£2.5k for 5 months electricity

Petriix

rapidkoala said:

I chose PAYG because I can budget easier that way, no unexpected bills 💁. I have gas central heating no electric heaters. But no heating on until just this week.  They never changed the meters they said they were already smart meters so just switched them over without visiting the property. 
We don't have any special running just the usual cooker, TV, fridgefreezer, games console. Besides that it's been warm we've been outside mostly! 
Readings 15 April
previous supplier: 14331(E)
New supplier: 14568 (R)
My reading yesterday 27204
We are going to take meter readings every day at the same time for 7 days and also turn off all appliances and check 30 mins later what the reading is. 
There's no way we've used that amount of electricity. I'll be paying it back until 2034. 

The issue is almost certainly that the previous readings were estimated. You're being charged for a significant amount of previously unbilled historical usage.

I'm not sure what the 'R' stands for but it could be an estimate from the mysterious industry validation system where they sense check changeover readings against historical usage.

Petriix

Do you have a photo of the meter on the day you moved in or a record of the actual reading?

rapidkoala

No I don't have any pictures as proof. The (r) was the reading they came out and checked. I just find this all one big farse we don't even have an in home smart monitor ( to view our useage) Everytime I ask they say we've already got one 🤦 
The only thing I can put it down to is they're adding previous occupiers debt to us or there's some massive electrical fault with something somewhere.

Also I've been monitoring our useage by regular readings today and within 6 hrs we've only used 7 KW. 

QrizB

OK, if you read your meter *right now* what does it say? Watch out for decimal points.

theoretica

rapidkoala said:

Readings 15 April
previous supplier: 14331(E)
New supplier: 14568 (R)
My reading yesterday 27204

Can you get from your account readings between April and yesterday? 

Ant555

the electricity smart meter in my daughters last shared student house  - A Liberty 100 Smart Meter - had some buttons on the front that you could view the historical readings - I just checked the video I took pushing all the buttons as we had a dispute and it was button 4 for history, keep pressing it and it gave us previous month readings.

I dont have a smart meter myself but fs this a standard feature and you have this option on yours then I wonder if it would help in working things out and to see the actual readings going back to before you moved in? 
Or, to see monthly readings being stable and then spiking.

This, of course only useful if the issue is related to the readings.

rapidkoala

Hi everyone, thanks for your help. After spending 1hr and 45 mins on the phone to British gas and being passed backwards and forwards through multiple departments turns out it's an error on their part. Thankfully our bill is no where near that figure.
I personally think they tried adding the previous property debt onto us. I know for a fact the landlord hasn't paid the bill as they still keep sending reminders.