HELP! Extra Energy have sent me a £2k bill, 22 months after I left them

buzzandcindy

Please can you help? I have received an email from Extra Energy saying I owe them £1952.01 but I left them nearly 2 years ago (and transferred both gas and electricity to BRGas-Energy via the Energy Club and received cashback once it was complete) and that if I don’t pay they will transfer it to a debt collection company.

This is the first email that I have received, I have not received any letters or phone calls. When I contacted Extra Energy, they said they have sent me lots of emails and the information is on my online account, and that the delay was due to a high final reading on the gas, which they queried at the time. The phone advisor spoke to her manager to confirm and then said it was a legitimate bill. They wanted me to set up a payment plan but also offered the option of opening a complaint, which I did, and am waiting for the resolution team to contact me within 5-10 days.

How can they generate a bill 22 months after my last meter reading (and leaving them) and say that I owe them nearly £2k? Glad I must have cancelled my direct debit as they would have taken it out of my bank account before Christmas!

Sorry for the long winded post, but I am unsure what to do and say, when they phone me back and say that I still owe them all that money?

Looking at my Extra Energy account online (which is still open), it states the following:

19/01/16 – Your bill – Total charges £366.43, Total outstanding balance was £261.29 in Credit
Although the total Balance online is £353.29CR

15/02/16 – Direct Debit payment £62 (which was increased as my previous payments were £42). This was my last payment to them as I switched suppliers Balance £415.29CR

Not sure what’s going on next but:
24/11/17 – Cancelled bill - £546.28 Credit Balance £961.57CR
24/11/17 – Cancelled bill - £366.43 Credit Balance £1328.00CR
01/12/17 – Your bill – Total charges £3280.01 Balance £1952.01DR
11/12/17 – Direct debit payment £1952.01 Balance £0.00
12/12/17 – Unpaid direct debit £1952.01DR Balance £1952.01DR


The advisor said on the phone and on the Extra Energy statement, it lists the following meter readings:
24/09/14 – 2259 Actual read
16/03/16 – 8916 Actual read

14/10/14 - Looking back at my bank statements and Extra Energy online this was my first payment. They said that my gas start reading was 2259

15/02/16 – This was my final payment. They said my final gas meter reading was 8916
This is a total of 6657 over 16 months with an average of 416 per month


Now I don’t have a list of all my meter readings, however we had a new gas meter fitted on 10/05/11 with a start of 00000

So, this means that from 10/05/11 (new meter - 00000) to 14/10/14 (starting with Extra Engery - 2259) the gas meter used 2259 over 40 months with an average of 56.4 per month

And from 15/02/16 (ending with Extra Energy - 8916) to 03/01/18 (current – 12740) the gas meter used 3824 over 23 months with an average of 166.2 per month

This doesn’t seem to add up, but I am unable to prove what my gas meter readings were at the time.

Thank you very much in anticipation of your help.
Cindy

Robin9

What are your readings since you left Extra ?

buzzandcindy

15/02/16 (ending with Extra Energy - 8916) to 03/01/18 (current reading – 12740)

Average of 166 per month

MABLE

buzzandcindy wrote: »

Please can you help? I have received an email from Extra Energy saying I owe them £1952.01 but I left them nearly 2 years ago (and transferred both gas and electricity to BRGas-Energy via the Energy Club and received cashback once it was complete) and that if I don’t pay they will transfer it to a debt collection company.

This is the first email that I have received, I have not received any letters or phone calls. When I contacted Extra Energy, they said they have sent me lots of emails and the information is on my online account, and that the delay was due to a high final reading on the gas, which they queried at the time. The phone advisor spoke to her manager to confirm and then said it was a legitimate bill. They wanted me to set up a payment plan but also offered the option of opening a complaint, which I did, and am waiting for the resolution team to contact me within 5-10 days.

How can they generate a bill 22 months after my last meter reading (and leaving them) and say that I owe them nearly £2k? Glad I must have cancelled my direct debit as they would have taken it out of my bank account before Christmas!

Sorry for the long winded post, but I am unsure what to do and say, when they phone me back and say that I still owe them all that money?

Looking at my Extra Energy account online (which is still open), it states the following:

19/01/16 – Your bill – Total charges £366.43, Total outstanding balance was £261.29 in Credit
Although the total Balance online is £353.29CR

15/02/16 – Direct Debit payment £62 (which was increased as my previous payments were £42). This was my last payment to them as I switched suppliers Balance £415.29CR

Not sure what’s going on next but:
24/11/17 – Cancelled bill - £546.28 Credit Balance £961.57CR
24/11/17 – Cancelled bill - £366.43 Credit Balance £1328.00CR
01/12/17 – Your bill – Total charges £3280.01 Balance £1952.01DR
11/12/17 – Direct debit payment £1952.01 Balance £0.00
12/12/17 – Unpaid direct debit £1952.01DR Balance £1952.01DR


The advisor said on the phone and on the Extra Energy statement, it lists the following meter readings:
24/09/14 – 2259 Actual read
16/03/16 – 8916 Actual read

14/10/14 - Looking back at my bank statements and Extra Energy online this was my first payment. They said that my gas start reading was 2259

15/02/16 – This was my final payment. They said my final gas meter reading was 8916
This is a total of 6657 over 16 months with an average of 416 per month


Now I don’t have a list of all my meter readings, however we had a new gas meter fitted on 10/05/11 with a start of 00000

So, this means that from 10/05/11 (new meter - 00000) to 14/10/14 (starting with Extra Engery - 2259) the gas meter used 2259 over 40 months with an average of 56.4 per month

And from 15/02/16 (ending with Extra Energy - 8916) to 03/01/18 (current – 12740) the gas meter used 3824 over 23 months with an average of 166.2 per month

This doesn’t seem to add up, but I am unable to prove what my gas meter readings were at the time.

Thank you very much in anticipation of your help.
Cindy

All I can say is you have my deepest sympathy. For me it was a never ending nightmare and went on 3 years after I left them.

buzzandcindy

Update - Extra Energy contacted me today and reiterated that there billing was correct, and I should contact the new supplier who I transferred to as they gave the final meter reading. They couldn't tell me which supplier this was and I have moved suppliers several times since.

I did mention Ofgem protections and back-billing principles but he said that Extra Energy do not abide by those rules :shocked: which means that they can charge what they want, when they want :mad:

He asked what I thought was a fair amount, and I replied with an average of the monthly usage since the new meter was installed. He said he would take it to his manager and ring me back tomorrow.

Still unsure whether I can somehow push the back-billing principle for unbilled energy used more than 12 months prior to the error being detected and a correct bill being issued???

Please can someone advise x

trickytree1963

What reading did you give or were billed at by British Gas when you switched in 2016?

dogshome

It just doesn't add up
Present read 12740
Extra E's end read February 2016 8916

This is 3824 meter units, which on a metric meter equates to roughly 42,828 KWh in just 13 months, yet the from the point of a new 00000 meter being fitted to EE's takeover, the consumption was under 7,500 KWh a year.

This has the hallmarks of a meter, ( Digital? ), that has gone rogue

buzzandcindy

Sorry, I don't have any records of previous meter readings or old bills when I was with British Gas in 2016. And have switched energy companies several times since then.

buzzandcindy

dogshome wrote: »

It just doesn't add up
Present read 12740
Extra E's end read February 2016 8916

This is 3824 meter units, which on a metric meter equates to roughly 42,828 KWh in just 13 months, yet the from the point of a new 00000 meter being fitted to EE's takeover, the consumption was under 7,500 KWh a year.

This has the hallmarks of a meter, ( Digital? ), that has gone rogue

Thanks, yes I agree it doesnt add up. The gas meter is not digital and has mechanical dials

dogshome

OMG
Is this the type of meter that has a series clocks, each with a single pointer ?

If so these are commonly mis-read even by meter readers, particularly the left hand dials where each section on the clock records thousands of units.

Google "Reading my Elec meter" This will give you advice on how clock meters are to be read
It's important that when the pointer is actually on a division number, that you look at the preceding dial - If that is on 9 you take the number on the 1st dial as the number below the one pointer is on

buzzandcindy

dogshome wrote: »

OMG
Is this the type of meter that has a series clocks, each with a single pointer ?

If so these are commonly mis-read even by meter readers, particularly the left hand dials where each section on the clock records thousands of units.

Google "Reading my Elec meter" This will give you advice on how clock meters are to be read
It's important that when the pointer is actually on a division number, that you look at the preceding dial - If that is on 9 you take the number on the 1st dial as the number below the one pointer is on

Sorry for the confusion, its a metric G4 gas meter with dials.