Overcharging Nightmare, Help!!

micklad_2

MY elderly parents are being driven to ill health by worry over Electricity bills that are completely unreasonable and very likely due to a faulty meter.The supplier is dragging its heels over addressing the problem
They Live in a modern well insulated apartment block and use Swalec for an Economy 10 tariff which they are stuck with as most companies dont do that tariff which their system runs on.

Their bills are hundreds of pounds a month for Electricity and there's absolutely no explanation for it. After contacting Swalec and the Energy Ombudsman they are at breaking point after receiving patronising advice about how to cut fuel bills.:mad:

After monitoring their usage they are using two to three pounds worth of electricity a day...no problem, however over a 2 to 3 day period over the weekend this shot up to £170 worth of electricity, with absolutely no extra usage on their part.
They only use lights & hot water for showers. They have stopped cooking, use the launderette for laundry,and the heating has been off since the end of Feb, resulting in them spending a very cold March wrapped in blankets. This situation has been going on for over 3 years now, they are close to bankruptcy and are truly in extreme fuel poverty.

Help where do we go from here.? All serious comments appreciated thanks. Mick.

Pineapple88

What have Swalec said their annual usage is in kwh?
Do you have an actual meters readings that you can post here so we can see usage? Particularly the ones from the 2/3 days period when they used £170 worth of electricity?

What was their usage like before the problem started? Do you have any old bills to compare their usage now and them (in kwh not £)?

What have SWALEC and the Ombudsman have said is the cause of the usage? Electric heating will always be more expensive than gas so bear that in mind when comparing with your own or others usage.

It may be possible that they are billing the peak and off peak rates incorrectly. I'm someone else here or SWALEC will be able to tell you how to check because I'm not familiar with E10 meters. Ultimately though the best way to get to the bottom of it may be to have the meter checked. Most companies charge for this (although often they will refund the charge) if your meter is found to be faulty. As long as you are adamant that you want a check meter installed and make clear that you are willing to pay for it then they should install one.

If your parents receive certain benefits you could look at fuel direct through the DWP. They will take a certain amount to cover the arrears and a certain amount to cover usage. Here is some more info on it:
http://cfe.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5488/~/information-about-fuel-direct

WestonDave

With that discrepancy I'd be getting the obvious checked first! Presumably near the meter you think is theirs is an isolation switch - stick a few lights on in their flat, go and turn the isolator off and see if the lights go out. If they don't you are possibly looking at the wrong meter. On a related point is there anyone in the block who works during the week but is home a lot during the weekend - could be their electricity if they are running tumble dryer and other appliances. Even then though £170 worth of energy in 3 days is about 20 times my electricity consumption per day in a 3 bed house so something wierd is clearly happening!

undaunted

Has the meter been read by the supplier in these three years and if yes has it also been tested?

It may cost a fee if tested and found correct but under these circumstances I'd want it done.

It may also rule in / out the possibility that someone has been tampering with the meter if it's in a publicly accessible area. To me the only way I could see it suddenly jumping like that is its either faulty or if it reverts back to normal weekdays someone is upto no good in the block.

You could however, if you don't think this is the case, try switching everything off & watching whether the meter is still running, if not then slowly adding items back on too see whether it suddenly peaks and from what



Testing meters - Swalec, P6 http://www.swalec.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CoreMarketingSites/Assets/Documents/CoPCustomer%20SW%20FINAL%20APPROVED%20May11.pdf

If you think your meter is faulty please call us on 0800 980 1391. We will investigate without

charge and, if necessary, fix or replace the meter. If we consider that the meter is accurate but

you do not agree, you can ask us to arrange for the meter to be tested independently. You will

see a copy of the test results and will only have to pay a charge if the test shows that the meter

is working accurately. There are more details on this process in our approved Charges Scheme,

which is available on our website at https://www.swalec.co.uk or may be obtained by calling our

customer service team on 0800 980 1391.

micklad_2

Thanks for the swift comments guys very much appreciated i will check out the obvious for them and request a new meter at the very least.
The meter has beeen read by the company and they say its working fine but i think theyre just saying that based on data at their end.
They spent most of last summer away in their caravan and still came back to large bills, so I guess closer inspection of the meter is required.
Swalec have no idea what could cause such a huge spike in the readings, and have finally agreed to come and check the meter in a couple of weeks.

ValHaller

micklad wrote: »

Thanks for the swift comments guys very much appreciated i will check out the obvious for them and request a new meter at the very least.

Don't change too many things at once. Apartment blocks are notorious for crossed meters.

You need to check that

• The meter they are being billed on looks like theirs in the meter closet - compare serial numbers and that readings look roughly right between meter and bill - you might have the right serial number but unrelated readings or related readings and a wrong serial number
• The meter you are looking at in the meter closet measures their supply and their supply alone

Note that there are 2 places where things can be crossed

Only after you are cast iron confident on these should you consider getting a meter changed.

A meter which lurches forwards by huge unexplained amounts while normally just ticking over suggests very strongly a crossed meter.

Pineapple88

micklad wrote: »

Thanks for the swift comments guys very much appreciated i will check out the obvious for them and request a new meter at the very least.
.

Don't request a new meter. If you have a new meter then there is no way for the old one to be tested and therefore no way to prove it has been billing your parents incorrectly (if it has).

As said above you needs to check that the meter serial number is correct and also check that you are reading the correct meter.

If the meter is correct then request a check meter is installed. This would mean that a second meter is installed for a week and then they would compare that the usage recorded by the check meter is the same as what has been recorded by your parents meter. If the check meter shows a discrepency then your parents account will be rebilled.