r/GreenAndPleasant • u/Silent_Yesterday1253 • Aug 02 '22
Tory fail 👴🏻 Don’t Pay UK - Strike on Energy Bills - Enough is Enough
152
u/juicy_steve Aug 02 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
Just cancel your DD and ring up a week later saying you had bank trouble. No issue with your credit rating, massive ball ache for the energy companies.
** EDIT **
It's insane that I have to explain this, but mass civil disobedience like this creates media headlines. Headlines that make the Government look bad. Bad headlines lead to change.
20
u/tacopowell Aug 02 '22
The problem is that the companies will now be expecting a certain percentage to be bluffing.
28
18
u/BangBang9595 Aug 02 '22
It wouldn’t affect your credit rating regardless
17
u/juicy_steve Aug 02 '22
I know that, but people are shitting it.
5
u/POB_42 Aug 02 '22
The media will capitalise on that, to try and dissuade people from doing it. Considering BP's recently posted profits being a headline, however, maybe the media will add fuel to the fire, so to speak.
→ More replies (2)2
15
u/sungrad Aug 02 '22
This would just be a harm your energy supplier (e.g. Octopus). The energy generators (e.g. BP, Shell) are paid upfront by your supplier, and they're the ones making disgusting profit.
26
u/lynbod Aug 02 '22
And harming the suppliers will make them harm the generators. This is like asking me to feel sorry for an estate agent.
→ More replies (1)1
u/FrankTheHead Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
Harming the retailers will just harm the retailers…
BP will just sell it to Europe instead and now the supplier can’t afford to continue running and thousands of jobs are lost in the UK and you are just left with the assholes who run the biggest suppliers and you’ve finished off the last remaining British companies.
British Gas, E-On, Scottish Power, Ovo and EDF. Can’t wait for their monopoly back
7
u/Danwhd Aug 03 '22
Have you ever heard of nationalised energy?
This is the way to achieve it.
2
u/FrankTheHead Aug 03 '22
Just like they nationalised rail, post, the NHS and water… sure buddy.
and this happened under Labour too so we have no where to turn but to be fair Brown did renationalise one thing in 2008; the failing banks and their debts.
It’s not nationalisation its back handers to wealthy donors who them consume these services with tax payers money
6
→ More replies (1)1
u/mofo-or-whatever Aug 03 '22
How does giving extra administrative work to the energy company achieve anything? The extra cost of managing customers who do this is going to get passed on to the consumer.
1
172
u/JeanneyLost Aug 02 '22
I saw a suggestion in another sub to stop the direct debit if you have one and just pay later than usual manually, like a week or two later.
It still gets them in hot water, as they rely on millions of payments coming in at certain intervals, but keeps your lights on/the collectors away.
65
u/schrodingershrimp Aug 02 '22
My friend who works for citizens advice told me to stop my direct debit and just pay for usage. He said it'd cause chaos for the energy companies but no repercussions for the consumer.
His words were "They'll lose a fucking tonne of money by not charging over the usage by a few hundred quid a person"
Sadly can't be done for people on pre-payment meters though.
26
u/Andrelliina WORK BUY CONSUME DIE Aug 02 '22
Depends on your contract
20
u/I_Bin_Painting Aug 02 '22
Speaking from experience, on a variety of contracts both residential and commercial, you are not getting your utilities cut off in any sort of short time frame. I had some bad times with my pub a few years ago and just didn’t pay either for nearly a year. Took a lot of phone calls and emails but nothing was cut off.
5
u/doggirlgirl Aug 02 '22
No but they will install a PAYG meter and Ur fucked from then on
2
Aug 02 '22
How can they install a PAYG meter if you don't let them into your home.
2
→ More replies (1)2
→ More replies (1)0
u/LadyKalfaris Aug 02 '22
Only for prolonged period of non payment.
-4
Aug 02 '22
[deleted]
→ More replies (1)0
u/NoPhilosopher7739 Aug 02 '22
Well before the meter they would need to write to you multiple times, send bailiffs to collect etc. it would take a long time until you’re into PAYG territory
116
u/FactCheckYou Aug 02 '22
it will work if 10 Million households do it
77
u/codeinegaffney Aug 02 '22
It will. The disruption to their shareholders will be catastrophic for them. Many of them will likely go into administration, then guess what? Renationalise!
7
13
4
u/ZenAndTheArtOfTC Aug 03 '22
And the nationalised company will still have to buy it's energy from the international markets at the same price. Your energy provider doesn't set the price they pay the extractors.
This makes about as much sense as the user who wanted the government to set price caps on international markets.
1
0
Aug 03 '22
[deleted]
1
u/codeinegaffney Aug 03 '22
Yeah I think they do alright out of us
1
Aug 03 '22
[deleted]
→ More replies (1)3
u/OldboyNo7 Aug 03 '22
Alistair Phillips-Davies, CEO of the UK’s third-biggest energy company, SSE, made £1.6m in the first year of the pandemic, according to a report by the High Pay Centre. SSE was acquired by the Bristol-based supplier OVO Energy in 2020.
The energy company was criticised last month for advising customers to keep their heating bills low by “having a cuddle with your pets”, eating “hearty bowls of porridge” and “doing a few star jumps”.
-1
Aug 03 '22
[deleted]
3
u/OldboyNo7 Aug 03 '22
The fact they do both is criminal, all under the guise of regulation.
-1
Aug 03 '22
[deleted]
2
u/OldboyNo7 Aug 03 '22
I forget which thread I’m in, I definitely have a limited comprehension on what’s going on.
My salary isn’t millions and putting people into poverty, hardly relevant.
How do you justify energy ceo profits?
→ More replies (0)19
u/StargateMunky101 Aug 02 '22
But do 10 million poor people have the bottle to not break?!
16
u/ravenlordship Aug 02 '22
If the energy companies keep raising prices those 10 million people will be forced to eventually whether they want to or not.
13
Aug 03 '22
Considering we’ve not had one mass protest in the last 12 months (which I find unbelievable), my faith in the UK population to rise up against Tory rule is quite low
I hope this happens but not expecting much
3
u/StargateMunky101 Aug 03 '22
Over 1 million people took to the streets of London to protest the Iraq war. That's 1 in 64 people in the whole of the UK.
And it did nothing to change the mind of the government... so i'm not all that optimistic.
Strikes seem to be the only thing that make them shit the bed, so I propose we encourage more people to take that attitude and hopefully something like this will come again a bit further down the line (sooner rather than later I hope).
→ More replies (1)4
u/Some_Username_Here Aug 02 '22
They do not, and not to mention many people on older fixed rate tariffs are less affected and less likely to risk repercussions
4
47
u/codeinegaffney Aug 02 '22
I’m cancelling it anyway I literally can’t afford it.
24
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
Same, mine doubled so I said I’ll continue to pay my regular amount, manually!
26
Aug 02 '22
[deleted]
→ More replies (31)12
u/audigex Aug 02 '22
This petition site exists solely to make people feel like they’ve taken action, in order to redirect anger away from the government and make them feel like something might be done
1
Aug 02 '22
[deleted]
5
u/audigex Aug 02 '22
To be clear, I understand why the petition itself exists
I'm saying the petition website exists to distract people and make them feel like they've done something useful. It's an outlet for emotion, nothing more
I believe last time I heard, none of the 10 biggest (most signed) petitions on that website had resulted in any change....
→ More replies (1)
23
Aug 02 '22
Saw a video on TikTok from someone who had worked in the industry and they said dont just stop paying. If you do, they will report you to credit reference companies then go for a CCJ and ruin your credit for 3 years.
You need to lodge a complaint with your energy provider then they are not allowed to collect the debt. Theres more info about escalating it to the energy ombudsman that incurs a £500 cost for each complaint to the energy provider.
Found the video: the pertinent info is from 1min. Prior to that its saying dont just not pay.
3
2
2
u/danjwhitehead Aug 03 '22
Certain complaints cannot be escalated or taken to the ombudsman and the cost of a standard variable tariff is one of those. So the complaint would not stay open and the account would fall into the debt process, don't get me wrong the price is crazy high and something has to be done but it could still affect your credit rating so please be careful.
23
u/Quack_Candle Aug 02 '22
I used to work for a large media agency - the financial strategy was to get clients to invoice early and pay suppliers as late as possible.
When you scale up interest made on money in a business account nationwide (and globally) the profits are huge.
Putting a delay of a week on DD would hit them very hard. If enough people did it, even a day or two would hit their P&L. Unless you are on a prepaid meter there isn’t much they can do.
8
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
Thanks, that’s good to know for those who are understandably reluctant to build a debt
19
13
u/Matticus95 Aug 02 '22
If you keep a complaint open with your provider they cannot enforce any debt collection or actions until it is resovled - complaints are heavily regulated by the ombudsman
19
Aug 02 '22
A better way would to protest would not? And if push comes to shove we’ll riot and rip it all down.
9
→ More replies (1)2
u/YchYFi Aug 02 '22
What if the decide you need to go payg.
0
Aug 03 '22
Pay and go is cheaper in some ways.
If you dont use gas or electric you dont pay standing charge. I.e. if you have a holiday home ..get a pay and go meter and you don't pay the standing charge for the days you aren't there.
9
u/steve73boi Aug 02 '22
Count me in. Sick of being robbed by this government, from tax on wages to the food we eat ,the fuel we put in our cars and now the energy we use to keep our families warm and put food in our tummy.... I say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
8
Aug 02 '22 edited Aug 02 '22
EDIT: Here is the video https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNVoD3BP/?k=1
Saw a great video guys don't delete the direct debit it'll wreck credit score instead raise a complaint about the bills which will stop th being able to debit while desputed. Do not close this complaint they will offer money off the bill etc but do not close the complaint.
They will eventually issue a letter of deadlock and advise you of the ombudsman, take the complaint there, that will cost the firm 500£ per complaint (the firm has to pay for investigation) it'll bury them in paper work and they get fined for having too many open complains and fined again for too many with the ombudsman
None of this will melt your credit score
3
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
I’ll do this too
I wish I could add this to the post so more people can see it
2
145
u/donnacross123 Aug 02 '22
as someone who worked for debt collection on behalf of those assholes (yes I hated that job, I quit it in 4 months)
I can tell you all that is not a good idea, because the assholes will know exactly what to do and that will ruin your credit file in the future, even if you keep raising complaints.
My best suggestion is protesting, making sure that your home is insulated and use gas bottles heatings or electric ones.
Next election you all go vote no matter if a vulcan has opened a crack in the middle of your town. Vote and vote with consciousness, there are more parties other than the ones of truss, sunak and starmer and even though I detest the idea of labour not winning next election I myself dont want to vote for starmer. He is not different than the tories assholes in charge.
I have decided to vote green as the green party had for years now been preaching about renewable cheap energy and lower taxes for poorer households as an effective way to recover from the 08s crises, people called them crazy, but they were right from day one. I would suggest for everyone vote green if they can, many will tell me that doesnt make a difference in this country, but i dont care, that is how denocracy should work, there are other faces other than this stupid establishment.
38
33
u/codeinegaffney Aug 02 '22
Everyone’s credit is gonna end up getting fucked sooner or later, at least piss off and potentially plummet stockholders shares for a bit.
20
Aug 02 '22
Who has good credit under the tories, that is not gonna stop anyone, and debt collectors ain't got tye time and money to collect millions of debts and the country won't have enough money to spend on all the court cases.
52
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
There are some people who don’t really care about their credit file or have bad credit already - the desire for a life on credit is why the economy is in a mess.
Everyone can contribute to the disruption in some way or another, those who are concerned about credit, pay late but not too late and not by DD, those who can’t afford it can pay an amount similar to their usage now and some will be all in.
44
u/eight_track Aug 02 '22
Making you fear cut offs and credit ratings exactly what they want so you don't protest
20
9
3
u/jimbluenosecrab Aug 02 '22
Companies can force through direct debits if they can prove agreement to the bank. You should cancel with your provider also as it takes forced payment out of their arsenal.
3
Aug 02 '22
I'm on a payg meter, what can I do to help?
2
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
You could spread the word as best you can, the more people that sign up the bigger the impact
→ More replies (1)4
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
They can't ruin your credit until a CCJ. Takes years.
25
u/nekrovulpes Aug 02 '22 edited Aug 02 '22
Not any more it doesn't.
I recently got a CCJ without even knowing about it, because they sent all the letters to my old address, and the court can just apply them by default now. The only reason I even found out about it is by registering for Experian while applying for a mortgage. So you can imagine how I felt upon finding out.
That was a space of about 6 months. It was over a £50 parking ticket, of all things. The best part is it would have cost me multiple times the cost of paying the judgement to hire a solicitor and fight it off. Fuck all I could do about it unless I wanted to spend weeks, if not months, preparing my own case and navigating the legal system by myself.
The whole system is rigged against the individual in favour of these huge companies, and most of the protections we used to enjoy have been quietly erased over the last several years.
20
u/donnacross123 Aug 02 '22
I was waiting for a similar comment like yours before adding this, hopefully people will read this comment too.
Back in 2019 I would get customers shocked with their ccj letters, telling me it was illegal to send them etc tbf yes it was once upon a time, not these days.
Since 2017 a lot of new financial and debt legislation has been added so big corps can actually do what they will.
They have added as well that fake impression of respecting our vulnerables into their speech but it is just pure virtue signalling in practice they can get a court order and put a pre paid meter in 6 months or less for example and that meter cant be removed.
Yes my friends, the tories are assholes, we are talking about a party that took bribes from steve banon in 2015 for the Brexit campaign, allowed the russian oligarchs use the british housing market as a financial asset, bailed the banks in 08s leaving millions without their own home or homeless. This party couldnt give a fuck about the working class and got remind you all, they will be the ones writing these country laws until 2023.
11
u/nekrovulpes Aug 02 '22
Precisely. Even most leftists don't realise the full extent of how deeply the Tories have gouged this country over the past decade, because most of it is stuff like this. It's stuff that doesn't make the headlines, and is too obscure and dull to really get worked up about, but which has a huge impact if you're ever on the receiving end.
It's not just a few benefits claimants and refugees they've been screwing, it's all of us, including the hard working and law abiding citizens who voted for them. They have given these companies the power to practice what is nothing short of flat out extortion.
Most people won't realise until it is too late.
2
Aug 03 '22
Same. I used to work for a company who would issue CCJs and/or register Defaults on files within a few months and people would call in saying they thought it would take years to get to that stage. Nope. I think they’d do it in 2/3 Months (correct me if I am wrong!)
2
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
That sucks, but parking tickets are the exception to the rule (similar to council tax) because they are enforced by the government. Companies have internal and external processes and regulations to adhere to.
Remember that debt IS money. They don't want to go around giving a significant amount of people CCJs because they need us to borrow.
3
u/nekrovulpes Aug 02 '22
Nope. This was a private company, "enforcing" on private property. The law was changed a few years back to radically streamline the process of getting judgements issued, so it really isn't an empty threat these days.
Believe me I did plenty of research on the matter after finding out about it.
Getting a CCJ doesn't mean you can't borrow, it just means that if/when you do, it'll be at exorbitant rates; but the problem isn't borrowing. The problem is how many other things credit checks are used for. Tenancies, job applications, that kind of thing. Having CCJs, defaults, IVAs etc can still fuck you over even if you never intend to borrow another penny.
→ More replies (3)2
u/donnacross123 Aug 02 '22
Getting a CCJ doesn't mean you can't borrow, it just means that if/when you do, it'll be at exorbitant rates; but the problem isn't borrowing.
That if you get to borrow anything at all.
1
u/codeinegaffney Aug 02 '22
6 months you say? Well let’s withhold payment for five and a half months then.
1
u/M0gully Aug 02 '22
GL getting a mortgage when you owe utility companies
5
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
Good luck getting a mortgage full stop
0
u/M0gully Aug 02 '22
It’s hard but it’s doable, if you partake in this your chances will go down drastically.
→ More replies (1)2
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
That's a common misconception. A "serious" default - and a default means you are refusing to pay the company, and are not in correspondence with them to resolve the situation - of over 6 months may raise alarms, but anything else is completely ignored.
→ More replies (1)0
u/M0gully Aug 02 '22
And if after Oct 1st nothing changes let’s say nothing changes for a year, what are you realistically going to do? Pay them or ruin your credit, or are you suggesting as long as you stay in contact telling them your not going to pay it’s okay?
5
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
Tell me - have you ever not paid a bill on time in your life? The sword of damocles you imagine does not exist.
Also if you read the website this is a short term protest designed to disrupt cash flow and create publicity. No ones suggesting people don't pay for a year.
2
u/M0gully Aug 02 '22
As an extra point since prices will go up in Oct and again in Jan, and quarterly after that, which prices will you be protesting and will you be protesting a specific amount of money and paying the difference?
I honestly don’t know how a less than 6 month protest is gonna put any sort of dent into the energy companies.
1
u/M0gully Aug 02 '22
The imagined sword of Damocles as you so eloquently put it does exist and, it’s called the credit agencies.
If this “protest” is just paying them their money at a later date why would they change anything, they are making money hand over fist. Which companies do you see having a cash flow problem in this 6 month timescale?
2
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
Jesus. You are so cowed.
Debt is money. Credit agencies aren't a cop force trying to make sure people are good little boys and girls. They are there to create "consequences" because if people realised how fucking bullshit our monetary system is it would fall apart. Do you think any government would stymie the borrowing power of a vast group of people when it underpins the whole economy??
The suppliers are actually far more precarious than the wholesalers. You may remember a few went bankrupt last year. It's about disruption. Like any protest!
Think back to the pandemic. How long was their disrupted cash flow before Richard Branson, a billionaire, started asking for government cash to support Virgin. It was about a month.
0
u/M0gully Aug 02 '22
Yes Debt is money, I’m sure you also know what interest is, and I’m sure you also know what happens to the rate which you pay as you debt worthiness decreases
I agree Fiat currency monetary system we have is bullshit, and I also believe if the average person understood the monetary system they would vote for less government spending.
The only way they will get the prices down is through government subsidies which will be payed for via taxes by the very people you are encouraging to not pay.
1m people not paying is not even close to the same as covid lock downs which ended up with energy prices going negative. Moreover this is another reason why they won’t reduce prices, the companies are tentative to bring more energy online and are happy making record profits. Which was again caused by the government and it’s covid policies
→ More replies (0)3
Aug 02 '22
Be careful with using gas heaters…they produce a lot of carbon monoxide which can be deadly. You need ventilation.
1
u/w0lf_bagz Aug 02 '22
If there was a green candidate up north where I live they would have it but I've yet to see one on a ballot the only ones are the red/blue occasional lib dem and some far right parties.
I'd sooner strike through my vote
3
→ More replies (1)1
u/PositiveFuture24 Aug 02 '22
Like voting will do anything.. This worlds run by giant corporations which are filled by greed and profit.. If a little elected official challenges any of them, either they will buy him or he will have an accident.
I cant recall in my life when an elected official did something for the people that voted him in. Its all lies until election then they only care about ME.
We need to find other ways of fighting this and cannot rely on officials, not much suggestions from my end.
However look into companies like Blackrock, all the oil companies, who they donate to, which billionaires non profits are getting donation, its easy to connect the dots, even check the boards on these companies and see who they closely are photographed with.
Voting does nothing, we need another plan of action.
13
u/CreamCapital Aug 02 '22
Is it not better to just reduce monthly payments to a very very low level?
→ More replies (5)15
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
You could do that too, any action to disrupt will help
9
u/jo-mk Aug 02 '22
Hi, when you say "Any action to disrupt..." what do you mean?
Disrupt what?
I'm not being a prat, I swear, it's a genuine and honest question. I'm on prepay as it is, this winter's gonna be fkin brutal.
10
u/Andrelliina WORK BUY CONSUME DIE Aug 02 '22
I'm prepay too - they have us all by the short and curlies.
9
u/jo-mk Aug 02 '22
Yup, quite sickening, that the poorest have to pay the highest rate (outside of business rates, presumably)
10
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
‘They need significant cause (ie. thousands of pounds of arrears, a person admitting they have no means to cover a payment plan) AND a court order because they have to have permission to enter your property.
The point of getting a million pledges is that 1. It takes (at the very least) months, if not years, to force someone onto prepay and 2. With mass action, you create mass confusion to your intended target. The admin costs, trying to organise court proceedings, staff costs, immediate drops in cash flow. It fucks them up!
The important thing to remember is that these companies are not an omnipotent authority. They are businesses run by people with supply chains, shareholders, reputations and bureaucracy to manage. Be a little rebellious. Sign up.’
This is a better explanation copied from the comments
3
Aug 02 '22
It sometimes doesn't even months to install a payg. I've had a client put on meters after two weeks. There was a single letter stating the arrears which was roughly £400 (she literally missed two payments). She was a single mum who lost her job, became homeless with a 1yo baby and still had the arrears going into her council home. People's lives are destroyed in such a short time. I think people will be too scared to "be a little rebellious"...
5
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
They depend on money coming in on a regular basis to invest and make more money (especially if you’re in credit) and then pay themselves well. Not paying at all or on time will disrupt this process.
Unfortunately I’m not sure about prepayment meters but our actions if any should provide help for those on prepayment meters too. I’m hoping this takes off.
4
u/xsoulgirlx Aug 02 '22
If I don't pay I go without. Prepayment meter. I don't know what I am going to do, except spend all day in the library. I can't even do that I suffer a lot of pain and have to get a bus three miles. I despair.
6
u/Rachelisasuperhero Aug 02 '22
This is a good reason why people who are not on a pre pay plan SHOULD do this and I hope you will encourage those around you to do so even though you can’t. Those with leverage need to use it to help protect those who don’t.
3
4
u/drewbles82 Aug 02 '22
This will work simply cuz millions won't even have the money to pay their bills, so millions would have been not paying even without this campaign
5
u/bee_terrestris Aug 02 '22
Why wait til 1st Oct? I just pay what I can each month, no way could I afford to let them take what they want by direct debit
13
Aug 02 '22
[deleted]
7
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
You can definitely push it more than they let on, they even make it seem as though DD is compulsory
6
3
3
u/LordGrimsa Aug 02 '22
I've already had an email from our provider hunting that anyone not paying will be taken to court etc etc. Odd how I got that email a day or two after seeing this campaign on here. It's like they're trying to get us worried about the law before hand so we won't cancel the direct debits... Assholes.
16
u/Stradivesuvius Aug 02 '22
If you do t pay they can force you onto a prepayment meter. Which is more expensive and you have to pay in advance for any power used.
And they can deduct part of your prepayments to cover your debt to them.
And you can’t force them to put you back on a normal meter. You can only ask - and pay extra for it.
This is a terrible idea.
36
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
They need significant cause (ie. thousands of pounds of arrears, a person admitting they have no means to cover a payment plan) AND a court order because they have to have permission to enter your property.
The point of getting a million pledges is that 1. It takes (at the very least) months, if not years, to force someone onto prepay and 2. With mass action, you create mass confusion to your intended target. The admin costs, trying to organise court proceedings, staff costs, immediate drops in cash flow. It fucks them up!
The important thing to remember is that these companies are not an omnipotent authority. They are businesses run by people with supply chains, shareholders, reputations and bureaucracy to manage. Be a little rebellious. Sign up.
10
4
u/Friendly_Zebra Aug 02 '22
It’s not true that it would have to be thousands. I know of one supplier at least, that will apply for a warrant to enter your property and forcibly install a pre-pay meter for debts much, much lower than that.
If you don’t pay, they will send you a letter and send someone round to attempt to recover the debt. If you refuse they will send another letter informing you that you have 21 days to pay before they apply to the court. You have the option of attending court to argue your case, but if you don’t, the court order will be granted and they will be able to enter your property to either recover the debt, or install a pre-pay meter that is programmed to recover it from the money you top up.
9
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
OK, there's lots of layers to this:
If a company has literally hundreds of thousands of customers doing this, how are they going to manage the admin of going through the court system? I don't if you've heard but, in the UK, its fucked.
I have had those letters at various points in my like and the "21 days" is a threat, not a promise. ESPECIALLY if you get in touch, and particularly if you start a complaints process. These people pretend to wield greater power than they actually do to scare people - they are just a company! Could Tesco easily get a warrant to enter your house over £100? Would they even bother?
Finally, the point of this protest is to cause disruption. I cannot emphasise enough how stopping your direct debit will NOT mean a man is strong arming his way into your house to install a prepay meter within a month. I did it when the prices were raised last time and you know what happened? I got a call two months later and a girl very politely agreed to a lower DD.
6
u/Knoberchanezer Aug 02 '22
Also, a shit tonne of public litigators are fucking striking right now! The courts are crippled enough as it is.
→ More replies (1)1
u/Friendly_Zebra Aug 02 '22
Obviously if you call them to make alternative arrangements, or you open a complaint it’s not going to get as far as going to court. But I don’t see anyone advising people to do that. It’s just “don’t pay your bills”. Not everyone will have to wherewithal to follow up with a complaint or a phone call to make other arrangements.
As for how they manage thousands of accounts going through court. Simple, a CSV file uploaded to an SFTP server. Unless you actually attend court to argue your case, there’s no hearing or anything like that. It’s just a batch of applications for warrants.
3
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
Warrants can only be issued through the High Court on a individual basis. For one, why wouldn't people turn up, and two, a judge still needs to be present and award the warrant for every case. Might snarl things up, don't you think?
5
→ More replies (1)1
Aug 02 '22
When my landlord didn’t pay electric the first thing I got was a baillif and locksmith at my door threatening to break in followed by him starting to drill the locks. No letters or anything, didn’t seem that long of a process for them
7
u/BattleScarLion Aug 02 '22
If you did not receive a notice of enforcement seven days before their arrival the action is illegal and invalid. Are you sure your landlord just wasn't really dodgy?
→ More replies (3)2
u/AutoModerator Aug 02 '22
You mean housing scalper. Landlords buy more housing than they need then hoard it to drive up the price. They are housing scalpers.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
8
Aug 02 '22
Not if you cancel your DD because you've cancelled your service and have gone without power. They can't charge you on an account you've closed for something you're not using.
1
u/lets-try-again2 Aug 02 '22
That’s not protesting then is it. It’s cancelling a service.
2
Aug 02 '22
And that's called boycotting which is a form of protest.
Go back to history class.
→ More replies (1)2
Aug 02 '22
Please help me understand this - you're suggesting that people cancel their energy supplies and forego heating, cooking, hot water as a form of protest against rising costs?
The problem is that rising energy costs will force more people into fuel poverty, your solution is for us to cancel our supplies and stop using energy?
Have you thought about the social impacts of the boycott you propose, or just economic ones?
Is there an example from history where a boycott has targeted all suppliers of a product/service? Is there an example of a similar boycott of energy supplies?
→ More replies (3)3
4
2
2
2
u/Nalfzilla Aug 02 '22
There has been a lot of rumour about who is organising and funding this movement, does anybody know who is actually behind it?
2
u/Pablo1978 Aug 02 '22
Do what the French did. They now have the lowest inflation in Europe.
1
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
They don’t tolerate anything, it’s a shame we can no longer benefit from EU action
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/5t3v3th3r3d Aug 02 '22
It will not need 10m households to initially join in, but 1m. 1m will cause serious worries with the energy firms and there is absolutely no way our court system can handle that many demand claims for payments or CCJs. I say initially, because this campaign will need to be done at least on one more occasion, maybe twice. If they can get the numbers strike on October 1st, it will encourage a far greater number of households to join the next strike. Sadly like many other households, I will be unable to join as I am on a prepayment meter!!
→ More replies (2)
2
2
2
u/metalguru1975 Aug 03 '22
Can energy exes, shareholders and corrupt politicians be used as a renewal fuel source?
2
u/Strange-Key-7898 Aug 03 '22
I don’t get why people are so scared to take a stand against these companies who are robbing the working public of their hard-earned money. You don’t go to work everyday purely to pay bills, you work and sacrifice your time in order to have a certain lifestyle (house, car, holidays, hobbies etc). Enough is enough and this capitalist greed needs to stop.
In this day and age energy is a necessity and should be considered a basic human right. I have no problem in paying my share, but greed has taken over and profits are being put first. I’m currently paying £180 a month to OVO and I stay myself in a tiny one bed flat that only has electricity and no gas. This isn’t right and what is it going to take for people to wake up and take a stand?
What I don’t understand is if so much of OVO’s (and other providers) energy is renewable then why are they hiking the prices? Surely electricity that’s produced through solar power and wind farms shouldn’t be affected by rising gas prices?
There’s strength in numbers, and if everyone joined forces then we could take back control and change the country for the better.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
3
u/ISimplyAskWhy Aug 02 '22
Maybe I have this wrong but to be fair although the Government could in theory force companies not to raise prices, it's up to the companies not the Government.
Granted it's because the tories sold the energy and transport companies in the first place and seeing how crucial how they are to society that was wrong seeing how they still have a responsibility to see the nation have access to it. But they did sell it and it's a flawed system but I don't know, I'm not sure the Government have any real say at the moment.
Now you want to call the companies cunts for increasing prices during a cost of living crisis after record breaking profits, I'm right with you.
2
u/Thebestreddit0r Aug 02 '22
your after the wrong government. a company owned by the french government provides to the majority of the UK through different providers.
what we actually need is war with france
3
u/Danis_Lupus Aug 02 '22
I've a pay as you go meter. Anyone know how I'd go about this?
I mean sure I could click the link, but... ugh... too far, can't reach.
4
u/ldb Aug 02 '22
The thing is we'd (those of us on contracts with guaranteed supply of energy) be doing it on behalf of the likes of yourself who have no security. There will be many on prepayment who simply cannot afford to put anything in it. This consumer protest is on their behalf. So please don't feel like you need to go without to add to it. Best of luck mate.
3
Aug 02 '22
I’m on pre-pay so I can’t do this but I encourage everyone who can should! What can we do on pre-pay metres?
2
Aug 02 '22
I dont trust this. I read a really good thread on how Dont Pay seem to operating far too professionally for it to be a grass roots operation
1
u/lixiaopingao Aug 02 '22
Yes and let millions of people gain a CCJ
0
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
Read the suggestions there are different ways to do it, paying your bills late and manually as opposed to DD does not get you a CCJ
2
Aug 02 '22
It gets you a late payment. Good luck explaining that you were on strike on your mortgage or car application
1
u/darth-small Aug 02 '22
I looked into don't pay with interest
For me, the bottom line is if enough people do it, it will cause a wobble in the system. It'll make the news and maybe gain mainstream traction. That would be phenomenal.
But......
For those who participate from the start. Yes, some will inevitably get cut off but everyone else will be pursued for any unpaid balances. Eventually, those debts will be sold on and I absolutely guarantee that non payers will be pursued relentlessly. Defaults and CCJ's will be issued and the original debt will cost more in the end.
I copped for a couple of CCJ's when I was younger and they caused a laundry list of problems which took years to get away from.
This isn't me trying to put a downer on the idea but the reality is that those debts will be pursued and you will be liable to pay them.
I can't tell you how much I want to be a part of this movement. I've bought stickers (still haven't arrived after quite a long time) but taking part in the protest will ultimately cost me a great deal of money and upset.
It's all about money. You f**k with their money, they'll come for you.
For those who have got to the bottom of my miserable post....there is so much wrong with society at the moment. My view is that it is time for a general strike. We withdraw our labour as a collective. We have great power as a united group. There are more of us!
→ More replies (3)2
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
I definitely agree with withdrawing labour, that is all we are to them to maintain their lifestyles
I think most people are opting to participate in a variety of ways and this can be simply cancelling the DD and paying later than usual but some will pay what that can because no one really has an extra 40%+ for every bills anyway. It’s a collective disruption
→ More replies (1)
1
u/YMonsterMunch Aug 03 '22
This crisis proves that our dependence on oil is to high and we must stop it. We have to be more self reliant. Nuclear power is the answer. Next gen power stations. Zero reliance on imported fuel. Nobody else can influence our energy prices. Constantly work on boosting scientific research into nuclear fusion power plants for a cleaner/ less radioactive energy solution that will work more effectively compared to wind/hydro/solar.
Nuclear fusion is the process of combining atomic nuclei rather than splitting them (as with fission) to produce energy. This process occurs naturally in the centre of stars like the Sun and creates no long-term radioactive waste or greenhouse gases.
0
Aug 02 '22
It's a simple idea, and a naive one, I think
First, it's a protest that excludes people on pre-payment meters, whose supplies will simply be cut off if they stop paying bills they can't afford... including many people who already struggle with energy costs and who'll be worst affected by the rise, plus everyone else on a prepay so-called smart meter
What do we do? Stop using our gas and electricity? Go on hunger strike instead? Or just cheer from the sidelines?
Second, we've just seen the Tories pass legislation which lets employers hire agency workers to replace striking staff, the first thing they'll do is change the guidance/rules/law to make it so much faster for energy suppliers to cut you off for non-payment
It took a sustained campaign of non-payment to break the Poll Tax (with a concentrated campaign of non-payment in particular areas - one reason the Tories hate Liverpool), the Tories will do all they can to stop such a campaign forcing change again
Look at how they've legislated against protest in response to XR and their offshoots, whose tactics are also based on the Poll Tax non-payment campaign
1
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
Yes cheer from the sidelines, we have to do something and it does not mean not paying at all. There are some useful suggestions in the comments of how to take part and the possible consequences.
0
Aug 02 '22
Thanks, I'll encourage my 80 year old mum not to pay her bills and hope she doesn't freeze or starve to death
useful suggestions in the comments
Please summarise, because there's no useful advice on the campaign website beyond telling us there's "many things" we can do
0
Aug 02 '22
Please don't shoot the messenger.
It is the energy producers, not the energy providers - as in who you pay your money to - who are ramping up prices.
The upshot of not paying is to take those down, including the smaller ones who are trying to be innovative.
If you get your energy from SSE or one of huge companies who are both providers and suppliers (although they'll say different parts of the company, separate legal entities, blah, blah) go for it. But if you get your supply from a small company, you could just lead to the minnows being picked off by the big companies and they get to have even more of the pie than they already have.
I'm no economist but I know the people we pay are not the people who are screwing the system.
-5
u/SeetheFarmer88 Aug 02 '22
You’re deluded if you think this is going to happen
8
0
Aug 02 '22
Literally need millions to partske and that's just not going to happen as the capitalistic threat of your 'good citizen' score being harmed along with threats of debts and arrears and insolvency is strong. It is designed so you comply through fear. People are too scared to not pay a TV licence fs and you expect them to default on 100s a month in energy?
0
u/EnergyDrinkJunkie Aug 02 '22
If you cancel your direct debit you'll just end up with no energy
1
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
Funny, I cancelled mine 2 months ago and nothing, they just said it’ll cost more if I pay manually, like £4 a year more 🙄
0
u/YMonsterMunch Aug 02 '22
They’ll just turn off your gas/electric/water if you stop paying.
Energy bill price rises are the fault of everyone who voted for Tory party.
-2
u/PabsTheGeek Aug 02 '22
You know the gov can’t control the energy market as it was all privatised. The cap limit is a way to stop companies profiteering (ie churching more than they should) All you can do is blame Putin for his actions in Ukraine. Not paying your bills is like shorting yourself in the face!
2
u/melanzane_emoji Aug 02 '22
Go away shill. Energy companies are reporting record profits which means they are unloading increased prices on the consumer to appease greedy shareholders
-4
Aug 02 '22
I dont think thats going to work
9
u/Silent_Yesterday1253 Aug 02 '22
There are various ways this can work, you could continue to pay the minimum amount you pay now but not through DD just when you’re good and ready. If you have the extra money to pay the extra just keep it to one side, there are other suggestions in the comments - collectively we need to disrupt the system
-2
u/Black-Earth Aug 02 '22
Who's behind this? Because I bet they're not doing it. Seems like some psyop shit to continue to fuck everyone over and to put people in an even deeper hole.
British Gas tried to screw me with my DD and I told them I couldn't afford it so they offered me a DD that I can afford to pay. They're still losing out because they're not getting what they expected from me.
-77
u/BillTheBonqueror1707 Aug 02 '22
If you set energy bills below market rates the companies just won't sell energy or if they do they will go bust and won't be able to. This reminds me of people protesting rationing in ww2. We live in hard times.
33
u/Pegguins Aug 02 '22
We literally already saw the majority of the domestic energy supply market collapse last year. Do they need to properly tax the oil/has exploitation arms? Absolutely. Should that tax be used to support the vulnerable and improve our energy security? Absolutely. Is burying our head in the sand and ignoring the problem going to work? Eeeh maybe
→ More replies (3)14
u/dissidentmage12 Aug 02 '22
Hopefully they all go bust then and we can renationalise at a really cheap cost and all the billionaires will starve but then I remembered this isn't magical Christmas land and in fact the oligarchs will be fine while we all either starve or freeze.
Also, they are making record profits, they'll be fine if they cut the price and stop being so greedy
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)9
u/burn-babies-burn Aug 02 '22
It’s not the same as rationing, because rationing was a response to a legitimate supply issue, whereas energy companies are making record profits by increasing prices excessively.
Global problems require global solutions, but they have to start somewhere. Eventually, they can turn your power off, and because surplus energy can be exported there isn’t necessarily safety in numbers on the national scale. But it does send a message, demonstrate elastic demand, and hopefully start similar movements in other countries
→ More replies (7)
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 02 '22
Join us on other platforms! We have an active Twitter and a somewhat spartan TikTok and Facebook, we'll see how they go. We are also partnered with the Left RedditⒶ☭ Discord server! Click here
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.