e.on trying to charge for units used before completion date

Frannybobs

We recently moved house and the previous owners had a contract with e.on. On the day we completed we took meter readings and entered them online the next day (as we had no broadband at the time at the new house) as we had already set up an online account with them in readiness for the move.

However, when we have received the first bill, the start meter readings are wrong and not what we supplied. The electricity is 47 units too much and the gas 2 units. We have queried this and they have come back to say that we are liable from when the previous owners said they moved out and rang with their final meter readings!!

I find this incredulous that one of the 6 large energy companies can get this legality so wrong. Surely they should know we are not liable for any energy used until we become legal owners - whether or not the previous owners chose to move out a week or more before that. The house would still consume energy in that time whether occupied by them and they are legally responsible for that. They should have ensured that the final meter reading was only accepted on that completion date.

If we get no joy from e.on is there anyone we can take this to - an ombudsman or anyone? I refuse to pay for units we are not legally liable for simply because e.on didn't confirm properly with the previous owners that they should have took the final meter reading on completion date and not when they chose to move out however long before then.

Many thanks in advance for any advice

Thanks,
Fran

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

The reality is the previous occupant shouldn't have given a closing reading before they'd actually ceased consuming energy. E.on's position isn't that unreasonable in this regard - your vendor has lied to them.


They have a couple of reps that come on here, I'm sure one of them will sort it out.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Good morning Frannybobs

Thanks Bluebirdman of Alcathays, that's right, the final reads should be taken and provided to us when they are no longer responsible for the property, we'll then close their account to these reads and the new account will start from these reads.

I understand you've opened your account with us and provided your reads, so that's great that we already have all that info.

Do you have the reads from the day your responsibility for the property started?

I think there may have been a bit of miss information on the phone to be honest, because there's something I'll be able to do to sort it.

If you can let me know if you need me, I'm here to help

Helena

Frannybobs

Hi Helena

Many thanks for your quick response, really appreciate that - is it okay to PM you the details?

Yes we have the meter readings - we took them literally straight away when we moved in and then uploaded them to our account the next day and they show correctly in our Meter Reading History on the website however the start meter readings on the bill were actually what must have been the incorrect final meter readings of the previous owners.

Kind regards,
Fran

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Frannybobs wrote: »

Hi Helena

Many thanks for your quick response, really appreciate that - is it okay to PM you the details?

Yes we have the meter readings - we took them literally straight away when we moved in and then uploaded them to our account the next day and they show correctly in our Meter Reading History on the website however the start meter readings on the bill were actually what must have been the incorrect final meter readings of the previous owners.

Kind regards,
Fran

No worries Frannybobs

I'm sorry no, we don't have PM's, but you can email me your account number, name address, meter reads etc and I'll sort it from there.

My email is in my profile page.

Helena

Frannybobs

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena wrote: »

No worries Frannybobs

I'm sorry no, we don't have PM's, but you can email me your account number, name address, meter reads etc and I'll sort it from there.

My email is in my profile page.

Helena

Hi Helena

I can't see any email on your profile page other than the one in your signature to email the MSE Forum team - which I don't think is the one - forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com ?
Please can you point me in the right direction or let me know the email address to send you the full details please?

Many thanks,
Fran

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Frannybobs wrote: »

Hi Helena

I can't see any email on your profile page other than the one in your signature to email the MSE Forum team - which I don't think is the one - [EMAIL="forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com"]forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL] ?
Please can you point me in the right direction or let me know the email address to send you the full details please?

Many thanks,
Fran

Oh sorry,

It's WebForumAdvisors@eonenergy.com

Helena

[Deleted User]

I think the OP has a strong point about suppliers trying to ensure the honesty of the outgoing occupiers by only accepting a read date after completion. That read still could easily be from two weeks ago though. I hear it all the time from people saying they ve already sent their reads in two weeks before they leave..pinching a bit in my opinion. I m not even sure they re aware that its dishonest. My advice to movers is to take the reads just before they shut the front door for the last time, but then there may still be a bit of power used in fridge/freezers and gas on old boilers with pilot lights. There s no way round this bit of dishonesty neither as its difficult to prove anything.
OP, all suppliers have the same problem, big 6 or otherwise.They can t get in the houses the instance the outgoing occupier has vacated, likewise for the incoming occupiers who will play the same game and enter incorrect start reads to pinch a bit. They rely on the honesty of the British people and certainly they not at all honest in many cases.

Frannybobs

I just wanted to come back here to say thank you all for the advice, but mostly to say a public thank you to Helena for picking up this case and resolving it within the space of a couple of hours - a revised bill is on its way.

THANKS! :T

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Frannybobs wrote: »

I just wanted to come back here to say thank you all for the advice, but mostly to say a public thank you to Helena for picking up this case and resolving it within the space of a couple of hours - a revised bill is on its way.

THANKS! :T

You're very welcome

Thanks so much for the thanks