There are lots of options for getting help paying the electricity bill
If you're having trouble paying your electricity bill, you don't have to feel alone. There are many resources available to help you get back on track and stay there.
There are a lot of reasons you might need help with your electric bill. Especially with the cost-of-living challenges - the rise in electricity, gas, food, rent or the mortgage and other household costs certainly isn’t making it easy!
Cost-of-living is making everything harder to pay for
In this environment it’s no wonder so many are having a bit of trouble making ends meet, especially if you’re caught short thanks to an unexpected expense – such as a medical emergency, a workplace accident or a family illness – that has put you in a difficult financial situation.
Whatever the reason, the fact is it’s simply not easy to talk to your electricity company about it. While companies want to talk to their customers and are setup to help you, however they can, it can be an embarrassing thing to do - take a lot of effort and especially when there are no guarantees you’ll even get help – it can just take too much effort when you've got so much else on your plate.
And while companies are setup to help customers you shouldn't have to go through the hassle of talking to someone on the phone when it comes to getting help with your electricity bill. You should be able to get that help in seconds on your phone—without talking to them!
When considering calling your electricity company to ask for help with your electricity bill it's only natural to ask yourself all sorts of questions:
- If I call them and explain what’s happening will they give me the help I really need?
- Will it be a black mark recorded against my account in the future?
- What happens to the recorded call later?
- Will I get the best rates or offers in the future if they know I’ve had trouble paying in the past?
- Who else do they share this information with?
- Will asking for help impact my credit record?
- Will asking for help be shared later when I’m applying for a new rental, or a new mortgage?
Each company handles things differently and we don’t know the answers to all those questions for each company. But we do know that when you’re focused on getting by, focused on making sure you and the family are OK, and working hard to make ends meet that those are exactly the sorts of questions that should be the farthest thing from your mind.
You should feel supported and know that your family, friends and others will rally around you to help you.
It's important that you reach out for assistance someway, somehow, if you need it.
So what if there was another way? What if there was a way for people who are struggling with their electric bills to get help without talking to anyone? What if there was a way for people who need help with their electric bills to get it without having to call or send an email? What if there was a way for people who need help with their electric bills to get it on their phones in seconds?
Well, there is – and it’s HelpPay. With HelpPay you can turn your electricity bill into a digital link that can be shared on email, SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Messenger and virtually any other digital and social platform that allows you to share links, to get help from family, friends and the wider community.
It's just a rough patch, I'm not in hardship am I?
When we go through little blips in life it's natural to downplay them - after all it can't be that serious, right? It's natural to not know if you're in hardship if you've never been in hardship before.
Lots of people, websites and blogs will say 'pick up the phone! talk to people!' - but it's not that you don't think it's right to tell the companies you're with that you're in hardship the question is: is there anything to tell? Why raise a fuss if it's nothing, right?
To help frame your thinking, you may want to consider the questions below signs of that may indicate financial hardship:
-If you have trouble paying bills on time, or at all
-If you have trouble making payments on any of your loans or credit cards
-If your bank account is getting low and there isn't enough money for rent or food
-If there isn't enough money for food or rent and it's becoming a regular occurrence
The final word
To be clear we are not saying that you should not talk to your electricity company, there are options they can provide.
But it is nice to know there’s options available for getting help to pay your electricity bills, gas bills, council rates, insurance and even your rent or mortgage (if BPAY is available) discretely and easily so you don't fall behind on them, and not always having to call, sharing your story with a stranger and hoping to get the help you need.
About HelpPay
HelpPay is a 100%Australian owned company focused on making helping easier.
HelpPay's app is free for anyone to download and the HelpPay Promise ensures that money received to be paid towards a bill only ever goes to pay that bill.
Best of all the HelpPay app keeps a track of how much has been paid so when the full amount owed has been paid it stops accepting payments, providing peace of mind that bills can't be overpaid.
Download the HelpPay app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store or use the web version of HelpPay, today.
