Eon & mis-read meter

tp1234

Hi

This is my first time posting having been a forum reader for quite a while. Also this is a post refering to problem with my Nan's bill so I may lack some of the finer details but wanted peoples opinions.

Basically she changed to Eon around Feb 2011 as told her they would be cheaper than British Gas etc. She has both electric and gas with Eon.

Eon have been to read her meter 3 times since feb 2011 in feb, may and nov, my nan pays her bill monthly and in full every month. Eon were reading her meter as a five digit number always starting with a zero '01234' for example. Well my nans meter doesnt have five digits only four so her meter actually reads '1234'. To me it doesnt appear to make any difference surely if it went up by 10 units to '1244' and they read it as '01244' its still the same ammount of gas used?

However they have now noticed almost 12 months later that they have been reading it wrong and proceeded to bill her £325 as the meter was mis-read and she was undercharged.

First of all can they do this? To me it's there problem they have read the meter wrong. Its not as if she has been telling them the wrong meter reading, its there employee's who have made the mistake. Also how would the ammount of gas shes used vary by an average of £30 p/m due to a zero being added to the start of the reading?

She's a widowed pensioner and cant afford to pay this in one go anyway, but I'm not convinced she should be paying it at all and she has spoken to the complaints department who I gather have been less than helpful.

Does anybody have any advice or experience with similar things happening to them? She's locked in until May '12 with them as well.

Thanks in advance for any help!

jalexa

tp1234 wrote: »

Well my nans meter doesnt have five digits only four so her meter actually reads '1234'.

Welcome to the forum.

Almost certainly it is an imperial meter then. Possibly it has been billed as a metric meter therefore undercharged by about 2.8 times. That would be a supplier billing error.

The first thing to do is to confirm the meter is marked ft3. Also note the meter serial number. Then on a recent bill check the same meter serial number is stated. Also on a recent bill check the conversion from the meter reading to kWhrs. Post the info for further advice.

tp1234

Thanks Jalexa, Will try and get other info and post when I can.

Do you think they have a right to ask for the overcharge, considering its there billing error and there meter readers never picked up on it?

Also the house is less than 20 years old (16-18 I think), would they have installed an imperial meter then? My Nan bought the house new and has never had this problem with other suppliers?

Thanks again

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Hi tp1234 and welcome,

I agree with Jalexa here, it seems the most likely reason for this and the extra info would help us determine the exact problem.

I think it would be best for your nan to ask for a complaint to be raised regarding this and follow the route to the Directors' Office, as she hasn't had much luck so far. They are the best people to resolve these issues.

It may be that the account falls under the billing code of practice, (it may not) this does all depend on the specific circumstances of the account.

Let me know if you need me to help further.

Helena

tp1234

Thank you Helena, Would you be able to give me a link to your billing code of practice as having searched your website I am struggling to find it and would like to have a read of it please. Thanks

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

tp1234 wrote: »

Thank you Helena, Would you be able to give me a link to your billing code of practice as having searched your website I am struggling to find it and would like to have a read of it please. Thanks

I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to post links like that, forum policy.

If you email me using the email address in my profile page I can send it that way.

Helena

jalexa

tp1234 wrote: »

Would you be able to give me a link to your billing code of practice ...

http://www.energy-retail.org.uk/industrycodes/code-of-practice-for-accurate-bills/