Insane gas bill

JatieKatie

Hi all. We appreciate that bills have gone up lately, especially the cost of gas, but today we received a bill from the gas company for £54,000. It's a small two bedroom flat.

It's obviously a huge mistake. We've tried to contact the supplier but as always, they're impossible to get through to.

We are just enquiring about out legal rights in this matter. I can see a court just instantly throwing it out but it's causing both of us a lot of stress in the mean time.

For your information, the bills have been paid up to date up until this point and no other changes have occurred. Possible misreading of the meter?

What can we do?

TheMilkmansDad

Was the bill based on actual readings or estimates? Are they accurate? Judging by the amount I would guess a misread but with no information to go on it's hard to say!

QrizB

Yes, what are your meter readings for the period. and how do they compare to the readings on the bill?

Robin9

Are the bills based on your readings ?    Some of the modern meters(and the old ones where the dials go in different directions meters.

Look for the decimal point and ignore figures in red.

Photo of your meter please/

[Deleted User]

Provide the supplier with an up to date meter reading. Meter readings taken by meter readings are regarded as validated for billing purposes so they are entered into the billing system without any other supplier checks. An erroneous meter reading appeared on my account. It was corrected immediately when I gave the supplier an up to date meter reading.

Armengar

i had one of these shortly after joining avro. they simply changed the leading 8 to a 0 accidentally and assuming I had lapped the meter.  I dont think I could have used that much gas in a month even if the pipe was leaking....

A call, new meter readings sorted it.

Cardew

JatieKatie said:

We are just enquiring about out legal rights in this matter. I can see a court just instantly throwing it out but it's causing both of us a lot of stress in the mean time.

What can we do?

I get the impression that you are enquiring about the chances of getting some financial compensation for the stress caused. Is that the case?

MWT

JatieKatie said:

We are just enquiring about out legal rights in this matter. I can see a court just instantly throwing it out but it's causing both of us a lot of stress in the mean time...

What can we do?

Odd to start with your 'legal rights' and the 'stress' comment when there is zero reason to be stressed, you know it is an impossible figure so treat it as such and focus on sorting out what you do actually owe them.

I would start by telling us which supplier it is so we can perhaps suggest the best way to contact them...

Mistakes happen, I wouldn't reach for the legal options before you've even managed to point out the mistake to them...

EssexHebridean

HI @JatieKatie - as you've said yourself, it's clearly a ridiculous error, there's no way it could be anything else. Contact them, get it sorted, give up to date readings, and then have a good laugh over it - it'll be a tale to tell if nothing else! definitely nothing to get stressed about though! 

Brie

Cardew said:

JatieKatie said:

We are just enquiring about out legal rights in this matter. I can see a court just instantly throwing it out but it's causing both of us a lot of stress in the mean time.

What can we do?

I get the impression that you are enquiring about the chances of getting some financial compensation for the stress caused. Is that the case?

Why do people jump to this conclusion?  I take it that the OP is concerned about an uncaring profiteer potentially taking them to court and ruining their record of financial worthiness for a ridiculous mistake.

@MWT - as to a ridiculous situation causing stress - well everyone has different triggers.  I live near an airport and have on occasion woken up in a panic because of the potential for a plane dropping on our house.  Ridiculous of course as incredibly unlikely.  But to semi quote Dumbledore - just because it's all in my head doesn't mean it isn't real.

For the OP - as others have said - take meter readings and submit those.  That in itself might solve the problem.  If not write to the company for an explanation of the obviously ridiculous bill.

[Deleted User]

If the OP is looking for some form of financial redress then the first thing that is needed is a written complaint. If after 8 weeks or Deadlock, the complaint can be escalated to The Energy Ombudsman. 

That said, have we become a Society that expects to be compensated for what is a simple system/admin error. No supplier is going to take any enforcement action until they are sure that the amount owed is genuine.