FREE elec for 1 yr - but now time to pay up - QUESTION

StorageBox

Hi,
We moved into our rented flat Sep 2020. For the next few weeks I tried setting up a new electricity account only to eventually discover that our meter was 'not on the National Database' and neither was our address, i.e., we didn't exist!  Having done all I could reasonably do, I decided to leave it and haven't paid for any electricity since then. 

Scottish Power have finally caught up with me and sent me a bill for my usage over that time. It doesn't seem outrageous to be fair.

However, before I hand over any money, I think I have a reasonable case for negotiation.  Due to their incompetence, I have been prevented from choosing an alternative supplier with possibly a cheaper tariff. I cannot move to different supplier until this is resolved.

QUESTIONS:
(1) Is it possible (worth the effort/time?) to see if I could have paid significantly less with a different supplier and thereby give me room to negotiate a discount?
(2) if yes, would I be able to access other supplier's tariffs since October 2020?

Bill details:

10-Oct - 30 Jun

2082.2 kWh x 17.667p                        = £367.86

Standing Charge 264 days x 18.950p = £50.03

30-Jun - 30-Sep

470.5 kWh x 20.168p                         = £94.89

Standing Charge 92 days x 26.660p  = £24.53

30-Sep - 14-Dec
606.3 kWh x 22.067p                         = £133.79

Standing Charge 75 days x 26.700p  = £20.03

That's a total of 3159 kWh usage over 431 days (14 months) and a bill, excl VAT & other costs, of £691.13 

Thanks

John

StorageBox

That's BASIC ENERGY V2 tariff by the way. 

StorageBox

Shorter version: 
- for a usage of about 2800 kWh and in the North West of England, has there been a cheaper tariff than Scottish Power's Basic Energy v2 over the last 14 months?

Neil_Jones

You may want to check whether backbilling rules apply here.

If you moved in in September 2020 and phoned up Scottish Power and said hey I've just moved into 17 Cherry Tree Lane, can I have a new account, my opening meter readings are <this, that and the other>, and SP did nothing with this, you may have a case for back billing.

If you kept chasing them and said hey, I've had no bills, I want to give you some money, here are my latest meter readings for 17 Cherry Tree lane, they are <whatever and whatever> and that didn't generate any action, that's in your favour for back billing purposes.

With regards to questions.

1) Energy prices began to creep up after the summer of 2020 and then exploded in 2021.  The default/standard tariff prices are probably not too far away from what other providers would have done (and even if you'd moved to a dirt cheap small provider chances are they'd have gone bump anyway, landing you on somebody else's default tariff), so the difference is relatively minute.

2) Not easily, because comparison sites only compare on what's available now  (and in the case of providers that have gone bump, those tariffs would have expired when the companies went bump).  Tariffs may vary depending on how you paid (direct debit, prepay, pay on receipt, etc).

The bottom line boils down to you've used the energy so it has to be paid for.

[Deleted User]

Energy suppliers are not necessarily responsible for a shipperless prooerty. Moreover, the supplier cannot bill if there are no meter details listed on the National Database. BackBilling applies if the supplier failed to provide a bill; however, I am not sure that it was ever designed to cover this particular situation. 

I would want to know how the database issue was resolved, and why it took so long? I would have thought that the property landlord would have had to be involved. It is possible that there was an initial misregistration of some of all the flats and as the other tenants addressed their particular problem this left one flat with a shipperless supply.

FWiW, if I was OP I would check that the meter serial number on the statement agrees with that on the actual in use meter.

Finally, and I was checking this before posting. There is an argument for a shipperless property that a supplier can only change for energy supplied from the date that the property was properly registered on the National Database. 

StorageBox

Neil_Jones said:

You may want to check whether backbilling rules apply here.

How do I do that?

Neil_Jones said:

The bottom line boils down to you've used the energy so it has to be paid for.

Don't disagree . Thanks for your input

StorageBox

[Deleted User] said:

... how the database issue was resolved, and why it took so long? I would have thought that the property landlord would have had to be involved. It is possible that there was an initial misregistration of some of all the flats and as the other tenants addressed their particular problem this left one flat with a shipperless supply.

Was being mailed red letters by 3rd part Debt Recovery co. on SP's behalf. I replied by phone call and explained full story. I called SP and took them through all the details. My meter's details were assigned to 2 different addresses! I have no idea how the !!!!!!-up had taken place. SP took my meter details and eventually got put on National Database in October. Spent about 2 hours on phone to them over 2 calls.

[Deleted User] said:

FWiW, if I was OP I would check that the meter serial number on the statement agrees with that on the actual in use meter.

A good tip - I'll do that, thank you.

[Deleted User] said:

Finally, and I was checking this before posting. There is an argument for a shipperless property that a supplier can only change for energy supplied from the date that the property was properly registered on the National Database. 

That sounds interesting! The property and meter were only put on the Database 2 months ago ... And what it is BackBilling?

StorageBox

It took until Sept 2021 until the red letters from Debt Recov to start arriving. Up to that time, only odd letters to a variety of previous tenants from various suppliers.

savers_united

Do you have a smart meter? If not how did they decide on your usage? Is it an estimate or an actual reading that corresponds to what is being displayed on your meter. 

MWT

StorageBox said:

 ... And what it is BackBilling?

Rule that prevents a supplier from additional billing for more than the previous 12 months when they have not issued a bill based on an accurate meter reading.

I don't think this one is going to help you very much as it doesn't really cover a situation where you have not actually provided the supplier with any details with which they could bill you...

StorageBox

savers_united said:

Do you have a smart meter? If not how did they decide on your usage? Is it an estimate or an actual reading that corresponds to what is being displayed on your meter. 

I have the initial meter reading from when we moved in, and obviously the current reading.