Southern Gas

barry1

Hi

Can anyone help just received a huge bill from southern gas,it was a final bill as I switched suppler when I moved.

I was paying £78 alone for my gas supply by direct debit,the house was a small 1 bedroom property after reading around this forum that’s seems high so how come I now have a gas bill over £500.

The email below is the email I received back from southern gas can anyone help please?


Thank you for your email, I have looked into the gas bill for you and can confirm that the bill has been produced using accurate readings provided to us.

The bills from when the account opened with us right up until January 2010 we all estimated as we were unable to gain access.

The balance on the account has been quite high since this catch up bill as it seems that the estimated bills were estimated too low.

If you are unable to pay the balance in full I can look into arranging a payment plan for you if this helps.

Kind Regards

jalexa

barry1 wrote: »

Have you paid £78/month every month since the day you moved in?

Do you recall receiving the estimated bills prior to 2010 referred to by Southern? If so did you choose to ignore the clear thumbs down reference to estimated readings?

During the period Southern had a statutory responsibility to "make every effort" to read the meter at least once every 2 years. Can you see evidence from the billing that was achieved? When (if) it was what was the account balance and was the monthly payment adjusted?

These are not trick questions. A £500 final bill for a 1 bedroom property having paid £78/month for gas only on the face of it deserves a better answer than you have been given but you will need to post more billing information to get meaningful help.

[Deleted User]

they estimated bills for 43 months thats only an extra £11 a month on top of your £78,doesnt sound to unrealistic

chanz4

They say every attempt to get in, as its within the 2 years they should be covered and as now actuals you will be liable

jalexa

chanz4 wrote: »

They say every attempt to get in, as its within the 2 years they should be covered and as now actuals you will be liable

If you are implying the OP is a bit vague on readings I agree, but I don't agree with the point as you have made it. The Southern email implies an actual read at January 2010. It is inconceivable that an actual read after numerous estimates wouldn't generate either a review or a more accurate estimate. And 2 years after January 2010 is January 2012, so any sign of another review? Apparently not.

Southern have admitted estimating low after a catch-up bill. I think that breaches the SSE version of the billing code. I'm not saying Southern are guilty but I think they are in the dock and the jury is still out.

chanz4

But if every attempt has been made to obtain reads from the op, as long as they have failed flows saying a m/reader has attempted the op is up the lake without a paddle

Terrylw1

chanz4 wrote: »

But if every attempt has been made to obtain reads from the op, as long as they have failed flows saying a m/reader has attempted the op is up the lake without a paddle

Yes, I agree, as long as they made every attempt and pursued a warrant.

If not, they've failed the obligation.

Its a bit vague and the OP states its a final bill from a switch. So, is this a change of tenancy? Or is it a switch in which case it could be a Deemed reading issue. They say Actual but in some billing systems, a closing reading can default to an Actual despite being an estimate, so there may be another issue in there somewhere.