EDF Prepayment Meter issued

[BelstarBomb]

Hi,

 

We had an EDF prepayment metre installed in December 2010.

 

We had agreed to £x a week to be paid off and we duly charged the key with no problems, receiving statements confirming how much had been paid that month.

 

At the back end of last year, I had checked our account online which was showing the balance being quite low. I had lost track of how much we had originally owed so emailed EDF to confirm when the metre was installed and how much was owing.

 

They confirmed the amount showing in the system was the amount that was owing by email. I responded to the email asking them to double check something and they confirmed the amounts again.

 

I then telephoned them a few weeks later to ask what process I needed to go through to have the metre taken out. The advisor told me and also confirmed my balance outstanding at the time.

 

I then called back a few days later intending to pay of the small amount outstanding and ask for the metre to be taken out. When I got through to an advisor, she confirmed that my account was actually in credit and this was reflected in my My Account on their own website.

 

She then asked me to go to the metre and press various buttons to tell her what was on their and she confirmed that the meter was saying the amount was paid off so yes, I could have it removed as the debt was paid off.

 

The meter was replaced last month and today I went online to set up a DD. Two account numbers were showing - one for the prepayment account and one for the credit account. My prepayment account showed a credit balance so I went to the credit meter account to set up a DD. It wouldn't let me. When I clicked back on the prepayment account meter it now showed a debit balance of over £400!

 

I called EDF who went and checked their systems. In short, I had been misinformed on numerous occasions. The amount showing online in My Account was the amount I had paid off against my annual estimated usage, not against our debt. The advisors had not done their due diligence in the information that they have given me and they can offer no explanation as to why the meter was saying the debt was paid off when it wasn't.

 

I used the analogy that if EDF was a shop and they had mislabelled something with the wrong price, I had asked them to confirm and double check that and bought it on their say so and they then turned around and stopped me at ths door to pay the full price, that they wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

 

Their response was that yes they have cocked up but I still have to pay, albeit with a 20% discount for the inconvenience and allowing me to pay the outstanding amount off at the prepayment metre rate of £x per week.

 

What exactly are my rights here as my initial response is to say 'your mess up - deal with it'

 

Thanks,

 

Bel

[BelstarBomb]

Hi,

 

Would be grateful to hear of your comments, thoughts and/or suggestions....

 

Thanks,

 

Bel

[2Grumpy]

It's strange how there could be a credit balance one minute and a debit balance the next. EDF must have been playing with your account.

 

One thing that puzzles me is that you have been paying off your estimated annual usage.

 

I would have been expecting you to be paying your debt and you actual usage.

 

Do you get statements from EDF?

 

I would want a full explanation of all this in writing dating back to when your prepay meter was installed.

 

You would need the following:

 

start meter reading

current meter reading

cost of gas used

standing charges

original debt amount

the total amount you have paid

 

Hopefully then you will know where you are with some certainty

[BelstarBomb]

Hi Too Grumpy,

 

Thanks for getting back to me.

 

The amount owing isn't in question. The original debt was around £200 and with court fees and costs etc this too it to approximately £600.

 

Over the period of time, I had forgotten how much was owing other than we had agreed to pay it off at £5 a week. When I logged into 'my account and saw the' balance' going down, I automatically assumed it was correct and didn't think any more of it.

 

To then have two people tell me verbally, another two in writing and even the man who took the pre-payment metre away that the balance was now paid off you can understand my thought process that this many people can't be wrong especially as I have it in writing where I asked them to go and double check their figures and they still came back and said I owed them nothing! Correct enough for them to come and take out the prepayment meter!

 

However when you times the number of weekly £5 by the number of weeks the meter was installed and then take it away from the original total debt, the amount now outstanding on the account is correct.

 

Having confirmed in writing to me how much was owed and then to confirm again that nothing was owing and that the debt was paid off, do they have any legal right to demand or take action for me to pay the balance that they have now correctly calculated?

 

We are now usung that money and a little extra to pay off another debt so having to pay this again would have an impact on our disposable income.

 

They have made a concession of a 20% discount - I don't feel that this enough (if we do have to pay it) especially due to the continual misinformation and the fact we will end up with even less disposable income because of their cock up.

 

Hope that that makes sense?

 

Thanks

 

Bel