Edf billing woe

jalexa

Sound familiar?

A useful "heads-up" on Back Billing.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2208625/ASK-TONY-EDF-Energy-stopped-paper-bills--said-I-owed-2-161.html

Terrylw1

Yes,

I particularly liked how the did their best to blame the customer for something did neither asked for nor authorised!

Back billing, like ERA, is a bit of a farce. ERA is just a load of suppliers working together for their best interests as the consumer thinks they are working towards Best Practice.

Ofgem very strictly told suppliers it was 12 months after changing it from 2 years.

How did suppliers respond? They set up ERA and wrote a back billing policy that stated if you had payed on DD whilst not being billed you only get any surplus written off.

How is that fair when the Receipt Of Bill customer gets a full write off? They know customers want the DD benefits so penalise them this way. I guess they take no responsibility for causing both types of customer the same distress.

I see this as a breach to the discriminating terms SLC but since it says in there "it needs defining" and its now expired without any new protection (that I know of), they got away with it and have even more ability to now.

My thoughts on this are that its an integrity issue or open to perversion by the money grabbing. They know that the average person doesn't understand their rights in this sector. MSE is doing a great job as a forum by telling consumers what they can do.

I've said on other threads, I've see senior managers insist on full back billing opposing the code. I recall one saying it was their remit to make such decisions...which I would have thought is only the CEO's remit personally which would mean backing out of the code.

jalexa

Terrylw1 wrote: »

Ofgem very strictly told suppliers it was 12 months after changing it from 2 years.

How did suppliers respond? They set up ERA and wrote a back billing policy that stated if you had payed on DD whilst not being billed you only get any surplus written off.

Have you got a link to the "12 months". I believe that to be right but searched the full SLC and could not find anything relevant.

Terrylw1

jalexa wrote: »

Have you got a link to the "12 months". I believe that to be right but searched the full SLC and could not find anything relevant.

They never included it into SLC's.

It was a directive issued, which had press coverage.

Ofgem found that suppliers were doing whatever they wanted up to the statue of limitations so directed a 2 year maximum that later became 1 year.

It was actually Energywatch who forced this situation by publishing their supercomplaint to Ofgem.

I recall, they also directed suppliers to set up the ombudsman service. I'm not sure how this part worked but if it wasn't governed by Ofgem, it might give us an insight into why the ombudsman seems poor...or possibly tactical, since they seem to favour the supplier looking at some threads on this board.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2929568/Ofgem-chief-executive-Alistair-Buchanan-replies.html

It seems Ofgem directed suppliers to sort themselves out or face regulation. ERA was round under an earlier guise so I guess in updating policies to cover this, Ofgem backed down. I do remember seeing an article where Ofgem expressed confidence in self regulation.

Here is Ofgem's response to the supercomplaint. If you can't open this, Google "Ofgem Supercomplaint".

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:ppY01tojiXgJ:www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/Compet/Documents1/11070-16305.pdf+energywatch+supercomplaint&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESj9I_eZtezqDAxPfCtUu4309isWW0o7Ql0rDEDf0a72v1i3eehTXSHv7VYAq5tumzJlEGX0NQKjofQjoKrjg7FpXm-xwOR6vrQBkhZ6S9H0M7kZ7kWQgDxcb82hzpqRfYpC5w3I&sig=AHIEtbQiM24JHEbixrmCCIN0DnbbOzPiLg&pli=1

StevieJ

I didn't realise there was a 12 month rule, I haven't had a gas bill for 13 months since I transferred over (after numerous phone calls), I have just turned the heating up

wakeupalarm

EDF should have their license to trade as an energy company revoked. They are totally incompetent.

StevieJ

StevieJ wrote: »

I didn't realise there was a 12 month rule, I haven't had a gas bill for 13 months since I transferred over (after numerous phone calls), I have just turned the heating up

They must be reading this board, just received my bill covering Sept2011- Sept2012 using my initial reading with an E by it

jalexa

StevieJ wrote: »

They must be reading this board, just received my bill covering Sept2011- Sept2012 using my initial reading with an E by it

Did you get a closing bill from the losing supplier? Based on who's reading? How does the Edf Estimate compare?

StevieJ

jalexa wrote: »

Did you get a closing bill from the losing supplier? Based on who's reading? How does the Edf Estimate compare?

Yes, I received a cheque, that was all settled 12 months ago. The EDF estimate is the figure I supplied , it was new meter so not much risk downside for them.

StevieJ

StevieJ wrote: »

Yes, I received a cheque, that was all settled 12 months ago. The EDF estimate is the figure I supplied , it was new meter so not much risk downside for them.

By estimate I mean the opening reading.