powergen query - wrong records and readings.

[cheesy]

Background

I am a duel fuel customer with powergen. I moved into my house last May and did the usual ringing round utilities giving my details, start reads etc. Was a brief period when I mistakenly switched to London Energy but I realised the mistake and stopped this before it went ahead. Powergen have been the gas supplier for quite a time, the prev owners used them and I continued.

 

No problems with electric readings. They estimate, I give my reading which isn't far out, they recalculate, no quibbles.

 

The gas has been miles out from the start. My reading is so far below theirs it isn't possible. However, this wasn't queried when I gave my start reading and only became aparant when I got my first bill in December. I don't know why the first bill took so long.

 

Initially I was told the discrepancy was because of the (non-existent) switch to london energy. Rang London energy and they told me the switch never happened and they didn't provide any readings to Powergen.

 

Next I was told I gave wrong readings from the start and it was all my fault. It was only much later when someone helpfully looked further back that I was told Powergen have been sending estimates for a v long time and prev owner paid based on these estimates. They never used my start reading.

 

Requested my meter be read by an engineer, booked a slot and they never arrived. Got letter through the door two weeks later saying I was out when they called! I complained but to no avail.

 

Set up a direct debit on a guess of my usage. Made numerous complaints, repeated story each time, got different advice each time. Have now discovered that they think I have a different meter in the house. Their records state it is a card meter with a different serial number. I don't have a card meter.

 

As my readings and information clearly aren't good enough, arranged for engineer to call today. Couldn't get time off work so dad stepped in. They sent someone to read the electric meter. Dad got the lady to agree to read the gas meter and note the serial number but she said this likely will not be processed as it wasn't on her job sheet. Also said Powergen are useless and I should switch, but I can't 'til this is resolved.

 

Questions:

a) how do I get this resolved? I am v worried that I will get a huge bill at the end of this despite my direct debit payments.

b) How can I speed up this process? Powergen seem incompetent/ negligent. It has taken a year to see a meter reader, and the wrong one was sent out. Additionally, Powergen don't read their own meters they use a contractor and from prev experience, blame the contractor for mistakes.

c) how do I ensure I don't get billed for useage prior to moving in? I can't find my original readings. I wonder if previous owner pulled a fast one.

d) Why don't powergen have the proper details including serial number and meter type?

 

Please help as I am quite worried as well as f**ing furious. Thanks in advance.

[mutzi]

Since your having no luck with them directly contact energywatch (

energywatch: Home Page ) and put in a complaint. They will write to powergen on your behalf. As for the huge bill they have an obligation to allow you to pay it off at a rate you can afford over a period at least as long as the problem has been occuring. eg if you've been underbilled for the last 2 years they have to give you 2 years to pay it back.

 

I've been in this situation with Scottish Power before. They ignored our readings and kept sending underestimates for 2 years. Bill came in for £800 and they wanted it back quick. The revised bill they sent demonstrated that they had readings for ALL the billing periods in question but had ignored them in favour of estimates. Energywatch got them to spread the payments out over 24 months and knock 15% off the debt as 'goodwill'

[installspark]

Questions:

a) how do I get this resolved? I am v worried that I will get a huge bill at the end of this despite my direct debit payments.

 

You will need to speak to a supervisor/manager, making it perfectly, but politely, clear to the agent who answers that you will go to energywatch about this matter but are prepared to give Powergen one more attempt at resolving the situation.

 

b) How can I speed up this process? Powergen seem incompetent/ negligent. It has taken a year to see a meter reader, and the wrong one was sent out. Additionally, Powergen don't read their own meters they use a contractor and from prev experience, blame the contractor for mistakes.

 

You can't speed up the process. Meter mix ups/incorrect metering details take a long time to rectify as Powergen, as well as all other suppliers, have to liase with the local meter operators. This will involve site visits by the meter operators to verify the meter(s) present at the site. The meter operator will then have to cross reference through all their records of sites and meter serial numbers in the region.

 

Virtually every utility supply company in the UK relies upon the local meter operators to read, metering systems at customers properties. These are the likes of Accuread, Siemens, Meterplus, EOn Energy services (parent company EOn eho also own Powergen). Who you get depends upon where in the UK you live.

 

In order to comply with the terms of the supply licence a utility company is only legally obliged to read a meter once every 2 years.

 

c) how do I ensure I don't get billed for useage prior to moving in? I can't find my original readings. I wonder if previous owner pulled a fast one.

 

d) Why don't powergen have the proper details including serial number and meter type?

 

Chances are that the metering details were incorrect from the start and this wasn't picked up on until you queried the reads. With the gas side of things there are 2 variables in the equation, the first being the meter reader, the second being the gas transporter - either an independant or Transco. It is the gas transporters who provide the utility companies with the metering details.

 

I know this has probably made things as clear as mud, but is the simple fact of the matter. Give Powergen one more attempt at rectifying the situation and stipulate that whilst you appreciate that is will take some time to rectify, you expect to receive an update on progress made within 14 days. Make it clear to the supervisor/manager that should they fail to at least give you a progress update within this time period you will not hesitate in making a complaint to Energywatch. This action will get around the usual Energywatch statement that you must contact your supplier and give them 10 working days to investigate your complaint.

 

Hope this helps.

[cheesy]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. Installspark, I'll try your tack of giving them one last chance making it very clear that I will be going to Energywatch if they cannot respond within 14-days.

 

One query though - what consitutes a response? At this stage, what I need is a visit by an operator and then somehow a calculation made of useage. Am I telling them I need an operator to be sent within 14 days? Added problems of time off work, unhelpful time windows etc.

[installspark]

A satisfactory response would be that they have arranged for a site visit on xx date, if they don't do this over the phone, and an approximate timescale for the results to be returned. Another satisfactory response would be a courtesy call to let you know progress on your query for example, we have received the results of the site visit and are now taking steps to rectify the meter mix up on our systems. Once this has occurred we will contact you again in order to come to a mutually agreeable arrangement over meter reads. (or at least this is how I would handle this type of query )

 

As memory serves correctly the process for arranging a meter details site visit is that a query has to be raised on Transco's systems, Transco then respond back to the supplier, supplier contacts customer; for a n IGT site the process is similar but requires the query being raised with the gas transporter and IGT's are not known for their quick responses!

 

You can help with the meter reads by taking a daily read over a seven day period which will give a daily average of your useage. To take into account the fact your useage at this time of year will be lower than that of the winter period generally you will need to treble the useage for 6 months.

 

E.g. current useage 3 meter units per day = 546 in 6 months. For winter use 9 per day = 1638. Based on a metric meter this would give a figure of 23885 kWh per year which is reasonable.

 

The daily average will be multiplied by the number of days since you moved in to get the useage for this period. This is then deducted from the current read to give a reasonable estimate of your start reads.

[cheesy]

Thanks again guys.

 

I'm off on my hols tomorrow for 10 days so it will be difficult to start the process now, it'll have to wait 'til I come back. But now I know what to do. Thanks again and if I come unstuck I'll ask for more help!

[The cobbett slayer]

I'm glad I found this as I was about to start a new thread on exactly the same subject.

 

About a month ago I got a bill from Powergen for a whopping £523 for the middle quarter of this year. The gas element of the bill was just over £400. The only gas appliances I have are a 4 burner hob and a combi boiler for the heating/hot water. I could have run a small power station for £400!

 

I rang powergen to be told that there must have been an incorrect meter reading somewhere down the line, they would look into it, rectify it, rebill me and ring me the following week to make sure it was sorted.

 

The following week, I didn't get a new bill, I didn't get a phone call. I did get a nice letter threatening to cut me off if I didn't stump up £523. I rang powergen and was told that the very nice man who couldn't be bothered to ring me back when he promised to would be located and emailed to call me immediately.

 

4 weeks on I'm still waiting for his call but I'm not going to ring them. I've got better things to do with my time.

 

If they have processed an incorrect meter reading which when rectified causes me financial hardship, do they not have to accept that they have a duty of care when taking readings to ensure that they are accurate and make some effort to remedy the situation?

[installspark]

I'm glad I found this as I was about to start a new thread on exactly the same subject.

 

About a month ago I got a bill from Powergen for a whopping £523 for the middle quarter of this year. The gas element of the bill was just over £400. The only gas appliances I have are a 4 burner hob and a combi boiler for the heating/hot water. I could have run a small power station for £400!

 

I rang powergen to be told that there must have been an incorrect meter reading somewhere down the line, they would look into it, rectify it, rebill me and ring me the following week to make sure it was sorted.

 

The following week, I didn't get a new bill, I didn't get a phone call. I did get a nice letter threatening to cut me off if I didn't stump up £523. I rang powergen and was told that the very nice man who couldn't be bothered to ring me back when he promised to would be located and emailed to call me immediately.

 

4 weeks on I'm still waiting for his call but I'm not going to ring them. I've got better things to do with my time.

 

If they have processed an incorrect meter reading which when rectified causes me financial hardship, do they not have to accept that they have a duty of care when taking readings to ensure that they are accurate and make some effort to remedy the situation?

 

 

Unacceptable!!!!

 

Give energywatch a call as you have given Powergen more than the required 10 working days to respond to your complaint. The @very nice man' will then get a b******ing for letting the query reach energywatch and for his actions or lack of on the account.

 

For meter readings there is a culpable responsibility. It is the responsibility of the supplier to bill your account using estimates where there is a lack of actual reads, it is the responsibility of the customer to check these reads agains that showing on the meter.

[cheesy]

The guys here know what they're talking about so I'd follow their advice.

 

I got a satisfactory conclusion to my Powergen problem/ complaint yesterday. An amended bill was sent with manual interventions correcting mistakes in the past. It looks like some elements were cancelled off.

 

In a nutshell, there were problems with Powergen's records and with the orignal meter reading.

 

In my case, I took installspark's advice and warned that I was giving them a final oportunity to correct the problem before contacting Energy Watch. I also requested (and was given) a different telephone number so I didn't keep having to go through the automated menu.

 

A very helpful person resolved my problem using previuos reads given from me to estimate usage, and promised to resolve the matter "in my favour" to compensate for the inconvenience. distress and time taken. He also gave me his full name and a direct line so I could discuss the new bill with him directly if I was still unhappy. I was dubious, but he was as good as his word.

 

A big thank you to installspark, mutzi and karnevil for their help. Good luck Paulshrieber.

[installspark]

Glad to see you got it sorted cheesy

[The cobbett slayer]

Got a letter from Powergen yesterday threatening to disconnect my supply and send in the debt collectors.

 

I rang Energywatch who advised me that as I had had no joy with Powergen customer services I should ring their Customer Resolution Centre as it is more expedient than Energywatch writing letters and they are normally quite helpful.

 

I rang the number I was given (I don't have it with me but I'll post it on here later) and a very helpful young lady looked at my account. Funnily enough, there are records of my account being accessed when I rang but no notes on what I rang about. Obviously a bit of an internal issue to be addressed there but that's up to them.

 

Anyway, she asked me to take a meter reading while she was on the phone and recalculated my bill there and then. From £523, she said it was now £137. Great says me - how would you like me to pay. Apparently I had misunderstood. They owe me £137. My bill had been over charged by a staggering £660, due to what was to her a glaringly obvious mistake. The first meter reading in October 2004 when I switched to Powergen had been miskeyed by somebody and the first digit put in as a 3 instead of a 6. When the meter reading was put in this time I got charged for 3000 units of gas that I hadn't used. The cheque is in the post!

 

Lesson to be learnt here. If you get an estimated bill, take a meter reading and tell them. In my case I got a very acceptable outcome but it could so easily go the other way.

[Surfer01]

Powergen appear to enjoy overcharging customers. I managed to get my bill reduced from £360 down to £193 but it took a lot of eeforts and numerous phone calls. As we had moved out I had it spread out over 6 months as they would not allow any longer although they had been at faultr since Feb 2005!

[The cobbett slayer]

Powergen Customer Resolution Centre number is

 

 

0800 0961156

[The cobbett slayer]

Got a cheque for £150.61 today, just 3 days after I spoke to powergen.

 

Thanks to all who posted replies for the guidance:)