npower ELECTRICITY bill is this legal????

retiredhaha

Is this method of billing correct?


Bill 1
I received a gas bill for the period 06-05-2013 to 16-07-2013
estimated meter reading 06-05-2013 8413 to an actual meter reading of 19338 on the 16-07-2013.
This bill was paid in full 01-08-2013.


Bill 2
Next bill for the period 17-07-2013 to 04-11-2013.
Actual meter reading 19338 on 17-07-2013 to an estimated reading 20221 on 04-11-2013 this bill was paid 15-11-2013.


Bill 3
Next bill an apology letter for the delay in sending out a bill and stating that I will notice I have two bills.
the first is for the same period as the previous bill I have paid 17-07-2013 to 04-11-2013 but now the meter readings are 19338 actual reading to 19606 new estimated reading and a revised bill because I have now been estimated to have used less electricity during this period (remember I have already paid for this period bill 2)


Bill 4
Next bill which was together in the same envelope as bill 3 for the period 05-11-2013 to 23-01-2014.
24-11-2013 estimated reading 19606 to 31-01-2014 19883 and in that period two price rises 24-11- 2013 and 01-12-2013 which are itemised separately.
Now having in their words wound back the first bill with a lower estimated reading I will have used more electricity at the higher price so subsequently having to pay additional money for the electricity that I already paid for.
Now I do not have accurate meter reading for each day of any of the periods to dispute their claim of my electricity usage but neither do they.


Can npower wind back a bill previously paid so that they can bill for additional electricity during a period when the unit price is higher.


I have telephoned npower customer service who (wait for it) state it is perfectly legal what we have done and you have no course for complaint oh and by the way please ignore the last bill we will sending out another bill which is higher.

SwanJon

Was the reading on 31 Jan estimated or actual?

If actual it is likely that the new bills more accurately reflect when you used the electricity.

If estimated, give them an accurate reading and ask them to do it again.

retiredhaha

SwanJon wrote: »

Was the reading on 31 Jan estimated or actual?

If actual it is likely that the new bills more accurately reflect when you used the electricity.

If estimated, give them an accurate reading and ask them to do it again.

The bill I currently have is with an estimated reading for 31-01-2014 by it has been subsequently read by metering services and I suppose the bill to come will be an actual reading.


Because the meter has not been read on all occasions reading it on 31-01-2014 will not enable them to accurately reflect the usage over the 3 periods and as for period one which according to npower had low usage (at a lower unit price) I believe they are manipulating the given information to gain a monetary advantage due to unit price increases during subsequent periods.

memento82

Always ask for the accurate bill - it's better you pay for this.

sheffield_lad

the answer here is to give them regular meter reads. Download their app it allows you to send in meter reads whenever you wish.


Also have you worked out the difference between the total units being charged at higher and lower rates? I have not worked it out on your reads but are we talking a £5? £10-£20 or more?

SwanJon

retiredhaha wrote: »

The bill I currently have is with an estimated reading for 31-01-2014 by it has been subsequently read by metering services and I suppose the bill to come will be an actual reading.

OK, that's a bit odd. If they haven't got an accurate reading I wonder what triggered it to rebill?

retiredhaha wrote: »

Because the meter has not been read on all occasions reading it on 31-01-2014 will not enable them to accurately reflect the usage over the 3 periods and as for period one which according to npower had low usage (at a lower unit price)

No, but this will be more accurate now they have an accurate read. It is unrealistic for them to read every meter on the day of a price change.

retiredhaha wrote: »

I believe they are manipulating the given information to gain a monetary advantage due to unit price increases during subsequent periods.

But if the first estimated November read was too high and they put it back to that, you would be gaining a monetary advantage by manipulating given information. (I understand that it is irksome when life is like this.)

Surely the fairest way is to re-estimate based on accurate reads?

The customer is best placed to check and challenge estimated reads as the meter is in their home.

Edit

sheffield_lad wrote: »

Also have you worked out the difference between the total units being charged at higher and lower rates? I have not worked it out on your reads but are we talking a £5? £10-£20 or more?

615 kWh difference in the two reads - call it 600 to the price rise.
(To keep the maths easy) 15p/kWh, 10% price rise, so an extra 1.5p for those 600 kWh - £9.00

sheffield_lad

So we are taking about £9.

Is it worth a thread/complaint lol.

I know this is a money saving site but jeez we will have someone popping along soon to tell you to formal complain, send a letter via registered post etc and for what less than a tenner.


Take it on the chin

retiredhaha

sheffield_lad wrote: »

So we are taking about £9.

Is it worth a thread/complaint lol.

I know this is a money saving site but jeez we will have someone popping along soon to tell you to formal complain, send a letter via registered post etc and for what less than a tenner.


Take it on the chin

So it is only £9:00 but how many customers have they done this to? if it is substantial numbers it will make a big difference to their coffers. Companies who have large numbers of customers can make these seemingly small changes and make large gains.
Take it in the chin OK but next time you have to pay an additional amount for something you have already paid for think should they be doing this.

insanegloss

Your right to think 'what about all those others that have been 'overcharged' (I'm using that term so loosely it's practically looser than a lady of the night), but then you've got the flip side of those customers who it is benefitting due their real profile energy use.

All of a sudden we don't really care about those people who have been 'undercharged'. And before we get all 'they rig it that way' the same method of estimating reads is used for price change reads as the normal estimates and we all know how many times we see on these boards the thread 'Can X energy company send me this huge bill due to estimates!'...

undaunted

sheffield_lad wrote: »

So we are taking about £9.

Is it worth a thread/complaint lol.

I know this is a money saving site but jeez we will have someone popping along soon to tell you to formal complain, send a letter via registered post etc and for what less than a tenner.


Take it on the chin

Presumably Npower thought it worth the trouble of rebilling for

Do you have any explanation from Npower as to why they revised the bill - if not why not ask for one? Is there anything beyond "gut feeling or cynicism" that makes you think the earlier bill was more likely to be correct? If so have you complained in writing?

retiredhaha

sheffield_lad wrote: »

So we are taking about £9.

Is it worth a thread/complaint lol.

I know this is a money saving site but jeez we will have someone popping along soon to tell you to formal complain, send a letter via registered post etc and for what less than a tenner.


Take it on the chin

If it was not worthy of a thread WHY DID YOU BOTHER TO JOIN IN?