Electric - am I understanding this correctly.

gemstars

Hi Everyone,

I have an issue with my energy supplier which I have not experienced before and would like your opinion on the situation.

I provide meter readings every quarter and pay on receipt of bill, I have done this for a number of years and everything was fine until early 2013. My supplier wrote to me saying they were changing some internal systems and there was a bit of a delay with billing.

I have a complicated meter so when I provide readings, I'm told it will take up to 28 days to generate a bill as it needs to be done manually. However nearly a year and a half later and I still haven't had a proper bill, just one estimated bill which I haven't paid as it wasn't accurate. I'm still providing regular readings.

I'm not in any financial hardship but the idea of a massive bill arriving at some point with a 30 day turnaround for payment does cause me some concern. :eek:

The last time I called to try and sort this out the rep insisted I had made a payment in early 2014. After speaking to someone else I was told this was credited to my account as an apology. After speaking to someone else I discovered this was to do with something called the back billing code.

I'd never heard of this so I did a bit of googling and found out what it is all about. Basically as I understand it - as I have done everything to hold up my end of the deal, my provider can't bill me for more than a years worth of energy. This sounds too good to be true! Am I missing something??

Following on from this, as I mentioned I have a complicated meter. It's not something that is provided anymore however as I understand it my energy supplier has a duty to continue to supply my property with electric. It does mean that I am not able to switch providers but my bills are low so this doesn't matter to me.

What I do wonder though is as I am now at least partly, getting free electric I'd imagine this would create bad feeling with my supplier. On this basis, would they be allowed to decide to end our relationship? I'd then need to find a new supplier and a new tariff. I'd expect that any back billing code savings would be more than offset by this.

Does anyone have an experience of anything similar?

macman

What do you mean by 'complicated metering' Do you mean E7, E10, RHT?
What tariff and supplier (the tariff name may give a clue to the metering type)?
Back billing code may apply, but then you say you have had one estimated bill which you haven't paid-when? If this is Npower, read this:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/utilities/2014/06/npower-to-be-investigated-by-ofgem-following-billing-backlash
However at some point you will be billed for the last year, and you have presumably been setting money aside to pay this? There is nothing to stop you making payments on account at any time you wish.
Your supplier has no grounds for terminating the contract if the error is theirs.

gemstars

Thanks macman. The metering isn't the issue - although for those who really do want to know it is a bit of a hybrid between E7 and E10 but with the added complexity of running two separate circuits through one meter. They're not provided anymore so it doesn't really have an industry wide name. As I said it's complicated

Yes I will be able to pay the bill when it eventually arrives but I do like the simplicity of paying an actual bill with an exact amount as it makes the paper trail nice and simple rather than just topping up my account with an estimated amount. Plus that cash can be earning interest until it's needed, a little bit of extra money saving for me

Does anyone have any experience of this back billing code working out for them in a similar situation? I can see how it could frequently crop up where customers have changed suppliers and they are being chased for outstanding amounts when their old suppliers audit their accounts, but there's been no change in supply in my situation. Just a bit of a change in processes.

I'm still looking for the catch. For example, does the fact that they have sent me an estimated bill mean that the back billing code doesn't apply?

With regards to this estimated bill; they say they sent it but I never received it. They say they sent it by email but I've only ever dealt with them by post and telephone. I've never provided my email address and they wouldn't give me the email address which they supposedly sent the bill to. I don't have the date of this elusive bill but it was sometime in the last year.

Again, it just seems too good to be true so I'm waiting for the penny to drop!

It is good to know they can't use this an an excuse to terminate our agreement thanks :beer:

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

gemstars wrote: »

Thanks macman. The metering isn't the issue - although for those who really do want to know it is a bit of a hybrid between E7 and E10 but with the added complexity of running two separate circuits through one meter. They're not provided anymore so it doesn't really have an industry wide name. As I said it's complicated

Yes I will be able to pay the bill when it eventually arrives but I do like the simplicity of paying an actual bill with an exact amount as it makes the paper trail nice and simple rather than just topping up my account with an estimated amount. Plus that cash can be earning interest until it's needed, a little bit of extra money saving for me

Does anyone have any experience of this back billing code working out for them in a similar situation? I can see how it could frequently crop up where customers have changed suppliers and they are being chased for outstanding amounts when their old suppliers audit their accounts, but there's been no change in supply in my situation. Just a bit of a change in processes.

I'm still looking for the catch. For example, does the fact that they have sent me an estimated bill mean that the back billing code doesn't apply?

With regards to this estimated bill; they say they sent it but I never received it. They say they sent it by email but I've only ever dealt with them by post and telephone. I've never provided my email address and they wouldn't give me the email address which they supposedly sent the bill to. I don't have the date of this elusive bill but it was sometime in the last year.

Again, it just seems too good to be true so I'm waiting for the penny to drop!

They sent a bill, yes it was estimated but then so are literally millions of bills. I can't see how back billing would apply - they've billed you!

macman

Is the estimated bill in your online account?
Suppliers do not email bills, because email is not secure. What they do is email you to advise that a bill has been generated in your online account.
Or simply ask them to post a copy?
They may have written off some earlier debt under the bb code, but it looks like you are certainly going to owe at least a year's worth, and probably more.

gemstars

Hi both,

I don't have an online account with them, just paper post and telephone. I have no online links with them in any way.

I made a mistake yesterday. I do have some info on this bill they supposedly sent, it was on another post it note!

They said it was for a little over a thousand pound and sent in March. This doesn't sound right to me as my bills used to be around £80-£130 a quarter depending on the time of year.

I have asked them to send me a hard copy of it as evidence but it's never arrived. I was beginning to wonder if they've somehow muddled a bit of someone else's account into mine.

I guess I'll have to keep providing readings and keep waiting for a bill. I'll keep you updated