Former energy supplier says we are £300+ in debt

Overtheroad

Hi, please help! 

 I switched energy supplier earlier this month after MoneyExpert recommended we would be better off with a different supplier.
I called my former energy company during the cooling off period to confirm we had made the final payment, they agreed we had. They had recently significantly lowered our monthly payments based on our (predicted) usage.
Now we are out of the cooling off period and they have told us we owe them around £320. I called them, I asked why they didn’t tell us this when I called during the cooling off period, she was not able to answer me. I also asked why they had lowered our monthly payments if we were in debit- she said it was based on our “predicted“ use with no explanation of how they came to this conclusion.
We can’t afford to pay the money they are asking, I would like to know should we even have to? Surely they should have let us know we were in debt during the last year especially before we left the cooling off period, especially as I called and asked? And surely they should not have been lowering our monthly outgoings when we were in debt- if I’d have stayed with them we could have ended up with thousands of pounds of debt. 

Perhaps I should have monitored the account more closely but due to personal circumstances over the last year I haven’t been able to, I trusted they would be monitoring my usage I certainly didn’t think they would be lowering tariffs unless we were in credit.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Robin9

Going back in time to the bill before the "final" what was the bottom line - were you in credit or debit - and was the meter reading it was based on ESTIMATED or ACTUAL ?   

How does this meter reading compare to the one you gave to your new supplier ?

Overtheroad

They didn’t ever mention if we were in credit and debit and I assumed that we were paying the right amount so there wasn’t any debit or credit. Its clear now that I didn’t really understand the bill, but there had been no emails stating anything about credit or debit. That was why I phoned them to check if we had made the final payment, I can’t understand why they agreed it was the final payment and didn’t mention this debt. I don’t know what their metre reading was or how they made their predictions.
Like I said I think I haven’t really been on the ball with this, I haven’t kept up to date in checking our metre readings but I assumed they would ask for them if they needed them. I think I’ve been too trusting but now I’m left with a bill I can’t pay.

yksi

I'm not sure you understand Robin9's question. At the time you called them, did you owe them money or did they owe you money? Learn how to check the meter and figure out whether they had an ACCURATE, ACTUAL reading for you. If it was an estimate, and they now have the actual reading, then it means they guessed your usage but now they know what you have actually used, and you owe them money. I guess the person on the phone made a mistake by not explaining this, but if you have used the energy then you will need to pay for it. Start by getting that reading yourself, asking them to explain why you have a debt, and then once you have it, you can think about making some agreement to pay them back monthly.

es5595

So just to confirm, they are no longer your supplier and you have moved to another provider?

Please ensure you are submitting monthly meter readings to the new supplier. 

You will need to pay the debt to the previous supplier, but it is obviously not a priority debt if they are no longer your supplier. 

Send them an email explaining you were unaware you were in arrears, and ask how long these have built up over, as you were of the understanding you were up-to-date, especially given the confirmation that your account was clear, and furthermore why were your payments reduced as that money has now been spent. 

Once they respond, you’ll need to come up with a payment plan that is aligned with the period the debt built up. For instance, if it built up over 12 months, you can offer to pay it back at £30 a months, for over 36 months, less than £10 a month. 

Realistically, how much can you afford to pay off each month? 

JJ_Egan

Did you give a final meter reading to old supplier and new supplier ??

Robin9

@overtheroad  Could you let us copies of the bill before last and of the "final" bill please - both the pages re money and the ones re meter readings - blank out personal info.

The detail is all there - it won't be on any email or in any telephone conversation.