Eon overcharged on final bill-advise please

hesmywatermelon

Hi All,

Apologies if this si in the wrong place- I just wanted to check if this seems kosher with you all.

So we switched from Eon to Southern Electric a good 6 months ago, and they took AGES to work out our final bill. So long that they have only just charged us. Problem is, they have charged us £440- for a quarter! We live in a relativley small new build 2 bed flat that retains heat very well. Were both out all day and to spend that much is unimaginable. Especially considering that with southern electric we pay £74 pm for gas AND electric.

Anyway, so we cheaked the easimated reading fo rthat bill, and its WAY above what our actual reading is, even though we are now 6 months on from that 'estimate'.

So my partner calls up Eon, and they say, that even EON took £440 from us, we have to take this up with Southern Electric. that just doesnt seem right to me. They say that they have to 'work out' what my reading would have been when we left (which they should know exactly because we gave it to them on the phone), and that this can take 8 to 10 weeks!!

I really felt as if they were trying to get rid of me, as if waiting 8 to 10 weeks would make me forget about the £440 i am missing.
We are saving for a wedding and paying off debt andf flat out cant afford this.

Should I call Southern electric and trust them to get on with this quickly or is there something else i can do?

Apologies for the long post, any advice would be much apprciated!!

Steph

KimYeovil

Yes, both suppliers have to be involved and it is the new supplier that your primary contact should be with.

(Bad choice leaving E-on in Feb/Mar - you'll be charged a very high penalty on a winter bill.)

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi Steph,

What is known as an Agreed Reads Dispute needs raising between E.ON and Southern Electric, this essentially ensures that the final reading used by E.ON and the start reading with SE match up.

Check your start reading from SE, is it the same as the estimate E.ON billed you too?

If it is the same you are effectively paying E.ON more than you should but you will in turn be charged the same amount of units less by SE on your first bill.

However if the estimated reading is still lower than the reading today on your meter, this will cause problems with your SE bills going forward so will need correcting.

If the readings don’t match up then the dispute definitely needs raising, the correct ‘change over’ read will then be a new estimate based on actual readings that they will ask you to provide.

When you switch energy providers the gaining supplier is responsible for obtaining the opening meter reading, they then send this on to the rest of the energy network including the losing supplier who uses the reading as the end read. The normal procedure in these circumstances is that the gaining supplier raises the dispute to have the reading amended; however both companies should be able to do this.

Also in regards to time frames a Agreed Read Dispute can take up to as long as suggested, if you follow either companies complaints process however this can be chased after a couple of weeks and be hurried along.

Brian

NatNat1977

I would encourage everyone to keep an eye on thier meter, I recieved a bill from Eon yesterday for £1,155 for an actual reading of 4664, when we read the meter ourselves it was 3486! This was even lower than the estimated reading I recieved in May! I called Eon and I am now £67 in credit! I will ensure that every time I recieve a reading estimated or actual I will check myself. God knows what meter the gas man read but it wasnt mine or any of the other meters in my block!!!

1carminestocky

KimYeovil wrote: »

Yes, both suppliers have to be involved and it is the new supplier that your primary contact should be with.

(Bad choice leaving E-on in Feb/Mar - you'll be charged a very high penalty on a winter bill.)

Agred. But how are Eon punters supposed to know about this sneaky no discount on final bill rule when some of their own staff don't? On a £440 bill the 'penalty' for loss of discount could run to almost £90. An exit fee in all but name but unlike an exit fee, no expiry date. Shocking.