Powergen Help Plz!!!

[essexboy]

hello everyone

i am starting this thread for my mum who has just received her electricity bill from powergen for £730 despite having a balance of £80 credit from her previous bill.

originally, after contacting powergen they claimed this was a result of estimated bills going back to 2003.

now they are claiming that a faulty time switch that was replaced in january 2007 was to blame, this was despite her having £80 credit in feb 07.

i have spoken to powergen and they confirmed that the meter was read in april 2003 and no meter readings had taken place until august this year

surely as this is a result of defective equipment that was provided by powergen, my moother should not be liable for something that went undetected for so long .

my mother is a pensioner on a low income and this bill is making her sick with worry, having beaten bowel cancer and now in remission stress is not good for her.

any help greatly appreciated

essexboy

[alibobsy]

I read somewhere on here that as of 1st july this year (think it was july) they can only back bill you for 1 year. Given that they haven't bothered to read the meter since 2003 I would say they haven't a leg to stand on.
I am sure someone on here will be able to give you more expert info shortly.
Will have a look round to see if I can find the info.
Good luck
ali x

[alibobsy]

Got this from another thread, it would seem it isn't as straightforward as they can only bill for one year.

"Code of Practice for Accurate Bills

Under what circumstances will suppliers agree not to charge customers for
energy used?
If the supplier is at fault, and the customer has not received a bill for more than two
years, then from 1st July 2006 any outstanding amounts that relate to energy consumed
more than two years ago will be cancelled. From July 2007, this will reduce to one year.
For customers on credit payment arrangements, suppliers will not be at fault where they
can demonstrate that they have taken all of the following four actions:
a) Attempted to read the meter at the customer’s premises within the last 24
months within the first year. From July 2007 onwards this will reduce to
within the last 15 months.
b) Provided opportunities for the customer to submit their own meter reading at
any time on any day
c) Ensured that it was clear on the bill that energy consumption had been
estimated
d) Used a system to ensure estimated bills relate to foreseeable actual
consumption (that is, the estimate was based on previous history, where
available, or on average energy consumption for a similar type of property)
Where the customer pays by direct debit, in addition to a) and b) above, the supplier
must be able to demonstrate that it has taken all of the following actions:
. the customer has been correctly set up on their billing system by both taking
deductions from the customer’s bank account and sending statements to them
. within the last 24 months in the first year reducing to 15 months for year 2
onwards it has re-assessed the customer’s direct debit payment to ensure that
the payments are sufficient to meet (either the actual or a reasonable estimate
of) the customer’s energy usage.

How was she paying her bills? Did she get any bills since 2003. Did she supply any meter reads? Did they attempt any meter reads?

I reckon still worth a written complaint setting out the circumstances. They may write off some of the arrears or give her more time to pay.
Good luck
ali x

[mree]

The one-year rule only applies if you haven't received a bill at all through no fault of your own, not if you've been receiving incorrect bills.

The billing code also states however that if you receive a high bill as a result of long-term underestimation you should have the same amount of time to pay the bill off as the period the readings were estimated for, so if your mum has had estimated bills for 3 years, they should give her that long to pay it off.

A strongly-worded letter featuring the word 'Energywatch' frequently should hopefully get them to reduce the bill as a goodwill gesture too! You should also point out to them that they have a legal responsibility to read the meter AT LEAST every 2 years, and I'm sure they get fined for not doing this, another thing to threaten to tell tales on them to Energywatch for, eh?

[lindsay22]

i work for powergen and i am surprised her meter has not been read for so long? has a meter reader been and not been able to access the meter?? the bills do clearly state that they are estimated and the onus being on the customer to provide an accuate reading if they want a correct bill? i would write a letter explaining your mothers situation and as previously said as a goodwill gesture they may reduce it.

good luck

[MBMB11]

i HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN WITH POWERGEN, NO BILLS FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, THEN TWO WHOPPING BILLS FOR GAS AND ELECTRIC. THIS WAS DESPITE ME REQUESTING BILLS! THEY SAID IT WAS A SYSTEM FAILURE, AS THEY HAD READ MY METERS! THEY DEMANDED I PAID UP IMMEDIATELY, AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE BUDGETED FOR IT, AS EVEN THOUGH I HADNT BEEN BILLED, SURELY I SHOULD KNOW I WASNT DUE FOR FREE UTILITIES, I TOLD THEM TO SHOVE IT, ID PAY IT OFF IN BITS, AND THEN CHANGED SUPPLIER. ITS THE ATTITUDE THAT GETS ME WHEN YOU PHONE THESE PLACES!