Shell Energy Please Help

Mandy8887

Hi Guys,

I would be so grateful for some help. i was with First Utility. Have been at the property for 5 years. Had a smart meter fitted 6 months later and i paid off the £900 bill. I top up on my meter around 150 a month so a lot.
Anyway I never even knew Shell had taken over First Utility until I have a random letter yesterday saying I owe £15,223.89 - which I cannot figure out as I am on a meter and if I run out well my meter cuts out.
I spoke with First Utility easily 50 times in the last 5 years as I topped up my meter over the phone, never was this mentioned to me.
also I cant figure out how that could be possible??
I am a single mum with a disabled child but I work full-time I'm hardly ever home as Saturdays I also go out to family.
I've contacted Shell and raised a formal online complaint but so far no response. I am really losing sleep over it all.
If it is correct that will mean a total of £25,000 over 5 years for gas and electricity. That's never right is it??
Please help.
I do have an email from Dec sent to First Utility luckily I kept it asking whether with the meter I needed to take any readings (this was due to how much I was topping up)
what are my next steps?
thank you so much

Gerry1

Could the letter be a scam? What exactly does it say? A scan would be useful, obviously with personal information redacted.

[Deleted User]

No supplier would allow a debt in that sort of level to build up
.Someone at F.U./Shell could have received a set of readings on their problematic Secure Liberty meters and fed that into a computer with the result of a ludicrous bill, to a prepayment meter no less !.
I have seen bill of over 100 k issued by British Gas of all people which made the local press, just by a set of numbers messed up by missing the decimal point on a new electric meter.
Secure Liberty meters are always at risk because they are the only domestic electric meter in use in the UK which have 8 digits, including a miniscule decimal point , when digital electric meters should only have 5 digits.. The gas meter is also prone because it is not obvious on that meter that only the first five digits are ever needed on gas meters.
Secure Liberty gas needs first seven including two defunct leading zero s and to ignore the last digit after the decimal point

Mandy8887

Thank you for the replies.

I have just been on the customer chat for almost 2 hours,its now being referred to another team to look at today.

They have however admitted in black and white that they have not billed me since 2015 they said that a "billing blocker" was on my account and the chat advisor could not understand why only apologised.

I said I had a smart meter and always understood this to be both, I pay 150 a month on this if not more. she said my gas was separate and the bill 15,400 is for gas use.

I am just waiting for a response now. Any more advice?

My reading meter is an "industry reading" she said but I don't know what that means. I have given a reading now.

what should I accept as resolution ?

thank you so much

Mandy8887

My meter has 8 numbers on it if that helps. Many thanks

Mandy8887

To update had a response to say they are dealing with my complaint and then the back paying team are looking at it

UnclaimedEnergy

An industry reading means that they've estimated a gas reading to use to bill your account.

Companies usual use these when they haven't received an actual reading. However, as shown in your case, these can be incorrect.

£150 a month should be enough to cover both elec and gas, unless your electricity use is near 5,000kWh a year.

Based on the above, have you not had any bills etc. then since 2015? Or is this what Shell have told you?

Mandy8887

Basically, they have said that they swopped my account over 3 times and the last time they changed it over on another account number they had a system error which then said about billing and no bill was sent to me from April 2015 onwards (I did get them to admit this to me in writing which is what took me two hours today as they were going from pillar to post trying not to accept fault).
I then said so you are telling me that my total energy use is £500 a week for gas and electricity over that period.
They have referred to it being an "incorrect bill" and said they are waiting on another team confirming the correct bill and back pay issue.
I will keep group posted.
Its been quite the battle today about this with shell.

In my favour are:-
1. They accepted that they told me I was having a gas smart meter and then installed the electric one - which I had assumed did both
2. They have accepted it is a system error with them that they never sent me a bill from april 2015 onwards
3. They said they have taken 4 "industry" readings over the last 4 years. I am not entirely sure what that means but seems to be another word for estimate

I have literally read everything from Ofgem today. I kept a copy of the chat and am dealing with the complaint via email (always get it in black and white !)

thanks guys, will keep everyone updated.

and I best put a coat on tonight !!