southern electris terrible company need some advice

leahkn

I was quite happy with my elctric and gas supplier before I got a unwanted knock on the door back in 2009. The door sales man wouldn;t take no for answer kept insisting I talk with him as their company could save me so much money and that I was paying a crazy amount for my electric with my current provider EDF but I thought my bills were reasonably normal. So he came into the house talking rates and so what, I am never good when approached by sales men anyway and felt quite uncomfortable and just wanted to get him away. Everything he was saying did sound good and appealing at the time so stupidly I signed and that was it he said I didnt have to do another thing and someone would take a reading shortly after. Anyway few weeks later I get letter to welcome me, a letter from EDF saying sorry your leaving us. Then i get a man from southern electric turn up to read my meter. Then month down the line I get a final bill from EDF and two weeks later a Bill from Southern. The bill from EDf was reasonable can't remember the exact amount. But then I get two new bills from both companies which were extremely high. Apparently the doughnut who had read the meter had left a digit out and the bills were all wrong. Some how I dont even still understand how but I ended up with a over 300 bill for EDF and over 200 from Southern. Being a stay at home mum out of work I really struggled to pay the money back to both and If they had just listened to No when i said I wouldn't have these two crazy bills. Anyway over the year I paid back EDF and was paying 40 a month to southern, but oviously every three months i would recieve a new bill from Southern and the money i owed was just never coming down. They kept sending snarky letters and when I called to sort out arrangement they were adament that I paid 40 a fortnight. That was just crazy and they werent helpful or working with me to what I could manage. Now in February 2012 I still owe 130 and they have been making me pay 83 a month for past 8 months. Its crazy how I am only just about to be up to date with my payments and I have been so out of pocket for the last two years. And my bills are definetly not lower like they had promised. I looked on the website and saw that people had been in same situation and complained and had good results, but have I left it too long and I joined them in July 2009 is this out of the dates. Help what can I do about this or can I not do anything?

thanks for reading

dogshome

No you haven't left it too long, but it does make it more work to sort out what seems to be a problem with EDF's End Readings & Southerns Start Readings

When you joined Southern they took a meter reading, (which later they revised?). Southern should have passed these readings onto EDF, so that EDF's Final Bill readings were the same as Southern's Start reading

It seems you haven't kept EDF's Bills, so write to them asking for copies of all the bills they issued to you for the year before you left them - They have to supply these
The same thing applies if you haven't kept Southerns bills

When you get them check that the meter reading on EDF's Final Bill, is the same as the Start Reading on Southerns first bill - If there is any difference Write a common letter headed Complaint to both
EDF and Southern

Terrylw1

Agree with the above, but call and ask them both to tell you the readings so you know now and don't wait on the bills.

Its not going to be possible for both companies to revise a change if supply reading that causes both sides to generate a high bill, it would be one or the other. Do its likely this has gone wrong on both sides, they have both set you up on different reads and it could be that there is even an overlap (new supplier opening reading lower than the old supplier) hence you pay both for the same energy in error.

Now it is too late as they only have 12 months to raise a dispute for you, however this doesn't mean you can't get it changed and resolved, it just means the suppliers do a change for you that is internal only as opposed you using the disputed readings process which also corrects their energy payments.

Can't say anymore without you posting the readings but I suspect thy won't match and that the suppluers have done something wrong and got themselves out of such with what the meter was actually doing.

Are your meter readings now matching your meter?

You can complain to the ombudsman, but you need to look at this so you can find the error.

leahkn

Thanks for replys. I will contact both companies like you said and get copies of bills. I am normally quite organised and I have all my bills up to january 2010 but unfortunately i must of thrown the others. My meter readings now are matching my bills but this is mainly due to me calling and giving them readings and not the company keeping check.

thanks