Help with wrong billing and EDF

Sunny29

Hi,

I am currently on a prepayment meter with EDF because of a debt with them but I was concerned about the high level of debt, i emailed them to ask for units used, price etc. So baring in mind i live in a small 2 bed house this is what i got back from them.

date joined edf on credit meter: June 2006
Date prepayment meter fitted: August 2008

Total Units used on credit meter: 36453 daytime, 12462 nighttime
Total unit used on prepay meter to date: 9004 day, 2066 nightime

So I have been with them for 4 years and approximately 2 years on each type of meter. The total debt when prepayment meter fitted was £4,200 for 2 years worth of electric on credit meter, and £1371.69 for 2 years worth of electic on prepayment.

I have gas central heating and fire and my water and heating all come from the gas, so i am only using the electric for normal house hold things like the telly, kettle, lights, cooking etc. In the scheme of things my usage would have gone up since the prepay was fitted because i had an electric shower installed last November and i now have a pond pump running 24/7.

I am paying back the debt at £15.00 a week and it is just under £3000 remaining. and there is a £3.75 pw meter charge.

I was asked to call them, which i did this afternoon, so that they could go through a consumption checklist with me of which the things i said i was using tallied up with the meter and about 20units per day. they said that they need to put it through for investigation now and will hear from them in 7 - 10days.

I want to know if anyone else has been through the same and if they will put this right. I never thought to check it before, dont understand the bills, infact i never read them. I got behind with them quarterly bills were coming in at £500 a month and i couldnt afford it. But I trusted these people, I thought they would get it right.

The past 2 years have been really tight with paying this back. At £40.00 a week electric (with only £20.00 going towards the weeks electric). We have had to fight all the way because initially they put the repayment at £50.00 a week, they begrudingly settled on £25.00, and then £15.00 after much persistance and faxing over every proof of income, bank statement, proof of id i could lay my hands on. We are a low income family even though we work.

But the difference, over the last 2 years is a quarter of what it was before. Do you think Ofgem would be interested? I have never complained about anything before so feel lost as to what to do. I guess i will have to wait and see what the next 7-10days will bring. I do feel i deserve to be compensated for their incompetance. As soon i as i can will be leaving them.

Any help, words of wisdom/experience will be grately received.:(

Premier_2

Sunny29 wrote: »

...
date joined edf on credit meter: June 2006
Date prepayment meter fitted: August 2008

Total Units used on credit meter: 36453 daytime, 12462 nighttime
Total unit used on prepay meter to date: 9004 day, 2066 nightime

...

The units on the credit meter appear to be wrong.
That would equate to about 50kWh per day, plus low rate usage (about another 15kWh per day)
Almost 3kWh per hour 24/7/365.

I'm not sure what you can do now you've had the meter replaced two years ago without questioning the readings, but the supplier should be able to understand that usage is probably wrong. You really should have complained at the time.

Joyful

Are you positive that the credit meter readings were correct? Did you supply them when you moved in and check them when it was removed? Do you have any bills for this period that show actual reads? They look seriously wrong.

If you are in the house alone, even now your usage is higher than average. The average is 3300KWH per year.

I would make sure they are aware of the changes in the last few months re your appliances so that they can compare like for like. Before they call you take readings daily for a few days around the same time to see what you are using now.

Sunny29

Are you positive that the credit meter readings were correct? Did you supply them when you moved in and check them when it was removed? Do you have any bills for this period that show actual reads?

Yes they had metre readings when i moved in. i didnt check credit meter when it was removed as i was on holiday at the time they put in prepayment meter. I dont have any bills from before, i stopped opening the mail from them when the bills were too high.

I would make sure they are aware of the changes in the last few months re your appliances so that they can compare like for like. Before they call you take readings daily for a few days around the same time to see what you are using now

Thanks i will do. I have already told them of the changes to my appliances i.e. a recent addition of a shower. Before i didnt heat water electrically. And i have a shower everyday now, so with that in mind, my bills should have gone up because thats something that I didnt have on credit meter. The same goes with the pond pump.

Sunny29

I'm not sure what you can do now you've had the meter replaced two years ago without questioning the readings, but the supplier should be able to understand that usage is probably wrong. You really should have complained at the time.

Yes i know i should have complained at the time. But have been on prepayment meter for 2 years before realising that i have probably havent paid over £4000 for my electric including repayments, since being on it. It is only due to the time elapse that i realised that there is a bloody big difference, hence why i have complained and ask for an investigation now. I probably wouldnt have stood a chance before but the evidence speaks for itself.

Sunny29

U P D A T E

So heres whats happened so far.
Following EDF's investigation they confirmed that the meter was right as any errors would flag up. At no point did they think to send someone to check the meter for its high consumption of a small house. they tell me there is nothing more they can do and that i owe them that money.

I emailed Consumer Direct about this which i received their reply today telling me that because they wont have the credit meter to check if it was faulty there is nothing more i can do even though my conclusion is rightly founded. The Energy Ombudsmen wont want to know because the dispute is over 9 months old even though i have emailed them and expect to hear from them either way in 20days. Consumer direct suggested the only course of action is legal action but after going through a legal aid checker i dont qualify even though i am a low earner. I have emailed communitylegaladvice.org.uk for advice today. Noone seems to understand that it is only due to the time elapsed that i have noticed this to be a problem at all. I am paying £173.33 per month for electric including debt repayments a level that cannot that sustained. I fear i am going to lose my house because already 6 days after getting paid there is no money left. But at least EDF still get their money. The rent has to be paid on the last day of the month due to a court order, including arrears.
This debt is in my partners name and he doesnt work. I am tempted to move house to run away from this problem. I just cant cope anymore.

Premier_2

Sunny29 wrote: »

.... I am tempted to ... run away from this problem. ...

It was that approach that appears to have got you in the mess you currently find yourself in.

Sunny29

It was that approach that appears to have got you in the mess you currently find yourself in.

If you havent got anything constructive to say, dont say anything at all. Because at the end of the day running away is the easiest option. For gods sake it isnt even my debt and i am the one paying for it. If i moved house i could register with an energy company in my own name. And i dont like robbing energy companies who charge £4200 for two years worth of electric on a small house. I havent even got enough plugs in this house to use that amount of electric.

dogshome

Hi Sunny 29 - There certainly a problem with the billing on the Credit meter, from your post of the figures you got from EDF for this period, you were consuming 21,734 units a year which is more than 3 times the national average !
The figures for the card meter are better, but still work out to 5,314 units a year which is high for a 2 Bed house.

Whilst you are "Timed Out" for official compalints about the credit meter, you can help yourself by asking EDF for copies of all the Bills issued for the Credit meter - They have to supply them when asked - Check all these bills for the Start & End readings, to see that End reading on one is exactly the same as the Start reading on the next bill

With Gas CH and Hot water, you should not be on an ECO7 meter and your Card meter readings prove it - Over it's period of Aug 08 to Sept 10, (25 months), you have used 2066 cheap Night Units which is just 2.7 a day, but your 9044 Day units on an ECO 7 tariff have cost you around twice the price of those supplied thro' a Standard meter.

It is just possible that whoever put in the gas CH, told the Elec supplier who then opted to charge all the Elect recorded by the ECO7 meter at Standard rates, but then later this note on the account was lost, maybe at the time you moved in, and EDF reverted to chargeing at ECO7 rates. Best person to ask would be your L/lord - If this is the case EDF will owe you money but you may have to fight for it
Best of Luck

Sunny29

It is just possible that whoever put in the gas CH, told the Elec supplier who then opted to charge all the Elect recorded by the ECO7 meter at Standard rates, but then later this note on the account was lost, maybe at the time you moved in, and EDF reverted to chargeing at ECO7 rates. Best person to ask would be your L/lord - If this is the case EDF will owe you money but you may have to fight for it
Best of Luck[/QUOTE]


Hi

Many thanks for bringing this to my attention. I had no idea i was on ecomony 7, and i know this to be dearer. The GCH was fitted in all council houses in this area in the 1970's so i am unsure as to if they were told. i will check with the council about this matter. In the meantime i have just sent a long and nasty email to EDF but now i am going to have to call them and complain about this. I wish i had read this sooner. I have just check my meter and day time rates are about 12p per and rate 2 is 4p. The amount of times i do my washing in the day and not at night. If only i had known.

Thanks for this

sarah