Have u ever had ur Gas or ESB disconnected for non-payment?

ircoha

I am interested in knowing at what level of arrears the Gas and ESB will be disconnected.
My CC is maxed out, my OD is full and I want to see how much arrears I can run as a permanent float. The old P+T was <= 49.50 quid.

Anybody any experience of this please?

Our man in Havana

It all depends on your previous payment record. It used to take 6 months for the ESB to cut someone with a previously clean record off. Now I reckon it takes about 3 months. They are very proactive in chasing errant bill payers, first sh1tty letter comes about 1 week after the due date threatening disconnection. This is followed up a another pointy letter 2 weeks later. I have never pushed it much beyond this. If you call them and make arrangements they will give you a few extra weeks to pay but if you break the agreement they will not talk any further and you will get cut off without notice.

Sparky

Well if the ESB come out to disconnect you for not paying bills, If your meter is outside the house they can easily remove the service fuse. This probably happens after 3-5 months of not paying. It takes longer if the meter is inside the house.

The ESB will soon be privatised, so expect it to be done quicker.

Gas meters are generally outside and are easily disconnected. I'm not sure how long it takes with the gas but it could be the same.

stepbar

Christ, you know things are bad when you can't pay ur ESB / Gas bill :rolleyes:

Our man in Havana

I used to be a disconnecter for the ESB, apprentices were often given this unpleasant job. I hated doing it and always tried to find ways to not cut someone off. Prior to 2000, after 4 months arrears we would make a call out to ask whats the story and maybe collect some of the money. I would be happy with that and leave them alone for a few weeks, repeat as nessasary.

If you got a chancer that was not home, making no effort to pay anything you would leave a note followed up by a worse note a week later and if no reply then back to cut off a week afterwards. I would have no problem cutting off after this.

In most cases a repayment plan was worked out and could be enforced using a prepy meter which forces the customer to pay so much off each week and then pre pay for their electric. These were common in council house land.

Now under new management styles I reckon it would take well under 3 months to get the snipp.

In country areas we would cut the jumper on the pole as farmers often reconnected themselves using a nail or someother metal object.

Sparky

I heard a story off an ESB lad that he had the unpleasant job of disconnecting a meter in Ballymun years ago. The people knew this and as a result decided beforehand to rub human excrement all over the meter. So needless to say, the lad said "fcuk this, I'm not touching that" and went to report it.

Same lad told the story on how one Christmas he was sent to disconnect service at a house in Templeogue. The family had 5 kids and seeing as it was Christmas he said they were not in.

I have heard of check meters being used alright.
Then some find a way to short out the meter to bypass it.

Trinity

ircoha wrote:

I am interested in knowing at what level of arrears the Gas and ESB will be disconnected.
My CC is maxed out, my OD is full and I want to see how much arrears I can run as a permanent float. The old P+T was <= 49.50 quid.

Anybody any experience of this please?

i would say 3 months is the max - although i wouldnt like to let it get that far.

i thought i had direct debit set up with bord gais when i moved but i didnt so as a result 2 bills went unpaid before i got the letter so i had to pay in the lump - in saying that i had no nasty letters or reminders just the one letter reminding me it wasnt paid.

you can bring along a bill to the post office and pay a couple of quid off it each week too or call them and come to an arrangement. once something is paid i.e a fiver a week they are generally ok to see you make an effort.

Gone West

Dont forget Eircom landlines! Theyre always good for a good cutting off.
500 ish is our current number, I think.

Sizzler

OP, your best bet here is to pay a tenner, that way you have demonstrated a willingnness to pay. We'll have a whip round here if you're that brassic

Our man in Havana

Paying a tenner a week won't stop them. There seems to be no discretion anymore. You either take a budget controller or they cut you off. Your choice.

stepbar

In fairness how hard can it be to put away 10-15 eur a week in a pot to pay for the esb?

Our man in Havana

You would be surprised when you consider the drinking habbits and gambling habbits of some people. They would be incapable of saving €5 a week for the ESB.

Ruu_Old

Moved from AH, think this is the best spot for it. As always feel free to move elsewhere mods.

Bottle_of_Smoke

As far as I've heard you can put the esb off a long time before they'll cut you off but Bord Gais are nowhere near as lenient.

Tazz T

There are going to be more and more people encountering problems with paying their energy bills in the future with all the increases. It's hardly a case of 'putting away a tenner a week' when the average bill for our 2bd apt with Nightsaver heating is 240 euro bimonthly in the winter.

I generally leave it around two months until I get paid giving me a little flexibility at the end of the financial month. it's the only bill I don't pay DD for this reason. 240 going out of your bank account a week before payday - i don't think so!!!!

fobs

Have never been cut off with eith ESB or Gas as their bills would never have been too high plus get a chance to rollover at least once. EWhen going on maternity leave (unpaid) last time arranged with gas & esb to pay reduced bills while on maternity and cleanred all bills on my first paycheque back. THey had no problem facilitating this as my previous record was good and paid immediately on returning to work.
Phone is a different matter as if you forget to pay it they will disconnect but pay by direct debit now to avoid that problem.

jaggeh

in bord gais you get a strike for every late or non-payment of a bill, after 3 non-payments you will be asked for a security deposit and they cancel your DD if you have one.

As of last year when i worked in BG accounts the limit for a credit control lock was 150 euro. but they are usually understanding about such things.

the best advice i could give is to get onto mabs as they can get in touch with your debtors and work out payment plans that wont kill you.

GreeBo

wasnt there something along the lines of they cannot cut people of from vital services?
eg Electricity, Gas, Water?
Denial of human rights or something?

Our man in Havana

Water yes, but everything else no.

GreeBo

are you sure?
Im sure there was something about not being able to deny someone heat in winter, or the ability to cook?

netwhizkid

Isn't there an urban legend if you put Magnets to the Meter you can stop it turning or something and Viola free electricity. ??

Anybody that uses Electricty for heating anyway is just asking for trouble, My home use's Oil heating and an open fire of wood and turf and this works out at €140 for a two year supply of Turf and timber free off the land only cut it and draw it home yourself.

1000 litres of Oil would normally do for about 9 months in a 1,250 ltrs tank, luckily I forecast the rise in the cost of Oil and hedged another 1,250 litres in the old Car Diesel tank and have got a two year supply of Oil at about a third less of the cost of it now, Unfortunalty I will have to drag all that oil between the two tanks with five gallon drums.

Keeping Bills and spending down allows for more investment, my motto anyway.