Electricity bill

caroline_tyler

please can any one help me;
i pay my electricity bill 1/4 which i have paid each time. the other day the man came to read my electric, making a comment about not being able to find us, and that the bill would be high!
I rang british gas who supply my electricity, who said the bill bill would be approx £1900.00, my i ask;
because the meter was last read in march 02, he said in march 03 some one rang a reading through, which i didn,t do, so thats rubish.
Do any of you know if this can be challenged, are they legally required to read the bill, if so how long in between and how long can they go back for, and at what rate.
This is causing me a great headacke, although i still haven't had a bill!

Kandyfloss_2

It isn't your fault that they cannot find your property to read the meter, but then again it isn't their fault that you haven't contacted them in years to offer them an accurate reading, I presume that your previous statements have read as estimated readings. If I were in your situation, once I got my bill, decide before contacting them how much you could afford to pay off the debt, Call them up ask to speak to a manager or complaints dept. Demand that they offer you a reduction, ( the company that I work for would knock off 25% at a push in this senario) If they don't budge, advise them that that they are giving you no alternative but to seek the help and advice of energywatch, and they may start to back track. (Only once they have agreed a reduction,) you then offer to pay a reasonable amount off the debt either then or within the next fortnight, and if you end up involving energy watch, you will at least appear to be serious about paying the debt. Good Luck,

tripled

They are supposed to read your meter every two years, which should give you some leverage.