GB Energy: bill from the administrators, and meter reading errors

mouseclick

Hi,

I have a problem with my electricity bill. I am now with EDF.

I was on GB energy until March 2016, but they could not read my smart meter, which was installed by OVO. I told them this, and they made up a fictitious start and end reading.

Now, EDF find that my actual reading is less than what I am supposed to have started with, because of GB Energy's inaccurate figures. I am owed about £350. It is now a formal complaint. I am waiting for the refund.

Today, I got another bill from GB Energy's administrators! It says:

As a previous customer of GB Energy Supply Limited you are receiving this update to notify you of recent events regarding the Company.

On 30 November 2016 at 00:01 (electricity) and 05:01 (gas), all customers that were being supplied by the Company were transferred to a new supplier, Co-Operative Energy (‘Co-Op Energy’) by Ofgem in accordance with the Supplier of Last Report (‘SOLR’) process. This enabled customers that were being supplied by the Company at that time to continue to receive their usual supply of electricity and/or gas without interruption.

On 6 December 2016 Graham Newton and Tony Nygate of BDO LLP were appointed Joint Administrators of the Company. Since their appointment, the Joint Administrators have been working to realise the assets of the Company for the benefit of the Company’s unsecured creditors who are owed c£21m. Once the Administration, and any subsequent Liquidation process has completed, the Company will be formally dissolved at Companies House and cease to exist as a registered business in the UK.

What happens next?

You have received this update as a previous customer of the Company who changed utility provider prior to 30 November 2016 and according to the Company’s records have a balance owing to the Company. Although the Company no longer operates as a live business, all outstanding debts remain valid and therefore payable to the Company.

It is the Joint Administrators’ responsibility to maximise asset realisations, including the collection of outstanding customer balances, in order to repay creditors who are owed monies by the Company. In order to facilitate this, the Joint Administrators have appointed CDS Global as agents on their behalf.

Please note that the Joint Administrators, together with their agents, act as agents of ‘the Company’ and without personal liability.

What do I need to do?

A copy of your final invoice has been included in this notification, this balance relates to energy usage between your last invoice and the date of supply transfer/date you ceased to be a customer of the Company and is taken from the Company’s books and records. Payment can be made in the following ways: (etc etc)

But their final reading on my electricity meter is an "estimate":

29 Mar 2016 7523.3 Estimate

My current reading is about 2400!

This madness came about because I am away from home a lot, so I thought a smart meter would help. But ONLY Ovo can read the Ovo meter. And even the meter readers get confused. The recent one from EDF said it was 655, so I had to send photographs in.

What a mess! Can anyone suggest anything?

mouseclick

Now getting to the bottom of it. Final electricity reading with OVO on 28 January 2016 was 0000754 (Smart Meter reading). GB energy wrongly stated I gave a customer reading on that date. I didn't. I wasn't home and I told them so. I also said I was unable to read my smart meter, as it had no clear display.

Then next day, with GB Energy: 29 Jan 2016 7296.0 Opening Customer Read That is complete nonsense! And from there on they made up estimated readings, and did not visit me or ask me for a single meter reading.

Both changes of company were triggered by MSE Energy Club of course. They are not to blame in any way, but I am shocked that companies are so incompetent, and next time I will look carefully at customer reviews before changing, and attach a high priority to that.

denny_the_wench

I too have had the same letter regarding my outstanding debt to the company - luckily mine is not in dispute as I was actually in the process of changing suppliers when they went bust and is what I expected it to be, matchin g up with my start date with my new company. However, being taught by MSE to be wary I decided to check the address for the administrators on Google Maps. Whilst it IS a valid postcode 71 Main Street Leicester LE9 6RE, if you look at it you can see it is actually a private house (won't let me put an image on here but if you do street view on that address you'll see what I mean) - so I'm wondering if it is one of the former company owners trying to get some money out of people and if I sent it it would disappear into a black hole and I'd still be in debt to the company??!! Needless to say I will not be sending a cheque to this address!

Anyone know who I should check with regarding this... ofgem perhaps?

System

denny_the_wench wrote: »

I too have had the same letter regarding my outstanding debt to the company - luckily mine is not in dispute as I was actually in the process of changing suppliers when they went bust and is what I expected it to be, matchin g up with my start date with my new company. However, being taught by MSE to be wary I decided to check the address for the administrators on Google Maps. Whilst it IS a valid postcode 71 Main Street Leicester LE9 6RE, if you look at it you can see it is actually a private house (won't let me put an image on here but if you do street view on that address you'll see what I mean) - so I'm wondering if it is one of the former company owners trying to get some money out of people and if I sent it it would disappear into a black hole and I'd still be in debt to the company??!! Needless to say I will not be sending a cheque to this address!

Anyone know who I should check with regarding this... ofgem perhaps?

You might wish to amend your paragraph heading. All appointments are listed in THE GAZETTE:

Appointment of Administrators
In the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division

Companies Court No 1127 of 2016

GB ENERGY SUPPLY LIMITED

(Company Number 08500842)

Previous Name of Company: Altitude Energy Supply Limited

Nature of Business: Distribution and trade in electricity

Registered office: c/o BDO LLP, 1 Bridgewater Place, Water Lane, Leeds LS11 5RU

Principal trading address: 842 Garstang Road, Barton, Preston PR3 5AA

Office Holder Details: Francis Graham Newton (IP number 9310) of BDO LLP, 1 Bridgewater Place, Water Lane, Leeds LS11 5RU and Antony David Nygate (IP number 9237) of BDO LLP, 55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU. Date of Appointment: 6 December 2016. Further information about this case is available from the offices of BDO LLP at james.kershaw@bdo.co.uk.

I suggest that you e-mail Mr Kershaw if you still have concerns.

mouseclick

Well, it seems that EDF have written to GB Energy, and asked them to accept a new corrected reading of 877. I was only with GB Energy for a few months, and prior to that my final reading with OVO was about 500. So, that seems about right. My guess is that the crazy readings in the 7000s were actually 700, but because they didn't realise I had a new meter, they probably added a zero.

I am going to have to do some maths. but I have confidence now that this problem will be resolved, eventually.

As for Smart meters, they are pretty dumb as far as I can see, if only the installing company can read them. What an idiotic oversight! EDF told me mine would be replaced when they have a "Universal Smart Meter". Why on earth did they introduce a proprietary one to a country where changing energy suppliers is commonplace? Before, I could read my meters easily. Now I have to get up close, press "9" and try and write down the correct reading as it scrolls past. And how can I be expected to get it right when the meter readers get it wrong? Oh well, now being resolved.

Oh, one last thing, I cancelled the direct debit to GB Energy, just to be on the safe side. I suggest others do the same, unless you are happy that the bill is correct.

sheff6107

This is exactly why nobody should have paid Co-operative Energy's demands for payment for energy supplied by a completely different limited company.

Administrators try to claw back any money they can to pay themselves first and foremost. If they are owed £21million they'll be happy to get £100k in to pocket and then close the business.

I would simply write back and tell them the debt is denied. They aren't bothered about being competent or getting the figures correct - they are basically passing the collection plate around the church.

penste70

I have been contacted by CDS Corporate Debt Solutions Global Limited for an outstanding payment due to GB Energy which is apparently due from when I closed the account prior to selling my house. I have never had an invoice for this and I am finding it hard to verify if this is an official representative for GB Energy collections. I am not sure what my rights are and whether as someone has suggested I can just decline to pay it. What happens if I do?

trixiebelle86

Received an email from cds global today regarding my GB energy account and they say they are working on behalf of the administrators BDO???? Are they a legitimate company??? Anyone know if they are genuinely acting on behalf of the company or not??

System

trixiebelle86 wrote: »

Received an email from cds global today regarding my GB energy account and they say they are working on behalf of the administrators BDO???? Are they a legitimate company??? Anyone know if they are genuinely acting on behalf of the company or not??

See Post 4 above. BDO are a firm of accountants that have been appointed as The Receivers for GBEnergy. There is a contact number in my post.

System

penste70 wrote: »

I have been contacted by CDS Corporate Debt Solutions Global Limited for an outstanding payment due to GB Energy which is apparently due from when I closed the account prior to selling my house. I have never had an invoice for this and I am finding it hard to verify if this is an official representative for GB Energy collections. I am not sure what my rights are and whether as someone has suggested I can just decline to pay it. What happens if I do?

You stand the risk of being taken to Court. E-mail james.kershaw@bdo.co.uk at BDO, who are the appointed Receivers, for advice.

sheff6107

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10464905

They're just a debt collection company that have only fairly recently come into being.

You stand the risk of being taken to Court. E-mail james.kershaw@bdo.co.uk at BDO, who are the appointed Receivers, for advice.

Anybody with an alleged debt is at some risk of being taken to court. A firm of administrators with a book full of comparatively tiny debts however isn't going to spend the time and effort to go legal.

As I said, in the real world the administrators will bombard people with debt collection letters for a while, grab what they can to pay themselves first and foremost and then close the books.

Notice that they've gone for the email first as they have a ready made mailing list. Once they've got a certain number of people to bite on the email they'll move onto phase 2 and send out physical letters.

If I owed GB Energy money I certainly wouldn't be paying.