Electric bill now £900!

Jones01

Hello,

I have just recieved a phone call from my electric supplier saying I owe them over £900 because they have been miss-reading my meters for the past 5 years! Apparently they have been taking the night readings as day one's and vice versa. Someone has called at the flat every year to take the readings and so it's obviously a human error on their part and not mine.

Where do I stand regarding paying this back to them?

Many Thanks

Premier_2

So you've never checked your bills against the meter yourself for the past 5 years?

Oh well...speak to them and see what you can negotiate. If you are nice to them they may allow you a small goodwill credit to help ease the pain. You should also usually be able to spead the repayments over the period the debt accrued, in this case 5 years.

Ultimately you have to pay for what you have consumed.


Edit: Have you really held this account with them for 5 years? Something's telling me you possibly haven't They cannot expect you to pay for electricity you have not consumed.

kazwookie

Make sure they work any thing on the old tariff rate not the new one!!

Jones01

Every time I told them the readings over the phone they'd say 'hmmm, that sounds wrong' so I'd read them again to them, but still at the end of the month the £33 bill came so that's what I paid.

I tried to appeal to their human side and they finally agreed to let me pay off an extra £50 on top of the £33 per month, but to be honest I can't even afford this, but I guess I'll have to find it from somewhere.

Thanks for the advice on the old tariff, didn't even think of that!