Eon trying to claim £6,500 payment off me due to their error!!

DVardysShadow

molerat wrote: »

My money is on the power being split after the meter but before the consumer unit, the tap going to another consumer unit in another building. Switch off the mainswitch on the consumer unit and see if the meter still clocks up.

There will always be [or definitely should] be a switch or isolator of some sort on the feed from any meter to another building - within sight of the meter.

So, although your advice is intended to switch off just the OP's supply, I think the fact that supplies to other buildings have not been obvious to present time, OP cannot expect to switch of just their own supply.

I think that as OP is the one responsible for the supply from the meter, they should feel perfectly at liberty to turn anything and everything off from that meter.

molerat

By turning off their own supply the OP can check that they are not using anything in their house plus check if the meter clocks up useage.

spike7451

100wpm wrote: »

I've lived in my house for 3 years now and I found out end of last year that I have a six figure meter not the usual five for normal domestic houses. i am not an engineer or official meter reading and have always given six figures to EON over the phone and they have said to me "we don't need the last figure thanks". indeed their meter reading personnel have been out to the property many times and only recorded 5 figures! This has been going on for 10 years in total as the previous owners have been paying the same figure as myself each month to EON based on 5 figure meter readings and EON have never questionned their own staff.

The previous owners themselves did not know the relevance of a five meter reading compared to a six meter reading. only know I do since I have now been hit with a demand for £6,707.09 which they say they have been taking the meter reading down wrong for the last 3 years but as a matter of goodwill they will drop it to 2 years worth !! How Kind ! :mad:

I have taken the matter up with my Solicitors as i think the debt is totally unfair as I have no idea what 5 or 6 figures has a relevance to and neither did the previous owners (which EON have said they have written off with them as it is EON's error). They have suggested a figure of £500 going forward each month to pay which I have agreed to for now until I can see what useage I have been using. My last bill suggests it is more like £350.00 which still seems steep but I am not arguing about that at this time.

However EON have come back to me stating that if I can agree to £500 a month going forward then surely i should have known that my previous bills were too low !! I cannot seem to win here. I am not taking it further that if they say the 6 figure meter reading should therefore increase my monthly bill by a higher figure then okay, who am I to argue but to say I need to pay all the previous useage at the six figure rate which they have incorrectly taken I feel is outrageous and totally unfair.

I am speaking to Energy Ombudsman today and taking this further with my Solicitor to small claims court if this is not resolved. Surely their staff should be trained up to see what is a five figure or six figure meter and also to question why I am giving them a six figure number over the phone and then to say "they don't need that last figure" which EON are now stating they have no record of doing !!! Can't believe this. How am I going to find that kind of money !???!

The was a story on BBC's Watchdog a while back over the same issue.
This may be of use to you:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/consumer_advice/latest_fuel_prices_update_pic.shtml

mattcanary

I think the issue here is that EON have always billed 5 digits in the meter reading when really it is a 6 dial meter. 6 dial meters are surprisingly common in domestic properties. Until recently, I worked as a meter-reader and came across them fairly often. And 3 phase meters can be 5 dial meters as well, as 6 dial meters.

However, I really think the problem here is that the wrong start reading was used on the original poster's account. I am 99% certain that a 5 digit reading was used when a 6 digit reading should have been used. Thus EON have now billed the OP for all of the supposed usage from the incorrect 5 digit reading to the latest correct 6 digit reading. Obviously this would cause an absoulte massive (and wrong) bill.
I don't suppose, 100wpm, that you still have a record of the 6 digit (as opposed to rubbish 5 digit reading) you took when you moved in. Your account should have been opened using that 6 digit reading.

theboylard

You haven't said where the meter is located? In your house? Is it easily accessible from outside?

I'd follow the suggestion made by dogshome?!

Turn off the electric at the meter tomorrow morning.
Ideally take a picture of the meter after you have turned it off.
Go shopping for a few hours, have lunch out and enjoy yourself!

Go home, see if Mr Farmer behind is having kittens?
Take another picture of the meter. Anybody tampered with it?

I would also invite a local electrician to visit, preferably one with industrial experience, to do some checks. You need to rule out whether your supply has been split and are suppling other properties?

Somebody mentioned a swimming pool, don't suppose you have one? Or a jacuzzi? Running these eats electric!

Good luck, I'd be looking to move supplier after all this is sorted!!

mattcanary

The problem is virtually certainly not with the meter, it is with how the account has been billed! If they started the OP off on a 5 dial meter when in reality it was a 6 dial meter, and now finally EON realise that in fact there is a 6 dial meter is there - they will bill the difference from the previous reading based incorrectly on a 5 dial meter up all the way up to the correct 6 dial reading. Can anyone not grasp this??!!
100wpm, I would look at the meter regularly each day for say, a week, taking a meter reading each time (a 6 dial reading each time!) and then get back to EON with each meter reading so they can see what sort of electric you are actually using.

dogshome

Hi 100wpm - mattcanery certainly has a point that is well worth checking

By ignoring the last figure in your 6 figure readings, EON have been registering the dial that counts 10's of units as recording Single units, the 100 units dial as recording 10's of units and so on up the scale.

However, if a 5 is added to the end of the five figure readings shown on EON's bills, it will give a 6 figure reading that is accurate to Plus or Minus 4 units of the actual reading.
By doing this to as many past bills as you care to, you will can get a reasonably accurate figure of your actual consumption that includes seasonal variations.
Good Luck

Wannabedebtfree

100wpm wrote: »

thanks v m. There is a working farm directly behind ours - our farm house is not commercial. Our farm house used to be owned by the father of the farm next door if that makes sense about 20 years ago i.e. the farm next door is still owned by his son and is currently a working farm. That could be something to look into now you mention it! I wonder what he is paying each month out of interest compared to ours (if at all???!)

Our house is a fairly large house so again our new bills might be correct but I still don't see what we are using in the house each day that makes that kind of monthly bill !

I wonder when the meter was put in? Perhaps as the two properties were owned by the same person, only 1 meter was ever put in for the two properties..... It is possible.

100wpm

dogshome wrote: »

Hi again 100wpm - On your Post No.10, you gave your actual readings Oct - Feb, even assuming the worst that it was the first day in October and the last day in Febuary, (151 days), your consumption at 109Kw a day is 4.54 Kw an hour24/7 ! !, and even if you have an Immersion Heater with both a faulty timer and thermostat, it would not use all this.

The problem with pulling all your fuses then checking your meter to see if it is still running, is that if your meter is feeding some machinery in another building, but at the time you check that machinery is not working, it won't show up on your meter.

I still reckon the best bet is to get a local sparks in to check where the output wiring on your meter is going, and at the same time check your house wiring for leakage
All the best

Thanks for your help

100wpm

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Brian wrote: »

Hi 100wpm,

I'm glad you've written to us, hopefully this can be sorted out soon for you. :cool:

As I mentioned last week Christmas has caused a slight backlog, but we are still responding within our promised time frames.

If you drop me an email on the address to the left, I'll see if we are looking at your letter yet.

Regards

Brian

The letter has been sent to your complaints department and was acknowledged by letter saying that they will look into it further. however, received a letter a few days letter stating that "we note we have not yet received your official complaint letter and if we do not receive a letter from the Energy Ombudsman within 14 days we shall issue proceedings for the money outstanding "!!!! What is going on?? I was told by EON that I could not contact the Energy Ombudsman until I had sent the official letter to EON. This I have done, you have acknowledged it, then not acknowledged it(!) and threatened proceedings !! I have therefore written to Energy Ombudsman who is looking into this further for me now and sent you a letter back asking why you acknowledge receipt of an official letter, then separately say you have not received it and are being so aggressive in your stance against me when I AM THE ONE WHO HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG !!!

The News of The World have also contacted me several times and want to know what EON and Energy Ombudsman say as I have suggested to them that the Code of Practice should be revised if a customer has to still pay 12 months worth of bills if it is found the company have made a mistake. I believe if a company has made a mistake no back payments should be made and you go forward amicably with that company with any revised fees if you think that is what is agreeable.