Npower billing errors - £4000 bill for a 2 bed flat?! Ombudsman not helped!

System

phillw wrote: »

My energy supplier always tells me if they used estimated meter readings. Did npower?

What tarrif were you on and what are you on now? I've never seen switching reduce your bills by 90%

This thread has really run its course. The EO has ruled so neither the supplier nor the EO will enter into no further discussion about the complaint. Hard rules but that is what happens if a complaint goes to the EO and the Final Decision isn't accepted.

teddysmum

phillw wrote: »

My energy supplier always tells me if they used estimated meter readings. Did npower?

NPower certainly does but the OP did not look at their online account.


You have an 'Activity' list which shows readings taken ( meter reader or customer)or estimated, bills issued (with a link to the actual document), payments made, refunds paid, meter inspections completed, DD reassessments and more.

System

There is not that much difference to Utilta, not the cheapest supplier, and Npowers tariffs. You are on Utilitas standard/variable very expensive prepayment tariff.
Have you an Eco 7 meter by any chance .I m a meter reader and its common practice for suppliers to just rebill after they have been calculating the wrong tariff for day/night.. eg, very cheap day rate and expensive night rate for the odd one or two kwhs used between 12.30 am and 7 .30 am. I ve seen it many times with British Gas sneakily just rebilling whereas if they told the truth that they had transposed the rates they would have to scrap the build up of debt.
I don t think the Ombudsman is too clever about transposed day/night disputes and even they would miss that.They re amateurs when it comes to the vagaries of Eco 7 and wayward timerswitches

phillw

teddysmum wrote: »

NPower certainly does but the OP did not look at their online account.

AFAICT the OP was receiving paper bills.

littlerock

Whoa! Back up a stage. Is this a domestic or business bill? I have a large house, work from home with lots of IT kit as does OH and we like to keep the place hot, and our bill does not come to that.

What period was it over? And if you do not dispute the amount, only how it was invoiced, then you must have known you were liable for a very large bill if you were not being invoiced. Did you actually request a bill, or hope you had got overlooked? Why didn't you chase it up if you knew a large bill was coming down the line?

If you were being invoiced, why didn't you pay it or at least open negotiations over what to pay? If any court case you have to show you behaved "reasonably" in the circumstances.

brianposter

Seems to me surprising that the OP thinks he has been able to reduce his bills so substantially.

In the circumstances the first thing would be to check that the nPower bills are correct, and then to check as far as possible that the meter is/was reading correctly by comparing usage on Utilitas and nPower bills.

phillw

brianposter wrote: »

In the circumstances the first thing would be to check that the nPower bills are correct, and then to check as far as possible that the meter is/was reading correctly by comparing usage on Utilitas and nPower bills.

The ombudsman will have assumed the bills were correct, or he wouldn't be trying to argue out of paying because of how long the bill took. Making sure npower had the correct opening and final reading and that the meter is accurate would be the first step, before even getting to the ombudsman.

When people say they are paying £50 a month for their energy, they normally refer to the direct debit. He might be using £200 a month, but he won't know until his meter is read and he is billed. Which will repeat this cycle.

A breakdown of the £4000 bill and meter readings going back to before joining npower would be really useful.