ESTIMATED closure readings - on a final bill from EDF

What_time_is_it

We recently switched from EDF to GEUK. The final readings for electricity have gone through fine, but there is an issue with the gas.

We sent our final readings to our new supplier on 12th August and this is the figure they have used as an opening balance to calculate our August bill from 12th-31st August.
However, EDF used an estimate for their final figure at closure. On their bill the gas is calculated on an estimate dated 11th August.

To make matters worse, they originally used a crazy estimate of 7,000 kwhs gas used from 27th July to 11th August (2 of the hottest weeks on record). 
This was subsequently "corrected" after I called them, but again they used an estimate for the final reading dated 11th August. This time it's about 220 kwhs too high, or about £45.

I called them again this morning to query this and they said they are using estimates for our final bill as they never received the closing reading from our new supplier!
Is this even legal?

I've asked GEUK to send the closing reading to EDF again. But why am I doing all the leg work here? And what's with using inflated estimates on a final bill?!

MWT

What_time_is_it said:

I called them again this morning to query this and they said they are using estimates for our final bill as they never received the closing reading from our new supplier!
Is this even legal?

I've asked GEUK to send the closing reading to EDF again. But why am I doing all the leg work here? And what's with using inflated estimates on a final bill?!

Legal, yes, and they will have done it to avoid the automatic compensation for not producing the bill at all.

The obligation is on your new provider to make sure the industry process verifies your meter readings, and after any adjustment the agreed figure should be used by both losing and gaining suppliers. 

What_time_is_it

Thanks.
It's staggering that this is allowed. They were proposing overcharging us by 7,000 gas kws! About £500! And then chasing us for immediate payment. 

MWT

What_time_is_it said:

Thanks.
It's staggering that this is allowed. They were proposing overcharging us by 7,000 gas kws! About £500! And then chasing us for immediate payment. 

Estimates are always allowed, and of course you can challenge them immediately.

This is one of those 'unintended consequence' things where Ofgem puts an automatic penalty on the losing supplier failing to produce a final bill within the allowed time, but makes the gaining supplier responsible for driving the process that delivers the agreed final meter reading to the losing supplier.

So they are motivated to use an estimate if the final reading isn't delivered in time, where historically they would have just waited for it to arrive,,,.

[Deleted User]

I suspect that you have not yet received a Final Bill. To open and close accounts BOTH suppliers have to use industry- agreed readings which are passed to both suppliers by a data flow. The process of industry-validation can take up to 10 working days. 

niktheguru

To mitigate this problem from happening it is always worth while sending an up to date meter reading to your old supplier a few days BEFORE your switch. So they then have a reference point when making a final bill IF your new supplier doesn't submit them the actual last meter reading in time. (people generally dont advise sending the final meter reading to both suppliers, but doing one to the old supplier a few days before is normally quite a good idea - well at least its been fine for me and i've switched multiple times)