Ombudsman problem

Furbydog

hi, thank you again for your comments, my opening reading of was 14042, the reading when my meter was changed was 15418 and the new meter reading was 207821 on 5/6/19
my final reading was 25516 on 16/3/20.
The readings on the account were not estimates.

 

victor2

Furbydog said:

hi, thank you again for your comments, my opening reading of was 14042, the reading when my meter was changed was 15418 and the new meter reading was 207821 on 5/6/19
my final reading was 25516 on 16/3/20.
The readings on the account were not estimates.

 

When meters are changed, the supplier bills you based on the OLD meter's final reading and then bills you from the starting reading on the NEW meter. The installers do not and can not adjust the new meter to make it match the old meter.

Occasionally, the supplier is not correctly notified of the meter change and you would get a huge bill if the new meter is far ahead of the old meter, which is what I think you are suggesting. However, that does not appear to have happened in your case, which is further supported by both E.on and the ombudsman investigating it.

Look at the kWh you have been billed for. I don't think you will find you were billed for the difference between the two meters.

tim_p

Furbydog said:

hi, thank you again for your comments, my opening reading of was 14042, the reading when my meter was changed was 15418 and the new meter reading was 207821 on 5/6/19
my final reading was 25516 on 16/3/20.
The readings on the account were not estimates.

 

Presumably 207821 is a typo and it should read more like 20782.
the totals for the period given with the number adjusted look like 6110 units

Furbydog

Sorry, yes that’s 20782, and it is 6110.
Thank you for your post.

[Deleted User]

I am not sure what the OP is hoping to achieve with this thread. The supplier’s complaints procedure has been followed and the OP voluntarily decided to agree to third-party arbitration (the supplier has no option) - arguably, without first considering what he had to lose if the complaint was not upheld. The EO found in the supplier’s favour based on the evidence presented to it by the OP and the supplier. The OP would have been given one further chance to add further evidence in support of his complaint before the Final Decision was made. Going forward, the OP now has 2 options: one, accept the Decision; pay up and move on, or, two, reject the Decision. There is no appeal as such to an EO Decision. Even if the MSE Jury does identify new information in support of the OP’s case then neither the supplier nor The EO will re-open the original complaint. Rejection means no further engagement: the supplier is free to pursue recovery of the debt.

It is, of course, possible that the OP might decide to have his day in Court. However, as has already been said, the supplier can refer to the Decision of the independent arbitrator in support of its claim. If the Court case is lost, then there is the potential issue of costs. Not a decision to be taken lightly.

Furbydog

I have just seen on mse that if an ombudsman case was done by an investigator rather
than an ombudsman you can ask for it to be reviewed by the ombudsman. 

[Deleted User]

I assume that all the information posted in this thread has been seen by The Energy Ombudsman Service (in truth, there is no single Ombudsman)? If that is not the case, then what would be the basis of your Appeal if there was an appeal process? 'They must be wrong because I think that they are wrong' is not substantive proof. Out-of-interest, one of your posted statements has a Citizens' Advice Case Number: what advice did they give you?

This extract from a legal site outlines in some detail The Energy Ombudsman Process. Inter alia, it states:

How does the ombudsman handle complaints?

The ombudsman starts by contacting your energy supplier for information about what has happened so far. Once it has all the facts, it'll first try to resolve the complaint informally. 

If this isn't possible, the complaint will be referred to an ombudsman investigation officer. The investigation officer will write a provisional conclusion and send it to both you and the energy supplier. If you both accept the provisional conclusion, it'll become the final decision, and the energy supplier must carry out any required solution.

You should tell the ombudsman if you or the energy supplier feels that the ombudsman has made a significant error, or if new important evidence has come out that could have had a real effect on the ombudsman's decision. Any comments or evidence received at this stage will be passed on to the ombudsman to consider when making the final decision.

When the ombudsman has finished this process, it'll send you and the energy supplier a copy of the final decision. The final decision can't be changed and there is no appeal procedure.

Indeed, if you look at The Energy Ombudsman Services webpage it states the following:

You can appeal our decision but only if a mistake has been made, or you have new information for us to take into account (with a clear reason why this was not submitted earlier). We’ll always try to decide on a fair outcome, but if you’re still not happy you can reject our final decision. Then you’ll be free to resolve your complaint by other methods, such as through the civil courts.

It would seem from your initial post, you are in receipt of a Final Decision. Nowhere on The Energy Ombudsman website does it state that complainants have the right to appeal a Final Decision if the investigation was carried out by an investigator.

victor2

Furbydog said:

...
i can prove eon calculated my bill to £1142 from 1/5/19 to 5/6/19, and £626 for the rest of the year, obviously wrong. ...

From your opening post. But as yet, we haven't seen your proof that they billed you for the difference between your old removed meter and your newly installed one. Is that what you are claiming they did? If that is the case, it is wrong and E.on should recognise that.