assuming faulty meter huge bill cant pay

tkwad

Hi Guys,
Im hoping someone can help me with what to do. WE have recently had to move as the rented property we were in was lpg gas heating (OMG THE BILL!) and im sure we had a faulty electric meter too. We have moved, the lpg is sorted thatnks to a reasonable supplier, but now scottish power are demanding over 200 immediately, when i was paying them by dd of 50 per month. The house we are in now although smaller, we consumed no more power in the old one and were using there £100 per 30 days, whereas new house is a key meter (more expensive?) and we use around 50 a month! so im paying £50 a month here and scottish power want me to pay over 200 from last address. I want to pay but cant pay all at once, i have a baby to look after, so please can anyone advise me what steps i can take to offer a payment schedule? i have phoned today to be told by "dave" its due now and as i cancelled the direct debit its due immediately

when about to leavre house received notification meter needed by law to be checked,for safety and efficiency, for which i was grateful but all he did was bloody read it.

Premier_2

It's probably too late now you've moved to worry about the accuracy of the meter. I doubt it's faulty anyway. A meter fault is the common cry when someone can't pay a bill they receive ... but is rarely the true cause.

The safety check they are expected to attempt to carry out at least once every two years as a condition of their supply licence is simply a visual check; it is carried out when a meter reader reads the meter.

The other issue is that as they are no longer with the supplier, they will probably want payment now.
That appears to be the case based on the response you have already received. Agreeing a repayment plan is all about negotiation. Perhaps if you were to move your current supply to the old supplier and agree to pay monthly by DD, they will accept that? But that will mean at least 4-6 weeks so they may want partial payment now to show some intention by you to pay.

If all else fails and you really can't afford top pay, visit the DFW board and/or the local CAB for help & advice.

tkwad

in response to premier above, im with them at new address anyway.

i think your comment about common cry is harsh given the fact that on a ppm at new address the electric is more than halved. thats just my opinion. never in my life have i ever lived with such huge electric charge and incidently never have i been unable to pay b4, but thats maternity leave for you ...

Premier_2

Some people do sometimes find the truth somewhat harsh ...

It's not just me. According to comparison site simplyswitch, two thirds of meters that are officially tested are proven to be accurate.
http://www.simplyswitch.com/faulty-meter-what-to-do.aspx

spiro

Was the previous bill you received prior to your final bill based on actual or estimated readings? If it was the latter the final bill will be a 'catch up' bill.

tkwad

spiro, always been on readings, been charged 98.07 for last 27 days in property, bearing in mind we had gas heating, low energy bulbs, no standby left on etc etc, ... anyway have looked at bill and there is a web address sp-assist.co.uk which when i logged in with my account number it did actually give me an affordable 16 week payment scheme, so i have signed up and now can afford to pay old bill and current bill at same time. I just wish the idiot on the phone line could have been more polite!