With Npower, got bill from British Gas & warrant

jalexa

chanz4 wrote: »

I work for a network

If a customer phones the DNO helpline, as well as finding out the current registered supplier, can they be informed of how long the current supplier has been registered?

Terrylw1

jalexa wrote: »

If a customer phones the DNO helpline, as well as finding out the current registered supplier, can they be informed of how long the current supplier has been registered?

Yes, the ECOES system all suppliers use will show them a complete history of suppliers including dates and any Erroneous Transfers (ET). The distribution company can tell them this.

Since it used be Southern and they stopped billing, it could be that Bgas have Erroneously Transferred them. Whilst this is an aged scenario, the concept of customer agreement remains the same...its the correcting part that is the issue if over 14 months.

If it proves to be an ET, Npower's contract is kind of moot now. A supplier can't register retrospectively which means anything up to a fresh registration with them must be Bgas or Southern. Certainly it will be Bgas over the 14 month period but they shouldn't be paid as they caused their own loss. In an ombudsman complaint, where this is likely to need to go as its a matter of suppliers who won't agree to a single solution, its likely they will determine who would hold the least material impact to the customer from 14 months up to the fresh registration and for the crystallised period, insist Bgas match the cheapest solution if its not them.
Npower are also likely to want a new contract. This could even mean detrimental impact.

The customer has also got any dual fuel discounts to consider which may need to be compensated for.

I wonder why its taken Bgas so long to get to this stage? Unless Bgas registered when Npower should have, which seems unlikely, why did Southern finalise?

OP - I think you need to determine all of this with the final bills, Bgas's start date, etc.

To check your suppliers through this period, click on the map and then use the 2nd link for contact details.

http://www.energylinx.co.uk/electricity_distribution_map.htm

http://www.energylinx.co.uk/distribution_network_operators.htm

I suggest you keep posting as this is a very complex scenario older than 14 months. There are industry rules prohibiting a full correction so you need to understand these in order to draft a solution to prevent losing out.

chanz4

When et back to a supplier, they start as if you never left. Ecoes contains all info, including meter changes, objections and registrations. xoserve contains all of the above including aq's

matty_hunt

Thanks for all the info. Its very much appreciated.
Heres the update:
Southern Electric (SE) is the regional supplier/distributor. They stopped supplying her in January 2008 when she tried to switch to Scottish Power, as previously detailed. According to SE this is when British Gas (BG) took over the supply. She has never had dealings with, or any correspondence from BG. According to BG, the account name for her property was changed to Mr X in November 2009. Again no literature was ever sent to my friend. Earlier this year, 2012, she started getting all the letters addressed to Mr X which she returned. Eventually they sent one addressed to Mr X/the occupier which brings us up to date.
When talking to SE distribution they would not tell me when BG took over so I had to ring BG. Whilst not giving anything away about this situation the chap did give me all the dates and suggested the name change in November 2009 was an error.

matty_hunt

Also, the bill BG have sent to the occupier state, "Your first electricity bill - estimated" From November 09 it is estimated up to June 2010 when they took a meter reading. Another reading in Sept 2011 finishing in an estimate Dec 2011. So, given there are no meter readings (that Im aware of) from Jan 08 to June 2010, do you think there would be grounds to also dispute their start estimate at November 09?

Thanks.

jalexa

matty_hunt wrote: »

do you think there would be grounds to also dispute their start estimate at November 09?

I think that is irrelevant. Given the facts it appears to be me that there should be backbilling relief to a maximum of 12 months from when your friend receives the first bill from British Gas.

I still commend the complaint approach described in an earlier post, in particular "open questions". Once you have proof of the verbal answers given, IMO British Gas are obliged to offer backbilling relief, or rather it would be a breach of regulations not to, but you need to give British Gas an opportunity to shoot themselves in the foot.

nPower

Hi matty_hunt,

This all sound very confusing!

If you can send me the details to [EMAIL="forumresponse@npower.com"]forumresponse@npower.com[/EMAIL], I can check the account this end and see what is what, and why the electricity doesn't seem to have come over to npower.

Many thanks,

Adam

undaunted

jalexa wrote: »

I think that is irrelevant. Given the facts it appears to be me that there should be backbilling relief to a maximum of 12 months from when your friend receives the first bill from British Gas.

I still commend the complaint approach described in an earlier post, in particular "open questions". Once you have proof of the verbal answers given, IMO British Gas are obliged to offer backbilling relief, or rather it would be a breach of regulations not to, but you need to give British Gas an opportunity to shoot themselves in the foot.

I think I agree with Jalexa approach in light of your latest posts.

Does the meter no. for Mr X bills match that of your friends?

If it does then it may be that British Gas have somehow come to supply the property, the readings / consumption are correct etc even if the addressee was wrong.

If it doesn't match however then perhaps they should be billing Mr X at some other address & I'd want the mess unravelled before I agreed to pay them / some other potential supplier comes along wanting to bill it to.

The fact your friend hasn't queried the lack of an electricity bill in 4 years would seem to present a possible barrier to back billing rules being applicable to me.

jalexa

undaunted wrote: »

The fact your friend hasn't queried the lack of an electricity bill in 4 years would seem to present a possible barrier to back billing rules being applicable to me.

Now I don't know whether you are agreeing with me or not.:D

Anyway the only contact could have been with NPower and we don't know the answer to that. There were no grounds for querying lack of billing with British Gas. On the contrary, the poster reports diligently returning Mr X's mail and then making telephone contact with British Gas on the first occasion of a "to the occupier" letter, to which the poster reports that the British Gas so called adviser "advised" her to "ignore it". (Though I fear retrospective proof of that may prove difficult).

Regarding "backbilling" (or indeed any difficult issue) I advocate a "setting a trap" strategy, not necessarily as mischievous as it seems, but principally providing the supplier an opportunity to answer an open question and carefully noting the answer, then subsequently attempting to exploit the answer. So we need to see the British Gas proposal to fully address this issue in its entirety.

I don't advocate distraction for the OP, but from a negotiating stance, underpinned by the threat of Energy Ombudsman referral, I would expect the "entirety" to include backbilling relief to 12 months and a minumum £100 Distress & Inconvenience award.

I note the NPower rep has offered to investigate from an NPower perspective.

Terrylw1

The Npower rep can only advise why they never gained the MPAN, beyond that they are not involved.

This is a very complex issue because their are industry barriers in the way...namely the
14 month crystallisation one.

Technically, Bgas have ET'd this and have no legal contract. Given the length of time, an ombudsman may decide that a customer has accepted the supplier by making no effort to the contrary. However, in this case the customer returned everything to them so they didn't ignore it. The only other issue to consider is the fact the customer didn't pursue the supplier they thought they had contracted who would have either switched them or alerted them to the ET issue which could have been reversed fully.

So, you've got Bgas wanting their money and Npower wanting to pursue that contract. I doubt that contract would be classed as legal now...I'll check this to see if there is anything in the SLC's. However, a customer could be bullied over this and I think a 3rd party decision may be needed since Bgas will happily slap lots of charges on that they are not entitled to (perhaps they could have called at some point?)

Given these name issues, and I wonder if a name other than the OP's was on there before, they may be contacting the wrong place. An address change would complicate it further.

A complaint is the only way here, perhaps to both suppliers to enable a referral to the ombudsman at the same time?

I suggest you also determine whether your Npower rates would have cost you more or less than Bgas. In resolving this, a solution might be to stick with Bgas as long as they honour the Npower rates and allow you to switch without prejudice with all collection charges waived.

It can't be reversed now so would need to be a fresh future registration to Npower. So, its very important to address the period prior to this so you don't lose out.

Suggest you also pick holes in Bgas's contact points and time delays with bills to cut down anything you can.

Back billing will easily apply here given there will be no legal contract in place.