Do I have to pay 3 years of unbilled LX?

Nikiatbridgefarm

I run a very small busines and have £50 a month to Southern Electric for the last 3 years. I have just changed to a new accountant who flagged up that I had not had a bill. I phoned the company to ask for a bill, then had to chase them then eventually got a call to say that I was on the wrong meter and the wrong tariff - it's a domestic one apparently - and that they had reworked my bill to nearly seven thousand pounds :eek:. You can imagine!!!! They very quickly offered me a 50% discount but this is very clearly their !!!!-up and I obviously base my charges on my costs - I can't see me going back to my clients over the last 3 years and asking them all to pay an extra tenner to cover the three and a half grand that they still want. Bearing in mind that the bill they have given me is only up to December, I am still on the same tariff and no-one has changed the meter PLUS the meter readings that are on the bill bear no resemblance to the readings I gave them. Anyone got any advice? Please!

Cardew

Unfortunately there are few of the safeguards for business customers that are available for domestic customer's protection.

It seems quite extraordinary that they would offer a 50% discount so quickly.

You clearly have an issue with your old accountants as well; if they hadn't picked up you haven't had a bill; how do they close your accounts for the year?

It is not clear from your post if the £7k deficit is due to the difference between the domestic and business tariff, or that the £60 monthly didn't cover the consumption; or indeed both.

Nikiatbridgefarm

Yes and there's the rub - am I a business customer or a domestic customer? The £7k deficit is due to the £50 a month not being enough and they never sent anyone to read the meter and I didn't spot it!

Premier_2

If the primary purpose of the energy supplied is for business use, then you should be on a business tariff.

You're a business person. You can't work out accurately your operating costs yourself? You've been paying a supplier £50 a month for 3 years despite them never sending you a bill? :eek:
Keep hold of that new accountant - your going to need him!!!

spiro

You say you run a 'very small business', is it operated from home with you using a percentage of the house for business purposes or is it from a property solely used for business? This impacts what tariff you should be on and also what rate of VAT you have to pay (businesses pay a higher rate).

Nikiatbridgefarm

So much for being nice to users! My question was regarding culpability, not wether or not I am a good business person or what tariff I should or shouldn't have been on, just wether or not I should be laible for the bill. Anyway it turns out that Southern Electric made the bill up, the meter readings they used on the bill were made up and bore no relevance to the actual readings and my outstanding bill is actually £50. So I am adding this just in case anyone should be in a similar position.