£200 phone call to SSE! Furious!
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It sounds to me as though the bill from March might have been an estimate which was accurate. You don't mention if this bill was based on actual or estimated readings. If estimated readings, then there's your problem right there.
When was an actual reading taken and recorded, by either yourselves or a meter reading? If possible provide us with actual meter readings from around one year ago and meter readings from today. By providing these people can assess how much it might cost you.
The moral of this story is to take regular meter readings. Even once a month is enough to keep on top of things.0 -
Read your meter and submit readings every month, that way you will not get estimated bills and the system will give a pretty accurate estimate if it needs to.
How much are you using ?
Give us 2 actual meter readings and dates.
How many kWh and how many units are shown on the bill ?
What is shown on the front of the meter, m3 or cu ft ?
What are your unit prices and standing charge ?
You need to get a grip of your meter reads, put yourself in control.
OP, if you want any help you need to take this post on board. Monthly bills and payments are also much easier to manage than quarterly, particularly if you're not reviewing meter readings regularly.
Not impossible that the unit rates (m3 or cu ft) are wrong on your account - it's worth posting as much info as you can on here. Also how long you've been in the house, how well insulated it is, whether there's someone at home all day that needs the heating on longer, how old the boiler is, what temperature the thermostat is set at...
If you just wanted a rant at SSE there's a separate forum section for that - if you want help then you need to provide more information.0 -
Estimates are based on historical usage, if possible, or if not, what is typical for your area.
It may be a bitter pill to swallow, but the moral of the story is, be more energy savvy, including taking estimates. Also, change supplier. SSE have not had the best rates available for as long as I have known.0 -
UPDATE!
I called SSE today and had a very long discussion. The agent investigated and found that the information I had been been given was actually wrong! Confusion over and a discount as an apology for the stress!
Thank you very much to those of you who offered genuine advice. I will certainly be keeping an eye on those meter and giving regular readings. Hubby and I have haven't been moved out and living in our own place for even a year yet so we are still wrapping our head around how to run a house lol.
To those of you so quick to accuse me of being the problem and basically being irrational...you were wrong ��
Thanks once again to those who offered advice
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OP, if you want any help you need to take this post on board. Monthly bills and payments are also much easier to manage than quarterly, particularly if you're not reviewing meter readings regularly.
In addition, unit tariffs may well be slightly cheaper for monthly direct debit than quarterly direct debit.0 -
UPDATE!
I called SSE today and had a very long discussion. The agent investigated and found that the information I had been been given was actually wrong! Confusion over and a discount as an apology for the stress!
I am pleased that you have resolved the matter with your supplier. Just for the avoidance of doubt, suppliers are not permitted to vary the terms of a tariff by offering one-off discounts. What they have given you is a goodwill payment for poor customer service. I only mention it - not to get a you - but because there are a number of people who post on this forum who mistakenly believe that buying energy is a bit like haggling over a Sky TV subscription.0 -
OP
Customers with energy problems will never get a sympathtic hearing on this board because most of the people responding work for the electrical companies as engineeers or similar.
Time and time again people post about problems with bills etc and are always met with ' well read your meter ' its your responsibility to understand how it all works.
If it wasn't such a science to understand all this estimate/ actual, multiple dials , tarrifs etc etc customers would stand a fighting chance of being able to control what is happening on their own. As it stands even the companies call centre people have difficulty understanding what is going on and they presumably have some training on it all.0 -
OP
Customers with energy problems will never get a sympathtic hearing on this board because most of the people responding work for the electrical companies as engineeers or similar.
Time and time again people post about problems with bills etc and are always met with ' well read your meter ' its your responsibility to understand how it all works.
If it wasn't such a science to understand all this estimate/ actual, multiple dials , tarrifs etc etc customers would stand a fighting chance of being able to control what is happening on their own. As it stands even the companies call centre people have difficulty understanding what is going on and they presumably have some training on it all.
I've seldom read such rubbish.
Reading your meter and checking your leccy, gas or water bill is no more difficult than filling up your car. The only difference being that a fuel pump starts from zero and you pay for what you put in at the time.
The energy companies allow you to use what you consume and then send you a bill. They dont come and read the meter more often than once a year or even less, so of necessity they have to guess how much they think you've used.
It's up to you to check the bill and pay it if it's right and get it corrected if it's wrong.
I'm sure most of us wouldn't accept a guesstimated bill when we went to pay for the petrol we'd just put into our cars or a meal we'd just bought in a restauarent - you'd check that it accurately showed what you used or eaten and get it corrected if it was wrong (unless you think you might be getting away with being under charged)
If you dont like that way of doing it then get a pay as you go meter and pay for it before you use it. It's your choice but dont whinge if you can't be bothered to check your bills and get stuck with a big one.Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0 -
#19 says it all.0
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I rest my case0
This discussion has been closed.
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