Useful organisations

Consumer Focus

Consumer Focus is the consumer watchdog responsible for protecting the interests of electricity and gas consumers.

The Consumer Focus website has:

• a database of information about consumer rights
• an ‘Ask a question’ facility which lets you ask a new question online if you can’t find the information you need in the database
• a range of fact sheets and consumer leaflets to download
• information about changing your fuel supplier
• information about which supply companies operate in your area and the prices they charge
• information about price comparison services
• information about how to use less energy and cut your fuel bills.

Go to: www.consumerfocus.org.uk.

Consumer Direct

Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service, supported by the Office of Fair Trading and local authority Trading Standards services.

Consumer Direct can give you help and advice about energy issues. This includes advice on how to change your gas supplier as well as how to deal with your gas supplier if you have a complaint.

You can make a complaint about your gas supplier to Consumer Direct if you have been disconnected, are threatened with disconnection or are considered to be a vulnerable customer.

The advice and information is free, but telephone calls to Consumer Direct are charged at 0845 prices.

Tel: 0845 404 0506
Website: www.consumerdirect.org.uk

The Energy Ombudsman

If you have a complaint about your gas supplier which you have not been able to sort out directly with your supplier, you can make a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. You must have complained to your gas supplier first.

The Energy Ombudsman also deals with complaints about electricity suppliers.

You can contact the Energy Ombudsman at:

PO Box 966
Warrington
WA4 9DF

Tel: 0845 055 0760 or 01925 530263
Fax: 0845 055 0765 or 01925 530264
Textphone: 18001 0845 051 1513 or 18001 01925 430886
Email: enquiries@energy-ombudsman.org.uk
Website: www.energy-ombudsman.org.uk.

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem)

Ofgem is an independent regulatory body, set up by the government to promote competition and monitor and regulate the activities of companies in the gas and electricity industries. Ofgem also monitors suppliers’ codes of practice and tries to ensure that the needs of vulnerable customers are met. They cannot deal directly with consumer complaints. Their Consumer Affairs team deal with enquiries about their policies. They can be contacted on: 020 7901 7295 or by email at: consumeraffairs@ofgem.gov.uk.

Gas Safe Register

The Gas Safe Register is an independent organisation which promotes gas safety. Anyone who installs or services gas equipment must register with the Gas Safe Register. The Gas Safe Register ensures that the Gas Safety Regulations and the British Standard Codes of Practice are met, although it does not prosecute firms itself but refers the case to the Health and Safety Executive.

If you wish to complain about a gas installer, or want details of a gas installer registered on the Gas Safe Register, contact the Gas Safe Register on: 0800 408 5500. Their website is: www.gassaferegister.co.uk.

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Gas arrears and disconnection

If you have gas arrears, you risk being disconnected. However, it is very unusual to be disconnected if you fail to pay your gas bills.

If you have gas arrears, seek help from an experienced adviser, urgently if you have been threatened with disconnection, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.

Steps your supplier must follow before disconnecting you

A gas supplier must follow standard licence conditions, one of which sets out how it deals with customers who have difficulty paying. A gas supplier cannot issue a disconnection notice until at least 28 days after issuing a bill. You must be given at least seven days notice of disconnection. If you can’t pay your bill, contact your supplier straight away. You should be offered an arrangement to pay off the arrears at a rate you can afford. If you can’t afford to pay off the arrears in this way, they must offer to install a prepayment meter.

Some groups of customers may have extra protection from being disconnected. This may apply to you if you:

• are of pensionable age
• have long-term ill-health
• are disabled
• have severe financial problems.

Disconnection – complaining to Consumer Direct

If you have been disconnected, or are threatened with disconnection, and have not been able to sort things out with your gas supplier, you should contact Consumer Direct on: 0845 404 0506.

Disconnection includes where something has gone wrong with your prepayment meter so that you’re unable to make a payment or have made a payment but your gas supply still isn’t working.

Where appropriate, Consumer Direct will refer your case to the consumer watchdog Consumer Focus, who will take up your complaint with the gas supplier.

A complaint about disconnection is considered a priority case and should be sorted out on the next working day after it has been referred to Consumer Focus. If you are on a prepayment meter, your gas supply should be restored within four hours.

If you’re still not happy with the way your complaint has been resolved, you can make a complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

Other help you can get

The Home Heat Helpline offers advice on energy efficiency and fuel debts to low income consumers. The Helpline’s advisers can help identify where free energy efficiency measures might be available and can also ensure that vulnerable customers are not at risk of fuel supply disconnection. You can contact the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99.

Some energy suppliers have set up independent charitable trusts which give grants to some of their customers to help them pay for gas arrears. You can also get grants to pay for electricity arrears and other household bills.

For more information, visit  the www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk.

Technorati Tags: arrears, Disconnection

Gas bills

Who is liable to pay the gas bill

The person who requested a supply of gas will be liable to pay for it and their name will appear on the gas bill.

If your name is not on a bill but you are asked to pay it, consult an experienced adviser, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.

Paying the gas bill

Gas suppliers must allow you to pay your bill in a variety of ways, for example, by cash, cheque, postal order, or monthly direct debit. Unless you have joined one of the payment schemes detailed below, the bill is due to be paid in full when you get it.

If a gas company has failed to send out a gas bill, they aren’t allowed to bill you for any amount which dates back longer than a year. However, this only applies if you have tried to contact them to arrange payment and have not obstructed any attempt by the company to read your meter or to resolve queries over billing.

Regular payment plans

Ask your gas supplier for information about payment schemes. Some gas suppliers offer a discount to customers who pay their bills by direct debit, standing order, a fixed payment budget scheme or a flexible payments scheme.

Direct debit, standing order and fixed payment budget schemes

With these schemes, your annual use of gas is estimated, usually based on previous consumption, and you pay this amount by equal instalments throughout the year. If you pay by direct debit or standing order, the payments will be made automatically from your bank account, either monthly or quarterly. If you use a fixed payment budget scheme, you must pay the agreed amount to the gas supplier at the specified times – this is usually weekly but may be fortnightly or monthly.

At the end of the year, you may have a balance owing or a credit. Any amount owed will be taken into account when calculating the next year’s instalments or, if large, will usually have to be paid. Refunds of credits are normally made at six monthly or annual reviews.

If your direct debit has been increased by your supplier and you feel that the amount of the increase is unreasonable you may want to challenge the amount of the increase. You should ensure that your payments have been assessed on the amount of energy actually used and not estimated amounts. You should tell your supplier about any changes in your circumstances which may lead to a decrease in the amount of gas you use.

Flexible payments schemes

The gas supplier may offer a flexible payments scheme, which allows you to pay any amount at any time. You may find this is a useful payment option if your income is variable. Check carefully the terms of the scheme, for example, how the payments are worked out and what happens if you build up a credit or go into arrears.

Reduced rates for low-income or vulnerable customers

Most gas suppliers offer reduced rates to low-income or vulnerable customers, such as older people, or people with long-term ill health. These reduced rates are known as social tariffs.

Each supplier has its own set of rules about who qualifies for the reduced rates. For more information, contact your gas supplier and ask for details of their social tariffs.

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