Meter Readings Never Given And Way Off Estimates

fayephil

Help please! 

I switched over a year ago to a duel tarrif energy supplier without giving meter readings - I was away at the time and have never gotten around to providing meter readings. I've recently recevied an update from the nergy company telling me my tarrif has ended so I thought I'd check the meter readings and it turns out they're far far greater than the estimates - which is, frankly, terrifying. If I never gave the company the meter readings in the first place so am I liable for the bill which could run into thousands! How does it work and what are my rights? Help please!

Gerry1

No, of course anyone who doesn't bother to give meter readings will be given unlimited free energy for life.  All the other customers and shareholders will be only too happy to have a whip round to subsidise you, it's the very least they can do. 

More seriously, ask for a payment plan if you can't afford to pay it all in one go.

rp1974

Only thing I can think of is that they will use the closing figures from your previous supplier(s) as their opening figures.They will subtract that from the latest readings and your due to pay the difference.You may have broken the terms and conditions that you agreed to when signing up,so might have been placed on a more expensive tariff.Assuming this isn't a wind up take it as a reminder to be better organised in future.Your rights are limited to paying for your energy use as you made no attempt to provide readings.

Hasbeen

fayephil said:

Help please! 

I switched over a year ago to a duel tarrif energy supplier without giving meter readings - I was away at the time and have never gotten around to providing meter readings. I've recently recevied an update from the nergy company telling me my tarrif has ended so I thought I'd check the meter readings and it turns out they're far far greater than the estimates - which is, frankly, terrifying. If I never gave the company the meter readings in the first place so am I liable for the bill which could run into thousands! How does it work and what are my rights? Help please!

You have never given any readings in over a year? Very brave! And seemingly very rich. And very ??????  LOL

Post a copy of the latest estimated bills with readings and tariff costs per kWh etc and what is showing now on your meter's.

Someone will work out what you now owe to the "nergy" company?  

matelodave

If you can't give them an initial reading then how do you expect them to guess how much you've used. Assuming you got a final bill from your previous supplier and you got around to paying it then you might be lucky and get a reading that was somewhere close. However if you didn't and they had to guess as well then you might still have a previous bill to sort out as well.

Your rights are to pay for the energy that you've used and not expect someone else to pay them for you. Who do you think should pay for the energy that you've used because you couldn't be bothered to give readings, check your bills and get it sorted out?

Hopefully you'll get the option of spreading your arrears over the next year but be prepared for a tripling or more of you direct debit. You are just one of many thousands on this forum and elsewhere who discover the hard way what happens if you cant be bothered to check and expect someone else to pay it for them.

Neil_Jones

fayephil said:

Help please! 

I switched over a year ago to a duel tarrif energy supplier without giving meter readings - I was away at the time and have never gotten around to providing meter readings. I've recently recevied an update from the nergy company telling me my tarrif has ended so I thought I'd check the meter readings and it turns out they're far far greater than the estimates - which is, frankly, terrifying. If I never gave the company the meter readings in the first place so am I liable for the bill which could run into thousands! How does it work and what are my rights? Help please!

Your rights are simple:  You have none.  You've used the utilities, now pay for them.  Simple as.

Realistically if it was as simple as "I've never given any readings to start with so I owe you nothing", we'd all be doing it.  This is a situation of your own making, so I'd suggest taking some meter readings now and give them to your supplier and hope for the best.  If you didn't give any readings to open the account the supplier would have used the closing readings from the previous supplier - whether they were wrong or not.

fayephil

It's staggering how obnoxious some of you people are. But to those who have been helpful thank you!

a) I was undergoing fertilty treatment at the time and far more pressing things to worry about MR Gerry1 AKA: I have nothing better to do than have a pop at people online! )

b) people aren't born an innate understanding of home economics which is why forums like this exist 

c) energy companies are banking on the fact people won't keep up to date with their bills by rewarding loyalty with high tarrifs if people forget to switch over which is frankly a business model which should be outlawed. Its therefore super annoying receiving 'advice' from somebody on a consumer forum who doesnt have anything better to do than enhace his own ego by insulting human error

But to those who have been helpful, thanks!

fayephil

matelodave said:

Assuming you got a final bill from your previous supplier and you got around to paying it then you might be lucky and get a reading that was somewhere close. However if you didn't and they had to guess as well then you might still have a previous bill to sort out as well.

So why would this bill be paid to the current supplier and not the previous one then? How is that worked out?

theoretica

fayephil said:

matelodave said:

Assuming you got a final bill from your previous supplier and you got around to paying it then you might be lucky and get a reading that was somewhere close. However if you didn't and they had to guess as well then you might still have a previous bill to sort out as well.

So why would this bill be paid to the current supplier and not the previous one then? How is that worked out?

When the supply switches the suppliers agree on a meter reading for the switch to happen at.  Often this is the reading given by the customer, but if you don't give one they can't use that.  So the suppliers have agreed where the switch was from their point of view and you didn't supply the reading that could have changed who should be paid for the useage.  Unless the rates are very different it won't make much difference to your total bill.

But thousands?  Do you have any past readings?  And are you sure you are reading the meters right - that would be the simplest answer.

dogshome

When you Switched to this supplier you would have had a Final Bill from the old supplier, and the End Readings on that bill will have been the Start Readings for the new supplier - If you still have this bill you can calculate how many Kwh of Gas & Elec you have used and what the bill should be

I find it odd that the supplier issued Estimated Bills for an entire year and make no specific requests for a meter Read, were the bills issued monthly? - If not what was the frequency?

As Gerry1 replied, with this debt it is your RIGHT to negotiate with supplier to pay it off in installments THAT YOU CAN AFFORD, do not let them bully you into anything else

Hasbeen

fayephil said:

It's staggering how obnoxious some of you people are. But to those who have been helpful thank you!

a) I was undergoing fertilty treatment at the time and far more pressing things to worry about MR Gerry1 AKA: I have nothing better to do than have a pop at people online! )

b) people aren't born an innate understanding of home economics which is why forums like this exist 

c) energy companies are banking on the fact people won't keep up to date with their bills by rewarding loyalty with high tarrifs if people forget to switch over which is frankly a business model which should be outlawed. Its therefore super annoying receiving 'advice' from somebody on a consumer forum who doesnt have anything better to do than enhace his own ego by insulting human error

But to those who have been helpful, thanks!

It does not really matter if you are of the opinion that some people are obnoxious here. All have replied to you with helpful advice.

You can choose what to do with that advice / suggestions as you see fit.

You have the estimated bills and you have read the meters. So please post photo of bills with personal details redacted and photos of meter readings.

Some one will crunch the numbers and tell you what you owe. Would not think it is thousands.