EON ESTIMATING BILL SINCE 2010 NOW SENT A BILL FOR £1277 which we really can't afford

Gavin_and_denise

Hi everyone
I hope someone can help me with this,we have just received a bill from eon for £1277 which we are totally shocked with. I phoned eon who said they have been estimating our usage since 2010 as they say they have been unable to access the meter for readings. I don't believe they have been trying to read the meter as I have never had a card left through the door or any evidence they have attempted to contact me for a reading. I missed the reader last month although this time they did leave a card and I rang eon with the reading hence the £1277 bill I have told eon that nobody has ever been here while I was home for a meter reading and no cards ever left so I find that totally unacceptable that they can just say the attempted to read the meter and estimate for this lenth of time which has put us in unaffordable debt. I read unline about a billing code that says they can only estimate reading for 1 yrs although they are saying this does not apply to me as they say they attempted to read the meter although I totally disagree as if they would of attempted and left a card I would of rang with reading straight away as I did when the caller finally left a card. I hope someone has some advice for us we would really appreciate it. Thanks all for now regards

lstar337

You should be able to work out a payment plan with them.

I'm guessing this bill is to catch up after they have recently read your meter and found their estimations have been under. If that is the case, then you used the energy, and should pay the bill. The bill is only high because you have been undercharged for so long.

If this is a bill based on yet more estimations, then you should read the meter yourself and let them know your actual usage so they can change the bill for you.

Gavin_and_denise

Hi thanks for your time replying, i really dont agree i obviously have used the electric but up to 4 yrs ago so I would of rather they billed me at the time of usage not 4 yrs later?? so what's the billing code for? That states energy companies can only backdate charges for estimated reading for 1yr which would stop people getting into debt as I was never aware that I could get in this much debt with eon shurely they have a duty to read meter regularly so customers don't get in debt. As they have experience in this I don't. If I knew this could happen I would of been ringing with the reading myself very few months. I am shocked they can just make no effort to read meter for nearly 4 yrs then just stump us with this unaffordable bill. Thanks again regards

MillicentBystander

I know it's shutting the stable door blah blah blah but this thread is a clear demonstration as to why customers really DO need to take charge of their household consumption and report it to their supplier. I genuinely would like to see house builders being forced to make sure energy meters are not in out of the way places and easily visible. I guarantee you that if every household was put on pre-payment meters today the energy consumption of UK households in total would plummet overnight. For good reason, I call the 'hidden' energy meter the ticking time bomb in every house. I genuinly also believe it's about time energy suppliers were forced to give financial incentives for regular meter reads, like they do with DD payers..

Anyway, rant over. No chance of the 12 month back billing rule coming into play here as you have been charged (albeit wrongly). This is just a matter of trying to agree a payment plan with the supplier that is mutually acceptable. And surely a lesson learned in that the meter is not to be ignored and it really is up to the householder to ensure their bills are based on correct consumption.

PS One positive to bear in mind here - you have effectively been given a £1277 interest free loan!

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Hi Gavin and denise,

There is already some pretty good info on here, but just wanted to clarify.

It sounds like you have received a catch up bill after your account had been billed to under estimates. Your bills will have shown that you have been charged to estimated readings and not accurate readings, have you been receiving your bills?

The billing code won't apply if we have been sending your bills and have attempted to read your meter at least once in the last 2 years, we received information electronically to inform us if we have attempted to read the meter.

Have you ever given us readings throughout this period of time?

I agree that you should be billed for the usage for the correct period, this bill should have cancelled out the previous estimated and re-billed from the last accurate up to this accurate. However, some of the reads will have to estimates for price change dates etc.

I understand this is a lot to have to pay, and we should be offering you a longer than normal payment arrangement to cover your ongoing usage and to pay the debt off monthly.

How much have you been paying per month/week?

I hope this helps.

Helena

Cardew

Gavin_and_denise wrote: »

I read unline about a billing code that says they can only estimate reading for 1 yrs although

The 12 month back-billing clause in the billing code only applies if the utility company have made a mistake or not sent you bills.

The bills would have shown they were estimated meter readings - normally denoted by an (E). The 'small print' states that you should inform the company if they were not correct readings.

Have they calculated the arrears using the various rates per kWh that were charged over the last 3 years; rather than all at today's kWh rate?

Often in cases like this, where it is impossible to determine the correct meter reading at the various dates of a price rise, you might be able to negotiate a reduced 'goodwill' lump sum to pay back and clear your arrears. For instance for a, say, 20% reduction in the £1,277 it would be worth paying off your debt - even if you had to borrow the money.

RupertTheCat

Quite honestly you need to submit your own readings regularly. I do this every time my monthly bill comes through the door, so at least once a month. You do have to take some responsibility for ensuring your readings are correct.

I can understand such a huge bill is horrific, but it's not surprising after 4 years of estimations. The only thing to do, as you have used the power, is arrange a payment plan.

Fire_Fox

Gavin_and_denise wrote: »

Hi thanks for your time replying, i really dont agree i obviously have used the electric but up to 4 yrs ago so I would of rather they billed me at the time of usage not 4 yrs later?? so what's the billing code for? That states energy companies can only backdate charges for estimated reading for 1yr which would stop people getting into debt as I was never aware that I could get in this much debt with eon shurely they have a duty to read meter regularly so customers don't get in debt. As they have experience in this I don't. If I knew this could happen I would of been ringing with the reading myself very few months. I am shocked they can just make no effort to read meter for nearly 4 yrs then just stump us with this unaffordable bill. Thanks again regards

Unfortunately it's your responsibility to read your meters, check your bills are accurate, moderate your usage if you cannot afford it. You have daily access to the property supplier is off site, is supposed to read the meters only every two years, they do not have to remind you to submit readings.

Backbilling applies if you have not received bills or major mistake on the bills, you have received them and there should be a mark (perhaps E or A) showing that the reading is estimated or actual. Always read your bills carefully, don't just look at the amount and throw them in a drawer.

spiro

I know that with BGs t&cs they state you must provide meter readings twice a year. Over the last couple of years suppliers have improved their bills so use of an estimated reading is more obvious. Too many people who pay by DD get their statement and just file it without bother to checking the meter readings and then end up with a large catch up bill. This forum gets flooded with threads about this every so often.

As others have said we all need to take some responsibilty for our own lives. A PPM or Smart will stop this happening going forward.

lstar337

spiro wrote: »

A PPM or Smart will stop this happening going forward.

This is one of the reasons why I actually like having a prepay meter. I always know where I stand, I can investigate when usage changes because I have instant feedback, and it is one less bill to worry about.

dogshome

As pointed out by most of these posts, I'm afraid you are stuck with the £1277 bill.
However, you can negotiate to pay it off over a period - Suppliers will usually agree to it being paid off over 12 months - £107 a month? - But if pushed will sometimes agree to a longer period, so if you can't afford £107 work out what you can afford and make them an offer

It's important than when you have agreed the installment level & period, that you get Eon to confirmed this in WRITING - A verbal agreement on the phone isn't good enough and can lead to aggressive demands for all the money because some didn't put a note on the file, or failed to read it.