Backbilling question

dode74

Hi - first post so please be gentle!

I just received a bill from my former energy supplier debiting me ~£90 for a claimed discrepancy in meter readings on changeover to a new supplier. Thing is, the energy usage was in 2013. Am I right in thinking that I do not have to pay under the backbilling rules which prevent suppliers charging for energy used more than a year ago?

Thanks

lewisa

Providing you have not acted unreasonably, tell them you refuse to pay because of the backbilling rules.

If you have acted unreasonably or obstructively then you could still be liable.

For example unreasonable could be did you provide the wrong meter readings? Did you move house without telling them so they couldnt issue a bill within the 12 months. Or obstructive could be have you ignored any previous communication etc.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.


The backbilling rules do not 'prevent suppliers charging for energy supplied over a year ago'. You can 'google' back billing and read the interpretation yourself.


Was the bill from the energy company? If so when was it dated?



Or is it a claim from a Debt Recovery Agency

dogshome

Back Billing comes into play when a supplier fails to send any bills for over 12 months, but they have up to 6 years to correct errors on bills previously sent


2013 to 2019 is 6 years - But only if the re-calculation of the dates on the
adjusted bill/s, is more than exactly 6 years from the date the present demand was issued

matelodave

Did you not check that the readings that the new supplier used were the the ones that you gave them and that these were same as the closing reading on the final bill from your old supplier.

It really is difficult to back track if you dont check these thing at the time and SAVE copies of the bills & statements.

It's not actually a back-billing problem as defined in the guidelines but a correction which as said above, they can go back up to six years.

Ideally you should save your bills (or at least the final one from your old supplier and your opening one from the new supplier) for the requisite six years.

A lot of suppliers are checking back, British Gas had a go last year which upset a lot of people and I guess that the receivers & SoLR for collapsing energy companies are going over their accounts with a fine tooth comb so it's best to be prepared yourself - just in case

nigelbb

dogshome wrote: »

Back Billing comes into play when a supplier fails to send any bills for over 12 months, but they have up to 6 years to correct errors on bills previously sent

That's not how I read the backbilling rules, It's not where no bills have been sent but where an error has been made on the part of the supplier in billing for energy. It could be they have sent no bills or it could be that the bills were wrong. In either case provided that the customer hasn't been obstructive then the supplier cannot backbill more than 12 months prior to the error being detected. In the OP's case they are way outside that 12 month window so cannot be backbilled.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/who-contact-if-its-difficult-paying-energy-bills/energy-backbilling-your-rights

dode74

Cardew wrote: »

Welcome to the forum.

The backbilling rules do not 'prevent suppliers charging for energy supplied over a year ago'. You can 'google' back billing and read the interpretation yourself.

Was the bill from the energy company? If so when was it dated?

Or is it a claim from a Debt Recovery Agency

Hi, and thanks for the reply. I did google it and got that quote from the Ofgem website. This is what it says:
"Your supplier can’t ask to be paid for unbilled energy used more than 12 months ago, if you haven’t been accurately charged for this usage before."

The bill is from the energy company for the period 1 March to 24 July 2013 and is dated 26 Feb 2019. I completed the purchase of the house on 28 Feb 2013 and changed energy supplier from EDF to Sainsbury's a few months later using the Which? transfer service (I still have the email and switch reference number).

matelodave wrote:

Did you not check that the readings that the new supplier used were the the ones that you gave them and that these were same as the closing reading on the final bill from your old supplier.

It really is difficult to back track if you dont check these thing at the time and SAVE copies of the bills & statements.

Not sure if I checked at the time, but all my billing is done paperless so I have no bills remaining. I can't log into my Sainsbury's Energy account either since it has expired.

matelodave

Even "paperless" bills and statements can be downloaded, either as screen shots or PDF's. You dont need to save a hard copy.

I've got a backed up folder with all my bills/statements from, Eon, EDF, Scottish Power, SSE, GB Energy, IRESA, Octopus and now Eversmart.

I give them a reading every month and a copy of the updated bill/statement gets downloaded every month. I've records going back over eight years.

I also keep my own spreadsheet which is especially useful when a supplier goes belly up and shut downs their online accounts ot their billing goes awry

Streaky_Bacon

The back billing rules are clear. They will not be able to bill you for extra energy that far back.

From Ofgem:

A backbill is a ‘catch-up’ bill sent to you by your gas or electricity supplier when you haven’t been correctly charged for your energy use.

Any "correction" is actually back billing for energy. If it wasn't, then any supplier could simply claim that an increased bill was a "correction" and the whole thing would be pointless.

I have recently had to deal with Scottish Power regarding back billing from several years ago.

I would write to them (get a certificate of posting) and email them a copy of the letter. Tell them they cannot charge you for extra energy, due to the back billing rules. Make sure to demand that they stop any enforcement action until they have dealt with the response, and that you will be taking the matter to the Energy Ombudsman if not resolved with 8 weeks.

If they don't sort it in 8 weeks, send it to the ombudsman.

If your old supplier wants to claim that you were obstructive, that is for them to prove, so I wouldn't even mention it, unless they do.

Only engage with them in writing.

Jhg1958

I have just recieved an email from Npower asking me to log on to my account and I have not been a customer for over 2 years. When I logged on I found a new bill for 2016 and 2017 electricity issued in March 2019. The bill was for over £6500! Surely Npower must know the rules.

I have made a complaint

I must say this email has put a dampener on my holiday
John

Cardew

Jhg1958 wrote: »

I have just recieved an email from Npower asking me to log on to my account and I have not been a customer for over 2 years. When I logged on I found a new bill for 2016 and 2017 electricity issued in March 2019. The bill was for over £6500! Surely Npower must know the rules.

I have made a complaint

I must say this email has put a dampener on my holiday
John

Is this a business account?