e-on want £461 final power bill for under a months use

[triaxiom]

I moved in to my previous address on 22nd march 2008, and vacated December 22nd 2008, in this time I received the following bills:

23/3 - 6/5 - £50.86

 

6/5 - 4/8 - £296.16

 

4/8 - 4/11 - £271.22

 

4/11 - 22/12 £421.22

 

Then when estate agent came along and phoned them with a reading for 23/12 on the 2nd January 09, a new final bill came in for £461.22

 

My problem is why have my previous bills been all been under £300 for a 3 month period, for my final bill to come in at £421 for a period of under a month.

 

I tried calling them and asking why, but all I could get from Claire, and then Jamal the supervisor (the fact that Jamal was even less articulate than claire but had somehow become her supervisor didn't instill much confidence), was that the huge increase on the final bill was because of the actual reading being given by the estate agent (not me) meant they had to adjust the previous billing amounts, and those amounts were being added on to the final bill.

 

What claire/jamal failed to grasp was that the bill with the actual reading only changed the cost from £421 to £461, it still doesn't explain why e-on estimated that I used £421 of electricity in under a month compared to my estimated usage of under £300 in the previous quarterly period bills.

 

So now I'm at a loss as, e-on seems to be staffed by fools, but I need to appeal to someone to get this ridiculous bill decreased.

 

Any ideas?

 

The other point was that the letting agent, phoned in with a reading for 23/12/08 on the 2/1/09, and somehow the reading of a third party that they have taken without verifying themselves in person have somehow increased my final bill by £40 on top of the already ludicrous estimate.

 

That can't be right, can it?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[ATD]

How many of those bills that you quote were done to estimated readings and how many to actual meter readings (either reads that you supplied, or ones taken by a meter reader)?

[triaxiom]

How many of those bills that you quote were done to estimated readings and how many to actual meter readings (either reads that you supplied, or ones taken by a meter reader)?

 

First one was based from reading, all others except the final adjusted bill based on the estate agents were estimates.

[ATD]

First one was based from reading, all others except the final adjusted bill based on the estate agents were estimates.

 

Ok, so basically all the bill amounts have been guesses, the only true figure is the total of all these previous bills plus the last one to a confirmed reading. that would give the value used over the whole of the period.

 

I'm surprised that the initial estimate on the final bill was as accurate as is was, only £40 out isn't bad considering there have been no other readings.

 

The honest answer to your question is that the final bill would have been lower if when you had received the previous estimated bills you provided an actual reading for the supplier to bill too. This would have meant that these previous bills would have been higher though... so really it's swings and roundabouts.

[triaxiom]

Ok, so basically all the bill amounts have been guesses, the only true figure is the total of all these previous bills plus the last one to a confirmed reading. that would give the value used over the whole of the period.

 

I'm surprised that the initial estimate on the final bill was as accurate as is was, only £40 out isn't bad considering there have been no other readings.

 

The honest answer to your question is that the final bill would have been lower if when you had received the previous estimated bills you provided an actual reading for the supplier to bill too. This would have meant that these previous bills would have been higher though... so really it's swings and roundabouts.

 

So the original estimated final bill use of £421 for a months usage, compared to no more than £300 for 3 months usage seems accurate to you?

 

The actual reading only increased it by £40.

[Bigmac versus]

So the original estimated final bill use of £421 for a months usage, compared to no more than £300 for 3 months usage seems accurate to you?

 

The actual reading only increased it by £40.

 

Yes it does seem quite odd if an estimate for 3 months was £300 then an estimate for a month was £421 unless they suspected they had underestimated previous bills.

[Bigmac versus]

Although the last bill is nearly two months and is at a time when gas usage will be higher.

[ozzywizard]

Can you confirm if this is electric or gas or duel fuel ?

 

Ok you have confirmed that your start reading was an actual read and your end read was correct based on an actual, the only estimates was in between reads so your total bill and what is owed is correct, it has just been spaced out incorrectly and as a supplier only has to get a correct read every 12 months (start and end read also are needed) the bill appears to be correct.

Add up all you have been billed by them and share it by 9 months that gives you a months useage.

If you still feel this is excessive we can look at your useage and the possibility of your meter being incorrect but I doubt this is the case.

Sorry if not what you want to hear.

[Surfer01]

I worked in the electricity supplier industry and know exactly what happens. We moved into premsies in May 2008 and gave Npower a reading and then also a reaidng on the date we chnage suppliers which was in Ocotober 2008. We have been issued a thrid re-calculated bill again showing the incorrect amount owing. They do not respond to letters sent and they take 6 weeks to issue a new bill but in the meantime they send you threatening letters. By my calculations, my bill is paid in full. These fools, idiots in charge either have extremely poor software which calculates incorrectly or has a numebr of fools working for them as they cannot get it right despite written letters and numerous phone calls. I am now waiting for them to hand it over to a DCA and then the fun and games will start.

[indebtstudent]

The official line is that we have sophisticated billing and estimating systems but personally I can't use that when speaking to customer for fear of laughing.

 

I know it won't benefit you but they are bringing in a new system which will be better (praise the lord).

 

Also if your final bill is different than you expected it may be worth checking what opening reading your new supplier is using. Sometimes a deemed reading is used, essentially an estimate agreed by both suppliers.

 

This shouldn't be the case if you gave actual readings but its a possibility.

[triaxiom]

Thanks for everyones advice.

 

To all those suggesting that the final reading caused the high bill; the final 'reading' given by my estate agent given 11 dyas after I vacated the property, only placed an additional £40 cost on top of the estimate; how can they estimate for £421 in the first instance of the final bill that they got all previous bills wrong and now need to bill me out for additional costs?

 

Also, this is for electric only.

[James 01]

I think you have to forget the £421.00. The final actual reading will re-calculate the amount due for the period - presumably you are paying for the previous underestimated bills.

[triaxiom]

I think you have to forget the £421.00. The final actual reading will re-calculate the amount due for the period - presumably you are paying for the previous underestimated bills.

Well, no, if I'd have got a final reading for £460, I'd have still questioned it, but what I really want to know is where they got the exponential increase on previous bills from?

 

Besides the reading was given by the estate agent 11 days after after I left and taken at face value , which is also bollards in my book.

 

Is there an energy version of OFCOM? (not addressed to you specifically).

[James 01]

I don't know why there is the increase in the estimate - E-ON will probably say it is something in their billing system - possibly time of year ? Unless you think the actual readings are incorrect or you are overcharged for some other reason I don't see what you will gain over this. You have the start and final readings so the correct bill can be raised. By all means contact E-ON again as they may be able to interrogate their system over this. I don't know about an energy version of OFCOM - possibly Energywatch but I cannot see why they would want to be involved.

[triaxiom]

I don't know why there is the increase in the estimate - E-ON will probably say it is something in their billing system - possibly time of year ? Unless you think the actual readings are incorrect or you are overcharged for some other reason I don't see what you will gain over this. You have the start and final readings so the correct bill can be raised. By all means contact E-ON again as they may be able to interrogate their system over this. I don't know about an energy version of OFCOM - possibly Energywatch but I cannot see why they would want to be involved.

No I have the sart readings, then I have the end readings which the letting agent provided (no one from e-on confirmed in person) 11 days after me vacating.

 

Put it this way, disregard the adjusted final bill, if you were getting bills for under £300 per 3 months, then one popped up for £421 for two months, wouldn't you wonder what the f**k had occured?

 

But ok, energywatch, thanks.

[ATD]

No I have the sart readings, then I have the end readings which the letting agent provided (no one from e-on confirmed in person) 11 days after me vacating.

 

So assuming that there is no fault or issue with the meter, then the total that you have been billed for the period is correct, it's billed to actual meter reads.

 

Put it this way, disregard the adjusted final bill, if you were getting bills for under £300 per 3 months, then one popped up for £421 for two months, wouldn't you wonder what the f**k had occured?

 

If the bills that were for under £300/quarter were to actual reads then yes, I'd wonder what happened. Given that they were not, they were estimates - then I'd be saying "I wish I'd supplied a meter read when I got these bills, so I didn't have so much left to pay now"

 

If the previous bills were to estimates, then they are notional rather than factual.

 

The bottom line is that you have previously underpaid on the estimates and now that has caught up you have a larger final bill, the regulator would not be interested.

 

Sorry if thats not what you want to hear, but there you go...