Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Mar 2008
- Posts
- 2,566
British Gas are a company not a charity
Crazy:- Fined for low power useage?!!
- Thread starter Ewanb75
- Start date
Caporegime
- Joined
- 1 Mar 2008
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- 26,303
Wow, this is just silly.
Why is there a threshold for usage, whats the point of the meter then.
It's like the minutes you get on a contract for a mobile phone, sometimes you just make calls to use up the minutes. Now you will have to use extra energy otherwise you get a bloody fine. Madness.
Why is there a threshold for usage, whats the point of the meter then.
It's like the minutes you get on a contract for a mobile phone, sometimes you just make calls to use up the minutes. Now you will have to use extra energy otherwise you get a bloody fine. Madness.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 28 Jun 2007
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- 52,812
- Location
- Tamworth, UK
Makes my blood boil 
(hence the reduced energy need).
(hence the reduced energy need).
Because it costs them a minimum amount just to even supply the gas/electricity to begin with. They would therefore realistically make a loss if people don't use a certain amount of gas, hence the threshold.
Why is it any different to paying line rental on a phone line? She uses an amount that doesn't cover the cost for the company to supply her.
Because line rental is a mandatory charge for all customers, whereas she's being penalised for efficiency.
That's their bad luck. They can make up the difference on the profits they get from other customers - which will be the vast majority.
Imagine if the service stations started charging you more for petrol & diesel if you didn't spend at least £40 at the pump every time. Sound fair?
They already do. Most petrol stations state a minimum £5.
Why is it their bad luck? It's in my T&Cs and I'm sure it will be in hers. So she should pay up and stop moaning.
It is similar though. So it would be better for he if they said, 'tough, you aren't using enough' and cut her off? I agree on the fuel thing however, after re reading. They don't charge extra that is true, but my original point of this post stands. You either spend £5 or you don't get the fuel. Simple. At least she is getting the option of getting her electricity.
But as I asked, it's in her T&Cs so why should the company lose out?
Last edited:
Kol said:
Because it's not her problem; it's theirs. If they can't provide a commodity at a constantly profitable rate, they should do something about it instead of price-gouging efficient customers.
She should certainly pay up - and change her service provider at the earliest opportunity.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 10 Nov 2003
- Posts
- 14,034
- Location
- Surrey, by the river
There is a basic cost in maintaining supply to this woman and administering here account. If she's not spending enough for them to make a profit (or reasonable profit) on her account then why should they supply her?
They supply her because they have to, by law, and so I don't have a problem with her being charged slightly more.
They supply her because they have to, by law, and so I don't have a problem with her being charged slightly more.
So they should penalise all other customers by increasing the cost of the unit? That way they would certainly make enough to cover th cost of supply, or, like most people she could read her terms and conditions before taking action to reduce her costs. Yes, I agree, she should change provider.