Utility Warehouse upset

Ruthieroo03

When I moved into a property Sept 2014 my landlady had written down my gas and electricity reading which I told the supplier. I then set up a direct debit for £160 per month, on the supplier's advice.
I have been paying this amount for the past 9 months.


I moved out on 2nd July 2015, and had an actual final meter reading taken by the company rep. This was the first actual reading taken in 9 months. I had tried to submit one on line but the web page told me that the numbers given were both incorrect (gas and electric) although they were the only numbers I had on the meter!! Subsequently I left it until someone from the company came out.


This morning I received a final bill from Utility Warehouse for £1440!!!!! I am distraught. I have trusted this company to give me good advice...I have paid every month, yet now face this enormous bill.


What can I do? I really feel that this company has let me down, surely it should do actual meter readings more than once in 9 months for new customers??? Had I known our usage was more than they estimated, I would alter the payment each month accordingly. There is no way I can pay this amount, I am on benefits being a single parent.


Can anyone help with advice please?

Nada666

Did you read your meters as you went along? Did you check how much you had spent when it had rejected your reads?

There is a strange coincidence - £1440 of payments plus £1440 balance. It is non-trivial to spend £2,880 in nine months. In fact, it is impossible without experiencing dehydration and heat-stroke.

Are you sure the total bill is not just £1,440? What do your reads compared to opening reads suggest? Did the debits actually come out of your bank account?

modsandmockers

Ruthieroo03 wrote: »

When I moved into a property Sept 2014 my landlady had written down my gas and electricity reading which I told the supplier. I then set up a direct debit for £160 per month, on the supplier's advice.
I have been paying this amount for the past 9 months.


I moved out on 2nd July 2015, and had an actual final meter reading taken by the company rep. This was the first actual reading taken in 9 months. I had tried to submit one on line but the web page told me that the numbers given were both incorrect (gas and electric) although they were the only numbers I had on the meter!! Subsequently I left it until someone from the company came out.


This morning I received a final bill from Utility Warehouse for £1440!!!!! I am distraught. I have trusted this company to give me good advice...I have paid every month, yet now face this enormous bill.


What can I do? I really feel that this company has let me down, surely it should do actual meter readings more than once in 9 months for new customers??? Had I known our usage was more than they estimated, I would alter the payment each month accordingly. There is no way I can pay this amount, I am on benefits being a single parent.


Can anyone help with advice please?

Unfortunately, the energy industry only has to read their customers’ meters at 2-yearly intervals and, in the meantimes, they can make up any numbers they like. You should have received more than one bill during your tenancy, and the starting meter reading on the first one should have been the same as the number which you originally supplied. Did you check the numbers which your landlady gave you when you moved in? Have you checked that the meter readings on your final bill are correct?

It is interesting that the final bill is exactly nine times £160, which is what you say you have paid. Have you checked that the bill has recognised your payments?

Ruthieroo03

I set up the DD for £160 but have checked through my bank accounts and found that Utilities Whouse have taken varying amounts each month: eg: Nov 14: £147.99 Dec: £159.99 Jan: £159.99 Feb: £159.99 Mar: £155.93 Apr: £155.93 etc...I am on VALUE tarrif. The opening reading was done by my rental estate agent, which I did not check
I have paid £1391.73 in 9 months for elec and gas. Medium sized 3 bedroom house. Utility Whouse expects me to pay another £1448.81 which will mean a total of £2840.54 for 9 months usage. This is an incredible amount. Am I wrong to think this??
The bills show me being in credit every month as I overpay slightly due to the original £160 set up. The bank has definitely been paying the amounts.

JJ_Egan

Apart from the opening readings do you have any readings at all .

It is an exceptionally high figure what do you heat with ??

Ruthieroo03

I've actually just noticed - my total bill is actually £1735. The £1448.81 is for gas only. The final bill for the electric is only £286.19 - which is possibly understandable and far more realistic. This implies to me that there is an obvious problem regarding the gas section only?


Gas central heating - which was hardly ever on - only about 4 radiators were used through the winter. Gas hob for cooking.


GAS
The readings I have are these:
Opening actual reading on 03/09/14: 7945
Estimated reading 30/09/14: 7963
Estimated reading 31/10/14: 8041
Estimated reading 30/11/14: 8163
Estimated 31/12/14: 8342
Estimated reading 31/01/15: 8537
Estimated reading 28/02/15: 8707
Billed estimate reading 01/03/15: 8707
Estimated reading 31/03/15: 8877
Estimated reading 30/04/15: 8984
Estimated reading NOT GOT MAY:
Estimated reading 30/06/15: 9109


I then received my final bill for £1735...£1448.81 of which is for gas.

System

What was your final actual meter reading when you moved out? Check that the same reading is showing on your final bill. If it is correct then check the calculations shown on the bill. Estimated readings are I am afraid just that - estimated. You may have been using more gas than you thought.

Nada666

What is the final reading?

Is it possible it has been misread as a clocked-over 02xy rather than 92xy?

Ruthieroo03

Final actual reading for the gas was 11505 on 01/07/15 when I moved out.
This is the same as is given n the statement from Utility Whouse.


I don't understand what the mis reading 02xy etc means Nada???

Robin9

Could you scan and post your final bill (blank out your personal details)

I wonder if you are misreading the final "bill" ? Is it actually a summary of gas and elec used totalling £1735 but there are credits of 9 x £160 (I don't understand the £159.33 etc

In retrospect you should have persisted with submitting monthly readings - perhaps you forgot the leading zero's - or you could have used the automated phone system

Ruthieroo03

It's definitely a bill. I agreed to a direct debit of £160 per month, but the bank paid out varying amounts between £155 and £159.99 a month (see above)


Robin, you are correct, I should have persisted and even phoned the company, requesting someone come out and provide an actual reading every couple of months perhaps - but as I have never had this happen before, I trusted in Utility Warehouse quoting me an average monthly amount which wouldn't be too far off the actual figure each month. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. From now on I will keep an extremely close eye on my gas and electric readings and compare with my bills.


I just think it is dreadful that a company like this should allow this scale of difference to occur due to not taking actual readings more regularly, especially with a new customer in a new property. I now have to find £1448.81, which I could have been budgeting for during the past 9 months.