Pre-payment outstanding debt??

nickdj

Good afternoon,

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice before I call my previous energy company and have a small rant.

I changed from SSE to British gas on November 15th last year. I am a very low user as I live is a 1 bed house which only has gas heaters (no central heating). Both Gas and Electric are pre-payment so when I received notification SSE were going to start charging £100 just to have supply I changed supplier. I don't have the heating on all year with exception of December through to Feb/March.

Recently I received a letter from SSE saying I owed them £35 for gas. I cannot understand how it's possible to owe money when you have to pay in advance. What's more £35 is almost a months worth of Gas usage so something clearly isn't right.

Can someone please advise what I should do. I seriously doubt I owe any money and even if I did it would have been through no fault of my own. Is it possible to create a debt on pre-payment??

ChumpusRex

It is possible to run up a debt on a pre-payment meter in a number of ways.

The usual way is if the supplier changes their prices, but the meter isn't updated to the new price. Some (most?) meters can only be reprogrammed to a new price by a meter reader.

So, if BG put their prices up, but the meter was never updated, the meter would be charging too little for your gas.

Now that you're leaving, the calculations will be updated, and you will now have to pay the underpayment.

nickdj

Thank you for your reply.

My understanding is that the payment cards update the meter. If the energy supplier fails to update their meter and charges too little as a result who's at fault? It's not as if I can turn around to them and say "you're charging me too little" as I have no knowledge. My understanding is that if I cannot reasonably be aware I'm generating a debt I shouldn't pay for it. It's their equipment not mine and they have replaced the meter since it failed and left me without hot water for a week!

I know it's only a small amount but should I really be paying it if I'm not at fault?

chanz4

living in emergency credit builds up standing charge debt, also if you use the other supplier card too early, or even if the read is wrong.