EDF charging us for neighbours usage! Got a wrong meter no!

Marosu

We received a bill today. Have not had any for a while, but were paying agreed 70 pounds a month.
We live in 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat, just 2 adults and 2 little kids (2 and 5).
Amount shown on bill is whooping £1480


At firts I honestly thought that I am going to pass out and after initial shock started to investigate.
Checked bill, electricity reader meter...and found that EDF has not had the right meter number! Our # start with A08, and on bill there was one with A07....
Investigated a little bit more and realised that EDF was billing us for usage of flat no 3! (we are no 8) And it was much more than usage shown on our meter.


Checked back all the bills (we've been with EDF for only 2 years)...
They have messed up right from the beggining and even the etimate of 70 pounds was based on flat no3.

Obviously contacted them about everything, got a typical '4 to 8 weeks for them to resolve a problem'..


Can anyone advice me what the hell should We do?
All EDF told us was that this bill still has to be paid (by 6th of feb!).

And yes, it is partially our fault for not checking, but flat no 3 is in different part of building, with seperate entrance! How is it possible that they kep making same mistake?
And no 3 is not even with EDF!

Wywth

Marosu wrote: »

We received a bill today. Have not had any for a while, but were paying agreed 70 pounds a month.
We live in 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat, just 2 adults and 2 little kids (2 and 5).
Amount shown on bill is whooping £1480


At firts I honestly thought that I am going to pass out and after initial shock started to investigate.
Checked bill, electricity reader meter...and found that EDF has not had the right meter number! Our # start with A08, and on bill there was one with A07....
Investigated a little bit more and realised that EDF was billing us for usage of flat no 3! (we are no 8) And it was much more than usage shown on our meter.


Checked back all the bills (we've been with EDF for only 2 years)...
They have messed up right from the beggining and even the etimate of 70 pounds was based on flat no3.

Obviously contacted them about everything, got a typical '4 to 8 weeks for them to resolve a problem'..


Can anyone advice me what the hell should We do?
All EDF told us was that this bill still has to be paid (by 6th of feb!).

And yes, it is partially our fault for not checking, but flat no 3 is in different part of building, with seperate entrance! How is it possible that they kep making same mistake?
And no 3 is not even with EDF!

Ask them to hold your bill in dispute pending the resolution of your complaint

Cardew

Often it is not the utility company's fault when this situation occurs.

Where are your meters for your block located? All together, outside the flat enterance, or inside the flat

In blocks of new built flats the Utility company is told what meter numbers are allocated to each flat, by the builder/developer;
and often this can go unnoticed for years IF the occupants don't check their meter readings against the readings on the bill.

Indeed sometimes the occupants think that a meter is their meter when it is for another flat.

Write to EDF(email followed by snail mail) headed 'complaint' and say you are not paying the £1,480 until the matter is resolved. Also be aware that if you have signed a DD mandate they might try and take that money from your account - they have to tell you first.

[Deleted User]

Cardew is correct, and the one on the recieving end of very low bills keeps quiet about it, even though they may be well aware of the mess up

Marosu

Cardrew, our block of flats is quite new (built in 2008) and there are 2 entrances (one for flats 1-6 and one for 7-12). We dont share halls/staircases etc.
Meters are located on ground floor of communal hallways, in some sort of walk in cubbyhole. Every meter is described (by meter reader no and flat no)
On the ironic side, our cubbyhole is located literally next to my flats door.


Do you think that I should pay anything towards my electricity bill? Or just leave it, put money aside and wait for their answer?


Just Want to thank to everyone who took time to answer, i really apreaciate your help!

ValHaller

Marosu wrote: »

All EDF told us was that this bill still has to be paid (by 6th of feb!).

As the others say, put in in dispute. Do this by writing a simple letter, stating that their bill is in dispute because the readings do not come from your meter. Keep a copy. And don't pay anything, but do put money aside.

They could be cheeky and trash your credit rating or take you to court. In either case they would be very much in the wrong and would end up having to put things right.

Remember that the person telling you you have to pay is just a clueless droid whose word on this subject means nothing

Start now by taking readings on your meter every week, so you have some basis to check the estimates they will make to sort it out. Better still if you took opening meter readings when you moved in, dig them out now (you did take opening readings, didn't you?)

timjim

Was the meter number correct on bills from your previous supplier?

Marosu

Yes, it was correct from British Gas.

And yes, we took meter reading, but it was long,long ago.

What I am thinking about now is- how will we prove anything if they have not had a one proper meter reading from our meter? How will I prove that we have not had as much as they think we did.

At first we were paying 70 pounds a month, and at some point were even in credit. Now I am thinking that even that estimated 70 quid was based not on my family but on neighbours... And we dont waste power and water really.



Thank You All for great Help! I am useless when it comes to this stuff and that EDF stuff confused me even more!

ValHaller

Marosu wrote: »

Yes, it was correct from British Gas.

Then you need to dig out your closing bill from BG

Marosu

so if BG is alright then it was definitely EDFs fault?

Cardew

Marosu wrote: »

Yes, it was correct from British Gas.

And yes, we took meter reading, but it was long,long ago.

What I am thinking about now is- how will we prove anything if they have not had a one proper meter reading from our meter? How will I prove that we have not had as much as they think we did.

At first we were paying 70 pounds a month, and at some point were even in credit. Now I am thinking that even that estimated 70 quid was based not on my family but on neighbours... And we dont waste power and water really.



Thank You All for great Help! I am useless when it comes to this stuff and that EDF stuff confused me even more!

As said above if you can produce a BG bill with the correct meter number for your flat, you have a good case.

However when EDF took over from British Gas they would have used the end meter reading from BG as their(EDF) start reading, and there would have been a big discrepancy.

So I would be very surprised if the mix-up didn't occur in 2008 when the flats were built; and flat No 3 and flat No 8 have been paying each others bill since that date.

The original Utility company(BG?) would have no way of knowing that the information, on which meter belonged to which flat, they were given was incorrect. This is quite a common scenario.

The difficulty will be that Flat 3 is probably not with EDF. So they will need to contact that flat's supplier; and to complicate matters further, flat 3 could have changed suppliers and had several occupants.

Having written to them, just sit back and see what EDF propose - then post again on MSE.