Warning on estimated power bills

UK007BullDog

This is important and if you have not yet sorted it you better get your skates on and sort it out.

Best practice is to call your supplier and give them your meter readings at least every 3 months.

Don't get into arrears and damage your credit file if it gets nasty with them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7502896.stm

melbury

I saw this on the news today. I thought are people just being totally stupid and burying their heads in the sand? Everyone knows how much gas and electricity have gone up over the past six months or so and checking your meter reading every now and then isn't exactly difficult. I can't believe that it should be such a surprise to find out that there is a large shortfall on six months worth of gas and electricity if the direct debit hasn't been increased for a while.

espresso

Agreed, you have typed what I couldn't be bothered to type about this pathetic article!

tanith

I am with Scottish Power and they even send me a gentle reminder to e-mail my meter readings to them every quarter.... how hard is it to keep a check and compare it to your estimated readings if thats what you have...

Kevstir

the news are trying to make it look like the energy company's are to blame , in part they are, they should be making sure people give them the meter readings, but, most of the blame can only land at the customers feet for being to lazy or stupid to make sure that their utility company has some up to date meter readings.

I update my meter readings online on the 15th of every month and so far we haven't had any wrong bills.

Kev

aliadds

Well I'm also with Scottish Power, and I have been entering my meter readings online weekly. I like to keep a check on my usage. There are two of us in a 3 bed semi detached new build and at the moment we are using an average of 7 units a day for both gas and electricity. I think the gas usage was about 48 a day in the winter, but I intend to be much more economical this year. I'm paying £72 monthly and am £1.80 in credit. Obviously I can keep an eye on this all the time, and therefore stay in control.:T

morrocan-mole

I work for a power company, I am not going to say which one, however when a customer calls and asks why they have a big bill when paying by dd, 9/10 it is due to estimated readings. The company I work for has online energy in place for customers who wish to take advantage of this however even entering your meter readings online can sometimes go wrong, the best advice I can give to anyone on DD for thier fuel is call the company, make sure you speak to a person, and ask them to take your readings and tell you the balance over the phone, they will also send a copy of your bill. I know getting in touch with a call centre can be a nightmare, but a few extra minutes in a queue may stop you getting a shock later on. I know of some customers who call on the 1st of each month to update the readings. There is also a benefit in this as should for any reason your bill be estimated in the future, with an average monthly consumption, your estimate should be a lot more accurate.

If any one needs help with bills etc please contact me, I may not be able to give you information which is specific for 1 company however all companies run from a similar script.

Viper_7

just do the opposite in readiness for the price rises... give them your meter reading - with a good 6 mths+ usage added onto it.
Your next bill under the high prices will be small.