Old electricity supplier used wrong closing reading (but not the new one)

ntadmin

I recently moved my electricity from Bulb to Social Energy.

• Social Energy started with the correct reading.
• Bulb closed the account with the wrong reading, in their favour by about £25, which they put as an estimate on the bill.
• ie. I was double paying

As soon as it became evident this had happened I contacted Bulb with plenty of evidence. They said the problem was the new supplier. But the new supplier had the correct reading, and had submitted the correct reading to "the industry". It took me about 8 weeks of passing emails between the two before it was finally resolved.

However, all the way through, Bulb blamed with "the industry process" or "the new supplier" for the issue:

• Allegedly the new supplier hadn't submitted the right reading (they had)
• Allegedly the new supplier needed to raise a dispute (they tried)
• Allegedly the industry process meant that dispute was within acceptable error. (Even though the readings didn't match)
• Allegedly the nw supplier needed to raise a different kind of dispute.

Now, I don't know enough to know who is right or wrong or, frankly, even care.

What bothers me is this: it seems that any supplier can make up a closing reading that is in their favour and it is really hard for a consumer to get it corrected because it's "within acceptable error".

Has anyone else fond it ridiculously hard to get closing readings changed with any supplier? I've nothing against Bulb, perhaps it is an "industry" issue. Who should be approached to resolve this bizarre situation?

Reed_Richards

The new and the old supplier must use the same handover reading, there are no two ways about that.  However because your old supplier must issue you with a "final" bill within a set time it is common practice to issue a "Final" bill based on an estimated reading and then revise it.  This is an unintended consequence of some ill-thought-out regulations.  

Reed_Richards

The approach followed by @Deleted_User may have been successful but the correct protocol is that your new supplier handles the transfer.  You give the supplier a starting reading.  The supplier passes this to an independent adjudicator who may adjust that reading.  The possibly adjusted reading is then passed back to your new supplier and on to your old supplier to ensure that they both use the same reading.  But if this takes too long then your old supplier will issue a provisional "Final" bill based on an estimated reading.      

ntadmin

@Deleted_User your situation does sound similar. In essence, it seems that the industry process leaves both suppliers free to pick readings within and it requires the consumer to spot the difference, and the only recourse is to force a complex industry internal process. I’ve read a few other similar threads now, and it seems that the process is just plain wrong. It is biased in favour of consumers double paying unless they are very determined people.

So, the question is: how can that process be changed so that when a mismatched reading happens, there is an easy solution to it? As @Deleted_User put in his note, it almost doesn’t matter which reading is used, but for them not to be the same is ridiculous.

How do we complain to “the industry” about this process?

Reed_Richards

ntadmin said:

How do we complain to “the industry” about this process?

You misunderstand the process but you would have to address your complaints about it to OFGEM. 

When a mismatched reading happens you should write a formal complaint to your old supplier that they are not using the same reading as your new supplier.   

molerat

ntadmin said:

@Deleted_User your situation does sound similar. In essence, it seems that the industry process leaves both suppliers free to pick readings within and it requires the consumer to spot the difference, and the only recourse is to force a complex industry internal process. I’ve read a few other similar threads now, and it seems that the process is just plain wrong. It is biased in favour of consumers double paying unless they are very determined people.

So, the question is: how can that process be changed so that when a mismatched reading happens, there is an easy solution to it? As @Deleted_User put in his note, it almost doesn’t matter which reading is used, but for them not to be the same is ridiculous.

How do we complain to “the industry” about this process?

You misunderstand.

The only time to raise a dispute is if the industry process comes back with a reading which differs from your own reading by more than the allowed tolerance.

Both suppliers must use the reading supplied by the industry process - there is no allowed difference on that reading between suppliers.

The switch process is governed by the gaining supplier so the losing supplier must use the reading they are given by the gaining supplier.  A few cowboy suppliers try to say they can use a reading that is within the industry tolerance - they can't, they must use the supplied read.

[Deleted User]

Rule 1: Suppliers are required by Ofgem to use the SAME readings to open and close accounts.

Rule 2: The gaining supplier has the Licence obligation to manage the transfer of supply and to validate switch readings.

Rule 3: The opening/closing readings may not be the same as the ones provided by the consumer.

Rule 4: An Agreed Readings Dispute can only be raised in the following circumstances

• What should your meter reading have been at the time of your switch?
  We can only change readings used for switching (opening or closing readings), if they are significantly wrong. According to energy industry rules, your reading must have a difference of more than 250 electricity units (kWh) for an electricity reading, or a difference of 39 imperial gas units (you'll see ft3on the meter) or 125 metric gas units (you'll see m3 on the meter) for a gas reading. Anything less than this means that the estimate is sensible and could reasonably have been a reading taken around the time of your switch, and the difference to you in cost will be very small.

Finally, overpaying your old supplier, say, £20 for energy not consumed does not mean that you will lose out. You will only pay the gaining supplier the standing charge until the meter index reading passes the agreed opening reading. It follows that the true cost is the difference in the old and new unit prices times the number units. Overpaying your old supplier may well save you a few pence.

Reed_Richards

[Deleted User] said:

Rule 1: Suppliers are required by Ofgem to use the SAME readings to open and close accounts.

In this instance Rule 1 has been broken!

[Deleted User]

Reed_Richards said:

Dolor said:

Rule 1: Suppliers are required by Ofgem to use the SAME readings to open and close accounts.

In this instance Rule 1 has been broken!

Simple. Raise a WRITTEN complaint against the new supplier.

Things go wrong because switching is a more complicated process than most people realise (including me):

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2018/02/as_is_switching_arrangements.pdf

Reed_Richards

[Deleted User] said:

Reed_Richards said:

[Deleted User] said:

Rule 1: Suppliers are required by Ofgem to use the SAME readings to open and close accounts.

In this instance Rule 1 has been broken!

Simple. Raise a WRITTEN complaint against the new supplier.

...

On the basis that the transfer is their responsibility even though it is the old supplier who has the wrong reading?

[Deleted User]

Reed_Richards said:

[Deleted User] said:

Reed_Richards said:

[Deleted User] said:

Rule 1: Suppliers are required by Ofgem to use the SAME readings to open and close accounts.

In this instance Rule 1 has been broken!

Simple. Raise a WRITTEN complaint against the new supplier.

...

On the basis that the transfer is their responsibility even though it is the old supplier who has the wrong reading?

For electricity, the gaining supplier appoints the data collector which validates the opening/closing readings. The gaining supplier can therefore resolve the complaint more easily than the closing supplier. Often they will just pick up the phone to the old supplier.