

Hey Lux23

I had the same thing recently except my bill was much higher. However when I checked it out with Bord gais they explained that it could be down to the previous bill being an estimate ( based on normal usage) and this bill being actually read from the meter.
Bord Gais do 3 estimates and 3 actual readings per year.
So if your last bill was an estimate and this one an actual reading plus 25% increase it may add up.
Also this bill will probably nave incorporated most of December and January when you might have been using it most.
Hopes this makes sense and maybe helps a little

Chef

themole

Lux23 wrote:

There wa no-one there over Christmas we were all away and we rang them up so it is correct. Someone else I know got a bill for 320 and his last one was about 140.

did someone turn off the timer?

Tobias Greeshman

How many hours a day was the heating on for?

Was probably down to the estimate thing, I remember my esb bills used to always be up and down in my old house, all down to the estimate/real reading thing.

I know ours came to €212, with 4 lads in the house and heating does be on a fair bit, we knew it was going to be high anyways so I don't really mind.

Lump

Gas prices went up 25% recently I think. They're going to go up in the UK this year too.

John

Tobias Greeshman

Yep prices went up by 25.26% since October 2005

Bord Gais price increase

Lump

Watching the news paid off for once

John

InFront

last time ours was almost 300 euro, this time round it was 400 euro. both are estimates. we moved into the house a few months ago. what exactly are they estimating it on? Cos the first bill (read from meter) came to like 2 euro or something. we are a group of students never there during the daytime, rarely on weekends and the most *hilarious* part of it is that we werent there at all from 20th december until mid january bar one weekend when one girl came up to dublin for sales shopping. Bord Gais is a joke i just hope that by the time the inspector comes around we get one helluva refund:mad:

KTRIC

I noticed an increase aswell, it was the 25% increase and the usuall extra gas used over the christmas / winter period. It all adds up.

CountryWise

ya massive increase this month, we knew it was going up 25% before xmas they announced it, there is no competition really what can you do

tk123

InFront wrote:

Bord Gais is a joke i just hope that by the time the inspector comes around we get one helluva refund:mad:

You know you can just take the reading yourself, phone it in to them and get a refund on the next bill...?

stevenmu

The Indo had an article on it today, Green Party Finance spokesperson, Dan Boyle TD claimed that "Some evidence exists that gas bills were under-estimated before the new pricing levels, so that adjusted meter readings would come in at the higher tariff.", Bord Gais deny.

Article available here (probably need either a free unison login or bugmenot)

Trinity

Am livid here was just about to start the same thread and did a search.

Its a fcuking disgrace. Heat as far as i am concerned is a necessity and not a luxury.

My last bill was 128 euro - got one today 301.57.

Rang them, there is no mistake.

the increase was actually 33% but the problem lies in their estimates.

For eg they estimated my usage last time to be 1971 units - this bill which was not an estimate my usage was 5377.

I know its not the guys fault but i said to him on the phone thats unfair landing these huge bills on people straight after xmas because their estimation system is obviously crap.

I didnt realise you could read your meter yourself. If you miss the EBS guy he leaves a card and you just call it in - done and dusted in 2 mins.

Honestly do not know how i am going to pay this. there is only 2 of us in the house and we are gone to school and work most of the day.

My mum got one for 314 and i havent asked anyone else yet!!

is there nothing we can do about these scandalous fees?????

FlutterinBantam

I'm amazed with the lack of knowledge about this!!!

Gas prices went up 33% from 1st of Oct. last,thats right 33%.

Now the gas part is that not only the gas usage price went up but the delivery charge also went up by the same amount!!!! Hows about that then!!! No extra cost, but 33% rise and of course the resultant VAT also goes up.


Now the good news... Gas regulator,in view of the fall in energy is looking to see if this rise justified....expect some reduction in price, but not much;)

The days of switch on and forget are gone I fear....

Trinity

Yeah i was aware of the rise of 33% but expected it to be just that. Average bill 130 euro. 33% of that = roughly 43 euro = 173 euro.

Allow maybe A few euro for possible extra use over xmas etc. I expected say 200 euro max this bill. But 300 euro must be about 150 % extra than average!! (maths not a strong point so open to correction!)

Havent been doing my own 'house-keeping' for that long but fcuk me its expensive to live eh!

BTW i thought this thread was in consumer issues??!!

lukegriffen

Last Sept I rang in an inflated reading, so I could get it at the cheaper rate for a while. Then about 4 days later, when I was going to work one morning, for the 1st time ever, i saw the meter reader. He was heading for my meter box around the side of the house and i said 'no don't bother, i already rang it in'. He said 'oh it's no trouble, i have a scanner', and I think then i just kinda shouted "NOOO... IT'S OKKAYYY, JUST LEAVE IT '. He must have thought i was a complete freak, and he quickly left and went to the next house.

Just thought i'd share that with you, before i pop off to bed.

FlutterinBantam

The Flutter got his gas bill today and a lot of bumph with it including a glossy in Irish and English from some dude called David Bunworth,who if memory serves me correctly used to be head of marketing in Aer Lingus.

Now the population of greater Dublin is approx 1.5 million. If 1000 of them read the Irish bit/understand the Irish bit ,well my real name is Flutterin Bantam!!!

What in the name of jay**s are they doing wasting our money on that for!!!!!

Pherekydes

Trinity1 wrote:

If you miss the EBS guy he leaves a card and you just call it in - done and dusted in 2 mins.

What do they provide?

FlutterinBantam

Slow coach wrote:

What do they provide?

Roughing the poster....five yards penalty...repeat first down:D

Zaph

FlutterinBantam wrote:

Now the gas part is that not only the gas usage price went up but the delivery charge also went up by the same amount!!!! Hows about that then!!! No extra cost, but 33% rise and of course the resultant VAT also goes up.

Yeah, I'm a bit annoyed about that. I'm recovering from an accident so I've been back living with my parents for the last 3 months. My father collects my mail every week or so, and last week I got my gas bill. It was based on an actual reading rather than an estimation and came to something like €58, made up of delivery charge of €51, VAT of €6.50 and gas used €0.44, a whole 1 cubic metre. How can they justify charging so much for their supply?

Trinity

Slow coach wrote:

What do they provide?

You know well i meant ESB - i was in a rage as i typed so i was

Sangre

ESB provide electricity not gas. The clue is in the name.

Sierra Oscar

There is a good article in todays Sunday Independent that deals with gas stations ripping people off

I think they should have mentioned Bord Gais also....

Trinity1 wrote:

If you miss the EBS guy he leaves a card and you just call it in - done and dusted in 2 mins.

DO they?

Pherekydes

Sangre wrote:

ESB provide electricity not gas. The clue is in the name.

constitutionus

i have to admit i too wonder how the **** they can justify the 50euro "supply charge". i'd say the same about eircom but i dumped them 2years ago, they just seem like standard rip off tactics. if your gonna charge someone for your product it should be on usage and nothing else.

that said at least you can let your bill roll over with board gais. miss your NTL by a week and they'll cut you off ! so my advise is if your bill is too high spread it over two bills or more . im pretty sure they wont cut you off till youve missed about 3 bills worth payments so if you look like your trying they give you the benefit of the doubt. well untill theyre privatised then all bets are off

oh in case your wondering mine went up from 80 to 124.

stepbar

I cant wait to see my first bill..... It wouldnt be so bad if they didnt have you on the Direct Debit (that is a joke in itself... pay a 400 euro bond just to get out of the DD):rolleyes: , you could just refuse to pay. With the Direct Debit they practically have their money anyway.

partholon

stepbar wrote:

I cant wait to see my first bill..... It wouldnt be so bad if they didnt have you on the Direct Debit (that is a joke in itself... pay a 400 euro bond just to get out of the DD):rolleyes: , you could just refuse to pay. With the Direct Debit they practically have their money anyway.

you have to pay to get out of the direct debit ! :eek: for ****s sake, that awfull. i never use direct debit if i can help it. mainly cause i work in the financial sector and ive seen how that can be abused. my advice to you is close the account and see what they do then

i know its handy but honestly you leave yourself way too exposed. even the 2 euro the NTL are charging to pay your bill is preferable to those leaches getting their hooks into my bank account.

Trinity

Sangre wrote:

ESB provide electricity not gas. The clue is in the name.

I mention the ESB (electricity supply board :rolleyes:- get over the typo in my first post please;) ) as it is in my eyes another essential utility bill which is also billed per usage (meter) and i was talking about the estimation system of Bord Gais being crap.

If they call to read it they leave a card with your pin number on it in the letter box and you just call it in yourself to an automated telephone number.

Anyway what can you do, if you dont pay it they cut you off. They have us by the short and curlies really dont they!

Seth Brundle

Most people are not aware of it but apparently there are various tariffs available from BG although it does not seem to be listed on their website.
Give them a call for more info

thebaz

kbannon wrote:

Most people are not aware of it but apparently there are various tariffs available from BG although it does not seem to be listed on their website.
Give them a call for more info

That is correct , and as you rightly say they try to conceal these different rates from there customers , i assume to maximise there profits .
As they are a monopoly , they can do what they want !
It is scandalous that the current increases are being imposed on the homes of Ireland, as these increses were based when oil prices were sky high .
Oil prices have now dropped back and below original level , and still the increases are allowed , what is the regulator doing ?

I believe in a couple of years Bord Gais will be shown up as another example of Irish corruption and greed -- one good point with the warm winter , they won't be able to squeeze too much extra out of there victims -- sorry customers !