Npower and a 2 year old bill

chanz4

undaunted wrote: »

But the customer says they had repeatedly contacted Npower (who don't appear to dispute that) what court is therefore going to consider them to have been stealing energy rather than querying Npowers failings here?

hence why I needed to clarify, as builders do put supplys in and attach their own meters ilegally. Inregards to the op and npower refusing backbill and saying they have been supplied under a year, when did the supply transfer to them?

As if it is under 1 year live on supply they are correct

Terrylw1

Pinkyeyes wrote: »

I just rang them up again and asked them to re-open my complaint, which they couldn't do, but they have started a new complaint for me. The woman I spoke to said it had already been to their back-billing team but they had rejected it as we had been with Npower for less than a year - I maintained my argument that I had not been billed for this energy use for over two years and therefore I should be protected by the billing code. Terrylw1 I had your post in front of me while on the phone and kept quoting bits to sound like I knew what I was talking about!
We shall wait and see what happens. I'm quite happy to go to the energy ombudsman now, providing the matter doesn't get satisfactorily resolved. I've got the bit between my teeth now.
Thanks again for all your help people!

Good work!

When you switch, it creates a reading either from you or a Deemed one from the suppliers agent. So, at this point, regardless of anything else, they had a final reading to bill you up to.

This should have prompted a bill from your start reading to the switch one.

The billing code & Ofgems policy on back billing clearly means that at that time, they could have only produced a bill for 12 months back from your switch date.

Now, if they don't do that and wait say 6 months...they can only bill you for years months up to the switch date...so the clock was ticking.

If they never sent a bill until Feb 2012, its tough as that's more than 12 months after your switch date.

They love to try it on and thwart the billing code & Ofgems policy. I've heard of cases where senior managers have agreed to do what they want, but stick to your guns and if they won't to go to the ombudsman, they will very quickly lose and cough up compensation.

Also, they have to pay a fee for a complaint to the ombudsman, which they are keen to avoid as its a lot more than the compensation they tend to give out. Ombudsman complaints are also reported monthly for public view and affect their star ratings.

If they still won't do it...come back on here and I'll add a link to Ofgems
policy so you have that as well as Jalexa's link to the billing code.

Have a read of the billing code and make some notes. It points out what the customer must do and must not do. In your complaint to the ombudsman, against this, add your points about contact/readings, etc.

Dud you get any bills before the debt collectors? If so, what date.

I don't believe you are liable for any of it. However, another point to mention is that 12 months can include consumption that is playing catch up from years before. Its very important to ensure its a fair consumption value.

undaunted

chanz4 wrote: »

Inregards to the op and npower refusing backbill and saying they have been supplied under a year, when did the supply transfer to them?

As if it is under 1 year live on supply they are correct

Hmm, looking at it again I think I can see why you / they may say that though it isn't how I interpreted the original post.

O.P. can you clarify whether you moved in October 2009 and did switch the gas supply in June 2010 but debt collectors were not asked to chase for payment until 2011

or was there some problem with the gas switch which meant Npower were still registered as supplying even though you may have been paying / believed you were supplied by someone else?

Were any bills sent out to anyone by Npower during the above times do you know?

Terrylw1

Chanz is thinking about a shipper less one hence theft as no allocated charges from distributor to elec I think.

If the customer did switch the gas, it would be a fresh registration rather than a switch as the MPRN would be a skeleton record i.e. not fully completed for trading purposes.

Even if the 2nd supplier did this, it wouldn't change the scenario in terms of the customer to supplier relationship.

It would be good if the OP can clarify though.