Tripled gas consumption?

kababski

Someone please help me I have been a dual fuel customer with npower for five years and for the first three years i was paying £20 a month gas last year it was increased to £33 a months which I can cope with. I have since recieved a bill and they are trying to put the gas up to £91 a month. This is an actual reading and they state that my consumption has gone up even though I am using less gas than ever. Can anyone help me i live on my own and cannot afford this. Thanks kababski x

Cardew

You have almost certainly built up a big debit balance which they now require you to pay them back.

These large debit balances normally build up because of a series of under-estimated meter readings and it doesn't come to light until the meter is read - as has just happened to yourself.

How much does your latest bill say you owe them?

Wig

Can you pay off the debt in one lump sum? If you can that's what I would do, and then post here your gas consumption records and we will tell you if your consumption has gone up or not. And we will tell you what your direct debits should be (after you have paid off the debt.)

Look at this post for info on how I would like you to post your gas consumption (bottom of the post).
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=2758139#post2758139

MarkyMarkD

Cardew wrote:

These large debit balances normally build up because of a series of under-estimated meter readings and it doesn't come to light until the meter is read - as has just happened to yourself.

And because of the series of price increases, which haven't led to increases in regular monthly payments, so a backlog has built up.

Wig

MarkyMarkD wrote:

And because of the series of price increases, which haven't led to increases in regular monthly payments, so a backlog has built up.

Yes exactly, you'd think they would have software to automatically flag up a suitable increase in direct debit.

I know my electric dd is too small at the mo, due to the price hike, but it doesn't bother me because I still have a credit balance from the time I was payiing too much.

My Gas bill dd would also be too much now (because it was raised to pay off a debt which has now been paid) but because of the price hike in gas I actually think it is about right now.

In both cases I'm waiting till the next quarter to make the alterations.

CheeseOnToast

Yeah this happened to me, gas and elec together from 44.50 to 90 quid for three months to clear the big debit...

kababski

Thanks for the help guys I have since been on to npower and that is exactly what has happened, i have phoned them many times and never been told this but spoke to a nice chap yesterday who has told me they had not had a reading since 2005, despite me entering details online and letting people in to read my meter.
Just an extra warning also last year I had a man come to read my meter, who then asked me to sign next to my name to confirm that it had been read (silly of me really but didn't think about it). A while after I recieved letters from npower who were sorry to here I was leaving them, on investigation they said I had changed to southern electric which I had not done (then it clicked). Anyway npower are now going to send me my bills for the last twelve months, i will pay them the outstanding balance and transfer to scottish power who I have heard all good things about, they actually take notice of online meter readings. Thanks again guys you are all so helpful x

MarkyMarkD

Kababski

In your circumstances, the last thing you possibly want to do is to switch suppliers.

Your current suppliers are letting you pay off a significant backlog in payments over the next year - giving you interest free credit for £500* or so.

If you switch suppliers, you'll have to settle this £500* debt immediately on switching and then start again from scratch.

I would stay where you are until you have a settlement balance which you can actually afford.

* my estimate based on the increase in payments.

tripled

Marky, kababski has already said he is plans to settle the outstanding bill, so no problems paying it at once! Personally I would agree with you and stop and take the interest free loan, but obviously he is more concered about the service aspect which isn't unreasonable!