Help! Gas Back Billing Policy.

mirage1

Hope someone can give me some advice?

I have just contacted NPower to ask why I have not been able to see my bills on line and not received any bills for months. The NPower assistant was ever so apologetic and very nice thanking me for being calm and friendly! He told me that I had around £4,000 credit (as I have been paying my DD's every month at £259.00) but, that the reason is because I hadn't been billed since January 2009! Therefore 17 months of missing bills!! He also confirmed that he could see I had been calling in with meter readings and answering the many letters I received to tell them the serial number of meter, where it is situated and the reading!!

The other problem is, my meter reading in my last bill (Jan 09) was 8789. (This was my meter reading, as otherwise they were mostly estimated because they never sent anyone to read it!) It is now reading 4400 ?!?@%*
What is happening and how can they possibly produce a correct bill???? They wouldn't be able to estimate on the previous year either as 2 adults have left the household and since then, I have additionally been really economising with my heating usage.
I have raised a complaint of the highest order and whilst they are looking into what they are going to charge me, I have been advised to look at the Back Billing Policy for NPower.


Any comments or advice would be gratefully received.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

The first question is has your meter been changed? If not why are they asking for the serial number?

£259 a month is extraordinary if it just covers consumption. Had you previously run up a large debit and your DD was set high to recover that debt?

Why would they be wanting to estimate consumption?

Also if 2 adults have left the house last year, and they are wanting to estimate consumption on your present usage, that would be to your advantage.

So your post is not really fully understood.



Not sure if the 12 month back-billing rule applies here.

Code of Practice for Accurate Bills - Back Billing for Domestic Customers
Section 1 Background Guidance

The Code of Practice for Accurate Bills (the Code) has been developed by the Energy Retail Association (ERA) with E.ON, British Gas, EDF Energy, npower and
Scottish Power; these companies all support the independently-audited Code of Practice and are committed to the Code as a minimum standard of service for
customers. Scottish and Southern Energy has a Domestic Customer Charter which includes similar standards of service in relation to billing and back billing. This

document reflects the principles which all of the major energy suppliers apply in relation to back billing

.

Under the Code, from 1

st July 2007, where the suppliers are at fault in not billing a domestic customer, they will not send a bill which includes unbilled energy

consumed more than 1 year previous to the bill being issued.
This clause confirms the suppliers’ commitment to bill customers regularly and accurately, and imposes limitations on the circumstances where customers can be
billed for previously unbilled energy that is more than 12 months old.

Where Suppliers issue a bill which has these principles applied, they will credit the account

with the value of the unbilled energy consumed over 12 months ago, taking into consideration any payments already made by the Customer or credits applied to
the account, so that the Customer is not required to pay any additional sums towards this previously unbilled energy consumption.

General guidance

•

The clause relating to back-billing within the ERA Code of Practice for Accurate Bills applies to domestic credit customers, as defined in the supplier

licence agreement. Although prepayment customers are not explicitly covered by this clause, suppliers will apply similar principles in relation to debt
over 12 months old.

•

The clause relating to back-billing within the ERA Code of Practice for Accurate Bills and commitment in Scottish and Southern Energy’s Customer Charter
does not apply to customers whose express terms and conditions exclude them from receiving bills or statements.

Unless there is something missing from your post it appears that you have paid far too much and you should get a refund, plus some interest and possibly compensation, however the passage I have put in red allows them to use any money you have paid to cover consumption. e.g. had you used, say, £1000 in the last 12 months and had paid £600 over that period, they wouldn't be able to bill you for £400 under the backbilling rule if they were at fault for not raising bills. However you have paid over £3000.

Premier_2

mirage1 wrote: »

...The other problem is, my meter reading in my last bill (Jan 09) was 8789. (This was my meter reading, as otherwise they were mostly estimated because they never sent anyone to read it!) It is now reading 4400 ?!?@%*
What is happening and how can they possibly produce a correct bill???? ...

They know what they have billed you up to in Jan 2009, they know the current reading (or you can give it to them) and so they can calculate how much you have consumed.

They will also have details of how much you have paid them ... and so calculate a balance.

You may wish to remind them of their obligation to physically examine/read a gas meter at least once every 24 months for safety purposes. From your post, it appears they probably haven't done this.

mirage1

Hello Cardew and Premier, thank you for your welcome replies!

I had a new meter fitted and in a slightly different location to the old, around 11 years ago when we gutted our kitchen. We have had it read since then by NPower over the years though.

However, I do keep getting letters every now and then asking me to give them the serial no. I have also rang them numerous times to tell them exactly where it is (outside) so they can read it even if I am not in. They confirmed they had put this info on their system - obviously not!
The thing that bothers me is HOW can they give me an accurate reading of consumption when the meter readings are so different? Do you think the meter had clicked round and stated from nil again?

My monthly payments have always been high, they were near £300 at one time, never owed any money and never been in debit.
Even though it is a big old house, (but with loads of insulation) everyone is still aghast at how much I seem to be consuming. But there again, my boiler is a big beast and very old?

The over 12 month back billing sounds interesting - thank you for that Cardew. It was actually the billing dept' at NPower that suggested I should pursue something like that because they believed I had been treated appallingly and was shockingly calm about it!

I shall let you know what happens in a week when my bill arrives!