EDF just sent me a giant bill I simply Cannot afford - usage stupidly high!

Thatgutcraig

Been with EDF for 2 years. supplied meter readings for the first few months to get a feel for the cost. Cost was set at £67 per month.

november 2017 they sent me a bill to say they was putting the cost up to £81, which apparently i complained about and said no. EDF tell me that i was using £90 per month electric and £90 on Gas.... so 1) i wouldnt have said no if that was made clear and 2) theres no way i should be allowed to do so

November 2018 i get a estimated bill saying im £199 in debit. i have a smart meter installed in early december, and get a bill for £2000. They want to set up a direct debit for £283 a month. I CANOT AFFORD THIS!! Im almost crying panicing now.

Ive been on the phone numerous amounts to them to say this isnt right. They put my usage as EXTREMLY HIGH. They say my gas is about 55000kwh per annum - for comparison, the adverage for the UK for a STUDENT 8 BEDROOM HOUSE WITH 3 BATHROOMS is 36000kwh - there is NO WAY ON EARTH we are using that amount of gas.

They will not accept what im saying about the consumption be stupidly high, will not accept to come to the house to look at the meter either. THey say that the old meter and new meter add up.... thats fine, but there is no way on gods earth we use that ammount.

There is 2 people in this house, with a 7 year old every other day. We work full time, 8-5 every weekday. Compare that to my inlaws who live 7 doors down in the same house. One works from home 3 days a week, and the other is retired. the heating is on all day. Their monthly bill for both fuels is £70.

There is NO WAY AT ALL we use that ammount, but EDF will not accecpt this and are demanding the payment, which i simply cannot afford.

We have next to no disposable income, and this is going to put us into poverty, and im at risk of losing everything, and am scared, and depressed.

PennineAcute

You say that you gave meter readings for a few months. Did you stop giving these reads after this?

You say that November 18 bill was estimated.

It looks like that you have been underpaying, especially as beginning of 2018 was very cold. Now they have correct readings, you are now playing catch up.

What are the current reading of your smart meters?

Robin9

Can you post the meter readings from when you became a EDF customer (Jan 2017 ?) and of today please ?

Much of your post relates to gas do you accept the £90 electric figure ?

I also suspect you have been underpaying.

Does your latest bill show the meter change details - the new one should have 00000 as its initial reads. Do the serial numbers on the bill agree with that on the meter. The new one will be m3 meter - what does the bill say ?

antrobus

Thatgutcraig wrote: »

Been with EDF for 2 years. supplied meter readings for the first few months to get a feel for the cost.

Err, no. You need to take meter readings for at least a year to 'get a feel for the cost'. Being as how we have seasons in the UK.

Thatgutcraig wrote: »

Cost was set at £67 per month.

november 2017 they sent me a bill to say they was putting the cost up to £81, which apparently i complained about and said no. EDF tell me that i was using £90 per month electric and £90 on Gas.... so 1) i wouldnt have said no if that was made clear and 2) theres no way i should be allowed to do so
.

There seems to be a recurring problem of people;

(a) not understanding that the monthly DD amount they pay is simply a payment on account based on a best estimate of usage and the applicable tariff

(b) not taking regular meter readings and at least monitoring their actual usage, (or best of all giving them to their supplier) so that they know where they stand

Anyways, you will need "to post the meter readings from when you became a EDF customer (Jan 2017 ?) and of today" in order to get any meaningful response.

Robin9

When the gas meter was changed in December the installer will have left a card on which will have been the old and new meter readings. Are these readings on your latest bill and what are they ?

iammumtoone

I think you need to get them to detail separately.


1) How much you owe as it seems you have been underpaying.


2) Once you have caught up payments how much they estimate your bill going forward to be.


The £283 per month will be a combination of the above two, once you have the figures separated you will understand it more.


You are allowed to set your monthly payments, you do not have to spread payments equally over 12 months (although most people do) You can set to what you like and them pay any balance at the end of the billing period. If you have been under paying each month that is why you still owe them.

dogshome

I'm afraid that this situation is down to ignoring the need to give EDF regular meter reads - At least once every quarter, better once every 2 months.
( Don't punish yourself - Most of the responders on this site once wore 'L' plates)


The Debt
EDF are partially to blame by not asking for customer reads, and where a customer incurs debt they have a duty to set repayment terms that the customer can afford - Go back to EDF with an offer and negotiate.


The Tariff
EDF rarely offer 2 year tariffs, so the chances are your original tariff expired and you are now on the expensive Standard Tariff - What does it say on the bill?

Meter reads
Take meter readings and send them to EDF today !
Read both meters once a week, keep a log and send the readings to EDF once every eight weeks

We are still in Winter so the gas consumption will be high, but it's a good measure against EDF's claim of 55,000 Kwh a year

[Deleted User]

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