A huge overcharge netting £ms

flippity

Take time to look at your gas and electricity bills and note the dates.

If you've moved over to the one tier with a daily standing charge look at when those standing charges are applied.

You may see that the readings go from (eg) 1 March - to 21 May and you're charged 31 days for March, 30 days for April and 21 days for May = 82 days. Or are you??

Has this bill been split with an estimated reading at one point mid billing and an actual reading on 21 May?

If so, say the estimated reading was on 10 April, you'll see the standing charge is for 41 days = correct (31 days March & 10 days April)

Then you'll see the next billing is from 10 April to 21 May = 42 days = rip off. You've been charged twice for 10 April.

Now, whilst this may seem like a small overcharge of around 25p - 30p - is this happening every quarter when you are billed - ie the reading date is taken from the reading date of the last bill - ie the same date, and so the standing charges are being duplicated again?

You could find that over the course of a year you are being overcharged by anything from £1.15 + VAT upwards on each utility!

If it happens for example around 6 times a year (each quarter billing plus split bills) and the SC is around 27.5p per day, on both utilities + VAT that means you could easily be be paying an extra £3.50 odd.

AND - if they are doing that to you, and to me, and to all the other customers, let's say 3 million customers that means the utility companies are raking in a possible extra £10.5 million on those customers alone.

All on a simple doubling up on a standing charge once or twice per billing.

So, check your bills and if you find they are doubling up on the standing charge, challenge it!

alinwales

I can imagine the same happening when you switch supplier too... they'll both charge you for the switchover day, I would guess.