So, I'm back home, and I did actually have a positive, upbeat post to make here, about music and stuff, and then in the nearish future I was planning to write about what I got up to while I was away.

However, in amongst the rest of the mail, I found three things that were really Not Good, in ascending order of severity, in a goddamn bullet-pointed list:

• Another copy of Gantz vol. 7, which I already got hold of while I was away, and can find no trace of ordering [edit: I think this is something I ordered, but didn't arrive after a couple of weeks and was refunded, so essentially I have a free copy, if anyone wants it];


• A phone bill for about £40 that I'll have to pay tomorrow;


• ...and a letter from a debt collection agency saying I owe over £600 on the electricity bill.

The latter is obviously by far the worst. I called them up straight away and initially they wanted a portion of the outstanding amount; what they were asking for was more than I get in a week, even before paying bills, buying food and so on.

Apparently, my only option -- asides paying a huge chunk of the debt in one go -- is to have a prepayment meter installed, which they're going to do on Thursday week; not that they've given me a time, or even am/pm, so I'll have to sit in all day. I'll have to make payments with a card, which will entail heading into town to put money onto it whenever, and a few pounds a week out of what I put on the card will go towards clearing this debt -- evidently over a very long period of time.

It's far from ideal, but I was told there was no other option whatsoever by the person at the debt collection agency, and when I called the electricity supplier, they said they couldn't make any arrangements for repayment until they sent me out a revised bill as I gave them an up-to-date meter reading. I'll also need to (somehow) find something that proves I'm on benefits, otherwise I think they'll charge me for installing the meter.

The whole thing with the electricity stems from a while back when I'd overpaid by something in excess of £300, which I assumed (perhaps foolishly) would last a fair while, as I was told that rather than refunding it to me, they'd use it to offset the cost of future bills. Evidently this has either run out, or they've forgotten about it; it certainly doesn't seem right that there should be such a large amount outstanding, but it seems there's nothing I can do about it, other than to get this new meter installed. I'm not completely screwed, but it's certainly not what I wanted to come home to.

[edit: I just got off the phone with the electricity company and various other people (making it about 5 or 6 phone calls I've had to make now, and I'm *really* not comfortable on the phone), and it turns out, due to giving them a new meter reading, the outstanding amount is actually over £900.

They advised me to contact 'Fuel Direct', and they, in turn, are getting in touch with the benefits agency on my behalf; in about a week, they say, I'll be sent a form to sign and return which will dock £16 per week from my benefits until the heat death of the universe, or until this amount is paid off, whichever comes sooner.

The installation of the prepayment meter has been cancelled, but I suspect I'll still have to pay the ordinary bills as well, somehow. Yay.]