not paid for gas in 26months-never had a bill!

amee1987

i purchased my first house in september 2007 where i was on a pre payment meter for both gas and electric. i requested that i have these meters removed and direct debit payments were to be set up. the electric meter was replaced in october and then the gas one in january 2008. from this i have been receiving one bill stating EDF Elec on my bank accounts which i had assumed was for both gas and electric as i have been paying at first £38 per month which then upped to £50 per month. after a phone call today asking if i wish to change over to the direct debit plan for my gas from EDF where i replied 'i already am on the DD plan' i am apparently not!

under the billing code i am aware that i do not have to repay anything over 2 years, but because i have never received a bill for my gas, do i have to still pay 2 years worth? i will be going on maternity leave in may and EDF have offered that i can repay £48 per month for my gas arrears which i will not be able to afford at all. Help!!!

amee1987

oh, and EDF are saying that because i have never requested a bill i will have to pay back the full amount which is estimated at £1400.00 but i did request that direct debit was set up when the took my pre payment meter out.

cabbage

Hi

have a look at https://www.adviceguide.org.uk which is the CAB public website. I checked for gas and electricity it said

If a gas/electricity company has failed to send out a gas/electricity bill, they aren't allowed to bill you for any amount which dates back longer than a year. However, this only applies if you have tried to contact them to arrange payment and have not obstructed any attempt by the company to read your meter or to resolve queries over billing.

So you shouldn't be asked to pay anything over a year old and its up to the company to bill you not for you to ask for a bill. Perhaps you could ask for a copy of the recorded call you made asking about this

Premier_2

So you've already had 2 years of no gas bills, and the supplier is offering to allow you to repay the amount interest free over the next 2.5years. If you can't afford the £48 per month over the next 2.5 years ... so almost 5 years interest free loan in total.

Unfortunately, unless you can prove you attempted to contact the supplier, they'll probably bill all that back usage at the expensive standard rate tariff, which is probably about the same as the PPM would have cost you ... which ironically could be where you end up again if you can't afford the repayment plan proposed. (plus a possible ruined credit rating)

spiro

If you have been receiving a bill did you not notice that it didn't cover both fuels i.e. 2 sets of readings and calculation?

amee1987

i havent ever received any bill for gas, so have never seen any different to what i have received for my electric (which i assumed covered both). this is my first house, my first property i have had to deal with things on my own, but i guess i will have learnt the hard way!

thank you Cabbage for your help, i have been reading through quite a bit of legal bumph and as i requested DD to be set up when my payment meter was taken out then the back billing clause does apply. hopefully!

i understand that i need to pay for gas and i am not disputing that, but as i will be starting my maternity leave in May i will be struggling greatly to repay these payments. with estimated readings of £50 each for gas and elc plus repayments of £48 i will be spending a total of £148 per month on energy! on a maternity pay of just over £400 per month i dont understand how the company is expecting me to pay this. which is the reason for the posts and my panicking!

amee1987

after a phone call with a customer services manager i have been advised that EDF has sent me gas prepayment statements and even a new card for my prepayment meter (which i have never received).

how can i prove i have not received these?! if i had received them then i would have been panicking and sorted the situation out there and then.

because of this the Billing code does not apply to me so i will have to repay the full amount. which i cannot afford!

deedee71

amee1987 wrote: »

because of this the Billing code does not apply to me so i will have to repay the full amount. which i cannot afford!

It's not a case of repaying...it's a case of PAYING for something you have had the benefit of for over 2 years.

tripled

Put a complaint in writing, if you aren't happy with the outcome then escalate it to the ombudsman.

Premier_2

amee1987 wrote: »

after a phone call with a customer services manager i have been advised that EDF has sent me gas prepayment statements and even a new card for my prepayment meter (which i have never received).

how can i prove i have not received these?! if i had received them then i would have been panicking and sorted the situation out there and then.

because of this the Billing code does not apply to me so i will have to repay the full amount. which i cannot afford!

You can't, but the supplier can presumably prove they issued them which is all they are required to do.

If your mail is not being delivered, report the matter to Royal Mail. If you suspect your mail is being stolen, I suggest you contact the police.

As I said previously, if you can't afford to (or won't) pay, the supplier will probably install a PPM and recover the debt via that.

mattcanary

Hmm, I think EDF are trying to wriggle out of their responsibilities under the industry guidelines, by sending out a payment card.

I would say the fact they sent out a prepayment card for the gas is irrelevant, seeing as the meter was changed to a quarterly one. You were in contact with them about setting up DD payments for the gas and electric. Therefore you have contacted them about the gas. Therefore, under the industry guide3lines they should only bill you for one years usage of gas (as you do not appear to have had a bill showing any gas meter readings for over 2 years).