Hope someone can help please!

Lilith1980

Hi all,

Myself and my DH rent a one-bedroom flat above a hairdressers.

To me its not an ideal set-up as we have a coin electric meter, which they have to come and collect from, and we share a gas meter.

A few months ago they got a bill for £800 for a quarter and said that it couldn't be them using all that gas and so we said we'd pay them a bit more each month.

Now another bill has come through and the lady who owns the hairdressers has phoned the gas company and worked out whose share of the bill is whose, and it seems that over the past 2.5 years £6,000 of gas has been used, of which £4,500 is OURS!

I remember seeing on Watchdog that mix-up with the type of meter and people's bills being extortionate and I am hoping its that. Myself and DH are out all day at work so it's not like the central heating or gas fire are on all day.

I wonder if the boiler has something to do with it. It broke 18 months ago and when the guy came round to service it he said it hadn't been serviced in 5 years! He also had to block a vent up which he said was illegal being open :eek:

What can I do? The hairdresser said she would speak to the landlady but to be honest I think it would be better if we do something as well. She also said she would get Watchdog involved if things weren't getting resolved but I don't want to rely on someone else to sort things out. We really can't afford to pay them £4,500 though so I am very worried and to be honest, the hairdresser has almost been accusatory like we have deliberately used that much gas so it feels like we're being blamed which feels pants as well

Edit: the hairdresser also told me they changed their meter recently so don't know if this could have caused a problem?

Thanks everyone.

hippey

I would ask her how the calculation has been made. And is it the landlady who collects the money from the coin meter or the electric company, as I thought coin meters were no longer used?

itzmee

just a thought, but shouldn't the hairdressers be paying business rates? If that's the case then why are you having to pay the same tariff?

NigeWick

Lilith1980 wrote: »

To me its not an ideal set-up as we have a coin electric meter, which they have to come and collect from, and we share a gas meter.

I know it's not going to help your present situation. I would insist on separate gas and electric meters.

Quentin

Uw reps are well known for breaking site rules and looking for related threads they can use to advertise their company.

Businessgirl

Hi,

Firstly meter changes can make a difference. Also, I'd suggest they get their own supply, and you get yours. They should be on business rates, and you should be on domestic rates.

I'm not sure how they worked out whose is whose? That may well not be an accurate estimation. You need to call them yourselves and find out exactly how they worked it out. Was it soley on the hairdresses say of how much they use? A hairdresser uses electricity all day, and so I'd think they have a large portion to pay.

I'd not worry too much until you are very sure you are liable. They would have to prove you are, whatever you do, do not agree to anything until you are sure you are responsible.

SwanJon

Quentin - what exactly did that add to the thread? Couldn't see anything wrong with Nige's suggestion - for the future it is an absolute must.

Plushchris

Lilith1980 wrote: »

Now another bill has come through and the lady who owns the hairdressers has phoned the gas company and worked out whose share of the bill is whose, and it seems that over the past 2.5 years £6,000 of gas has been used, of which £4,500 is OURS!

I dont know your landlady but I would say she is ripping you off and trying to get you to subsidise her high bills.

I cant see how E-on could work out how much of a single bill was yours? Does this coin meter actually have any dials on it letting you know how much you have used?

If it does start making a record of your usage NOW then take another reading in a weeks time to see how much you have used, ask to see what your landlady is paying for the gas and work out how much what you have used in a week has cost.

Fire_Fox

Lilith1980 wrote: »

Now another bill has come through and the lady who owns the hairdressers has phoned the gas company and worked out whose share of the bill is whose, and it seems that over the past 2.5 years £6,000 of gas has been used, of which £4,500 is OURS!

Has she, how do you know? Ask for a confirmation of the charges in writing from the energy supplier, she would need that for declaring tax for her business anyway.

Lilith1980 wrote: »

What can I do? The hairdresser said she would speak to the landlady but to be honest I think it would be better if we do something as well. She also said she would get Watchdog involved if things weren't getting resolved but I don't want to rely on someone else to sort things out. We really can't afford to pay them £4,500 though so I am very worried and to be honest, the hairdresser has almost been accusatory like we have deliberately used that much gas so it feels like we're being blamed which feels pants as well

How very convenient. I would suggest you write to both the energy company and your landlady, setting out exactly what you have paid to date and your continued willingness to pay for the gas you have used. I would then ask for the situation to be investigated: your figures suggest that between you and the business an average of £200 a month, every month, of gas has been used. Either the bill is wrong (metric/ imperial?), the meter/ readings are wrong, there is a gas leak or you are being conned (don't say that!). Any which way the owner has a responsibility to sort out this mess.

Quentin

SwanJon wrote: »

Quentin - what exactly did that add to the thread? Couldn't see anything wrong with Nige's suggestion - for the future it is an absolute must.

There was nothing wrong with the suggestion - and I didn't say there was!

No matter how good the suggestion, it doesn't mean it makes it ok for him to be breaking the site rules by spamming us by advertising his company in his sig in every post he makes across the board - which he was well aware of!

(The offending sig has now been deleted)

1carminestocky

Nice to see you making a positive contribution to a thread other than the UW one, Quentin. Wait a minute....:p


PS Nigel was absolutely correct in his suggestion. Going forward, it really is the only sensible solution.