Energy Prices: Don't Pay Campaign

[MickiQ]

James Frayne: A working-class revolt looms if the new Prime Minister doesn't tackle surging living costs | Conservative Home

When the final two candidates emerge, they have serious repair work to do. They must ensure they’re speaking to the public about cost-of-living issues.

conservativehome.com

That's clearly one Tory at least who is smart enough to guess which way the wind might be blowing. The comments are a different matter, the frothing loonspuds are out in force. There's one twonk who reckoned that during the lockdown, the Gvt should have given £94 per week UC (is that the actual figure you get?) to anyone without savings and the rest got nothing. All public employees should have been sent home without pay. Even some of the other loonspuds were pointing out that this may not be a great approach.

 

[campanula]

Yeah, it's truly amazing how few of them imagine they have no reliance on the sort of services which are fundamental to running a country. I imagine there would be a Tory bloodbath if water and sewage suddenly vanished. One day of shitting in a bucket and dealing with the (ahem) output would focus the minds of a few Tory twats.
£94 is statutory sick pay - UC basic is even less.

 

[Pickman's model]

Yeah, it's truly amazing how few of them imagine they have no reliance on the public sector. I imagine there would be a Tory bloodbath if water and sewage suddenly vanished. One day of shitting in a bucket and dealing with the (ahem) output would focus the minds of a few Tory twats.

the sooner all of them are resident in victorian penitentiaries the better

 

[Ranbay]

I wont be doing it.

/end

 

[Elpenor]

Yeah, it's truly amazing how few of them imagine they have no reliance on the sort of services which are fundamental to running a country. I imagine there would be a Tory bloodbath if water and sewage suddenly vanished. One day of shitting in a bucket and dealing with the (ahem) output would focus the minds of a few Tory twats.
£94 is statutory sick pay - UC basic is even less.

£99.35 actually but the point stands - amongst lowest in Europe and my personal view is it should be paid at least Minimum wage (as should the flat rate of maternity pay etc)

The House of Lords pays £300/ day for turning up!

 

[Pickman's model]

£99.35 actually but the point stands - amongst lowest in Europe and my personal view is it should be paid at least Minimum wage (as should the flat rate of maternity pay etc)

The House of Lords pays £300/ day for turning up!

can't help thinking the legislative process would be aided if they were paid £305 for staying away

 

[Ranbay]

 

[kabbes]

Yeah, it's truly amazing how few of them imagine they have no reliance on the sort of services which are fundamental to running a country. I imagine there would be a Tory bloodbath if water and sewage suddenly vanished. One day of shitting in a bucket and dealing with the (ahem) output would focus the minds of a few Tory twats.
£94 is statutory sick pay - UC basic is even less.

This is the thing that always gets me about them running down the NHS. Private medical cover only gets you so far — for anything major, like cancer, you tend to be back in the NHS. And if you need an ambulance or other emergency medical attention, that’ll be the NHS. And private medical firms get a lot of their infrastructure from the NHS anyway. So in the end, these twats are as dependent on a good NHS as everybody else is. Why the fuck aren’t they prioritising it for their own sake as much as anybody else’s?

 

[Rob Ray]

The younger ones think they'll never die. The older ones are angry about it but would rather blame the shibboleths they've been presented with like immigrants, or State bureaucracy stymieing reforms that would make a part-private NHS more efficient. The rich ones correctly reckon they can pay either in the UK or elsewhere for preferential treatment.

 

[Threshers_Flail]

This is great, let's hope some folks from DPUK pick up on this as it would be good to have more info on what to do re: red letters and credit rating risks.

I used to work for an gas and leccy company in a call centre, worst job I've ever had as I was answering calls to people getting red letters through their doors, many of whom just couldn't pay and were desperate.

The bit in the video about complaints is spot on, it really wouldn't take that many more complaints than what they're already receiving to overwhelm the system. The call centres are overstretched as it is and staff morale in those places is always low.

 

[skyscraper101]

Nice one. Finally Tik Tok is useful for something.

 

[SpookyFrank]

This is the thing that always gets me about them running down the NHS. Private medical cover only gets you so far — for anything major, like cancer, you tend to be back in the NHS. And if you need an ambulance or other emergency medical attention, that’ll be the NHS. And private medical firms get a lot of their infrastructure from the NHS anyway. So in the end, these twats are as dependent on a good NHS as everybody else is. Why the fuck aren’t they prioritising it for their own sake as much as anybody else’s?

They're expecting private healthcare to grow as public healthcare is run down. There'll be a bare minimum version for the plebs, something broadly equivalent to what they used to get for free for middle class folk with insurance; and then a top tier for the rich. The top tier will probably be no better than the NHS was in its prime in terms of actual care, but it'll have more bowing and scraping, comfier beds and, crucially, most people will have no chance of accessing it.

I honestly think other people not having things motivates the rich more than the prospect of having things for themselves.

 

[hitmouse]

I realise this sounds like a bit of a made-up start to a post, but today I found myself chatting with someone who works in debt collection for an energy company, and he was saying that energy (and water) companies aren't allowed to disconnect customers, all they can do is switch them over to pre-payment meters. Is this correct/something that's widely known?

 

[MickiQ]

Surprised you didn't know that but yes they can't disconnect as in just go and turn you off completely, The great thing about pre-payment meters (from the companies point of view) is that the punters effectively disconnnect themselves.
The pre-payment meters are set to charge at a higher rate until the debt is settled though.

 

[Red Sky]

Some constructive criticism

 

[Ranbay]

This is great, let's hope some folks from DPUK pick up on this as it would be good to have more info on what to do re: red letters and credit rating risks.

I used to work for an gas and leccy company in a call centre, worst job I've ever had as I was answering calls to people getting red letters through their doors, many of whom just couldn't pay and were desperate.

The bit in the video about complaints is spot on, it really wouldn't take that many more complaints than what they're already receiving to overwhelm the system. The call centres are overstretched as it is and staff morale in those places is always low.

I worked the British Gas debt line in the 90's was fucking shite.... however what was funny at the time you could hear them when on hold

 

[Ranbay]

I realise this sounds like a bit of a made-up start to a post, but today I found myself chatting with someone who works in debt collection for an energy company, and he was saying that energy (and water) companies aren't allowed to disconnect customers, all they can do is switch them over to pre-payment meters. Is this correct/something that's widely known?

They can't cut you off if you have kids and various other things, they in most cases will get a court order and come and swap the meter for pre payment type.

 

[skyscraper101]

Stickers also available on the site.

 

[AmateurAgitator]

I hope that this campaign is successful but I am also concerned that it might put vulnerable people at risk. Also, this has been compared to the times of the poll tax - but alot has changed since then.

 

[Pickman's model]

I hope that this campaign is successful but I am also concerned that it might put vulnerable people at risk. Also, this has been compared to the times of the poll tax - but alot has changed since then.

I'll tell you what puts vulnerable people at risk and that's the bloody energy prices. People on prepay meters obviously can't really join in, and vulnerable people with meters will be making choices between food and fuel. And the whole nonpayment thing's for them, in solidarity with them, as much as anyone else

 

[teqniq]

Petition: Nationalise Energy Companies

The Government needs to take back ownership of strategic energy assets. It needs to accept that the Free Market has failed the energy sector, that it is in the national interest to renationalise our energy assets. The Government must therefore renationalise all the UK energy assets.

petition.parliament.uk

 

[SpookyFrank]

I see the Don't Pay campaign is asking people not to be aggressive or unpleasant towards call centre workers at energy companies. That shows the right spirit.

 

[Elpenor]

I see the Don't Pay campaign is asking people not to be aggressive or unpleasant towards call centre workers at energy companies. That shows the right spirit.

That’s good, never a reason to be unpleasant to folk in a call centre. Being nice isn’t hard - and if they’re helpful I usually put a compliment through, it may get them a voucher or something if they have a reward scheme

 

[Ranbay]

 

[Pickman's model]

View attachment 335869View attachment 335870

A million households? I doubt it. Anyway you'll get more people forced into it now Ofgem confirms energy price cap to be updated every three months

 

[Pickman's model]

That’s good, never a reason to be unpleasant to folk in a call centre. Being nice isn’t hard - and if they’re helpful I usually put a compliment through, it may get them a voucher or something if they have a reward scheme

That shows a good spirit

 

[Red Sky]

Enough is enough: this winter I will be refusing to pay my energy bills | Christopher

Tens of thousands of Britons have made a pledge to the Don’t Pay campaign. It’s a last resort, but we’ve no other choice, says Christopher (a pseudonym), 75, and from South Yorkshire

www.theguardian.com

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Which organisations are behind this campaign?

 

[AverageJoe]

Read the thread

 

[LDC]

I hope that this campaign is successful but I am also concerned that it might put vulnerable people at risk. Also, this has been compared to the times of the poll tax - but alot has changed since then.

Nobody is forced to do it if they are vulnerable or feel like they can't/shouldn't. Unless you mean people that are very vulnerable and lack capacity to make the decision to do it or not in some way? And of course lots has changed, people have made some comparisons with the Poll Tax, but nobody is saying it's the same nor suggesting it's happening in the same context are they?

Which organisations are behind this campaign?

No organisations. Lots of these kind of questions are answered on the FAQ page here FAQs — Don't Pay