How long can an electric company not issue a bill due to a meter reading dispute ?

nurquhar

We moved into a house that had not been occupied for about 10 years on the 21st June. I arranged to take over the electric supply with OutFoxTheMarket, this began on the 4 July. All looked Ok and I started taking photographs of the meter readings and entering them on the website as usual. Here is my record:

00 (Unit)	06 Oct 2021	10996.0
00 (Unit)	01 Oct 2021	10881.0
00 (Unit)	07 Sep 2021	10424.0
00 (Unit)	02 Sep 2021	10323.0
00 (Unit)	03 Aug 2021	9630.0
00 (Unit)	01 Aug 2021	9597.0
00 (Unit)	11 Jul 2021	9459.0
00 (Unit)	09 Jul 2021	41693.6
00 (Unit)	04 Jul 2021	9431.0

I then noticed on the first on the 1st of August the appearance of a magic number in the record for the 9th July. The reading was clearly a ridiculous as it suggested my meter had run forward 10's of thousands of units and then run back again to the correct figure. I sent the picture of the my initial 9431 reading to OFTM with the !!!!!! question.

They explained that the previous electric company had 'calculated' the end reading of their supply. They also said they would start to dispute the hand over reading with the previous company.

Since starting with OFTM I have not had any bills, although they have been taking my £245 direct debit. So after three months still no bill. I have contacted them several times asking for an update on the dispute and when I am getting a bill. No forthcoming explanatory answers.

Then this Tuesday they finally came back to me and said the previous company had rejected the disputed reading and could they send me a picture of the 9431 meter reading !!! Given they already had this on August 1st I fear we have just gone in a circle for the last months and it will go around again. I did send the photo of the 9431 reading again.

I should also say that a meter reader man came long looking for a meter to read, I showed him our meter and he said it was not the meter he had been sent to read and did not take a reading. He found the meter he was looking for, an Economy 7 meter for another property on the same site.

So the upshot is the previous company have not taken their own physical reading for the end of supply and seem to be basing their estimate of 41693.6, don't forget the '.6' on projecting forward an average usage for a reading from 10 years ago.

But how long are they allowed they allowed to keep rejecting the disputed reading and leave me without a bill ?

Also what happens if they don't see sense and bill me for some 30,000 kWh I did not use ?

MWT

There is something missing here...

When you first moved in, who was the existing supplier?

It appears that you failed to register with the existing supplier before switching to Outfox the Market?

Do you have a meter photo from the day you took possession of the property? (that might be earlier than the day you moved in if you own the property)

[Deleted User]

To answer your last question first. Technically, if they bill you for the 30000 kWhs that you haven’t used, you should only pay the standing charge until the meter passes the meter index reading. That said, even the most stupid of suppliers would not see the sense in doing that. 

You need to put this on a formal footing and make a formal complaint in writing. Do it in a way that a third-party not familiar with your case could give an informed view. You then have the basis of a complaint that you can escalate to The Energy Ombudsman.

Suppliers do not read meters when someone moves out. The supplier relays on the outgoing consumer to close down the account with a meter reading, and the new consumer to provide a reading when they moved in. I assume that you contacted the existing supplier for the property when you moved in with a meter reading? You cannot just move into a property and choose a supplier? It follows that I do not understand the reference to a previous supplier and the Agreed Readings Dispute.

Keep_pedalling

Can you upload the pictures of those first 3 readings?

MWT

I would also pay close attention to the meter numbers and any cards or stickers near the meter referencing a meter change as that may also account for the dramatic difference in readings...

nurquhar

MWT said:

There is something missing here...

When you first moved in, who was the existing supplier?

It appears that you failed to register with the existing supplier before switching to Outfox the Market?

Do you have a meter photo from the day you took possession of the property? (that might be earlier than the day you moved in if you own the property)

We don't know the existing supplier, we bought the property from a trust in IoM which is administered by a bank there. Even the agent who sold the property and has managed it for the last 10 years does not know the supplier. The bill was paid by the bank directly in IoM.

We know the reading for the 21st, 9258 and the agent has photo of it. I have requested the photo but again I am kept waiting.

MWT

nurquhar said:

We don't know the existing supplier, we bought the property from a trust in IoM which is administered by a bank there. Even the agent who sold the property and has managed it for the last 10 years does not know the supplier. The bill was paid by the bank directly in IoM.

You have been poorly advised, the existing supplier is a matter of record and can be found easily online or with a phone call and by not registering with them first you have ended up where you are now.

nurquhar

MWT said:

I would also pay close attention to the meter numbers and any cards or stickers near the meter referencing a meter change as that may also account for the dramatic difference in readings...

The meter number on the account tallies with the meter:

nurquhar

Can you upload the pictures of those first 3 readings?

04/07/21

09/07/21

01/08/21

MWT

Thanks for the photos, lost of clues there that the previous supplier was probably E.On. Not certain though.

The difficulty is that if the previous supplier has a confirmed meter reading of 41693 it suggests that there has been a lot of electricity used while it was supposedly 'empty' and the meter has gone around the clock back to zero at some point...

Hopefully though it is just an estimated reading as they were getting no readings while it was empty.

nurquhar

MWT said:

nurquhar said:

We don't know the existing supplier, we bought the property from a trust in IoM which is administered by a bank there. Even the agent who sold the property and has managed it for the last 10 years does not know the supplier. The bill was paid by the bank directly in IoM.

You have been poorly advised, the existing supplier is a matter of record and can be found easily online or with a phone call and by not registering with them first you have ended up where you are now.

That's as may be but OFTM did not tell me who the existing supplier was or suggest there was an obligation to contact them. I request to take over the supply with OFTM before we took possession on the 21st.