ESB & Bord Gas Bills

salutations

Hi guys, just moved to a new house and the other 2 housemates gave their names to be put on Bord Gas and ESB bills. Then today receive letters saying we must either pay a 400 eur (gas) deposit and 300eur ESB deposit. Either that or sign up to Direct Debit. It seems to be a new ploy and obviously due to the sizeable nature of these bills neither of the house mates want to go direct debit route and tbh the deposits seem astronomical. Just wondering if we ignore either route surely they'l still just send us on a bill(which we will pay on time) and wouldnt go as far as to cut us off. Both people are Irish and have never skipped on bills and so wouldnt have bad credit ratings or anything like that. Has anyone had a similar experience. I think they're taking the piss to be honest, Direct Debits are a nightmare when the bills are as big as these will be and if you miss them then you get screwed at the bank.
Any experience would be appreciated. Cheers

Cabaal

These policys aren't new they've existed for years, even if your just bought a house and your not renting they still tell you you must follow this policy.

Basically if you don't like the policys then don't take the services, but then you won't have heat and power.

Both companys have these policys mainly due to people renting and then leaving the place they lived in and leaving large outstanding bills, doesn't matter if your Irish or not this policy applys.

Mary-Ellen

Both these bills arrive 2 weeks before the money is taken from your account.
If you all have internet banking it's not too much effort to get your shares of the bill sorted and in your housemates account within the two weeks.

If you don't pay the deposits they'll be added onto your bill so if you only pay the esb/gas used for the month the bill is considered not paid in full/late.

Ticktactoe

I know with ESB that if you never had an account before with them then you are a new customer and must pay the 300 up front or go by direct debit.

If you have paid an esb bill before and it was in your name just ring them up and say that you have changed address and want to continue your account under you new address. You then advoid the 300 up front or DD.

Fnergg

One way of avoiding the pain of a large ESB electricity direct debit is to pay towards your next bill. Once you have the account number you can make Laser payments at any time. See:

https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/your_account/pay/startPayInit.do

If you pay, say, €20 per week then when the bill arrives (a bill covers 8 weeks) it will be substantially paid or could even be in credit.

Don't make the mistake of waiting for the bill to start the payments. Once it issues it is payable within 14 days.

Regards,

Fnergg

Gamesnash.ie: Pat

Try going commercial - 2,500 deposit :eek:

Midnight Sundance

Also,if you pay the deposit to esb say goodbye to it. They didnt give us back ours even though we had paid every bill in full. There's always some sort of loophole! I think one of our bills arrived on the 14th day from issue,so by time we got to pay it it was late. Sure we didn't think anythin of it until we went to move out . I'd recommend the paying a little off every week option.. Sounds lik a good idea

irishbrain

This is easy to get around.

I set up a direct debit and once I got my first bill I cancelled the direct debit. (With my bank through Internet banking) After that I just paid by laser card on the website whenever suited.

They don't say anything because cutting you off etc. is a lot of hassle and would not be tollerated - especially when you are actually paying your bill, if only by laser.

dudara

This is a pretty standard policy for the utilities companies and has been in place for years.

Posters here have suggested lots of ideas, but even if you go down the direct debit route, they will give you plenty of warning before taking the amount from your account.

irishbrain

dudara wrote: »

This is a pretty standard policy for the utilities companies and has been in place for years.

This is what happens when there is no real competition in the market. Do you think that they would demand this kind of deposit if there was real competition for customers? I doubt it.

lo0kash

Hi all,

Bord gais took from my account 200e security deposit (I have DD set up) when we moved house two months ago, I'm not a new customer I'm with them for last 5 yrs, never paid a security deposit before, all my bills were paid by DD. And now they took 200e deposit - they say they do that with all tenants. I think it's very strange and I'm gonig to give tham another call to complain and try to get that 200e back but I wonder if that happen to anyone else?

Also, I'm going to do switch electricity to them, I wonder if I will have to pay another 200e deposit...

scargill

It seems to be the norm for them to insist on a €200 deposit for tenants.

lo0kash

scargill wrote: »

It seems to be the norm for them to insist on a €200 deposit for tenants.

Sure but even for existing customers? I just think it's strange. As I said I'm with them for last 5 years and always paid bills on time by DD. And now they took 200e deposit from me....

That's very unusual. I thought you had the choice of direct debit or deposit. It must be a fairly new thing as I have never had to pay a deposit with them before. Did they tell you they were going to do this beforehand? they have to give you 14 days notice in writing before they are allowed to take anything from your account.

dudara

It's nothing to do with competition - they want to have money on hand in case you default on your debt.

There is competition in the electricity and gas markets at the moment, but all companies require a security deposit.

Cabaal

irishbrain wrote: »

This is what happens when there is no real competition in the market. Do you think that they would demand this kind of deposit if there was real competition for customers? I doubt it.

But all three consumer electrcity supply companys look for the same thing its not just one company,.

Also the UK has loads of different power companys I'd be extremely surprised if this policy didn't exist in the UK as well.

Bottom line is this policy exists not because the companys wanted it but because consumers took the piss and left outstanding bills when they left rented houses/apartments.

I moved into a new house which I own two years ago and even I was given the options of pay deposit or direct debit

dudara

Threads merged

dudara

Max Power1

irishbrain wrote: »

This is what happens when there is no real competition in the market. Do you think that they would demand this kind of deposit if there was real competition for customers? I doubt it.

as previously mentioned there are 2 viable competitors in the residential electricity market and one, soon to be two, competitors in the domestic gas market. To the best of my knowledge they all ask for security deposits.

Davy

dudara wrote: »

There is competition in the electricity and gas markets at the moment, but all companies require a security deposit.

Even if you have been with them for 5 years like in this case?

I have moved esb accounts and didnt have to pay a deposit and the bill wasnt paid using direct debit. I didn't have to pay a gas despot either, but that was paid DD

Cherrycola

salutations wrote: »

Hi guys, just moved to a new house and the other 2 housemates gave their names to be put on Bord Gas and ESB bills. Then today receive letters saying we must either pay a 400 eur (gas) deposit and 300eur ESB deposit. Either that or sign up to Direct Debit. It seems to be a new ploy and obviously due to the sizeable nature of these bills neither of the house mates want to go direct debit route and tbh the deposits seem astronomical. Just wondering if we ignore either route surely they'l still just send us on a bill(which we will pay on time) and wouldnt go as far as to cut us off. Both people are Irish and have never skipped on bills and so wouldnt have bad credit ratings or anything like that. Has anyone had a similar experience. I think they're taking the piss to be honest, Direct Debits are a nightmare when the bills are as big as these will be and if you miss them then you get screwed at the bank.
Any experience would be appreciated. Cheers

I feel your pain, we got the exact same letters through the door in the last two days!
We are broke as it is, after just moving home from abroad, shipping all our stuff, buying a car, insurance, road tax, rent and deposit, etc etc, and now this!
Our LL's agent went ahead and put all the bills into our name without even telling us, or giving us an option of which provider we wanted to go with, so for gas we are with Flogas, and they have asked for 390euro if we dont pay by DD, but 250euro if we do!! So we get screwed regardless of whether we choose to pay by DD or not!
Rip off! :mad::mad:

Anyone ever tried reason with any of these companies to get a reduced rate due to circumstances??:(

raido9

Max Power1 wrote: »

as previously mentioned there are 3 viable competitors in the residential electricity market and two, soon to be three, competitors in the domestic gas market. To the best of my knowledge they all ask for security deposits.

FYP

raido9

raido9 wrote: »

FYP

I may be wrong, but I thought Max Power1 meant additional competitors (competing against ESB and Bord Gais)


As a matter of curiosity, is it just renters that are being asked for a deposit in addition to paying by DD or are home owners being asked this too?

I recently switched from ESB to Airtricity and they didn't ask for a deposit at all.

Cherrycola

Just renters i think.

Cherrycola

Does anyone know if we can switch our electricity to another provider without having to pay ESB this deposit?
Is there a waiting time, as the ESB bill has just been transferred into our name?

Max Power1

Deleted User wrote: »

I may be wrong, but I thought Max Power1 meant additional competitors (competing against ESB and Bord Gais)


As a matter of curiosity, is it just renters that are being asked for a deposit in addition to paying by DD or are home owners being asked this too?

I recently switched from ESB to Airtricity and they didn't ask for a deposit at all.

Indeed that was what i meant.

AFAIK Flogas dont ask for a deposit if you are a homeowner. Airtricity dont either. Think BG and ESB do, but i'm open to correction

lo0kash

Hi guys, I got my 200eur back... But first person I was speaking to said that I won't get it back as they take that from ALL tenants even after address change. But two days later I called bord gais again and this time other person said she didn't know why the deposit was taken from my bank acc She apologized and after 3 days the money were back on my account...

Head The Wall

Cherrycola wrote: »

Does anyone know if we can switch our electricity to another provider without having to pay ESB this deposit?
Is there a waiting time, as the ESB bill has just been transferred into our name?

Ring up ESB and tell them you didn't authorize the landlord to sign you up and to cancel the order. Landlord shouldn't have done that, when we moved in where we are now we spoke to ESB while the landlord was there to do the changeover. Wer have since changed to Airtricity

Why anyone is still using ESB is beyond me, paying 13% more for the exact same thing. Anyone that hasn't changed is wasting their money

Cherrycola

We decided to stay with ESB for the time being, as there seems to be some talk about Airtricity and Bord Gais prices being temporary, until they get a good client base?! And possibly by the end of this year prices with them could rise.

Davy

Cherrycola wrote: »

We decided to stay with ESB for the time being, as there seems to be some talk about Airtricity and Bord Gais prices being temporary, until they get a good client base?! And possibly by the end of this year prices with them could rise.

Thats basically it. When the rates change is a different matter. It probably will be ESBCS dropping their rates than the others going up. ESBCS cant do this till the CER allows them. I think 350,000 customers have switched so far

Cherrycola

Yeah, thought that was it, and to be fair, ive had no issues with ESB up to now, they seem quite flexible if people have problems paying, and they allow me to pay a little off my bill each week via Laser before i get it, not sure if the others allow this.
And their customer service has always been good, when ive had cause to call them.

rameire

Cherrycola wrote: »

We decided to stay with ESB for the time being, as there seems to be some talk about Airtricity and Bord Gais prices being temporary, until they get a good client base?! And possibly by the end of this year prices with them could rise.

could you not just move to a cheaper provider, and if the other providers change their rates to a higher rate, then move to the then cheapest provider.
it doesnt take much effort.

Cherrycola

rameire wrote: »

could you not just move to a cheaper provider, and if the other providers change their rates to a higher rate, then move to the then cheapest provider.
it doesnt take much effort.

It does if each new move is going to cost us a new account/tenant deposit.

rameire

Cherrycola wrote: »

It does if each new move is going to cost us a new account/tenant deposit.

you will get it back if your bills are all paid and up to date.

Cherrycola

Which in this climate is not always guaranteed.

Del2005

Cherrycola wrote: »

Which in this climate is not always guaranteed.

Which is why they ask for deposits. Bord Gas have said they will be upto 13% cheaper till Jun or Jul, I can't remember the correct date, and will be at least 5% cheaper after that.

dudara

Cherrycola wrote: »

Which in this climate is not always guaranteed.

That's why they ask for deposits. If you're not up to date in your payments (which I know from life as a student can be hard) then you can hardly expect them to waive the deposit requirement.

Cherrycola

Im talking about the flexibility that NOT paying by DD gives, to allow for wages to reach the bank etc, which might result in payment arriving to said service provider after the due date on the bill, thus allowing them the loophole they need to hold onto deposits, Im not talking about running off and leaving a bill unpaid! :rolleyes:

And ESB are a little bit more flexible than the others, if opinions on here are anything to go by, hence the reason to pay a little more, for peace of mind.

discostu1

Lads, firstly I moved to BGE for leccy, secondly from what I am reading on this thread, and others in this section of boards, I would be worried about both BGE and Airtricity NOT taking customer meter readings, if you get a small bill these companies are not charities they WILL bill you in due course and I personally would not like to get a small bill for the last two months when I know the usage was huge given the cold weather. I know that neither BGE or Airtricity seem happy to take customer meter readings and issue correct bills has any one else experience of this

rameire

discostu1 wrote: »

Lads, firstly I moved to BGE for leccy, secondly from what I am reading on this thread, and others in this section of boards, I would be worried about both BGE and Airtricity NOT taking customer meter readings, if you get a small bill these companies are not charities they WILL bill you in due course and I personally would not like to get a small bill for the last two months when I know the usage was huge given the cold weather. I know that neither BGE or Airtricity seem happy to take customer meter readings and issue correct bills has any one else experience of this

The ESB Networks read the electricity meters for all electricity companies.
The ESB, BG and AirLecy do not read the meters.

The same for Gas.
BG networks read the meters.

BG and Flogas dont read the meters.

if you get a small bill. read the meter yourself and send in the reading, it only takes a minute.
I know its their job, but if it saves on heartache and pain. its worth it.

discostu1

Sorry maybe I didnt make myself clear, I know ESBNetworks read 4 times a year but from what I am reading here and from talking to some mates Airtricity have a budget plan that seems to be a bit detached from reality and both myself and my cousin gave readings to BGE and they effectively didnt want to take them and give us a "real" bill anyone else faced these issues

Del2005

discostu1 wrote: »

Sorry maybe I didnt make myself clear, I know ESBNetworks read 4 times a year but from what I am reading here and from talking to some mates Airtricity have a budget plan that seems to be a bit detached from reality and both myself and my cousin gave readings to BGE and they effectively didnt want to take them and give us a "real" bill anyone else faced these issues

I've had more readings since I moved from ESB. Maybe ESB networks are reading more often so that ESB can get paid by BG and Airtricity for the electricity they are reselling. I know that ESB and ESB networks are separate companies, but I'm sure they still work that little bit extra for their old co workers.

Cabaal

Cherrycola wrote: »

Im talking about the flexibility that NOT paying by DD gives, to allow for wages to reach the bank etc, which might result in payment arriving to said service provider after the due date on the bill, thus allowing them the loophole they need to hold onto deposits, Im not talking about running off and leaving a bill unpaid! :rolleyes:

Ah but then welcome to the real world where you should budget to ensure you DO have money in your bank account when a Direct Debit is due and you can't always get services if you won't pay via direct debit or credit card

Head The Wall

Cherrycola wrote: »

We decided to stay with ESB for the time being, as there seems to be some talk about Airtricity and Bord Gais prices being temporary, until they get a good client base?! And possibly by the end of this year prices with them could rise.

They guarantee to match any price drops by the ESB

Cherrycola wrote: »

Yeah, thought that was it, and to be fair, ive had no issues with ESB up to now, they seem quite flexible if people have problems paying, and they allow me to pay a little off my bill each week via Laser before i get it, not sure if the others allow this.
And their customer service has always been good, when ive had cause to call them.

Paying 13% more than I have to is an issue for me. Look at it as a 13% interest rate if you are late paying

Cherrycola wrote: »

It does if each new move is going to cost us a new account/tenant deposit.

Didn't pay anything when we changed over

Cherrycola wrote: »

Im talking about the flexibility that NOT paying by DD gives, to allow for wages to reach the bank etc, which might result in payment arriving to said service provider after the due date on the bill, thus allowing them the loophole they need to hold onto deposits, Im not talking about running off and leaving a bill unpaid! :rolleyes:

And ESB are a little bit more flexible than the others, if opinions on here are anything to go by, hence the reason to pay a little more, for peace of mind.

Airtricity also let you pay by cheque at a reduced discount. As the radio ad states, there really is no excuse not to change

discostu1 wrote: »

Sorry maybe I didnt make myself clear, I know ESBNetworks read 4 times a year but from what I am reading here and from talking to some mates Airtricity have a budget plan that seems to be a bit detached from reality and both myself and my cousin gave readings to BGE and they effectively didnt want to take them and give us a "real" bill anyone else faced these issues

Read up the terms of how the plan works, they estimate the energy usage for a year and split the bill into 12 equal payments

from their website "We regularly review your monthly payment amounts to prevent debts or large credits building up on your account. If you are paying too much or too little we will adjust the payments."

discostu1

Read up the terms of how the plan works, they estimate the energy usage for a year and split the bill into 12 equal payments

from their website "We regularly review your monthly payment amounts to prevent debts or large credits building up on your account. If you are paying too much or too little we will adjust the payments

So are you saying that if I am an Airtricity customer I can ring up, give a reading and get an actual bill on every occasion I want one??? Not the experience of a few people I spoke to. Mind you BGE werent exactly enthusiastic about this either

prinz

Signed up for both Bord Gáis and ESB last week as a new customer just moved into property. Opted to pay both by Direct Debit, with the ESB I think it was, if you set up a DD the deposit fee is waived. With BG even after setting up a DD, being told everything was now in order, getting the letters (dated 15th - received 16th) with customer code, new account number, with the readings etc, on Friday (19th Feb) I received a letter dated the 12th Feb (dated new tenancy commenced and account opened) informing me that I still had to pay a deposit of €200, and it had to be paid within 10 days of the letter date (for some reason it took a week for this letter to reach me even though letters dated later, arrived before it). So I called up Saturday (20th) with Laser details, was told the deposit was paid and given a payment confirmation number... just checked the bank and suprise suprise the payment of the security deposit has not been taken. If you take longer than 10 days from the letter date to pay the deposit a penalty ensues. Will be getting on to them later. Not impressed so far.

Also, does anyone know if this deposit will actually be returned?

Head The Wall

discostu1 wrote: »

So are you saying that if I am an Airtricity customer I can ring up, give a reading and get an actual bill on every occasion I want one??? Not the experience of a few people I spoke to. Mind you BGE werent exactly enthusiastic about this either

The budget plan breaks the yearly usage into equal bills every month. They estimate the usage on previous bills, so if you spend €1200 in a year on power they will charge you a flat rate of €100 a month.

Meter readings are still taken and every 6 months it is reviewed to make sure that you are still on target. If it is up or down they will let you know.

discostu1

The budget plan breaks the yearly usage into equal bills every month. They estimate the usage on previous bills, so if you spend €1200 in a year on power they will charge you a flat rate of €100 a month.

Meter readings are still taken and every 6 months it is reviewed to make sure that you are still on target. If it is up or down they will let you know.

Ok 4 mates live in an apartment, account with Airticity in the name of one lad, two are going travelling or emigrating, and want to settle up. The registered customer rings up and says reading is xyz will Airtricity send out a factual bill up to that reading ???

Head The Wall

Budget plan isn't really a viable solution for that kind of situation. It's worth giving them a call though as they may be able to start a new budget plan from that date. If they don't you will have to work it out yourselves

Find out how many units have been used since the budget plan started, work out the total cost of those units. Then total up what has been paid since the budget plan started. The lads leaving could owe more money or they could be owed money.

discostu1

Budget plan isn't really a viable solution for that kind of situation. It's worth giving them a call though as they may be able to start a new budget plan from that date. If they don't you will have to work it out yourselves

So are you in agreement that they wont send out an amended bill??
I would have thought it was called customer service. They wouldnt even email it. Whatever else the ESB did they never had a problem sending out amended bills

Head The Wall

discostu1 wrote: »

So are you in agreement that they wont send out an amended bill??
I would have thought it was called customer service. They wouldnt even email it. Whatever else the ESB did they never had a problem sending out amended bills

I did not say they would send out an amended bill. You had an option to choose the budget plan or not. You have to live with that choice unless you call them and get it changed. I suggest you do a bit of reading yourself instead to clear your mind up. I know what I'm on about you don't

You can find your own links, I couldn't be ar*ed trying to be of assistance anymore. Go pick an arguement elsewhere

dudara

Head The Wall Take it easy.

discostu1 - ring Customer Service with the current meter reading and ask them what your options are. We really can't answer for ESB here.

dudara