Shell - using estimates rather than customer readings?

clearingout

I am with Shell.  Prior to March I was a lax customer but like many, could no longer afford to be so.  They attempted to put my direct debit up to £576 a month (from £192) and agreed to let me meter read monthly and pay as I go along on the direct debit.   All good in the coming months - I have read the meter on time each month and been billed accordingly.  I have made a good effort to reduce my usage which over the summer was about 2/3 of what it was last year.  The bill each month has been within about £10 of the previous months, if that makes sense so very similar usage over the last 6 months on a month to month basis.  

Except the latest bill (covering end of Aug - end of September) stands at £75 more than the previous 5 months so I had a closer look because other  than putting the light on a bit earlier, there is no change to my usage (ie. I have not yet put the heating on and I couldn't believe that the nights drawing in could have added that amount to the bill!).  It seems that although my meter readings have been marked 'accepted for billing', they have actually based the bills on estimates.  This is clear on the bill itself and the estimates are considerably more than my actual usage. 

Is this something that they do?  Is there a reason behind it?  I wouldn't have minded if they had asked for photos of the meter readings for confirmation (I have kept them each month so can provide them if required) or even just made something up about adjusting for the winter.  It just seems a blatant attempt to front load for no other reason than they can and hoped that I wouldn't notice?    For clarification, I have not had a card through the door to say I've missed an official meter reader, nor have I refused to have someone independent read the meter.   Before I complain, can I anyone explain what might have happened? 

[Deleted User]

Why don’t people ever stop their posts at the end of the useful information rather than carrying on with the “seems like a blatant attempt to scam me”?

Accepted for billing means “we have received your reading”. It doesn’t mean “this is the only number we are ever going to think about using”.

Have you asked them why an estimate was used?

I’m assuming you are on SVT here.  Did it happen six months after the transfer from the old supplier?

clearingout

erm......no, have been with shell for years now.  I am not assuming it's a scam - I have asked for clarification.   What is the point of me reading the meter if they are going to use a different number? 

clearingout

and no, not asked.  I wanted to see if I was missing something before asking.  

rhcp

With me, they send an email and request the meter reading within about 5 days.  Are your readings within your bill period?  Do they actually show up on your bill?

clearingout

yes, they are on the bill  with a 'c' code but the bill is based on a different figure with an 'e' code.  

[Deleted User]

Meter readers! Under Standard Licence Conditions, a supplier is required to obtain an actual meter once every 12 months: how it is obtained is a matter for the supplier.  Suppliers are also required to accept customer readings. If, after validation, the reading is assessed to be incorrect, then the supplier should attempt to obtain a revised customer reading.

All that said, many suppliers have a customer billing date. If a meter reading is provided, say, 3 days before the billing the date, the supplier will estimate a reading for the billing date based on the customer supplied reading.

Some suppliers, like Octopus, generate a bill each time a customer reading is provided. 

clearingout

OK.  So the meter reading was provided on the date they requested and was taken on that date (they give me about 4 days notice - most months I provide it a couple of days early but it was dead on this month). 

They are generating a bill each time I provide a reading.   I am providing a reading to within 27 - 31 days of the previous reading.  eg. they ask for it on the 20th for the 24th and I provide it somewhere between the 20th and the 24th so the bill might be a few days extra/less compared to the previous month, depending on when I gave the previous month's reading.  That would roughly account for the difference each month in billing - it's been from £98 (lowest) - £111 (highest)  a month since March but was this time £175. 

It seems odd to me to offer the customer to do the readings and then ignore them to the tune of a considerable sum.  I guess it will right itself over the coming months but it is frustrating that they can just do this without asking for additional evidence of the reading which I would have been able to provide.  

[Deleted User]

Try quoting this to CS and then wait for the silence:

Condition 21B. Billing based on meter readings

21B.1 If a Customer provides a meter reading to the licensee that the licensee considers reasonably accurate, or if the Electricity Meter is read by the licensee, the licensee must take all reasonable steps to reflect the meter reading in the next Bill or statement of account sent to the Customer.

21B.2 If the licensee considers that a meter reading provided by a Customer is not reasonably accurate, the licensee must take all reasonable steps to contact the Customer to obtain a new meter reading from him.

21B.3 Paragraphs 21B.4 and 21B.5 apply from 31 December 2014.

21B.4 The licensee must take all reasonable steps to obtain a meter reading (including any meter reading transmitted electronically from a meter to the licensee or provided by the Customer and accepted by the licensee) for each of its Customers at least once every year.

This paragraph does not apply in relation to any Customer with a Prepayment Meter.

clearingout

thank you.  So what they should have done, if unhappy with the reading at the 6 month point (which is what I assume, because it is down on the previous years in terms of usage), is ask me to look again and/or send someone round and/or use my photos which I would happily have sent (they could have had the whole 6 months if they wanted).  Thank you.  I will contact them quoting from above and see what they say. 

k_man

Can you provide a few of your meter readings and also their estimated readings?

Are the estimates between yours, e.g only different as they are for a date different to the date of your readings.

Also what tariff are you on, and has that recently changed?