Co-operative Energy - Huge Bill Following Direct Debit Review

SwanJon

I may have the wrong end of the stick, but it looks to me like you have misunderstood how the billing works.

curiousorange wrote: »

Throughout 2012 my estimated usage was 7340 KwH based on estimates only.

Did you give an accurate reading when you moved in/moved to Co-op? This will be your starting point. If you didn't, you'll need to use the one the supplier has. For the following example I'm going to assume it was 1000. This would mean that one year later, their estimated read was 8340, and as you had not challenged these readings they had no reason to believe that they were so far off.

curiousorange wrote: »

What I was trying to tell Co-Op was that over the course of nearly two years, I have only used 8210KwH in total based on first and current readings, so why should I have to pay for debt caused by inflated estimates when I couldn't have used anywhere near that amount in practice?

When you provided them with this reading (in my example 9210), they will have cancelled the previous bills, and made new estimates leading up to the current reading - you will only pay for what you have used.

If you share the opening and latest reads, I'm sure we can help you get to the bottom of this. Remember that you pay for the usage between readings, not an estimated annualised figure.

Mojisola

curiousorange wrote: »

Throughout 2012 my estimated usage was 7340 KwH based on estimates only. I did not submit monthly readings throughout that year- something I acknowledge I should have done, but as the meters are in a communal area I thought the figures would be taken by a meter reader rather than me have to do it. Because these estimates were high, I was accruing debt at a higher rate.

My energy consumption was then recalculated in my latest statement as 4522KwH per year and following another reading, to 4105KwH. What I was trying to tell Co-Op was that over the course of nearly two years, I have only used 8210KwH in total based on first and current readings, so why should I have to pay for debt caused by inflated estimates when I couldn't have used anywhere near that amount in practice?

I'm confused now - are you saying that the estimates were too high and you've actually used less electricity?

You only pay for the electricity you have used. The estimates are just that - estimates. Sometimes they are too high and sometimes they are too low but at least once a year you should have a meter reading taken by the company who should then adjust the bill.

bubblesbonbon

curiousorange wrote: »

1) Do Co-op have to share any accountability for the debt I'm in given that they promise regular customer reviews on their website?

2) Is there anything that I can do to get the supplier to review my level of debt, given that it's based on quarterly estimates? What I mean is perhaps look at my actual average use per month over two years, and work out what I've paid versus what I owe? For example, in 2011-12, there were times where I was estimated to use over 7000kwH per year, and in actual fact I've used just over 8000KwH in 2 years.

I understand if I have to chalk this one up to experience, but I just want to know if I can avoid paying out a sizeable sum as opposed to a much reduced one.

Thier Web Site states that they will review your DD every 3 months and if they have not contacted you to review your DD then I think that they have a moral obligation to help you pay the arrears off less severely - say over 24 months.

It also states that customers should check statements to ensure that meter readings are accurate. You should have had about 6-8 statements in this period and the level of underpayment should have hit you between the eyeballs.

I reckon that you have used about £1100 worth of electricity (based on price average) so your DD should have been about £46 pm.

If you could get them to spread the arrears over say 24 months, then your new DD would be about £63 - Not ideal but better than the £80 Co-op have come up with.

Jennifer_Jane

I seem to have loads of meter reading people coming round. As labp04 says, submit a meter reading every month on the website - and you'll get partnership points for doing so. I also keep my meter readings on an Excel spreadsheet, and now have a graph of electricity/gas/and statement bill going back a couple of years, which will also be useful if I change suppliers.

It's sad but these days you have to really check every single thing and work your money.

curiousorange

Hi all

Many thanks for your help in this endeavour. I've had an evening with my statements and it's clear there's nothing amiss - it's actually pretty clear when you do the sums that the estimated charges are a red herring and they threw me. My unit usage via my statements is concurrent with what I've actually used in total so Co-op aren't attempting the big rip-off.