Help needed - huge Powergen bill but on a meter

leckershell

Hi,

I'm in a bit of a bad situation here.

Basically I have had a letter and a bill saying that I owe approx
£500 to Powergen from my old house, but I was on a meter. I have called them and they say this is because over the year and a half I was there, an old meter was fitted which didn't have their updated prices on. So they want to charge me the difference between the 'old' prices I was paying, and their updated prices.

They say they tried to call at my house to have a new meter fitted several times, and sent me letters explaining the price increases. Yes, they sent me letters with price increases but how was I to know I needed a new meter? A letter was never left saying they tried to call, and I would never 'refuse access' if they had have called.

Is there anything I can do? I was already paying £30/£35 a month ish on tokens (lived on my own in a one bed flat),so a bill for the equivalent of an extra £40 ish per month is just crazy.

I don't know what to do if they say it's charges I have accrued.. do they need proof of trying to fit a new meter? Should they have contacted me? I really hope I won't have to pay this as it just doesn't seem fair.

Please help, they've sent a 7 day legal action/debt recovery letter

Michelle x

Rikki

Get in contact with www.energywatch.org.uk they will be able to advice you.

I've had to use them before and find them very helpful.

tripled

Unfortunately they are legally allowed to reclaim the charges, as your contract with them is to pay their standard rate not the rate set on the meter. This also means had prices dropped, then they would have refunded you a credit.

However energywatch take a dim view of the pratice of backdaing charges, so if you give them a call as suggested above they may be able to pressurise Powergen into writing some of them off for you.