Advice please: Southern Electric/Gas 'catch up' bill. Eye watering.

safarigrinch

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a bit of advice, I have searched the forum but couldn't find my precise predicament.
My GF and I live in a rented 2 bed flat in London, we moved in Oct 2009. Both our electric and gas are with Southern. We have received 3 gas bills during our tenancy so far:

Bill #1
15 March
Bill for 22 Oct 2009 until 11 Jan 2010
£99.26
Based on an actual meter reading.

Bill #2
11 June
Bill for 12 Jan 2010 until 10 June 2010
£169.03
Based on an estimated meter reading.

Bill #3
10 Sept
Bill for 11 June 2010 until 08 Sept 2010
£480.03
Based on an actual meter reading.

I realise now, with hindsight, I should have given my own reading following bill #2.

My GF called them up immediately, the person she spoke to agreed that it seemed very high, advised us to take a meter reading every until today then call back with the figures.
We used about 3 units a day, this is using a couple of hours of heating and general cooker/hot water use.

Called them back today and spoke to a girl. I wanted to stress that I just didn't have £480 lying around and there had obviously been a mistake somewhere. I was confused as we'd only had 1 estimate, the other 2 bills were both actual readings. How could it be so far wrong?
The girl explained that the initial meter readings taken either before we moved in or to calculate the first bill (she didn't specify) had been taken my a company who they used to subcontract to take meter readings. Southern no longer use this company and she said that the 'actual reading' on bill #1 must have been incorrect.

So what I want to know is, should I try and pursue the fact that Southern don't actually know how much energy we've used as their benchmark for calculating it may have been incorrect to start with?

We were advised we could split the cost over 3 or 4 months and that we should sign up to a direct debit - which should be about £60 pcm.

This is seriously stressing both of us out and I'd appreciate any advice/opinions you guys may have. Sorry if I rambled

davidgmmafan

You can try to persue it but unless you have a record of what the reading was you are just as uncertain as them with regards to the start reading. Given that the first bill covers almost all of Winter and is only £99 it could well be that the most recent bill is correct. Virtually nobody has a £99 Winter gas bill.

If those totals are for gas and electricity its a month or so shy of a year and the bill is £748.32. Depending on what you have this could well be right. Its a two way thing, utility firms, and thier agents, can and do make mistake which is why you should always check up on them by giving regular readings and working out bills manually.

Id there a landlord or letting agent who may have taken a reading on or around the date you moved in?

safarigrinch

Thanks for the quick reply David, I am going to contact our letting agents/landlord to see if I can get the meter reading for when we moved in.
I am 80% resigned to this being an awful lesson. Our previous place was a little smaller and I paid by DD from the start, never any issue at all.
The above all relates to the gas bill btw, realised that could have been a little clearer.

P.S. Mixed Martial Arts fan?

dogshome

Hi safarigrinch - Welcome to the forum.
When you moved in you would have automatically been placed on a contract with the existing Utility supplier to the flat, who were Southern Electric, but, as a new customer SE would have put you onto a 'Standard' tariff which is one of the most expensive.

To search the Switch sites for a better deal you need to know your Annual Elec & Gas consumptions in KW ( For Elec. 0ne Kw is one meter unit, for gas it will be appx. 11Kw or 31Kw per meter unit depending on whether your Gas meter is a Metric type or Imperial)
You have been in residence for nearly a year, so for your yearly use of Elec. look at the bills and add a bit.
As your gas billing figures aren't reliable, for a 2 bed flat I suggest you put a guess figure of 12000Kw a year into the Switch sites.
( It's likely that the Switch sites will show n'power as being the lowest cost supplier, but before you sign up with them have a look at the posts on this site commenting on this company)

So far as your present gas Billing problems are concerned, I'm afraid that it was your responsibility to report your meter readings to SE on the day you moved in, but hopefully the L/lord or letting agent will have them - The important thing is that you seize control now - Keep a monthly record of your meter readings and always phone in your actual meter reading if you get an Estimated bill
The lowest priced tariffs at the moment will be for 'Online billing' where you report your meter readings by Email in response to an Email request, coupled with D/Debit payment.