EON claiming for slow running meter

headache5678

A friend is worried, having got a large "surcharge" energy bill and final demand from Eon (addressed to him as EXecutor for the deceased's estate).

His mother died in September 2009, probate and selling of her home took 2.5 years and a new owner moved in around March 2012. During the 2.5 years, when the property was mostly left empty, the gas CH was left on a low heat and lower than average bills were paid when submitted by Eon.

Out of the blue, after a new owner moved in, Eon claimed that the energy meter had been running slow during the 2.5 years and hence an large bill (and final demand) arrived based on estimated readings. Eon do no seem to accept that energy comsumption would have been lower when the home was unoccupied.

So, keeping it simple, I wonder:

---

Is a customer liable if a meter is actually running slow (and it has not been tampered with) ?

Presumably Eon could only know, for sure, if a meter was running slow if they had tested the meter physically. Even then, woudl there be any way of knowing how long the meter had been running slowly ?

Is it even conceivable that some bonus-driven person in Eon HQ has just done some variance analysis, noting that bills were lower over a certain period and - without any factual basis - just sent out an extra bill ?

Any tips would be much appreciated.

Sweey_as_a_nut

Yes I think I would contest that demand, and tell them to take you to court. All you need tell the court is, the truth.

antrobus

As far as I'm aware there is something called the 'back billing code' which can (in most circumstances) limit the ability of a utility to bank bill to one year's worth. Friend should make a formal complaint to E.On, and follow up with a complaint to the energy ombudsman if E.On don't drop the charges.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi headache5678

I would certainly ask your friend to check this.

Meters can run slowly and, where this has been established, there's a mechanism in place for estimating usage over the period in question.

This is done by a specialist team and, must admit, not sure what the formula is they use but do know it takes into account things like seasonal fluctuations.

However, from what you've said, this doesn't seem a straightforward case as the property has been empty for a long period.

Do you know if we've been taking regular meter readings? If we have, do you know if the meter reader mentioned the possibility of the meter running slowly during any visits?

Well over two years seems a long period if we were seeing the meter regularly.

I agree with antrobus. Ask if the Billing Code applies. This is where we're at fault for not billing correctly. If we are, we'll not back bill for any energy used more than 12 months from the date the issue was corrected.

Not saying this is the case but certainly worth asking the question.

Suggest you talk to our Director's Office about this (contact details are on the bills). They work Saturdays until 4pm if that helps.

Hope this points you in the right direction. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help.

Malc

Terrylw1

Hang on a minute, we need to find out a bit more first.

How do they actually know this? Ask the new owner if the meter has been changed. If a faulty meter has been detected, its been tested by an engineer and he would replace it once the tests were proved & agreed.

If the same meter is onsite and the new owner knows nothing of this, its very very dodgy. In determining if back billing is needed, the supplier first needs to test that meter. Claiming a meter is running slow purely from readings is incorrect, it would only trigger an investigation that could lead to a meter test.

In terms of estimation, suppliers can do this based on past billing or monitoring the new meter. The whole method must be explained to you since estimation may be conducted without using consumption from a relevant season...so if the supplier uses a winter period to estimate over the year, you will get overcharged. So, never pay these adjustments without being aware what it has been created from.

Another point is the status of the customer. Any back billing into the deceased's usage falls under dealing with deceased debt. You should check the legal situation here on a readjusted debt where assets still exist, before you pay anything. Anything for the period after though would fall to who inherited that asset, since they are the new owner who should have set an account up with the supplier since they enter a Deemed contract.

Did Eon know about your status as executor? If so, this really doesn't seem like a sensitive way to handle this.

jalexa

headache5678 wrote: »

Out of the blue, after a new owner moved in, Eon claimed that the energy meter had been running slow during the 2.5 years and hence an large bill (and final demand) arrived based on estimated readings.

One thing you haven't mentioned is whether the (executor) account was closed to actual readings.

You mentioned "gas CH" and then "energy account". For the avoidance of doubt I assume by "energy" you mean gas. For gas the only way to determine meter inaccuracy as fact is for the meter to be exchanged and the "faulty" meter tested. *Probably* it is outside so easy to check the current meter serial number, though access with the new owners consent is preferable.

Then drive this on documentary accuracy including bill clarity on any meter exchange. Once clarity has been achieved that is the time to consider the reasonableness of the E.ON claim.

One thing is already clearly not reasonable from your post is that slow running "recovery" is not a unilateral claim but is subject to negotiation (because the "start point" is unknown as fact) and there is a clear mitigating argument in the case but no mention of negotiation.

Could the E.ON rep please confirm or clarify the policy of that point.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi jalexa

In situations like this where certain variables are involved, discussion with the customer is vital.

As I said earlier, in the circumstances described, we work to a formula to estimate usage but will always take the customer's views into consideration to, hopefully, reach a mutually acceptable outcome.

Hope this answers your question.

Malc

Terrylw1

There is always a formula before contact is made, otherwise every member of staff would do something different and their would be no way to ensure quality. Its a question of the steps in the working practice.

Typical methods involve using any periods known to be accurate over the past 2 years accounting for seasonal variance. Where this data is not available, it can be taken by monitoring readings from the new meter but this way is unreliable since it requires a multiplication over the period underbilled hence applying a fraction to increase or decrease the value dependent on when the monitoring has taken place and whether there are lower or higher seasonal periods.

If all else fails, there are industry agreed values, which Jalexa will know from another thread, and this EAC is known as the Group Average Annual EAC.