Got a power bill from before I moved in till 2 days after I moved in.

DrSpaceman

Hi 

Today I got a bill from the previous provider (SSE) for the dates 7th of Feb 2022 to 24th of April 2022. I moved into my current property on the 22nd of April, so obviously majority of this bill is not my usage.

The complication is I swapped to octopus energy, giving opening values. So to be honest i'm a bit unsure if the opening values I gave to octopus were taken on the 22nd or 24th of April. My guess is the 24th since that is when the sse bill and email is dated, I did whatever octopus energy told me to. Although its a bit fuzzy because I have an email from octopus customer service saying they will be powering the property from the 22nd (to be honest I really don't remember the exact process and dates I sent stuff). 

Regardless it seems unreasonable for me to pay for power when I wasn't in ( i have the title deeds as proof). I feel like the previous owner (who skipped the country) or the estate agents didn't give the closing values to SSE. The bill wasn't even addressed to me, was just "the occupier", any advice or tips before I call SSE?

TheMilkmansDad

1st question - did you contact SSE when you moved in to register with them before switching?

Is this Electric or Gas or both? Have you checked who is supplying you? You are liable to pay SSE for the time and usage until your transfer to Octopus.

The bill from SSE is not for you so not your's to pay.

Assuming you've not already done so - you need to contact SSE and provide them the date you moved in and the meter reads as a start.

pochase

Did you contact SSE when you moved into the property and give them the opening reading and told them that you are now the customer?

Ort did you just try to move to Octopus without becoming a SSE customer first?

DrSpaceman

TheMilkmansDad said:

1st question - did you contact SSE when you moved in to register with them before switching?

Is this Electric or Gas or both? Have you checked who is supplying you? You are liable to pay SSE for the time and usage until your transfer to Octopus.

The bill from SSE is not for you so not your's to pay.

Assuming you've not already done so - you need to contact SSE and provide them the date you moved in and the meter reads as a start.

pochase said:
Did you contact SSE when you moved into the property and give them the opening reading and told them that you are now the customer?

Ort did you just try to move to Octopus without becoming a SSE customer first?

I didn't contact SSE this was the role of Octopus energy so they can do the switch. SSE also did not contact me either, I started the switching process before moving in so I suppose they had no reason to. 

Like I said on my original post the opening readings I gave to Octopus may be on the 24th or 22nd, I'm not entirely sure to be honest. 

TheMilkmansDad

DrSpaceman said:

TheMilkmansDad said:

1st question - did you contact SSE when you moved in to register with them before switching?

Is this Electric or Gas or both? Have you checked who is supplying you? You are liable to pay SSE for the time and usage until your transfer to Octopus.

The bill from SSE is not for you so not your's to pay.

Assuming you've not already done so - you need to contact SSE and provide them the date you moved in and the meter reads as a start.

pochase said:
Did you contact SSE when you moved into the property and give them the opening reading and told them that you are now the customer?

Ort did you just try to move to Octopus without becoming a SSE customer first?

I didn't contact SSE this was the role of Octopus energy so they can do the switch. SSE also did not contact me either, I started the switching process before moving in so I suppose they had no reason to. 

Like I said on my original post the opening readings I gave to Octopus may be on the 24th or 22nd, I'm not entirely sure to be honest. 

For the switch, yes. To set up an account, No.

Octopus contacts the existing supplier for the transfer and supply readings for final bill.

You needed to set up an account 1st for those details to be passed to. It would appear that you did not which is the root of your problem.

You need to contact SSE and get your account set up.

[Deleted User]

DrSpaceman said:

I didn't contact SSE this was the role of Octopus energy so they can do the switch. SSE also did not contact me either, I started the switching process before moving in so I suppose they had no reason to. 

This is incorrect.  When you move into a property, it is your responsibility to give an opening reading to the supplier at that property as you automatically have a deemed account with them.  Then you can switch away and, as you have done, give a new opening reading to the new supplier (who pass that over to the old supplier to use as a closing reading).

The old tenant/owner/agent/anyone else doesn't give a closing reading to the old supplier.  That's what you are doing when you give your opening reading.

It's addressed to 'the occupier' because it's a deemed contract and you didn't make contact when you moved in to put a name on your SSE account.

You'll just have to hope that SSE will take your word for an opening reading (which sounds like it might be the same as your closing reading).  You've shot yourself in the foot by trying to miss out several of the required steps.

DrSpaceman

Well, this is news to me for the past two flats I rented, I contacted the new supplier and they handled notifying. 

Maybe it is because it was a rental and this wasn't? 

TheMilkmansDad

It's the same process regardless of rental/purchase.

Sounds like you've been lucky/fortunate previously.

One query I'd like to check (and this makes no difference to the above suggestions) - why does the bill received at the address cover 7th Feb > 24th (?) April? If you purchased it was the completion/exchange date 24th April. If so, then whoever lived their previously is in for an unexpected bill for the period! 

Was it rented previously or owned?

[Deleted User]

DrSpaceman said:

Well, this is news to me for the past two flats I rented, I contacted the new supplier and they handled notifying. 

Maybe it is because it was a rental and this wasn't? 

Has been the same for as long as I can remember, regardless of rent or buy.  That's the whole point of the deemed contract arrangement.

DrSpaceman

TheMilkmansDad said:

It's the same process regardless of rental/purchase.

Sounds like you've been lucky/fortunate previously.

One query I'd like to check (and this makes no difference to the above suggestions) - why does the bill received at the address cover 7th Feb > 24th (?) April? If you purchased it was the completion/exchange date 24th April. If so, then whoever lived their previously is in for an unexpected bill for the period! 

Was it rented previously or owned?

Not sure why, and the purchase date was the 22nd of april. 

It is all a bit of a blur when octopus took over (I have a feeling it was the 22nd but I can't say for sure). 

Robin9

You moved in on April 22nd but when did you become the owner?


In days gone if you were moving out those suppliers would often drive the transfer process -  but generally now suppliers don't want new customers as they loose money on them -  they are forced to under the deemed supply process