dont want token meter anymore

aliise

last year we got into difficulty with arrears adding up to aprox €600 due to job loss etc.
we were told we were eligable for the top up meter and that this would work out better for us etc. the guy on the phone told me that 10% of every €10 put into the meter would go off the arrears which would be managable.

We got the meter installed and we were doing grand, we were getting by on putting €20 into the meter every tuesday. So a few months ago a guy came to ''reset'' the meter for the new price increases.

I don't know what the hell he did but suddenly we were having to put €40 a week into the meter.
I rang esb who told me that the ''agreed'' percentage for the arrears had been increased as the arrears were not being paid quick enough :mad:

I told the guy we should have been informed of this to which he replied that no we dont have to be informed :eek:
so for every 10 euro we put in now 7 euro is taken for arrears.

we put €20 in this monday and at lunchtime today (thursday) the electrcity was gone again.
so for a basic 3 bedroom semi d house we are paying aprox 320 every 2 months. also we arent receiving any blls from esb so we cant see our arrears going down. We dont use dishwasher or dryer. have gas heating.

we want to now switch back to a normal meter as we cant keep going on like this. is this possible? we were assured there would be no costs involved in switching back when we go the meter.

Electric Ireland: David

Hi aliise,

We can remove the meter if you aren't finding it beneficial. Please be aware however that this would mean you couldn't get it installed again, were you to regret the decision to remove it.

aliiise wrote:

also we arent receiving any blls from esb so we cant see our arrears going down.

You should still be receiving bills; getting a pay-as-you-go meter installed wouldn't change that. Your outstanding debt with Electric Ireland will also be marked on your payment receipt under "previous charge" (PC). See the following section of our website if you have any other questions:

Pay As You Go Metering - Your Questions Answered

If you have decided that you would prefer to get the meter removed, please send your account details, incl. phone number/date of birth for account security, to us by private message. Having it removed would not necessarily mean that you would be under less pressure to clear outstanding debt (the purpose of the meter being to make it as manageable as possible).

Thanks,

David.

aliise

Hi david, thanks for replying.

How are we meant to know how much our arrears have gone down to though if we havent been receiving bills? The amount we are putting in a week we should nearly be cleared I would imagine. If i send you account details etc can you check all of this up for me? I dont seem to get anywhere when i phone customer services, all i get told is the price of electricity has gone up, yes i know that, but my complaint is I have no way of seeing what the meter is taking from me and for what, I also got told on the phone that a standing charge is charged seperately on the bill and not included in what I am putting into the meter?

I will pm you the details now and hopefully you can help me and I can make a decision on wether or not I want to keep the meter

Electric Ireland: David

Hi aliise,

I've just received your PM, thanks for providing the details. I'll look into why you haven't been receiving your bill, as having a token meter/PAYG meter installed does not change this. I will also check what your current balance is at.

aliise wrote:

I also got told on the phone that a standing charge is charged seperately on the bill and not included in what I am putting into the meter?

Apologies on our behalf aliise, but this is incorrect information. Standing charges are incorporated into any amounts you put into the meter.

Thanks,

David.