Erroneous readings from bust suppliers

heyhoo

rp1974 said

Why are EDF still sending you estimated readings?,I assume you mean bills.

The most recent bill that EDF sent that was based on an estimated reading was December 2020. The latest bill is based on my reading which they have finally accepted. 

rp1974

Thats progress,using their estimated 34931 and subtracting the actual and accepted 21145 that leaves 13786 units that they were trying to bill you for which you hadn't used.

Even being stuck with EDF are you on the cheapest tariff available to you?.

Are you paying quarterly by any chance?,if so maybe consider moving to monthly as any usage or billing issues should flag up or appear after a month or so rather than three to six months later.

heyhoo

I’m on monthly on a budget plan. They just didn’t send a bill between Dec and February while they were “processing” the issue. 

matelodave

You can usually look at your online account whenever you want to rather than waiting for a bill to come in. It usually also has your billing and reading history. If a bill doesn't appear when it should, or if it's incorrect or based on estimated readings then you should sort it out immediately. Get into a habit of once a month, checking meters (Gas, water, leccy etc), bills, bank accounts etc so you know what's going on and can get it corrected before it gets out of hand.

There are hundreds of posts with exactly the same problem on this forum. You do really need to be a bit more proactive, rather than just waiting and hoping that it'll be alright.

heyhoo

matelodave said:

You can usually look at your online account whenever you want to rather than waiting for a bill to come in. It usually also has your billing and reading history. If a bill doesn't appear when it should, or if it's incorrect or based on estimated readings then you should sort it out immediately. Get into a habit of once a month, checking meters (Gas, water, leccy etc), bills, bank accounts etc so you know what's going on and can get it corrected before it gets out of hand.

There are hundreds of posts with exactly the same problem on this forum. You do really need to be a bit more proactive, rather than just waiting and hoping that it'll be alright.

I need advice about what to do now, not repeated criticism over my actions at a time when I had a seriously ill child in hospital in a different city to me. As I have already explained, EDF were accepting my readings and then a couple of days later deleting them from the website and app without notifying me. They have recently cancelled all my previous bills on their website so I can’t access them. 

They have now accepted my readings, but they are charging me an overestimated debt from a previous supplier, which I need help with now. 

phillw

Have you made a complaint about their handling and asked to take it to the ombudsman?

matelodave

It not easy to give you help if you've got no info to fall back on and it's dragged on for nigh on two years. It's not intended as criticism but a statement of fact.

Have you been writing all this down - keeping a timeline diary and most of all downloading and saving any correspondence, bills or other documentation. or are you just fighting with someone on the end of a telephone. If you've got a coherent argument that you can write down then you might find that someone like the CAB can help you.
Don't just leave bills and statements sitting on the website or app - download and save them them as soon as they appear so you've got some sort of evidence to hand if they start backtracking. It's too late if they delete it or close the account. Likewise either use on-line chat and save the transcript rather than arguing on the phone unless you can record it yourself.

rp1974

To be honest I cant see how you will be able to sort the previous supplier issues now.
As EDF have now accepted your readings,is that including the overestimated debt from those previous suppliers,or are the overestimates from EDF seperate from that?.

MWT

The best hope you have now is to file a formal compliant, point out that the final estimated reading from the defunct suppliers was patently excessive as proven by your now accepted meter readings, and suggest they calculate backwards to the date you bought the property based on  your usage over the same time period in the following year..

If they don't accept that take it to the Ombudsman where there is a good chance it will be accepted as fair.

Also tell them they need to suspend any attempts to collect payment for that period until the complaint is resolved...

heyhoo

phillw said:

Have you made a complaint about their handling and asked to take it to the ombudsman?

I’ve raised a complaint yes. 

I’ve just been online today, on the EDF website under my account it says I’ve added a reading today (which I haven’t), but on the app next to the same reading it says it’s an estimated reading. 

The app also says that my next DD payment due is £23 on the 5th of March but there is also another DD payment due for £31.08 on the 17th of March. The latest bill on there is the same one I got last week saying that they would take a payment on 11th March for £540 then reduce my monthly payments to £1. 

At this point I think they are just making it up as they go along.