Underestimated Gas bills leads to Huge real bill

Mr_Doovde

For about 3 years my gas bill has been estimated due to the Meter being in a cupboard behind the TV which is a real pain to get to.
We have just received our latest bill and I have finally made the effort to get the meter reading and it is hugely ahead of the estimate.
The estimate was that we owed £24 but I have calculated that when I give them the real reading I will owe them over £900.
Obviously I have to accept some responsibility for this for not getting a reading sooner, but I have a couple of questions that I want to know the answer to before I speak to my supplier.

Obviously I have been using gas at a fairly even rate over the past few years since my last actual meter reading, however I suspect that they will want to charge me for all of the gas used at the current rate, which is a bit unfair as prices have increased a lot over the the last year.
Will they pro-rata the costs taking into account that a lot of the gas was used back before prices went up?

If I am able to strike a deal with my supplier to pay back the amount owed over a period of say a year, will they consider this to some sort of payment plan and could this affect my credit rating?

Rockyroad

Hi.

Has your supplier tried to read your meter in the last three years at all? They too have a responsibility to try to get an accurate reading. They usually leave a card if they have.
I would also say that in fairness, they should recalculate your usage and bill you evenly accross price changes etc rathering than lumping all the units onto the unit price you are paying now which is going to be higher than the unit price from three years ago.
Lastly, how are you paying? I think your supplier should come to some sort of arrangement with you on this. If you pay by direct debit, they may be able to increase the amount to cover your arrears for a 12 month or possibly longer period.

Vestra

Yes when they get the actual read they should regress your account (canceling the bills going back to the last actual read and rebilling the account evenly with seasonal variances).

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

They can charge at the various rates over the last 3 years, however to do that they have to make estimates of consumption at the various dates when a price change occurred.

They often will reach an agreement with you to reduce the £900 by a considerable percentage and give you a payment plan. If you agree to pay it back in a lump sum, you might get a further reduction.

A friendly initial approach to your supplier is more likely to achieve results than 'Mr Angry'. Adopt that pose if they won't play ball!!

Lastly how refreshing to get a post where someone acknowledges some degree of reponsibilty for the situation.

Mr_Doovde

Hi thanks for your quick replies.

Yes they have called, they have left cards, also they have called when my wife was in and didn't want to move the TV, which is understandable. I always thought that I was going to be a bit behind but not £900 behind!

I normally pay by card once I get the bill, but in future I intend to set up a Direct Debit and pay a realistic amount monthly to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Mr_Doovde

Update

I spoke to my supplier and gave them the reading, they said I owed £915, so I asked about getting it pro-rata'd back to the cheaper rates.
I had a call back today, saying that they had reduced it to £780, and I can pay off over 12 months at £65 a month so all in all not to bad.

Cardew

Mr_Doovde wrote: »

Update

I spoke to my supplier and gave them the reading, they said I owed £915, so I asked about getting it pro-rata'd back to the cheaper rates.
I had a call back today, saying that they had reduced it to £780, and I can pay off over 12 months at £65 a month so all in all not to bad.

Was the £915 already pro-rated, or the outstanding kWh at the current price for gas?

If the latter, I am not convinced that a 15% reduction is compensation for the dramatic rises in gas prices over the past 3 years.