help - legal action (confused) rented property - switched suppliers/final bill

wakkaday

to break it down and simplify the matter.
i moved into a rented property and switched suppliers to the co-operative energy for gas/elec. i set up a direct debit and paid them each month

after several months i switched to ovo energy gave them my meter readings and set up direct debit with them and paid them monthly.

i then revieved a letter almost a year letter from co-operative with a final bill of £579.05. i questioned this bill as i assumed i was paying each month for gas elec and they said maybe the meter readings we were given by ovoenergy were wrong, so they would need to resend it...

so i contacted ovoenergy and after giving them a few readings they emailed me saying

"I am writing to you as the open meter readings you submitted when you first came on supply do not fall in line with your MyOVO readings.

Once received, we will be able to contact your previous supplier and if the start reading needs to be changed this will be processed for you."

and later another email


"We have been looking into your account in respect of your estimated opening gas reading.

The estimated reading we used for your switch doesn’t look right, so we need to get a more accurate reading to make sure you pay the right supplier for the energy you’ve used. Don’t worry – you won’t be charged twice.


We have raised a ‘read dispute’ with your previous supplier to make sure we’re both using the same reading. Once an agreement has been reached between suppliers, we will be able to amend your opening reading and bill your account up to date"


and final email regarding this matter




"
We have been looking into your account due to a read dispute that has been raised regarding your estimated opening gas reading.


Having investigated your account we have now agreed a new opening read of 7776 for your gas supply based on the readings you provided.


Your account has been updated and you will shortly receive an amended gas statement which bills you from your new opening read up until 07/03/2016."



i am confused now with this final bill for co-operative as they havent sent me an updated final bill? do i still have to pay this sum? im pretty sure it can't be this high as i was paying my average use each month considering the following

(mid terrace, 2 adults - 1 child, average use)



have OVOenergy updated the readings on their side so any changes will be reflected with my new supplier rather then old...


i will try ringing them again (co-op) but i end up going in circles with them saying they will put a note on system etc but i am still recieving legal letters


i hope youguys can help me clarify this and what to do next?

thank you

CashStrapped

wakkaday wrote: »

i questioned this bill as i assumed i was paying each month for gas elec...

This small comment suggests to me that you may have misunderstood how the direct debit system works.

An energy company does not know what are going to use for a given period. So when setting up a direct debit an energy company will make a well informed estimate (house type, area, past usage etc.) of what you may use for the next year. This guess is then divided into 12 montly payments....but....it is only a guess and it assumes you will be with them for a year.

Furthermore, a Direct Debit is a yearly average. So in summer it will over pay (as you use less heating) and a credit builds up. In winter the Direct Debit will underpay (you use a lot of heating), but usually there is enough summer credit to cover it.

By spring you blance should end up at zero and the cycle begins again.


However, if your direct debit is set incorrectly and/or you only joined a company for partial year (winter spring months), when you leave and give a final meter reading you may owe them as your direct debit has not being going long enough (or been large enough) to cover your use.

In summary, the direct debit is not reflective of what you actually use, it is just a guess payment. You only get a real bill when you give a meter reading and produce a formal bill.

A way to make the direct debit more accurate is to give a meter reading monthly and make sure your account is in a resonable credit position.

----

What you need to do now however is check that the new opening/closing readings match on both the co-op final bill and ovo opening bill. Is this similar to the one you gave originally?

Either way, as long as they match or are close, that that should mean they are correct.

If you still owe co-op, then that is what you owe co-op. This will be for the reasons I stated above regarding the direct debit.

wakkaday

thank you

"What you need to do now however is check that the new opening/closing readings match on both the co-op final bill and ovo opening bill. Is this similar to the one you gave originally?

Either way, as long as they match or are close, that that should mean they are correct.

If you still owe co-op, then that is what you owe co-op. This will be for the reasons I stated above regarding the direct debit."


ovo are saying they have sent readings to co-op and they agreed. amended gas reading

however co-op are saying they haven't heard anything so going in circles

CashStrapped

Look on the bills yourself...

What is ovo's opening reading on the account?

What is co-ops closing reading on the account?

Do they match and/or are very similar? If so then that is what you want and they are correct.