Extortionate Charges - Gas Supplier

poots182

Hello everybody,

I have followed this forum for a while now but decided to make an account to post a thread about my current experience with Gazprom.

I hope somebody may be able to help me with my problem.

I moved into my current address late September 2015, I had a change-over date for Gas on the 3rd November.

The occupiers previously were in the army, the Electricity supply was held by British Gas Buisness - they attempted to invoice me for a ridiculous amount of money and when I explained the situation that it was not a business address but a residential, they happily amended the costs to the rates I am paying with my current supplier ( GreenStar Energy ).

British Gas were helpful after some persistence from myself, sorted.

Gazprom on the other hand attempted to invoice me for £200.42 for 47 days.

I complained, they apologised and had said there was an error in the system running the account up to the end of December and said they would send me the correct invoice.

They sent the new invoice for 47 days for the sum of £71.51 inc VAT - again I was frustrated because the "Standing Charge" is set at £1.39 per day, FOUR times more than I pay with my current supplier (30.88p per day).

I have replied back complaining again at the extortionate charges and explained that this is not a business address and asked them to amend the costs to what I pay currently or at least to something fair.

Sorry if the formatting looks terrible, do I have a case in contesting this if they continue to be stubborn? Can anybody give me any advice? This is the first time this has happened as we're a newly married couple and is the first time we've moved from one address to another.

Many Thanks,
Patrick

CashStrapped

Did you take meter readings for the day you moved in?

Just to clarify a few details.

When you moved in the supplier was British Gas business for just electric? Gazprom supplied the gas?

You then switched electric to Greenstar but are still stuck with Gazprom for gas?

poots182

Hello,

Thanks for the reply and sorry for not being more clear, when we moved in British Gas Business had the Electricity and Gazprom supplied the Gas - I then switched both over to Greenstar.

Meter readings were taken by myself from the move in day and the final day and are actual readings not estimated on the invoice.

The actual gas usage on the invoice is for £2.32 over the 47 days.

The standing charge came to £65.78 over the 47 days.

I'm not stuck with Gazprom, they are just pushing for the payment of £71.51 when it should be less than £20.00.

Perhaps I'm missing something somewhere?

Cheers.

dogshome

Gazprom are a business only supplier and why they were supplying the domestic quarters of an army family needs some explaining.

It could be that Gazproms Daily Standing charge is high because their market is high use businesses and the price per Kwh is lower than the domestic market - What was the cost per Kwh on the 1st gazprom bill?

Have a look at that first bill from Gazprom, is the Daily Standing charge the same or is it less than on the second invoice ?
If it's less, then make this the basis of a WRITTEN complaint, also pointing out that the VAT rate for domestic dwellings is 5% if they have charged 20% on the bill

Robin9

I too believe Gazprom are business only and do have a high standing charge and (comparatively) low unit rates.

For those 47 days you were in a deemed contract with Gazprom and the invoice is due and not what you would have been paying with your present supplier.

PS How did you only have £2.32 worth of gas consumption ?

poots182

Hi dogshome,

I'm pretty sure it was 2 guys from the army living there, most likely in the SAS. The build is 5 years old and they had been there from the beginning and when we moved in it was like no one had ever lived there, appliances all brand new etc (unfurnished rental but they left them behind). I imagine they spent a very minimal amount of time there over those years - who knows lol.

I have the bills, but they're not very clear.

Start Date: 18/09/2015
Start Read: 2969A
End Date: 03/11/2015
End Read: 2974A
Con: 5
CV: 39.40
Gas Price: 4.140000
kWh: 56

Gas price is the same on both invoices: 4.140000

Standing Charge was £148.72 for the first invoice (no breakdown of cost).
Works out at 105 days from 03/11 to 31/12 approx. £1.41 per day.

Second invoice Standing Charge was £65.78
Approx. £1.39 per day over 47 days.

I guess if that is simply 4.14p per kWh then that is also almost double what my rate is now at 2.863p per kWh. It may or may not be cheap - I don't know as I have very minimal experience in doing this kind of thing.

The VAT on the invoice is at 5%, so at least they understand I am residential.

Many Thanks,
Patrick

poots182

Hi robin9,

I think it may be due to the fact we had a honeymoon in this period and we didn't turn the heating on once during that period and also that we barely used the hob - unsure how the water is heated for showers though, I assume electric.

I do understand that I had a deemed contract, but British Gas were happy to match my rates due to theirs being business related and generally seem to be a lot higher - they reduced their invoice by about 70% so I'm hoping Gazprom do the same.

teddysmum

British gas also supply domestic premises, so had another tariff they could apply, but if Gazprom are business only, they will not have this choice.

teddysmum

British Gas supplies domestic premises, so has the option of transferring your tariff, but Gazprom being business only, does not have this option .

dogshome

All very worrying with a distict smell of aged fish.

Only a guess, but I suspect this house wasn't rented by it's occupiers, but by the Army, and in terms of Utility supplies the Army is a 'Business' and buys it's Power and Gas via a Commercial Contract.

So which Staff Officer or Senior Civil Servant signed the deal for Gas to be supplied with a Standing Charge of £1.39/£1.41 a day - 5 times the going rate for a domestic dwelling, and 4.14p a KWh - nearly double the domestic rate - When as a high volume user their tariff should be cheaper than domestic, not dearer.

One wonders - Incompetence? Or something else that really does worry me.

teddysmum

dogshome wrote: »

All very worrying with a distict smell of aged fish.

Only a guess, but I suspect this house wasn't rented by it's occupiers, but by the Army, and in terms of Utility supplies the Army is a 'Business' and buys it's Power and Gas via a Commercial Contract.

So which Staff Officer or Senior Civil Servant signed the deal for Gas to be supplied with a Standing Charge of £1.39/£1.41 a day - 5 times the going rate for a domestic dwelling, and 4.14p a KWh - nearly double the domestic rate - When as a high volume user their tariff should be cheaper than domestic, not dearer.

One wonders - Incompetence? Or something else that really does worry me.

Perhaps like the NHS which pays inflated amounts for special diet items, which can be bought at a fraction of the price from supermarkets.