Ecotricity demanding payment for very odd bill

MWT

tonyenkiducx said:

Sorry for not replying, had to go sleep last night.  I've had some update this morning, I got the final meter readings from the landlord, and they do not match the bill at all, both values are off by a mile.  I'm going to call ecotricity, get them updated and them I assume I'll get a proper bill.  I assume then if there is a problem then they will need to speak to the Landlord.

Are the final reading at least close to the original final bill you received? ... and were those readings marked as estimated ('E') or were they something else?

If there is still a problem they are going to be talking to you, the landlord has no position in this as the account was in your name not theirs... If the final reading the landlord has don't make sense in terms of the previous usage that might be why a different number was used. What would have been more useful perhaps is the opening reading that was used for the next tenants first bill, Ecotricity should have that number of course...

Talldave

Always photograph all meters (inc water) at the start and end of every tenancy. 

brewerdave

MWT said:

tonyenkiducx said:

Sorry for not replying, had to go sleep last night.  I've had some update this morning, I got the final meter readings from the landlord, and they do not match the bill at all, both values are off by a mile.  I'm going to call ecotricity, get them updated and them I assume I'll get a proper bill.  I assume then if there is a problem then they will need to speak to the Landlord.

 What would have been more useful perhaps is the opening reading that was used for the next tenants first bill, Ecotricity should have that number of course... 

In a number of similar cases on these forums in the past , the issue has been that the landlord doesn't want to pay for usage between tenants so "fiddles" the figures. That's why Talldave's advice is so valuable.

MWT

brewerdave said:

In a number of similar cases on these forums in the past , the issue has been that the landlord doesn't want to pay for usage between tenants so "fiddles" the figures. That's why Talldave's advice is so valuable.

... and why we have said all along in this thread that you should never depend on anyone else to read  your meter or submit readings on your behalf.

It is always easier to deal with issues like this at the time, not months or years later....

tonyenkiducx

The landlord is a business partner of mine, he's not fiddled the figures.  Appreciate your concern though, that's sound advice in most cases!

tonyenkiducx

Well I had two more calls with Ecotricity with no response, so I emailed them again and I copied in some advice from my company solicitors about how I could take them to court and charge them for wasting my time.  Not sure the solicitors were needed, but it did the trick, got a response back within the hour and then the support person was answering my emails within 10-20 minutes each time until it was resolved.  I sent them the final readings, they adjusted it and sent me a bill for £403 which I have now paid.  According to the last guy I spoke to my case had been passed from person to person on their internal support system for 4 weeks, with nothing added to it in that time.