No Eon bill for 11 months, now owe over £1000

nigel2lynda

I am after some advice, I had not received a dual fuel bill from Eon for over 11 months, they recently sent me a bill telling me that I now have a dept of over £1000. I have complained about not receiving a bill for 11 months, even though I submitted 3 meter readings for both gas & electric and Eon took a reading themselves. They have offered me a £50 reduction on my outstanding balance, I have told them I am not happy with this and am going to contact ofgem. Is there anything that I can actually do to get my bill reduced as I was unaware that my direct edit was not covering my usage.

Robin9

Have you been keeping any records and doing your own sums for the last 11 months ? A simple spreadsheet would suffice

matelodave

Did you not ask for one or have a look at your on-line account to see what was going on. Most energy firms don't send out bills, that's why they have on-line accounts so you have the opportunity to keep track of your energy and payments.

You can also send in meter readings as often as you like (ideally once a month) so you can check that your direct debit is covering your consumption. They usually produce a statement either monthly or some only quarterly which details your DDs and meter info which will be estimated if you dont give them actual readings.

Energy companies may only review your account once or twice a year so it really is your responsibility to look after your account yourself.

The vast majority of problems that occur on this forum are from people who've suddenly got a ginormous bill because they haven't been sending in regular readings or monitoring their accounts.

dogshome

Eon have certainly made errors, but not over the full 12 months it takes for the 'Back-billing' rule to come in to play


However they still have a duty to collect this money over time, at a rate you can afford - Negotiate a sum per month ', and get that agreement in WRITING

nigel2lynda

I sent quarterly readings and Eon took there own readings. If they had sent me a bill I would have realised that my DD was insufficient to cover my usage, that was the annoying factor. Eon should also review bills every 6 months to see if the DD payment is covering the usage.

Robin9

If you opted for paperless then you should have access to your bills on line - have you?

For me utility bills are a substantial part of my monthly budget and I make an effort to keep track of them.

Takmon

nigel2lynda wrote: »

I sent quarterly readings and Eon took there own readings. If they had sent me a bill I would have realised that my DD was insufficient to cover my usage, that was the annoying factor. Eon should also review bills every 6 months to see if the DD payment is covering the usage.

When you took a reading you could have done a simple calculation to see how much you had used since your last bill and how much it was costing each month vs your direct debit.

If you don't want to do this then it's up to you but you can't complain when your using more than your direct debit and get a bill on top.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.


As indicated above, you have to 'manage' your account and have realised yourself that your Direct Debit payments were insufficient.



At best you will get time to pay back your debt. You can expect to pay back over the 11 months about £90 a month on top of a Direct Debit payment that covers your consumption. You will not be allowed to leave Eon while you owe them a substantial amount.


A £50 reduction is quite generous and it is very unlikely any complaint to the Ombudsman(not ofgem) will increase that sum.

grumpycrab

£1000 owed on top of existing direct debit? That's a lot. Do you agree with the usage over this period? If not, post start and current meter(s) reads here and we will check them.

Hasbeen

nigel2lynda wrote: »

IIs there anything that I can actually do to get my bill reduced as I was unaware that my direct edit was not covering my usage.

Yes. Login to your account and manage it in future. You have to take responsibility. Also submit meter readings every month on your account and look at your bills.:)

MothballsWallet

Robin9 wrote: »

Have you been keeping any records and doing your own sums for the last 11 months ? A simple spreadsheet would suffice

I have a spreadsheet - it's not "simple" as I've added extra things to it, including the calorific value data from National Grid to convert the m3 from the gas meter to kWh.

I also take photos of my meters using my phone when taking the readings so I've got an extra record (the photo files then have the date and time encoded in the filenames).