do you think it is fair prepayment meter customers.....

[oompah]

I was refering more to rented accommodations,my eldest is living in one just think its unfare to charge her more per unit when after all the cost to produce is the same.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

No they should pay less.

You are obviously on one then.

Err no but as mentioned its generally the less well off members of society who have them and through no choice of their own. I know plenty of people who live in rented houses or flats who have them and have the means to pay by DD, they are installed for the convenience and peace of mind of the landlords but thats what the deposit is for. To people claiming they cost more get a grip FFS. We're supposed to be improving living conditions.

 

[dave.m]

Your assuming they pay the gas, electric, water, sewerage, telephone supplier direct. However many don't. I have stopped on many a caravan site where I have either been charged fixed fee or metered with pre-pay meter which the landlord sets.

This rate could be well in excess to what he pays for the service and although I agree he needs to recoup the cost of the installation they has to be a limit to what he can charge.

The charges cannot by law be 'well in excess' and they cannot include the cost of the installation:

There is a maximum price that a landlord can charge tenants for gas and electricity for domestic use. Anyone selling gas or electricity for domestic use from a supply provided by a supplier must comply with these regulations.
OFGEM (The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) fixes maximum resale prices under section 44 of the Electricity Act 1989 and section 37 of the Gas Act 1986. The Utilities Act 2000 amended these provisions to give OFGEM the power rather than the duty to set a Maximum Resale Price (MRP) for gas and electricity.
The MRP consists of: a charge for each unit of gas or electricity used by the tenant plus VAT; and the cost of the gas or electricity supplier's standing charge divided equally between the tenants.

This arrangement means that landlords will be unable to charge tenants more for gas and electricity than they have paid for it.

In addition, to ensure transparency, at the request of the tenant, the landlord must inform the tenant the price he is paying for gas or electricity and furnish documentary evidence to support this information. This is enforced by financial penalties. A landlord who overcharges will also be subject to such penalties. These penalties will be enforced through the civil courts.

 

[Stivino]

I don't think they should pay more, they're paying in advance after all.

 

[namsag]

Yes in the case of Gas.
. as the cost of equipment and maintaining it is far more expensive than a standard meter that can be put in for 20 plus years and forgot about gets read twice a year and thats that.
Prepayment meters 6 times the cost plus a lot of money spent on research and development to make them work and fiddle proof (yes people fiddled money meters). systems fitted into shops for sale of product maintenance of meter ie new batteries ,customers losing cards , tilting them and causing lock out, phoning up and wanting credit put on them when they have no money themselves. etc etc


All of you that pay your bill and keep up to date i will give you an example of prepayment meters.
When the quantum credit card gas meter first came out back in about 94 the first 1000 meters we fitted none of the customers owed less than £ 2000 because the gas board where not allowed to cut them off . the meter was set for debt recovery at £2.50 a week the most allowed.
So yes they are far more expensive to run an maintain and unfortunately someone has to pay and that is the user of them

 

[libby lou lou]

do you think it is fair prepayment meter consumers should pay more than credit meter consumers.

No, i don't think they should, i moved in a council house with that ticket/credit system and told them to put me on a normal meter, it's worked for me , BUT there is some lazy fat twits with 3/4/5/6 kids that have to pay this rate because they would rather drink and smoke. so,children and heating becomes a social factor again

Let's not forget the elderly, we'll all be there one day.

 

[LastMagicBean]

Let's not forget the elderly, we'll all be there one day.

your already there......

 

[Stoday]

Prepayment consumers should pay more because they cost more. The main reason for this is that they make four cash payments a month instead of one direct debit.

 

[oompah]

One more reason why the country is up a creek,pay up front you are penalised live on credit and you are encouraged.

 

[Nige F]

. But living caravans are not normally accepted on sites as second hand so the occupant is at the mercy of the land lord.


So it will never change.

Park Homes , Please Living `vans are for The Travelling Community

 

[Bahco]

I used to know a landlord that had a large boarding house and let out individual rooms. He used to have each room on a meter for gas / electric and set the meter at a high rate which resulted in his utility usage being paid for by the tenants!

Can this still be done as it was in the early nineties that this was happening?

 

[Steve]

Their meters cost more, and then theres keys, maintenance, the whole key charging infrastructure, paying commision to retailers for charging keys.

Direct payment customers pay by direct debit or paypoint or post office. Dead simple.

Why should people on key meters pay less? Their service costs more.

But the electricity or gas company's don't need to send someone out to read the meters,thereby saving them money.

But they do read the meters.

Prepayment consumers should pay more because they cost more. The main reason for this is that they make four cash payments a month instead of one direct debit.

Some pay more often than this. Some people come in my shop with gas and electric keys/cards and stick £2 on at a time. Still, keeps them coming back to buy groceries I suppose.

In another shop I worked in, one woman used to come in and spend £20 on scratchcards and put £2 on her gas card.

This whole industry is hideously complex and NEEDS changing. We've seen it on electrics UK many times, people wanting meters moved, fuses pulled, meters changed, dont know who to call. Call supplier, EVEN THEY DONT KNOW. Its ridiculous and the industry should never have been broken up into so many companies. Half the grid is now run by the French!