E-ON electric smart meter bill of £5500 for two people living in student flat . need help

hatchet12345

moved into student 3 bed 1 kit 1 room flat in july 2019 , did not get a bill until jan 2020 by that time the bill was approx 2800. there was only 2 of us living in the flat during this time.
we had electric heating on a timer ,electric shower,electric oven hob, 1 light bulb in each room, toaster, microwave, hair dryer no tv as we watched through our own laptops.
due to covid i moved out in march leaving my flat mate alone , she stayed till the end of tenancy . our final bill came out at £5500 
we have been disputing the bill since january .Eon supplies the flat through a smart meter, we have asked them to check the meter to see if it is faulty or if some one as illegally tapped into it ,E-ON have refused and say the bill is correct and that it is impossible for the meter to be faulty.
E-ON have said we have used 30,000kwh   which is crazy , the average family use around 4000kwh annually .EON have told us the smart meter was installed oct 2015 and that it as never been callibrated or checked since and they say the do not have to check the meter , even thou we have queried it being faulty.
E-ON complaints team have been threatening, sarcastic and have given me 8 days to pay the bill as they have closed my complaint and in the process of sending a dead lock letter.
whats more is its my name on the bill and my flatmate and her family are refusing to pay for there part of the bill .
I am at a loss as to what to do as i do not have 5500 for it plus there is know way this is correct, please could someone advise me 

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.  Have you done the usual tests?

• Take meter readings, switch everything off at the consumer unit for a few hours (preferably after dark), watch the red LED for a few minutes to make sure it never flashes and make sure the readings haven't increased at the end of the period.
• Check that the number of the meter is that same as that on the bill.
• Do the sums yourself.  Look at the opening and present meter readings.  Does the kWh reading on the bill make sense?  The smart meter may have gone dumb.  What are the meter reading classifications - watch out for any that are estimated.
  
• Did you give an opening reading?  If you didn't or let someone do it on your behalf then you may have inhered a debt from the previous occupier.
• 30,000 kWh does seem excessive and needs to be sorted out, but do you know the kWh rate(s) and the daily charge?  You need to make sure you are on E.On's best tariff.
• Take daily meter readings daily (or even hourly) to get an understanding of the claimed usage.
• What is your heating?  Sounds like you don't have storage heating, so it will always be expensive (but not almost 30,000kWh p.a.).  Make sure you're not on an E7 tariff.

hatchet12345

i moved out of the flat in march, my flatmate in june. so we are not renting the flat now so have no access.
i lived there for only 6 months my flate mate approx 10 months.the heating was on a timer and thermostat and after receiving the big bill in jan we switched the heating off, WE explained all this to E-ON but they have refused to check the meter to see if its faulty.
i am scared of getting a bad credit reference especially at 21 . do they have to check the meters if you think they are faulty?the meter as never been checked since t was installed in oct 2015 are they supposed to check them annually for faults and test them?
going to the ombudsman but after looking on here they ar in E-ONS back pocket. dont know what to do . the complaints department are shocking 

Gerry1

OK, but you can still check the bills for estimated reads, etc.  You could also ask for the co-operation of the new occupier: after all, they are likely to face similar problems so it's in their interests to help you.

hatchet12345

we was on day rate of 20.09p kwh
night rate of 10.09 kwh
day rate of 29.3 per day    all plus 5%vat
we asked and agreed a contract for pay as you go in jan after first bill , but they never fitted it . we brought this up in our complaint as well but they have said that never happened or was agreed and that we are lying , i think i have the paper work in a box at my mums which i am going to dig out this weekend.

Gerry1

D'oh !  You should never have been on E7 if you don't use storage heaters.  And the daytime rate and daily charge are both extortionate.  Did you fail to register when you moved in, hence ending up on a very expensive 'deemed' tariff?  Once again, did you give an opening reading?

Whatever you do, get it right next time.  Find a place with gas and shop around for the best rates.  For comparison, my single rate is 12.11343p per kWh with a Daily Charge of 13.2825p, inc VAT.

Make sure the day and night rates haven't been swapped over on the bill.

hatchet12345

i am not sure what E7 heaters are and we inherited the tarrif when we moved in .E=ON have never mentioned E7 too us at all .
We tried to change to prepaid in feb like i said in my previous post.
We have been complaining since jan .
are you saying this bill could be right 

hatchet12345

thanks for your help gerry

Gerry1

Storage heaters are essentially boxes of bricks that heat up overnight on a cheaper tariff such as Economy 7 and release the heat in the daytime.  But the daytime date is more expensive than usual so you shouldn't be on an E7 tariff if you don't use sufficient energy at night to make it worthwhile: it's like having a season ticket and using it for two days a week.  Your tariff will have been shown on the bill.

Prepaid wouldn't have been a good idea because the rates are even higher.  If you read the meter each day (or look at the shiny IHD toy) you can soon see what you will will have to pay.

With all due respect you must get a grip otherwise you'll come to grief again very soon !  If you pay the energy company directly (rather than energy being included in the rent) then you have the right to choose your energy supplier and tariff, you don't have to 'inherit' anything.  BTW, what are you paying now?

You'll need to get the bills and see whether it really shows 30,000kWh were used in under a year.  If the readings are from the smart meter or from actual readings (not estimates) then it might be worth getting the meter tested, especially if you can get the current occupier to to the quick tests I suggested earlier.  If they're also experiencing excessive consumption you could suggest splitting the cost of the test (it's refunded if the meter really is faulty).  The current occupier could also request a check meter is fitted, which would be cheaper.

Unfortunately your case lacks much substance so far, so you need to establish the facts before going to the ombudsman: mere emotion (e.g. 'it can't be that much, I can't afford it', etc) won't cut the mustard.  For the third time, did you register with E.On and give a meter reading when you moved in?

In a nutshell, you let yourself end up on the world's most expensive tariff and there's probably not much you can do now to turn back the clock.  Sounds a bit harsh to say that, but otherwise you'll find out the hard way.  However, you can certainly try to challenge the high usage, but you'll need good evidence.

In the meantime, ask E.On for a payment plan.

Robin9

As Gerry1 has said enlist the help of the present occupiers - they may be having the same issues as you have had.

Ask them for the present readings, a photo of the meter and of the heaters -  they may be the magic dust type, a fortune to install and to run.

Eon cannot refuse to check the meter - they may make a charge of about £150 which you will get back if its faulty.

Could you post a copy of the bill please - blank out the personal info

stewie_griffin

The new occupiers could have well changed supplier meaning E.ON can't test the meter. Do you have a list of the readings from the Smart meter. You should be able to get monthly readings at the very least.