Billed twice, what should I do?

deepindebtor

Hi,

I moved into a new flat in march of this year. It is rented from the local council.

Now, it turns out that the council switch energy suppliers when a flat is vacated, I assume they get some kind of kickback from the energy supplier, in this case Southern Electric for doing it.

However, I had spoken to nPower a couple of days before moving in and started the process of changing to them. On the day I moved in I took the opening reading and let nPower know what that was.

Now a couple of months down the line, I had my first nPower bill the other week, showing the opening reading, the date is the day I moved in, everything is correct.

But today I received another bill from Southern Electric for my property with my name on it but dated about a month BEFORE I moved in and also dated up until around two months AFTER I moved in.

So basically they are trying to bill me for something nPower has already billed me for, as well as electricity from before I moved in.

To be clear: I am being billed for a time that I didn't live at the property. I am also being billed for the same period by two companies.

What should I do?

My gut reaction is to write to them and explain, see what they say, should I also copy the letter to nPower? Is there a best way to do this or someone else I should speak to?

Cardew

Dates on the bill are not really important as long as there is no overlap on the meter readings.

i.e. the end meter reading for Southern Electric is xxxx and the start reading for NPower is the same xxxx.

Similarly that the start meter reading for Southern electricity are the same readings as when you moved in.

deepindebtor

That's precisely the problem, BOTH the dates and the readings overlap.

Also, the new bill from Southern Electric is billing me for a time I didn't stay at the property.

Vestra

deepindebtor wrote: »

That's precisely the problem, BOTH the dates and the readings overlap.

Also, the new bill from Southern Electric is billing me for a time I didn't stay at the property.

Did you contact Southern when you moved into the property as they were your suppliers and provide them with the opening meter readings? If not you might be billed from when the old tenant left, do the npower bill and the Southern bill have the same supply number and meter number?

anniecave

check the supply numbers are the same on both bills.

If they are, phone up either southern or npower and ask them to check on ecoes (the online enquiry system) to confirm the dates when each supplier supplied you.

Either one or the other has billed you when they shouldn't have. If you get the supply dates confirmed, then get onto whichever supplier is in the wrong and get them to fix their mistake!