HELP - E.on estimated final bill double actual - now threatened for debt collection

Matt197

Hi everyone. Regular user on the website but first time poster here.

I have recently switched from E.on to Avro for my energy.

I have had a gas line installed and new central heating system in February and now I have had a final bill come through at double what the actual reading is. Eon have estimated 652 units used where as the actual reading sat at just over 300 units used. So I'm told I owe them £326.64 for 3 months usage.

I have contacted them several times saying the read is wrong and all I want to do is simply pay only what I owe - I have no issues with doing that and have always paid on time before. I am now being threatened with debt collection and however many times I speak to someone at Eon the letters keep coming and basically seems that no one wants to listen! Their customer service is shocking at the best of times!


I'm hoping that some people may have experienced this before and have some words of wisdom that can help.

Thanks Matt

Robin9

Did you submit readings to Eon at least every month while you were with them ?

Is your switch complete and has Avro asked for final readings ? It's their responsibility to sort out any disagreements over readings.

System

You need to check that the gaining supplier and E.oN are using the same meter reading to open and close your accounts. If they are the same and your opening/closing reading differs from the reading on your meter by more than 1200kWhs ( you will have to do the calculation), then you can ask the gaining supplier to open an Agreed Readings Dispute. This can take up to 8 weeks.

The reason that this has occurred - I suspect - is because the reading that you have provided is considerably less than expected by the Data Collectors based on your past usage. They are not to know that you have a new boiler.

Before launching an ARD, give some thought to whether or not the situation works to your advantage. Is the new tariff more expensive than the one that you were on? If this is the case, then overpaying your old supplier will save you money. You will only pay your new supplier a standing charge until the meter passes the opening meter reading.

Matt197

Thanks guys. I never gave Eon a meter read for the gas, so i am partly to blame. I know that around the time I was switching someone from Eon came out to read the meter though as I had to show him where it was.

I had to give opening readings to Avro, I was a couple of days late though. When I contacted someone last time the guy had worked it all out and I was happy with his calculations.

He said (3 weeks ago) he had sent the formal proposal had been sent over and just waiting for Eon to accept them, then they would send me an amended invoice. I've heard nothing since but getting letters from Eon wanting the £326.



I have emailed them again this morning, just been told that the Agreed Reads Team have been in contact with Eon to agree a transfer read so they can send me the amended invoice. Hoping this will be case closed (fingers crossed)


The Avro tariff is quite a bit cheaper than the Eon one so I'm keen to pay them only what I owe lol.

Robin9

Matt197 wrote: »

Thanks guys. I never gave Eon a meter read for the gas, so i am partly to blame.

A new supplier - time for you to establish a new regime for your meter readings - do it online, keep your own records, read your bills.

System

Matt197 wrote: »

Thanks guys. I never gave Eon a meter read for the gas, so i am partly to blame. I know that around the time I was switching someone from Eon came out to read the meter though as I had to show him where it was.

I had to give opening readings to Avro, I was a couple of days late though. When I contacted someone last time the guy had worked it all out and I was happy with his calculations.

He said (3 weeks ago) he had sent the formal proposal had been sent over and just waiting for Eon to accept them, then they would send me an amended invoice. I've heard nothing since but getting letters from Eon wanting the £326.



I have emailed them again this morning, just been told that the Agreed Reads Team have been in contact with Eon to agree a transfer read so they can send me the amended invoice. Hoping this will be case closed (fingers crossed)


The Avro tariff is quite a bit cheaper than the Eon one so I'm keen to pay them only what I owe lol.

On a switch there is no need to give the losing supplier a meter reading as the transfer process is managed by the gaining supplier. This explains the validation process:

https://octopus.energy/blog/secret-life-opening-meter-reading/

Why don’t they just trust me? Simple: some people misread their meter; some people do not bother and some people lie.

D_M_E

You need to contact your new supplier and raise an ARD - Agreed Readings Dispute - with them and make sure that they know what they are doing with this.

I had the same sort of thing when I switched from Eon - the central readings database - which verifies readings on switch - gave Eon a final reading which was about a year's usage based on the previous occupier's use.

In your case they are basing their verification on your usage before gas was installed, which would have been higher and there is not enough elapsed time since the installation to have much effect on the database.

Raise an ARD and, if necessary, also a complaint with your new supplier and get them to sort it out.

Also raise a complaint with Eon and tell them the final reading is in dispute and that an ARD has been raised and they should call off the hounds.

System

D_M_E wrote: »

You need to contact your new supplier and raise an ARD - Agreed Readings Dispute - with them and make sure that they know what they are doing with this.

I had the same sort of thing when I switched from Eon - the central readings database - which verifies readings on switch - gave Eon a final reading which was about a year's usage based on the previous occupier's use.

In your case they are basing their verification on your usage before gas was installed, which would have been higher and there is not enough elapsed time since the installation to have much effect on the database.

Raise an ARD and, if necessary, also a complaint with your new supplier and get them to sort it out.

Also raise a complaint with Eon and tell them the final reading is in dispute and that an ARD has been raised and they should call off the hounds.

An ARD - yes, but why two complaints? In my opinion, Avro has done nothing wrong. It has received a verified meter reading from the Data Collectors and it would seem that the two suppliers are using this reading to close and open accounts. The issue here is that the Data Collectors have adjusted the opening meter reading based on the historical data that they held on account for the property. Unless the OP has been providing the old supplier with frequent meter readings, then is is likely that the data does not show reduced energy use. It follows, in my opinion. that the OP is a part of the 'problem' which will be resolved via the ARD process. Using the complaint process suggests that blame needs to be apportioned when, in this case, no one is to blame.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Matt197 wrote: »

Hi everyone. Regular user on the website but first time poster here.

I have recently switched from E.on to Avro for my energy.

I have had a gas line installed and new central heating system in February and now I have had a final bill come through at double what the actual reading is. Eon have estimated 652 units used where as the actual reading sat at just over 300 units used. So I'm told I owe them £326.64 for 3 months usage.

I have contacted them several times saying the read is wrong and all I want to do is simply pay only what I owe - I have no issues with doing that and have always paid on time before. I am now being threatened with debt collection and however many times I speak to someone at Eon the letters keep coming and basically seems that no one wants to listen! Their customer service is shocking at the best of times!


I'm hoping that some people may have experienced this before and have some words of wisdom that can help.

Thanks Matt

Matt197 wrote: »

Thanks guys. I never gave Eon a meter read for the gas, so i am partly to blame. I know that around the time I was switching someone from Eon came out to read the meter though as I had to show him where it was.

I had to give opening readings to Avro, I was a couple of days late though. When I contacted someone last time the guy had worked it all out and I was happy with his calculations.

He said (3 weeks ago) he had sent the formal proposal had been sent over and just waiting for Eon to accept them, then they would send me an amended invoice. I've heard nothing since but getting letters from Eon wanting the £326.



I have emailed them again this morning, just been told that the Agreed Reads Team have been in contact with Eon to agree a transfer read so they can send me the amended invoice. Hoping this will be case closed (fingers crossed)


The Avro tariff is quite a bit cheaper than the Eon one so I'm keen to pay them only what I owe lol.

Hello Matt and sorry to lose you. Already some excellent advice on here. Thanks all.

It looks like this is being sorted through the Agreed Reads Dispute (ARD) that's been raised. To confirm, it's the gaining supplier that drives switches. They send their opening meter readings to the losing supplier. The readings go through a third party (Data Collector) who checks they're in line with past readings held for the property. Sometimes, as appears here, the Data Collector will make a change and both suppliers need to use the same amended readings to open/close their accounts. We'll have based our final bill on this.

As Hengus and D_M_E say, the effects of the new central heating system won't have made a significant impact on the database yet. As a result, the readings have been amended based largely on usage prior to this installation. ARDs are used to sort this type of issue. The two suppliers will re-agree the opening/closing readings and re-submit them. Once approved, we'll re-bill based on the new agreed readings.

Hope this adds to the comments already on here Matt.

Malc