Incorrect Billing

Maple123

NP power recently decided that my monthly direct debits were rather odd and have changed my gas and electricity meters. Now they want me to pay 2 years of 'back charges' nearly £3,000! Can they do this? I have always paid what they asked and I don't know if they got the estimates wrong or the meters were faulty.

HappyMJ

How have they calculated that? Have you been reading the meter? What were you paying monthly previously? Did the amounts seem too low?

Maple123

I didn't ever look at the meters and they didn't send anyone round to look. I suppose they just guessed.

DUTR

Maple123 wrote: »

I didn't ever look at the meters and they didn't send anyone round to look. I suppose they just guessed.

Well tough luck, if you can't be bothered then why should anybody else?
Sorry but as I understand the meter should be read by the companies at least every other year, when you recieved your bills you could have checked the estimates verses your actual meter reads. So if you have been paying the lower estimate requests but actually using more energy than billed, then of course the amounts are due

dogshome

Hi Maple123 - Being presented with a BIG bill because under-estimated bills have been issued for a long time is quite common, but a £3000 demand covering 2 years is far more than the bill for an average home, and you have been making payments on top of this.

What is unusual about your bill is that it was issued after both meters were changed, which is extremely unusual in itself

Write to n'power requesting copies of every bill they issued over the period they are claiming additional charges for - They have to supply them.
Also demand a detailed replacement bill for each and every bill that they want to adjust - they have supply these to - and check that the tariff prices reflect those on your original bills

If they claim that both meters were running slow, demand that you are given copies of the reports issued by the independant testing laboratory.
In the event that the demand seems kosher, it's worth running the matter past the Ombudsman as suppliers have a duty to produce clear & accurate bills, which n'power have not and you stand a chance of a claim under the 12months only back-billing agreement.

DUTR

dogshome wrote: »

Hi Maple123 - Being presented with a BIG bill because under-estimated bills have been issued for a long time is quite common, but a £3000 demand covering 2 years is far more than the bill for an average home, and you have been making payments on top of this.

What is unusual about your bill is that it was issued after both meters were changed, which is extremely unusual in itself

Write to n'power requesting copies of every bill they issued over the period they are claiming additional charges for - They have to supply them.
Also demand a detailed replacement bill for each and every bill that they want to adjust - they have supply these to - and check that the tariff prices reflect those on your original bills

If they claim that both meters were running slow, demand that you are given copies of the reports issued by the independant testing laboratory.
In the event that the demand seems kosher, it's worth running the matter past the Ombudsman as suppliers have a duty to produce clear & accurate bills, which n'power have not and you stand a chance of a claim under the 12months only back-billing agreement.

Depends how much the OP was paying on the bills, I remember one of my old colleagues 'chancing' his gas, previous to him was a low user in the property, then when he moved in with partner and 2 children adding central heating, did not seem concerned when bills were arriving for £10-12 per quarter, however it emerged that years of low billing had to be made up

Maple123

Thanks very much - that's really useful information, much appreciated.:T