Can I dispute my [Tonik] energy bill without having my supply cut or paying huge interest?

JustAnotherSaver

I was with Tonik a couple year ago and didn't have a single problem with them. Everything was spot on.

Went back to them this time round and the billing was all over the place throughout. I figured it'd sort itself out by the time their IT system sort the website out maybe but we know how that's gone.

I would be in high debit and then high credit and we'd carry on that merry go round. I'd never been in debit with an energy company before. I contacted them at the point of me being in high credit in May and they responded:

Every month i've paid up £80.05 via direct debit. We're a 2 person household. We're not home before 6pm weekdays. I'm saying this as i don't think we use a ton of energy.

I've now received my final bill from them:

So i think i'm due to pay £34.84 yet once i open it up...

The meter readings put on the bill are correct in line with what i have submitted it seems. I have no hard evidence that they have overcharged me. Only that they have had the figure on my account all over the place all year and that i have never been in debit with an energy company before, never mind to that much - i've always been given money back once i've left because my direct debits have been for more than what i have used & our usage has not changed any.

But i'm also bothered about 1) the supply being cut and 2) challenging this and then by the end of it they say well 6 months of back-&-forth has gone on so now you owe us £500.

Having never been in this position before, advice is welcome.

theoretica

So they think you were £179 behind with payments at the start of the bill.  Ignoring their bills, take your opening and closing readings for all the time you were with them and work out what the total charge should have been -useage and daily standing charge and VAT.  How does this compare to what you have paid them and what they have billed you for?

macman

Domestic supplies do not get cut off unless you have been bypassing the meter. PPM's are only fitted if you get heavily into arrears and break repayment agreements.

JustAnotherSaver

theoretica said:

So they think you were £179 behind with payments at the start of the bill.  Ignoring their bills, take your opening and closing readings for all the time you were with them and work out what the total charge should have been -useage and daily standing charge and VAT.  How does this compare to what you have paid them and what they have billed you for?

Is that just a simple case of taking the meter reading when i joined up with them and my meter reading when they were taken over and then working out the difference & calculating that cost?

And then adding to that a daily charge? Finding out whatever that is and multiplying it by 365?

macman said:

Domestic supplies do not get cut off unless you have been bypassing the meter.

That's a relief

macman said:

PPM's are only fitted if you get heavily into arrears and break repayment agreements.

What's a PPM?

Ectophile

PPM = prepayment meter (or parts per million, but probably not here!)

macman

JustAnotherSaver said:

theoretica said:

So they think you were £179 behind with payments at the start of the bill.  Ignoring their bills, take your opening and closing readings for all the time you were with them and work out what the total charge should have been -useage and daily standing charge and VAT.  How does this compare to what you have paid them and what they have billed you for?

Is that just a simple case of taking the meter reading when i joined up with them and my meter reading when they were taken over and then working out the difference & calculating that cost?

And then adding to that a daily charge? Finding out whatever that is and multiplying it by 365?

macman said:

Domestic supplies do not get cut off unless you have been bypassing the meter.

That's a relief

macman said:

PPM's are only fitted if you get heavily into arrears and break repayment agreements.

What's a PPM?

Yes and yes. But only for electricity. With gas, you must convert the meter readings from volume (cu m or 100's cu ft) to kWh first. The formula is shown on your bill, and the meter type is shown on your meter (metric or imperial).
The daily standing charge applying is shown on your bill.

MalMonroe

PPM means Pre Payment Meter.

But if you do ever want to query or dispute your bill, you can do so without any penalty.  You won't be cut off and you won't be charged any more than you should be either.

Malchester

One of the problems for Tonik started when they changed their computer systems earlier this year. Went rapidly downhill from then

JustAnotherSaver

Well I've emailed Tonik to request my bills as they only provide limited bills on my login. 
At the very least I've asked for the meter reading I provided when I joined and also the final meter reading, though I have that last one anyway. 

I then got a reply saying we've been taken over by Scottish Power. Yeah great stuff but this is the email you told me to send to if I'm to question my bill. 

So not sure if I'm going to be provided with my original meter reading or not. 

theoretica

Is the initial meter reading on the first bill - the huge one?

[Deleted User]

The OP is no longer a Tonik customer. The gaining supplier’s data collector will have validated the opening reading for the new energy account. This reading has to be used by the losing supplier (Tonik) to close the account and to raise a Final Bill. Are the two readings the same? If an opening reading has been used which is markedly different from that shown on the meter then the OP MAY be able to raise a Reading Dispute. That said, if the new tariff is more expensive than the old tariff, then the OP may be better off just paying Tonik the amount claimed. The gaining supplier will only charge the standing charge until the actual meter reading passes that opening reading on the new account.

Others have offered advice on how to check the Tonik bill. Whilst there is no way that Tonik can cut off the OP’s supply, they can take the OP to Court. If the OP cannot produce any factual evidence to counter Tonik’s claim, then the Court will undoubtedly find in the supplier’s failure.