Help, EDF problems, don't know what to do.

Michelle_James

Hello everyone.

I live in a 2 bedroom flat with my 3 year old and have lived there for nearly 2 years.
When we first moved in the electricity was with EON, i was paying just over £50 a month and thought this was reasonable so i saw no need to change.
I was with them for over a year until i spoke to someone from EDF who told me i could save over £10 a month if i switched over to them.

The first two months my direct debit when out at the price i was quoted but on the third month i received a letter saying i owed them some money, not very much something like £9. The next month i received a letter saying i owed £16 extra and the month after that it was £23 extra.
I thought this was strange so i called them, they told me i was using a lot more electricity than expected and they wanted to change my direct debit to £80 a month to cover the electricity i was using (double what i had originally agreed to).

I though this sounded ridiculous so I asked them to send out a person to check the metre, they claim they did and it was fine, but i don't believe them.

They now claim i'm using almost £100 in electricity a month, and that i owe them money from previous months.
I'm really struggling.

I demanded EDF check that my metre is not faulty, they claim it is fine and that i just use a lot of electricity, in fact they claim we use twice as much (Kwts) as my parents do, they have a 5 bedroom house and five adults live there, two of whom don't work (so there is always electricity being used).

I checked with EON and they said when i was with them i didn't use anywhere near what EDF claim. so something is going on.

I can not believe that for a year i used the same amount of electricity and then suddenly started to use twice as much.

EDF refuse to accept that something is going on, and because i now owe them money they refuse to let me switch over to another company.

Please help i really don't know what to do.

molerat

So what are you using in kWh per day / week / month ? How many units has your meter increased when you take the reading each day What happens to your meter when you turn everything off at the switches. What happens when you turn everything at the fuse box. Are you sure they are reading your meter as you live in a flat. If you want to get anywhere you need to be pro-active and prove something is wrong.

undaunted

Do not telephone them or rely on the call centre staff, put your complaint in writing detailing the above facts, stating that nothing has changed which would increase consumption and demanding the matter is now properly investigated and a sensible explanation provided within a specified period failing which you will be left with no alternative than to look at switching your supply elsewhere (assuming that you can clear the alleged debt / your transfer isn't blocked because of it)

If you have any further problems with them your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Community Legal Advice Centre may be able to assist you free of charge.

Good luck.

dogshome

Hi MichelleJames - I'm afraid that switching on the advice of a sales person is never a wise move -
Always, always check how many Kw you use a year, (On elec. a Kw is the same as a meter unit), and visit the Switch sites.

The first thing to do is check that EDF's bills have been issued on actual Meter readings and not Estimates.
Then compare an Eon bill with one from EDF, paying particular attention to the unit rates and discounts - Did this Sales person who advised you to switch, offer you an EDF tariff with cheaper unit prices, but ignore the fact that Eon's discounts gave you a lower total cost ?

You can check this without doing a lot of calculations - Simply divide the number of meter units used into the final total of an EDF bill, and do the same with an Eon bill covering the same time of year - If
the gross unit cost on an EDF bill is higher than that on the Eon bill, WRITE to EDF making complaint - You switched to EDF on the basis of thier reps. advice that they would be cheaper
Also
Carefully check that the Final meter reading on Eons final bill, is the same as the Start reading on EDF's first bill, if it is lower this also merits a complaint letter

The good news is that you not only have over a years worth of EON bills from which to guage your yearly use, but those bills will show your seasonal consumption which you can compare to those bills you have had from EDF, and in your own interests you make a weekly note of your meter reading
Good Luck

Michelle_James

I checked my bill and EDF say I'm using 26 units a day on average.

I am going to check my metre tonight and then again at the same time tomorrow and try and work out if this is correct.

I am going to attempt to itemise all of the electrical usage in my house and if someone could tell me if 26 units per day sounds right that would be really helpful.

Under counter fridge, on medium to low temp - 24 hours a day
Under counter freezer, on medium to low temp - 24 hours a day
Television - probably on most of the day, but when it is off it is switched off at the plug.
Sky box -Again this is on most of the day.
Pc - As i work from home 4 days a week on those days the pc will be on most of the day, but other wise it is turned off at the plug (apart from maybe a little internet surfing on an evening.)
washing machine - I only do one or two cool washes a week.
Lights - All energy saving bulbs. and they are only on when it is genuinely dark as my flat has big windows and lots of light.
Oven - usually only used once a day.
Microwave - Again maybe used once or twice a day.

And that is about it, i have all wood flooring so i sweep instead of hoovering and i don't have an electric shower or electric heating.

I hope someone can tell me if this is of any use.

Thanks for the replies.

DVardysShadow

You live in a flat. You may be on the wrong meter, they may have switched the wrong meter or your meter could be charging for someone else's electricity.

macman

You haven't mentioned how you heat your hot water. Immersion heater left on or faulty 'stat/timeswitch?

Michelle_James

Sorry I have a gas water heater.

The building i live in is a huge old converted building, there is 20 flats, all of the electricity and water metres are in a room on the ground floor, i did question that maybe someone was stealing my electricity supply, but apparently that is not possible. (according the the building management company, who are unreliable at the best of times.)

macman

Does the ref no. on you bill match the ref no. on your meter. With 20 meters all in together there is a much higher risk of readings being transposed.

dogshome

Hi again Michelle James -26 Units a day is quite high for a gas heated flat occupied by 1 adult & a 3 year old - In fact it's more than twice what I would expect
However it is not unusual in a building where the meters for a number of flats are contained in a central room, for there to be confusion as to which meter supplies which flat.
Check that the Meter No. listed on your bill, matches that on your meter in the Utilities room, then even if it does, make a further check by turning off everything in flat, then check the meter to see that it is not moving. If it is, it should be reported to both the Supplier and the Buildings owners

For your own wellfare, you must do some homework to establish how much power you are using a year, which means adding up the KW, ( Same as meter units),on a past years bills.
It's unlikely that the last 4 Qtly bills will cover exactly 365 days, so divide the last bill's total Kw by the number of days the bill covers to get a Kw per day figure, then use this to adjust your 4 Qtly bills figure up or down to make it 365 days.

With this true 365 day figure, visit the "switchwithwhich" website which will not only show the detailed prices from alternative suppliers, but also show them alongside your present tariff when the "compare tariff" icon is selected

Michelle_James

I haven't checked it, i will check tomorrow when i go back down to check the reading again.

But the meters are clearly labelled, they have fronts to them that you have to lift up to read the meter, and all of the fronts have the flat numbers labelled on them.

EDF have suggested i have a pre payment metre fitted, but i don't think i could. the meters aren't like normal meters, they are only small round dials a little bigger than the size of a tennis ball. And you couldn't replace it there wouldn't be room, and since non of the others are i don't think you can.