Reporting energy company for attempted fraud/ theft?

[Deleted User]

Deedoodee said:

Thanks all. The reading estimates are for after 1st oct so still at the higher rate. The new supplier said that it’s the old supplier who gave it to them. 

This happened every month and the old supplier only asks me for verification once after I phoned to ask what they were doing. Otherwise they just change. Zero steps taken to verify.

That is because it is an automated process. Your manual reading will keep being rejected until such time as the data collector revises your estimated annual usage. This could take a few months to work through the system. One of the benefits of a smart meter is that the EAC gets revised more quickly as the system is getting a daily reading. On my bills, I see slightly different estimates each month.

[Deleted User]

Inigo_Montoya said:

ideally you should have sorted this out before changing suppliers  because now its much more of a hassle to sort out

if it were me I would demand that a meter reader visit be booked to come & verify the actual read & that the meter had not been tampered with as that would ensure the correct read is then registered on the system on the day of the visit

In addition you can also immediately take a photo of the meter alongside todays newspaper & email that to both the old & new energy suppliers as evidence to be used in any potential formal complaint

once the correct start read has been registered with the new supplier you will need to go back to the old supplier to get their final read adjusted down so you are not paying twice for the same gas - I can almost guarantee that they wont adjust it down without you complaining

this is a problem similiar to the one I have come across myself due to living at two different locations over time & so my usage is lower than the houses around me (one of the locations has a broken boiler like yours) - due to this low usage the suppliers eventually usually  end up sending a meter reader themselves to check I'm not tampering with the meters

The old company takes their final read from whatever the new company uses as the opening read.  There's a process in the background to verify and pass this number along.

Inigo_Montoya

Deleted_User said:

The old company takes their final read from whatever the new company uses as the opening read.  There's a process in the background to verify and pass this number along.

yes I was aware of that

the issue is that it appears an incorrect too high transfer read  has *already* been registered by both the old & new supplier

in my experience even if you can get the new supplier to correct the transfer read it wont automatically be used by the old supplier to correct the final bill - you end up having to complaim to get the final bill adjusted

[Deleted User]

Inigo_Montoya said:

Deleted_User said:

The old company takes their final read from whatever the new company uses as the opening read.  There's a process in the background to verify and pass this number along.

yes I was aware of that

the issue is that it appears an incorrect too high transfer read  has *already* been registered by both the old & new supplier

in my experience even if you can get the new supplier to correct the transfer read it wont automatically be used by the old supplier to correct the final bill - you end up having to complaim to get the final bill adjusted

A good point - getting a second 'final bill' is often a much more arduous process than getting the first one.

[Deleted User]

The consumer or either supplier can initiate an Agreed Readings Dispute (certain to some limitations):

The ‘Meter Reading Dispute’ Process

- We ask you to take two meter readings at least two weeks apart

- We use these to calculate what the meter reading should’ve been on the date you switched

- If there’s a big enough difference between the reading used and the reading calculated, we can officially raise this as a ‘Meter Reading Dispute’

- We contact your previous supplier with our calculated read

- Once they’ve agreed to this new reading, we can amend opening meter reading and reissue your opening statement. Be aware that your previous supplier may also re-issue their final statement with you.

- This whole process can take up to 12 weeks as we have to wait for the calculated reading to be received and agreed to by the other supplier.

During this process your regular monthly billing will be paused whilst we look to correct the opening statement. If you pay via Direct Debit these payments will continue, building up a credit balance in your account to cover the opening statement once it’s issued.

Courtesy of Ovo.

Deedoodee

Thanks again all. I’ve now had the final bill and both electric and gas are much higher than what it is today. Bill is dated for three weeks ago. I’ve raised a complaint with the old supplier and submitted readings with the new supplier

[Deleted User]

Deedoodee said:

Thanks again all. I’ve now had the final bill and both electric and gas are much higher than what it is today. Bill is dated for three weeks ago. I’ve raised a complaint with the old supplier and submitted readings with the new supplier

When you say much higher, what do you mean?

‘According to energy industry rules, your reading must have a difference of more than 250 electricity units (kWh) for an electricity reading, or a difference of 39 imperial gas units (you'll see ft3 on the meter) or 125 metric gas units (you'll see m3 on the meter) for a gas reading. Anything less than this means that the estimate is sensible and could reasonably have been a reading taken around the time of your switch, and the difference to you in cost will be very small.’

Bear in mind, you are NOT overpaying by the full cost of those units. The cost to you (if there is one) is the number of units x (New Unit Cost - Old Unit Cost). A few years ago, I overpaid my old supplier by £70. The actual cost to me was £2.34. I didn’t pay the new supplier for any units until the index passed the opening reading.

Deedoodee

[Deleted User] said:

Deedoodee said:

Thanks again all. I’ve now had the final bill and both electric and gas are much higher than what it is today. Bill is dated for three weeks ago. I’ve raised a complaint with the old supplier and submitted readings with the new supplier

When you say much higher, what do you mean?

‘According to energy industry rules, your reading must have a difference of more than 250 electricity units (kWh) for an electricity reading, or a difference of 39 imperial gas units (you'll see ft3 on the meter) or 125 metric gas units (you'll see m3 on the meter) for a gas reading. Anything less than this means that the estimate is sensible and could reasonably have been a reading taken around the time of your switch, and the difference to you in cost will be very small.’

Bear in mind, you are NOT overpaying by the full cost of those units. The cost to you (if there is one) is the number of units x (New Unit Cost - Old Unit Cost). A few years ago, I overpaid my old supplier by £70. The actual cost to me was £2.34. I didn’t pay the new supplier for any units until the index passed the opening reading.

Difference
177 for electricity
37 for gas

seems very high to me considering in the past 5months the gas has meter has gone up 2ft3 and electricity 70kWh

ariarnia

Deedoodee said:

[Deleted User] said:

Deedoodee said:

Thanks again all. I’ve now had the final bill and both electric and gas are much higher than what it is today. Bill is dated for three weeks ago. I’ve raised a complaint with the old supplier and submitted readings with the new supplier

When you say much higher, what do you mean?

‘According to energy industry rules, your reading must have a difference of more than 250 electricity units (kWh) for an electricity reading, or a difference of 39 imperial gas units (you'll see ft3 on the meter) or 125 metric gas units (you'll see m3 on the meter) for a gas reading. Anything less than this means that the estimate is sensible and could reasonably have been a reading taken around the time of your switch, and the difference to you in cost will be very small.’

Bear in mind, you are NOT overpaying by the full cost of those units. The cost to you (if there is one) is the number of units x (New Unit Cost - Old Unit Cost). A few years ago, I overpaid my old supplier by £70. The actual cost to me was £2.34. I didn’t pay the new supplier for any units until the index passed the opening reading.

Difference
177 for electricity
37 for gas

seems very high to me considering in the past 5months the gas has meter has gone up 2ft3 and electricity 70kWh

2 ft3 of gas is about 63kw and electric is measured in kw on the meter so possible they over estemated your electric and under your gas. but as dolor says it wont really matter as you wont then have to pay for the first few units at your new supplier until your electric bill evens out. it would be more of a problem if there wasn't a government cap so there was a big difference in price between your units with your old supplier and new.  

Alnat1

As long as the units on the closing statement match those on the opening statement with your new company there will be very little cost difference, maybe even a saving.