Key meters

They don't make enough money, Ziggy. The ironic [cynical] thing about the pre-paid meters is that they were originally intended for those people who couldn't afford to pay an regular bill and so paid "on demand" or "necessity" usage. The idea being that it would help the lower paid and those struggling to pay energy bills.
But, from the start, the idea of helping the needy got turned on it's head when they charged a premium for the purchasing of a key and also putting the gas/electric on a much higher charge/tariff whilst the Government and Energy Companies placed their hands over their "hearts" and said "Look at us, we're doing good, working for the poor and needy, giving them easier access to Lighting and Heating" In fact what they were doing was hanging the two Mill Stones of a Premium [Tax] and a higher tariff around the necks of people who even then were having to decide whether to "Heat or Eat" thereby ensuring that the very people they were "helping" were worse off because they had to pay more for less gas/electricity. It was, and is, a cynical exercise of two organisations knowingly saying one thing and doing another.

Clueless, get off the key system and your energy bills will definitely reduce greatly in size..........much to the chagrin of the Energy Companies.

 

Having a 10 Shilling [bob] Note in your pocket in those days made you feel like a Millionaire

 

Mmmmmm, I wouldn't have been around in Hastings in '68 to help you spend it, Ziggy, as I was in Aden then. It might cost 50p now to use the East Hill Lift.........Jenny might know!!!

 

The advice to get your meters changed is spot on clue - the premium that is added on to these meters is scandalous. Like you, we had a pre-pay gas meter in the flat we were living in which was there when we moved in - I had it ripped out in the end after a right royal row with British Gas; in short, they sent me a 'bill' saying that they owed me just over £400.

Champion! I called them up, asked them to confirm that the bill did indeed mean that they owed me the money, which they did, so I asked them to send me a cheque. "Can't do that sir, you need to write in and request it" - fair enough, so a letter was written.

The rot set in thereafter - they wrote back asking for proof of ID as it was a pre-pay meter; duly sent. Then they asked for a letter from our landlord or a copy of the lease agreement to prove that we were living there; this was a non-starter as our landlords barely spoke English let alone wrote it, or provided lease agreements - fair enough says BG, just send us proof that you have been there for the last four years; so, I got my employer to provide a letter confirming my last address and the date that I changed to the new one, and sent them an old car insurance certificate from the first year we were there. Still no cheque. They refused to send the money on the grounds that they could not fully verify that I was due the money, as I couldn't provide proof of tenancy for the property - they could, however, confirm that MY NAME had been on the account at this address on THEIR SYSTEM for the past four years; apparently this was not sufficient.

I then asked to have the pre-pay meter removed and put onto a credit meter to prevent any future over-payments. Can't do that sir, the meters are too costly and would only be changed if the pre-pay meter was actually faulty.

In the end I rang Scottish Power, switched to them and they fitted a normal meter within a couple of weeks at no cost, and then I told British Gas where they could shove their energy in no uncertain terms. Its for that reason that I would rather burn my furniture to keep warm than give a single penny to British Gas.

 

Please tell me its old furniture Zigs?