EDF-fun with meters going haywire and incorrect charges

[NewYorkSugarMaple]

Hi-long time lurker but first time poster. I have my electric from EDF-each time the bill came in I paid it in cash and using the card they have provided. In the late fall I received a bill for some £500-the entire year's payment. When I queried this, stating that I had the receipts for all the payments, I was told that since their computer showed there was no card with my account, none of the payments had been credited to it. Nobody can explain where the money has gone to.

 

After several complaints, without my knowledge or consent a prepayment meter was installed. The initial key that was left would not top up(it seems it had been damaged by being left in a cold,wet letterbox)and I had to have an emergency call out-his key would not work either and it transpires the serial number on the meter and for my key was different to the one they had registered. There was also a problem with the emergency credit-if it dipped into emergency, the key to top it up would not work-the engineer's suggestion was every time it got near to emergency I would have to call him out to come and redo it!

 

It was also guzzling a phenomenal amount of electric- in one day where I'd had nothing on except a fridge and the lights briefly,it had eaten about £10 in credit. Eventually it was topped up with some £25 worth of credit and since it was Christmas everything was shut down. When I returned after two weeks it was £9 in emergency. Having topped up again, the next night it had used £9 worth of credit in one night. Apparently over Christmas a standing charge of £10 a week had been applied-presumably to pay off this debt I had already paid, although it could just as well have been for the owner of the meter they had me recorded as using.

 

EDF have no idea which meter I'm actually being billed for-apparently in the New Year the serial number were 'amended to give the correct details', although Customer Services insist that this didn't mean they were incorrect before...

 

I'm therefore stuck with a meter that is taking £10 a week charge that may or may not be mine and which if it is mine has already been paid-and is charging completely random amounts for electric. EDF say they have no idea why on earth it's doing this and so are unable to do anything.

 

What do I do now? Help muchly appreciated!

[rebel11]

Hi New York

 

Welcome to CAG

 

The guys will advise as soon as they are available.

[2Grumpy]

on the consumer focus website it says

 

For consumers who have been disconnected or threatened with disconnection, or who are unable to pursue their complaint directly with their supplier, Consumer Direct may refer the case to the Consumer Focus Extra Help Unit.

You might fit into that category - you need some-one to force EDF to look into this properly - including where your money has gone

 

you can contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06

 

It sounds as though you have been doing your best & chasing up the transfer but E-on have been ignoring you, then adding the debt from the previous tenant to your account.

 

EDF should have sent some-one round to tell you that they were going for the pre-pay meter.

 

You could also phone EDF again and tell them that you need to speak to someone empowered to sort out the problems that they have caused you - losing your money etc. If they have a magistrate's warrant then they might have misled him by saying that you were in arrears but without mentioning that there was a dispute about lost money

 

You might find that there is a debt loaded onto the meter that you are repaying - the one that you have paid but they have lost the money for

 

In my view, EDF should be compensating you for their incompetence

• Losing your money
  
• installing a prepay meter
  
• messing up the keys
  
• making you pay twice