npower prepayment end of contract problem

mancroft_2

I was with npower on a prepayment electricity meter until 2008-09-01 and then switched to Ebico (thoroughly recommended).

npower sent me a demand on 2008-10-28 for £365.91 which they reduced to £70.

This money was because "your token meter was undercharging you because our prices have changed since it was last reset".

Now this is rubbish. I was spending £7 per week on electricity (with Ebico, my bill is £4 p.w.) at the end of the contract and the £365 represents a year's FULL electricity consumption so they must have been undercharging me for ages (which of course they had not been doing).

I got a final demand today and have no intention of paying them anything and have told them so.

What should I do?

Thank you.

SwanJon

Where is your electricity meter?
When did they last come round to reprogram it? (This will have bene more than just reading the meter.
That was when they last reset your meter to the corrcet tariff.
Prices have gone up significantly over the last 5 years, so it is entirely possible that your meter had prices on it from years ago.

mancroft_2

Thank you, SwanJon. My meter is in a cupboard and is easily accessible from outside. I know that the meter was read at some point during this summer and they have had plenty of opportunity to change the settings. There is no way that the settings had prices on it from years ago.

SwanJon

Ok, if you are 100% sure the meter always had the correct prices on it (there have been 6 price changes in the last 3 years for example), the next step is to check they have used accurate readings to open and close your account as that would generate a false balance.

They don't change the tariff on every meter reading appointment (think it is something to do with a special tool or special training), so the fact that it was read in the summer wouldn't mean it had the right price on it. You could ask them why they didn't correct the prices each time as the meter was reaadily accessible.

Good luck getting any more out of them if the meter price was the issue, if you have used the electricity they can make you pay for it (not saying it is the moral thing to do though)

spiro

The demand they have sent you should show a breakdown of your consumption with prices plus a list of the money you have paid via the purchase of tokens. If the latter does not add up to the former then you owe them money. What the suppliers have agreed with OFGEM is they will limit the amount they try and claim back as a result of the Token meter not being updated. This probably account for the reduction from £365.91 to £70. Therefore I suspect that like it or not you will have to pay.

On a related issue if you still have a Token meter installed I suggest you contact Ebico as a matter of urgency to arrange for the meter to be exchange for another for of prepayment meter (Key or Smartcard depending on what they use) as token sales are being withdrawn in all areas and by Xmas you'll be lucky to be able to find anywhere that has them.