Powergen Final Meter Readin Dispute

[spv4u]

Hi all hope someone can advise as im at my wits end over this.

Short Version

Moved from old house end of March and gave powergen final reading on the old house when setting up account on new house. Paid final bill over the phone by Switch to settle the old account.

4 months later get call from buyer of old house as he has a high gas bill, told him he should talk to Powergen. Powergen then send me a new final bill for £300 as he has changed my final reading saying my reading was wrong. I have disputed his start reading as it is much higher than my final reading (about 1000 units).

Official meter readings at the old house by powergen were in june 06 and aug 07.

From the info i have the new owner has done the following,

1) moved into the house and not contacted powergen with start readings
2) after 1 month he was billed by powergen (presuming this was estimated) and the new owner now states he never got this bill
3) powergen read meter in Aug and then he got the high bill
4) Disputed my final reading and changed it to his which is no where near mine.

My issues are that how can they allow this? he has only disputed my gas and not my elec reading, my best friend who helped me move double checked both readings with me. I have no idea what he has been doing at the property since i left, i paid my final bill and settled and closed the account in full. If he had rung with the start reading on the day there would be no issue as it could have been resolved on the spot.

According to the new figures on my revised final bill for the same period he is saying that he is using 60% less gas than we did, we were 2 professional people working 9 till 5 so were hardly in the house, he has kids etc so there is no way his figures stack up.

He is now ringing his figures in every week to prove its not him but this is after the fact so he naturally has changed his usage habbits now to argue his case.

Any advise would be great as powergen say we have to sort this out with the buyer of our old house and i said this is there problem, i gave an actual final reading, he did not contact them with his start reading so he is liable as i know he has used the gas.

Please help

[mree]

I would simply put the facts in writing to Powergen - dates of moving, readings taken and dates they were notified, previous usage if it backs up your final read (i.e., if they use the read he's giving them, does it make you average daily usage shoot up in the period since the last actual read, and how does this compare with usage in the same period the year before?), then simply state that you stand by the reading you gave them, you've paid your final bill, and if they want any more money out of you they'll have to prove you owe it. Put that if you don't receive a satisfactory response to your letter within a reasonable timeframe (maybe 14 days?), you'll refer the complain on to Energywatch.

[tr03bor]

xx