Back billing - opinions please

kiss_my_face

Hi, 
I would appreciate any opinions about whether to take this further or just pay. 
I switched energy companies over 12 months ago. Paid a final bill. Now they have come back and said I owe them more.
It looks like they only sent a final bill for gas 13 months ago. This month they have just recalculated a bill for electricity despite switching 13 months ago. 
So - should I challenge this new final electricity bill due to back billing regulations? Or does it not count as back billing?
I've spoken to their call centre but the person on the phone was clueless. 

MWT

Can't be 100% sure based on what you've said so far...

If the recalculated bill includes consumption not previously charged for then potentially the back-billing rules apply...

If the recalculated bill corrects an error in how the final bill was previously calculated but does not add additional consumption then back-billing will probably not apply.

The key point to check is did they change the final meter reading which should originally have matched the opening meter reading at your new supplier?

ariarnia

depending on how much they think you owe them but if they took so long to send you a final bill then they probably owe you at least £30 as the default service standard compensation for a late bill. 

kiss_my_face

Thanks - very useful. 
I'm these situations should we pay and then complain to get money back?
Or hold off paying whilst we dispute?
Don't want debt collectors on our backs. 

rothesy

That sounds like a nightmare.  I'm not sure the guaraneed standards payment of £30 will apply if the bill was re-calculated from one that was issued previously.  Open a complaint with them and make sure they know you are in dispute.  Some of them report your account to the credit reference bureaux so you don't want any black marks there.  Good luck.

kiss_my_face

Looking again, it seems that they issued a final gas bill but not electricity. What a mess. 

ariarnia

rothesy said:

That sounds like a nightmare.  I'm not sure the guaraneed standards payment of £30 will apply if the bill was re-calculated from one that was issued previously.  Open a complaint with them and make sure they know you are in dispute.  Some of them report your account to the credit reference bureaux so you don't want any black marks there.  Good luck.

op is saying the electric bill was never issued so i would think its a service standard issue. 

as mwt says if its a recalculation then back billing might apply so worth not just paying either way as both options will possibly reduce any debt. 

[Deleted User]

kiss_my_face said:

Hi, 
I would appreciate any opinions about whether to take this further or just pay. 
I switched energy companies over 12 months ago. Paid a final bill. Now they have come back and said I owe them more.
It looks like they only sent a final bill for gas 13 months ago. This month they have just recalculated a bill for electricity despite switching 13 months ago. 
So - should I challenge this new final electricity bill due to back billing regulations? Or does it not count as back billing?
I've spoken to their call centre but the person on the phone was clueless. 

You say they recalculated a bill for electricity, but that they only sent a final bill for gas?

Which bill have they recalculated if you never received one in the first place?

"Not being given a bill" and "a bill being changed" are two different problems with two different sets of rules and two different financial outcomes.

[Deleted User]

It is worth looking at what the Licence Conditions state:

Provision of final bill

Electricity

27.17 Where the responsibility for the supply of electricity to a Domestic Customer transfers from the licensee to another Electricity Supplier or otherwise terminates, the licensee must take all reasonable steps to send a final Bill or statement of account of the Domestic Customer’s account within 6 weeks of the supplier transfer or termination of the Domestic Supply Contract.

27.18 Where subsequent information becomes available to correct an error in the final Bill or statement of account issued pursuant to paragraph 27.17, the licensee shall send a corrected Bill or statement of account as soon as reasonably practicable after the subsequent information becomes available.

Clearly, the OP is now into para 27.18 territory. Had the OP challenged the Final Bill on, say, the basis that the closing reading didn’t agree with the opening reading on his new supplier account AND the old supplier had nothing about it for more than 12 months then there might be a case for BackBilling.

That said, the normal rules would apply. If the consumer had been re-paid a credit balance of £150 and the revised bill had indicated that £120 was now due: this could be billed. If the recalculated charges were £180 then the supplier could only bill for £150.

The sole aim of BackBilling is to avoid bill shock: it was not designed to penalise suppliers. Delays to a final bill are covered by regulated service standard payments to the consumer.

molerat

Another important point is whether the company is still in business or are they one of the failed suppliers ?

kiss_my_face

Company still in business. 
From what I can tell:
They sent us a final bill for gas in October 2021 which we paid off.
They didn't send us a final bill for electricity until November 2022. The final bill for electricity contained a number of recalculations - to which they say we owe them an amount.

I don't know why it took them 13 months to send the final electricity bill. It sounds like we are entitled to a £30 refund for late final billing at that very least.