Free electricity and gas!
Discussion
Sarah_W said:
Defcon5 said:
I had this when I moved in to my house, after 7 months I bottled it and contacted them. When they do catch up, do you really want to pay years worth of bills at once?
Not if I advise them of the meter readings at the time I take them... They don't know what they are!ETA Actually, they'll probably pro rata it from when you bought the property. I seriously doubt they'll write it all off.
Edited by DrTre on Thursday 23 July 22:00
I had a relative that moved into a bungalow, now sadly deceased, who phoned gas company up to advise them they'd moved in and wanted to be connected as there was a meter in the cupboard inside the door. The gas company were adamant, after half a dozen phone calls and two letters that they couldn't supply gas to them as they didn't go out that far.
Had free central heating and cooking for about seven years...
Had free central heating and cooking for about seven years...
I had this happen twice to me. On both occasions they only caught up when I wanted to move and had to get the meter read. It is then a case of negotiating either a monthly payment over the next umpteen years or a substantial discount for paying the full amount in one hit. You need to navigate your way up the call-centre hierachy and write a few poverty stricken letters to get any joy but I think I got 25-30% off in the end.
HTH
HTH
I had it free for 6 months and i contacted everyone and then when i moved out they traced me and i got a summons, they said i didnt contact them ( even tho they were on on my list) as the they didnt have recordings of it and i had to suck it up.
was annoying as hell as i contacted everyone and all said no and then they changed their minds that I was supplied by them and got a huge bill.
was annoying as hell as i contacted everyone and all said no and then they changed their minds that I was supplied by them and got a huge bill.
Racefan_uk said:
I had a relative that moved into a bungalow, now sadly deceased, who phoned gas company up to advise them they'd moved in and wanted to be connected as there was a meter in the cupboard inside the door. The gas company were adamant, after half a dozen phone calls and two letters that they couldn't supply gas to them as they didn't go out that far.
Had free central heating and cooking for about seven years...
On a similar note, my parents have never paid a water bill since they moved into their property in 1993. They have contacted the water co numerous times in the first 2/3 years but they responded by telling my parents their house did not exist (!). My parents kept an amount aside should they need to pay a large sum in one go, but still nothing.Had free central heating and cooking for about seven years...
Merlot said:
On a similar note, my parents have never paid a water bill since they moved into their property in 1993. They have contacted the water co numerous times in the first 2/3 years but they responded by telling my parents their house did not exist (!). My parents kept an amount aside should they need to pay a large sum in one go, but still nothing.
My parents have two water feeds. One metered, one with no meter as it just feeds a cattle trough in a field supposedly 
. Dad switches to the metered unit once a year for two weeks, then back to the free one. Consistent water bills for the last 20 years, the last people in the house told him about it and where the taps are and what to do! They were in there for 15 years!Sarah_W said:
I've just purchased a place recently and still haven't heard anything from an electricity or gas company although both are connected. At what point will they cotton on that I'm using their services for free?
I had the opposite problem several years ago, as I couldn't keep the gas people away!At one stage I had THREE different areas trying to bill me. It took several letters and more than a few phone calls to work out exactly what gas board were supposed to be billing for my house.
stifler said:
Merlot said:
On a similar note, my parents have never paid a water bill since they moved into their property in 1993. They have contacted the water co numerous times in the first 2/3 years but they responded by telling my parents their house did not exist (!). My parents kept an amount aside should they need to pay a large sum in one go, but still nothing.
My parents have two water feeds. One metered, one with no meter as it just feeds a cattle trough in a field supposedly . Dad switches to the metered unit once a year for two weeks, then back to the free one. Consistent water bills for the last 20 years, the last people in the house told him about it and where the taps are and what to do! They were in there for 15 years!Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff