Help with e-on please

jay_kool

7 year debt
i recently moved in with my new partner who as lived at this property for the last 10 years, 7 year ago e-on took over the from the previous electricity supplier and she's had a recurring problem since.
everytime they came to read the meter they said the serial numbers do not match to what is on the system and the serial number on the system should belong to a pre payment system.
no matter how many times she tried to communicate with e-on they said they was going to send out an engineer but then nothing for months then a meter reader would turn up and the problem started again but bills would be posted for £400 per quater even thou this is a 2 bedroom house and the property is empty 70% of the time.
when i moved in 8 months ago another meter reader came to take a reading and i brought up the issue with him but same happened again, another reader came a month later and when i told him the issue he said the serial numbers matched so there should be no issue.
just before xmas we had a debt collector knock on the door more or less demanding over 5k and askin for payment in full

So my question is..... we dont think we owe over 5k but do we have any legal groud as this as been an ongoing issue with e-on

cheers 4 your help

mattcanary

Don;t pay it yet!!

Have you received a bill/statement from Eon, showing the start reading on the correct meter ? (the serial number is quoted on your bills/statements) I suggest that Eon have realised belatedly they are billing you based upon the wrong meter being in your house (meaning all bills have been estimated) and have now started billing you based upon the correct meter serial number but have used a start reading of 0000 (even though the meter had been fitted 3 years beofre Eon took obver the supply).
In addition, Eon may not have withdrawn the charges they have billed you on (estimated of course) for the wrong meter number before calculating what has been used on the correct meter.

There should be a card placed behind the meter. This will give the final readings on the old meter, together with the date it was taken out. It will also give the start readings on the new meter when it was fitted in your house. I would add that occasionally no such card is left behind the meter - but it should have been!

dogshome

Hi jay_cool - It looks as though your partner is the victim of a foul-up in the Meter Registration system, in which case it's an Industry problem and not hers
However a meter readers job is just to read meters, and they are often not direct employees of your supplier.

You don't say how your partner "communicated" with Eon, but phoning the Customer Service Desk is not the best way of dealing with this - She must WRITE to Eon heading the letter Complaint, listing the history of this problem and asking that they send her a copy of every bill issued since they took over the supply - THEY HAVE TO SUPPLY THEM


Once this letter is sent the problem moves up the management chain to people empowered to deal with it, and most importantly, should stop further demands for payment of an unproven debt.
It also puts you.on the path to take the matter to the Ombudsman if Eon haven't resolved the issues after 8
weeks

When the bills are recieved, check that the meter number printed on every one of them matches the number on your meter - If any one of them does not, report this in writing to Eon

.

jay_kool

thanx Matt & dogs, my partner is currently writing a letter of complaint to e-on and i personally will check the meter for dates and readings.... my burning question is why after 7 years do they say we are going to cut your supply off and demand entery to fit a payment meter....should that not have been done after the first year?????....will keep you informed