Please Help Experts!!!

Utopianchica

Hello All,

I've been visiting this site for ages, but today is the first time I've needed real help! I'm sorry for asking for help on a personal matter.

I live in a small 2 bedroom flat with my partner. It has a brand new boiler which we use for heating. We have the heating on timer and it's been on since November for approx 4 hours per day.

I had a conversation with NPower, who are our dual fuel suppliers, at the end of August and agreed to pay £43 a month for combined fuel. I've just had a statement sent through to me for 17 July 08 - 20 Jan 09, Electric being £221.49 and Gas at £758.91!!! My new monthly payment has been set at £309!!!

I've called NPower today and gone over meter readings with them, which they say are all correct their end. The guy has said there has been an underpayment of Gas since we moved into the flat (mid 2006), and this is a catch up amount. However, I gave them readings in August when I last spoke to them, and this is what they said to me then - they said the £43 a month I paid would compensate for this catch up. Anyway, the guy at NPower has re-set something and asked me to call back tomorrow.

He also said that when we bought the flat, we gave them a meter reading of 616, and there isn't a record of a meter reading their end until October of last year, when it was 1382 - and now it's at 1545! I have no idea if this sounds right or not.

What should I do??? This amount cannot be right - the fact is also that when we bought the flat in 2006 we didn't live there for a year and a half as it had to be completely gutted and redone, so during that time there was no gas used!

I'm not sure what to do next. All I know is I can't afford what they're saying we owe, and I know it can't be correct!

Magentasue

Utopianchica wrote: »

However, I gave them readings in August when I last spoke to them

He also said that when we bought the flat, we gave them a meter reading of 616, and there isn't a record of a meter reading their end until October of last year

When you gave the reading in August was it used on the next statement? I suspect not. Do you check every statement against your meter? If not, why are you so convinced there is a mistake? To me, it looks as if you've been underpaying and not checking your meter - or am I missing something?

Unless there is a mistake, you need to negotiate more time to pay if the repayment isn't manageable.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly a DD of £43 a month(£516pa) is less than half the UK average of £1300 so it is not surprising that you are heavily in debit after 2.5 years.

I assume you have an Imperial gas meter(cubic ft) so your 929 units(1545 - 616) is approx 29,000kWh which isn't a lot in 2.5 years(the UK average is 20,500) and 29,000kWh at today's rate is around £1,100 to £1,200. This would indicate that in 2.5 years you will have paid approx £400?

As indicated above 'The Computer' will often ignore meter readings that it 'thinks' must be wrong and subsitutes an estimated reading.

Your difficulty is that you obviously have not checked your meter readings on the bill against the actual meter readings - that is clearly your responsibility.

So it will be very difficult to challenge any bill that you have not disputed for 2.5 years.

One thing in your favour is that they cannot charge you at today's rate for bills that have built up over 30 months during which time the rates were much lower. So they must reduce the bill by a percentage.

I would wait to see what reduction you are offered and how long to pay off your arrears.

Premier_2

Check your meter records cubic feet rather than cubic metres.
The BBC Watchdog site will explain how to do this if you're not sure.

Assuming you have an imperial meter (which it appears BG do), according to you, you've used 163 (1545 - 1382) cubic feet which would cost about £200 since October (not an extortionate amount considering it's been very cold this winter)

In total since you moved into the property 2.5 years ago when the meter reading was 616, you've used over £1000 worth of gas. You say you've been paying £43 per month for dual fuel since August, but you haven't explained what proportion of that £43 is for gas. Nor have you said how much you have paid before August for gas.

Going on the information you've provided, it does appear the shortfall of £758.91 is reasonable.

Perhaps if you could advise us on the following, we may be able to help you more:
1. Confirm whether your meter reads in metric or imperial
2. Advise how much of the £43pcm you pay goes towards your gas usage
3. Advise how much money you paid in total for gas since you moved in 2.5years ago and when you started paying £43pcm last August.

Utopianchica

Thanks guys for your suggestions which i will look into tonight to see if I can find out a bit more detail

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi

£43 per month does seem low for both gas and electricity. Check your bills and see if any estimated meter readings have been used. If they have, contact your supplier and ask them to use the accurate meter readings you have.

They should not be charging you for gas and electric used since 2006 at today's prices. Make sure what you used previously is charged at the prices set at that time.

Also, ask them why the Direct Debit was set so low in August. It may be they have added to the problem by setting your Direct Debit too low then. If this is the case, ask for a payment arrangement to spread the outstanding amount over as long a time as can be agreed.

Malc