Energy company debiting my account & an incorrect electric meter

Legacy_user · 8 August 2015 at 2:34PM

A few days ago I was debited quite a few hundred pounds unexpectedly from the supplier of the electric meter.

This is where it gets complicated. I have two electric meters in one house, as the annex has a seperate electric meter to the masionnette.

Winding the clock back 6 months, I switched over the masionette energy meter to another supplier, only for the existing supplier to refuse (without notifying me). Instead, what happened was the basement energy meter was switched instead.

So I was paying the monthly direct debit on what I thought was the masionette energy meter. I found this error recently when an extimated bill came through for quite a few hundred pounds more than it should have been., asking me to pay more, as £25 a month did not cover it.

I phoned the energy supplier whom have taken over the basement meter and explained the situation, of course, all I got back was ''our records show you signed this meter over''. I know for a fact I did not.

There would be no record of a conversation persuant to the switchover of the basement meter, or in writing, as it never happened. However, to avoid the stress of having to deal with this I continued paying the £25 in order to pay off the debt and switched the meter back to the original supplier then and there.

A few days ago £300 was debited to my account without prior authorisation. I sent an e-mail to the supplier explaining to them that this debit was unauthorised and put me overdrawn, and had I not recalled the money straight away I would have been in arrears to the bank and fined. Their response was that an e-mail had been sent to me advising me that the final account balance was to be collected. I recieved no e-mail from them and I can prove that they never sent an e-mail by contacting my e-mail service provider.

I want to know before I reply to their e-mail, what my rights are, and whether or not I should refuse to pay them any more money ?

They have the audacity to ask if I would like to spread the cost of the final balance again, despite effectively stealing several hundred pounds prior to this, obviously hoping I wouldn't notice.

My feeling at the moment is either agreeing a payment plan of £1 a month to spite them, or disputing their claim over the meter. I think in court I would be in a strong position but I just don't know where I stand.

Nada666 · 8 August 2015 at 5:00PM

I think you are being petty and unreasonable and showing audacity. As far as I can tell you are responsible for the usage and for paying for both meters. You applied for a meter to be switched. It turned out a different meter was switched (but, presumably, it was still at your address and in your name.) In your circumstance it is your responsibility to check that the appropriate meter serial number was switched. If you did not bother to double-check that then you are also responsible.