prepayment card meter confusion

tali

was using a prepayment card meter my gas- so i used to top up with minimum £20 when it was running out, but when i recieved my quartely bills from powergen i was always in credit by around £60- £100 - my top ups shown were correct - but how could i be in credit when the payments are on a as and when required use ? - i queired this with powergen and they sent me a refund cheque for £60 - but a few months later they were puzzled as to how i got a refund cheque (they didn't ask for return)
1 i use £20 top up
2 gas is running out top up again £20 , it is possible to be in credit by a few pounds perhaps but £60- £100 ?

BexTech

About 8 - 10 years back it was common place to get into credit like this, however lately due to recent rapid price rises it's now more common to actually be in debit - still owe money when the statement comes.

Both are simply due to the rate the meter is programmed with is different to the rate you are actually charged. In your situation the rate on the meter is higher that the rate you are on.

For example your meter maybe set to deduct from your credit at 3p/KWh, yet PowerGen's tariff for you is only 2p/KWh. So when you have used up £20 on the meter, you should really of only paid £13.34, so you are in credit by £6.66, this happens continuously until you get your bill. Where it will list how much you have paid in meter top-ups and then works out how much you have used and works out the cost, which is less than you paid in, so you are in credit.

As said above the last few years, it been usual for people not to have had their meters updated (either the company never sent out the update card or the customer didn't know they had to use the update card (if that type of meter) or the meter hadn't been updated by other means), and their meter was deducting a lower rate than it should, for example only deducting 2p/KWh instead of 3p/KWh, so when the bill comes, they actually still owed money.

tali

thanks for detailed clarification