Final Meter reading adjustment

Possetjohn

Hi all,

Does this ring any bells with anyone?

I am towards the end of the process of switching both gas and electricity to a new supplier. When requested I gave the new supplier meter readings for both gas and electricity. A week or so ago I got the final gas bill from the old supplier. No problems with that. Today I get the final electricity bill from the old supplier and the reading is approx 350kWhs lower than the reading I submitted, which was about 24% of the electricity used from early September. Hmm thinks I and check online at the new suppliers website and low and behold there is the lower reading.

So I get on the blower and query the new supplier! Why, asks I, have you not used the reading I gave you? We don't believe you have used that much electricity responds he! Excuse me, says I, but you don't have any history of our electricity consumption! Data readers he responds! (What the ****! are those?) Anyway I gave him an up to date reading and we agreed a new final final reading that they would send to the old supplier.

Checking back our electricity consumption for that period it was almost identical for that period in 2010-11 and higher in 2009-10, so where has this "data" come from?

My suspicious mind is say this is a nice little earner for the new company being able to bill us for more electricity! It also would put us in a worse position come the spring review (oops almost gave it away then!)

As it happens I would also lose out as I am on the end of a good discounted deal with the old supplier, but there current offerings are all standard or fixed tariffs which are more expensive than the new supplier.

Interested in your comments!

HappyMJ

If you are leaving a supplier due to high prices wouldn't you have preferred less units charged at a higher rate. Strange....Many people would try and get away with a couple hundred kWh to save a little bit extra at least.

You can always complain when the spring review comes around and lower any increased direct debit on the promise that you clear the bill in full. i.e my direct debit is £10 per month and I manually clear the bill in full when it arrives.

anniecave

Maybe the new supplier sent out a meter reader and the reading they returned was wrong. It's certainly not the first time that has happened.

Possetjohn

If you are leaving a supplier due to high prices wouldn't you have preferred less units charged at a higher rate. Strange....Many people would try and get away with a couple hundred kWh to save a little bit extra at least.

As I said at the end because I was on the end of a good discounted deal up to end of December with the old supplier which I can't better anywhere it would actually cost slightly more from the new supplier

Possetjohn

Maybe the new supplier sent out a meter reader and the reading they returned was wrong. It's certainly not the first time that has happened.

In this case no, as it was the reading I gave them that was changed. No meter reader has been recently (they need to enter the house to read the electricity meter) Thanks for the thought though!

flyingjock1

if the reading is corrected and you are billed 350 kwhs higher ie they use the submitted read, what will cost you more? 350 kwhs at old supplier rates or 350 kwhs at new supplier rates. if the old supplier is cheaper then isnt this to your advantage. if its the other way round call your new supplier and see if they can dispute the change of supply read. if they do successfully dispute it and agree to start billing them from your submitted read then should notify the old supplier and your supplier should rebill up to that same read. at the end of the end you unfortunately have to have someone, just depends whats best for you

Possetjohn

Thanks Flyingjock1,

It is to my disadvantage so I have disputed their "corrected read"

However what would I have done if had been to my advantage? I like to think I would have still corrected it as morally I was still under contract to the old supplier. We are quick enough to jump on suppliers when they do things wrong!

Still my main question is has anyone else come across this as a practice by the new supplier to gain extra revenue?

I still don't understand it because even if they can access the meter readings made by the previous supplier then I still don't see how they could reasonably estimate 350kWh lower consumption in about 17 weeks

spiro

Your new supplier will get their Data Collector (company thay employs meter readers and processes meter reading) to validate any reading you submit including a CoS reading. It may be that their formula came up with a slightly different answer when checking if the reading is valid.

HappyMJ

Possetjohn wrote: »

Thanks Flyingjock1,

It is to my disadvantage so I have disputed their "corrected read"

However what would I have done if had been to my advantage? I like to think I would have still corrected it as morally I was still under contract to the old supplier. We are quick enough to jump on suppliers when they do things wrong!

Still my main question is has anyone else come across this as a practice by the new supplier to gain extra revenue?

I still don't understand it because even if they can access the meter readings made by the previous supplier then I still don't see how they could reasonably estimate 350kWh lower consumption in about 17 weeks

Normally when you switch you would switch to lower rates on a loss leading tariff. The supplier would be worse off if they charged you more at the new rate as they are making a loss trying to attract you by using low rates as an incentive to switch. So it's not normal practice.

t0rt0ise

I'm obviously not quite as honest as you, OP. My new supplier started supply on the 20th and I was given a 5 day window in which to give meter reads so I waited until the last moment on the 25th before doing so. My readings were accepted as given.

flyingjock1

At the end of the day as long as the new supplier starts u off from one read and the old supplier finalises the account on that read, it wont make that much difference because in reality when ur comparing annual costs you could throw a blanket over the big six suppliers. the difference will usually be minimal