Gas Supplier Mix Up

rowley08

Hi

I recently received a letter from EDF energy stating that I owed them £7014 for unpaid gas between 01.01.10 - 26.03.2016. As far as I'm concerned I switched to British Gas in 2009 and have been paying them for my gas monthly by DD since then. Until this week I have had no correspondence from EDF energy at all. I was advised I have an independent gas transporter and to contact them to find out who DOES supply by gas - they confirmed EDF energy does in fact supply my gas! EDF energy have so far been helpful, they have agreed they have failed to make contact with me for the past 6 years and because of this should only charge me for the past 12 months usage. I am still waiting to hear back from British Gas, I'm assuming they will have to refund me all the money I have paid for the past 6 years as surely they cannot charge me for gas they havn't supplied?

EDF energy have said i will be looking at a bill around £1000 for the past year. I have paid British Gas just over £600 for the last year, so I'm looking at paying around £400 extra as a result of their error. Surely who ever is at fault for this error should have to pay the £400 difference?

I don't know where I stand with all this?

System

Hi. This is complicated by the fact that you stand to gain a lot from The Back Billing Code. The usual procedure is that BG has erroneously taken over your supply, and it should liaise with EDF. This would include paying EDF all the money that you have paid to BG. Your supply, for billing purposes, should revert back to EDF. Before doing anything, you need to get something from both EDF and BG in writing. There is no way that BG should be holding on to your money if the supply was coming from EDF.

Others may have a different view.

lstar337

I agree, EDF and BG should be sorting this out between themselves. You need not be involved until it comes to the question of who do you want as your supplier from his point on.

Wolf3

If its an erroneous transfer as you have described (British Gas have taken over the incorrect supply number for your property) then they should refund all your payments for gas over the 6 year period. Which you can use to pay the bill with EDF. i'd ask for an itemised bill from EDF to show what readings they are billing you for

System

As I tried to imply earlier, this is technically not an erroneous transfer as the transfer has never taken place. It is in fact a failed switch which EDF failed to notice. The OP has been made a good, but somewhat surprising, offer. EDF is offering to write off 5 years of charges if I read the OP's post correctly. If this is the offer, then the OP needs to try to get BG to repay to him all the money that he has paid out. If this happens, then who pays the £400 is of no significance. The OP should just settle the account and then switch. I fear that once the 2 suppliers start talking that they will want to treat this as an ER with no money coming back to the OP. If this happens then the £400 charge will need to be agreed by the two suppliers.

Wolf3

I understand where you are coming from Hengus and i am wrong in calling it an erroneous transfer, only because of the the length of time since the switch was made. The viewpoint i was looking at was the fact British Gas have switched the supply number and this would have been classed as an erroneous gain at the time of the transfer.
However I would suggest the back billing code would apply, if EDF haven't produced any bills for the OP to pay

System

It's a mess because of the time period. The problem is that bills have been raised and charges have been paid - sadly, by and to the wrong supplier. Clearly, BG thought that the switch had gone through and EDF didn't realise that it hadn't. I can't see EDF writing off 6 years of charges without trying to recover money from BG. I could well be wrong which is why I would ask for all offers to be clarified in writing. The missing piece of this jigsaw is 'what is BG's position in this matter.'?

rowley08

Hi
Thankyou for your replies, EDF have advised me that under the billing code of practice they can only charge me for the past 12 months as they have not attempted to make any contact with me since the time of the switch. Although I am yet to have this in writing.

SwanJon

I agree with Hengus that this isn't an erroneous transfer (for the OP) as it appears the transfer never actually happened (if the IGT confirm EDF have always been the supplier). As such either

• BG will have been billing for a property they don't supply (close the account down to zero days, zero consumption)
• or they took over another property in error and put the OP's details on it. This shouldn't affect the OP, but somewhere there is someone whose property it is, and they have an erroneous transfer that happened too long ago to just undo. This is for BG to fix, not the OP.

lstar337

Hengus wrote: »

I fear that once the 2 suppliers start talking that they will want to treat this as an ER with no money coming back to the OP.

With respect, why should the OP get a huge sum of money back?

They still used the gas, therefore they should pay for it. Otherwise it is you, I, and the rest that are paying for 5 years of the OP's gas.

This 'back billing' lottery situation should be changed IMHO. A small compensation payment would be fine, but lets face it the OP hasn't really been put-out by this situation at all.

rowley08

As it stands I owe Edf over £7000, They have said I 'should' only have to pay for the last 12 months, that is yet to be confirmed. I have paid british gas around 2/3 of this if that (my account with them is up to date). I could be put-out by a lot, I do not have the extra funds to cover the Edf bill should they decide they want the full bill repaid. My concern in this whole situation is that I will be owing money for an error that's not mine!