Mis billing of energy

dursleydeeks

I have just switched from Scottish power to Octopus.

My final bill however was estimated and three times as many units charged for than I have used, in spite of sending my final readings four times. Allegedly none of these made it to my account.

Whilst raising this with Scottish power, it came to my attention that I have been charged day time rates for night time electricity and night time rates for day time electricity.

While you might not think that matters too much, in fact I use three times as much as night as day. This is because I heat a large tank of water at night by immersion heater, and I run all my household appliances like washing machine, dryer dishwasher at night.

Coupled with this I have solar panels and this reduces my day usage.

Scottish power while in discussion through chat so I have the transcript informed me that now my account is closed I have no redress.

Having checked my bills this has been going on for over a year and may we'll have been going on before.This represents considerable overcharging over many months.

Luckily I have not yet paid my final bill and have a complaint open. I also have full sets of readings and photographs from March 31st when I left Scottish power.

Octopus had no difficulty in accepting my meter readings for electricity when I sent them photographs, and correctly identified Rate 1 as daytime and Rate 4 as nighttime.

Unfortunately my gas reading was so fmuch lower than the one Scottish Power sent them, that they have had to raise a dispute with SP, even though they have my photographic evidence of gas meter reading.

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Th

Swipe

The important thing is you have a complaint open. If they are adamant that the matter is closed, ask them for a deadlock letter and then you can go straight to the ombudsman instead of having to wait 8 weeks. As long as your provide good evidence they will rule in your favour.

[Deleted User]

dursleydeeks said:

I have just switched from Scottish power to Octopus.

My final bill however was estimated and three times as many units charged for than I have used, in spite of sending my final readings four times. Allegedly none of these made it to my account.

Whilst raising this with Scottish power, it came to my attention that I have been charged day time rates for night time electricity and night time rates for day time electricity.

While you might not think that matters too much, in fact I use three times as much as night as day. This is because I heat a large tank of water at night by immersion heater, and I run all my household appliances like washing machine, dryer dishwasher at night.

Coupled with this I have solar panels and this reduces my day usage.

Scottish power while in discussion through chat so I have the transcript informed me that now my account is closed I have no redress.

Having checked my bills this has been going on for over a year and may we'll have been going on before.This represents considerable overcharging over many months.

Luckily I have not yet paid my final bill and have a complaint open. I also have full sets of readings and photographs from March 31st when I left Scottish power.

Octopus had no difficulty in accepting my meter readings for electricity when I sent them photographs, and correctly identified Rate 1 as daytime and Rate 4 as nighttime.

Unfortunately my gas reading was so fmuch lower than the one Scottish Power sent them, that they have had to raise a dispute with SP, even though they have my photographic evidence of gas meter reading.

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IMG_20230331_211024.jpg

Th

You have got this totally wrong. The gaining supplier is responsible for managing all aspects of a transfer of supply. It’s metering agent determines - using industry criteria - an opening/closing meter reading which both suppliers use to close and open your accounts. This is passed to both suppliers via an industry data flow. For a transfer of supply, the losing supplier should ignore any reading that the consumer provides.

There are laid down limits for an Agreed Readings Dispute. I know that people get concerned about ‘overpaying’ but they forget that the true cost difference is the number of units * (new unit price -old unit price). Often it is advantageous to overpay the old supplier then just pay the new supplier the daily standing charge until the meter index passes the industry-agreed opening reading. 

https://octopus.energy/blog/secret-life-opening-meter-reading/

dursleydeeks

Update on this

Scottish power have finally acknowledged my readings from 31 St of March, and my complaint is still open. 
I have written ten emails since then and offered to pay my gas bill which is for one seventh of the units charged for, while they continue to sort out the electricity which has been mischarged for since they put the metre in a few years ago.

I have received a few emails in reply saying they are still working on it but no deadlock letter now four months later.

Account with Octopus is going well and they have been charging me correctly according to my day and night use. The bill for electricity and gas standing charge being about 60 pounds a month . I am of course not using gas in the summer months and so my metre reads the same as it did on the 31st of March.That is showing  one seventh of the usage that Scottish power's estimated final bill shows.
I have spoken to five escalated complaints handlers, none of which have a knowledge of the complaiñt and so each telephone call leads to a conversation from scratch lasting over and hour, ending with a promise to sort it out. Apparently they themselves can not sort it out, but have to send it to an unidentified other team who can, but from whom there has been no communication to the complaints team for the past four months. Thus there is no further information on progress available, no evidence that their request to sort it has been received. When I receive no update, I book a telephone call with the complaints team, I get a different member of the team and start the process all over again as they have no results on the attempts of the five or six previous complaints handlers to sort it out!

I am competent even though 76, but the stress has affected me badly. My husband does not have the capacity to sort it and as I know many more people have open complaints with Scottish power, my heart goes out to them if they do not have the capacity to deal with it .

Yes I can go to the Ombudsman , but my heart fails me !!!

Mobtr

What are the readings on your final bill with SP and what do you believe they should be? And what are your initial readings on your Octopus bill? 

dursleydeeks

Scottish power have accepted these readings and I have confirmation emails(they can not dispute it because I have photographs)
The estimate for electricity is close but it has been billed wrongly attributing day units to night and vice versa, leading over the last year to two thirds having been billed as day units and only a third to night units.

The gas reading is easy to sort out
My reading is 01435 which represents 96 units use, but they have estimated the reading as 765 units use( for two months use ie Feb and March this year) 
There is no dispute over this as my gas metre still reads 01435 now and both Octopus and Scottish Power have the photographic evidence. 

Luckily I haven't paid the 900 pound gas bill yet but I would say the 96 units I used will be between 100and 150 off the top of my head. 

When they sort out the electricity part which at present is about 250 pounds, depending on if the mistake was made jus in the last year or up to three years ago, they will in fact be owing me money

dursleydeeks

Octopus are using my readings submitted to them on 31st of March
Rate 1day 04700
Rate 4 night 12512
Gas 01435

I pay my bill by varying direct debit every month. It averages about 65 pounds including standing charge for gas with no gas usage over the summer months. 
I am currently investigating Octopus putting in a heat pump for me which will take away gas use altogether. They have quoted me 3750 to cover all work and components, which sounds quite reasonable since I was originally quoted over 6000. This of course has always included the 5000 from the governments boiler grant

Mobtr

So what are the final readings on your final bill from SP? 

dursleydeeks

They have 12479 as day reading
4733 as night reading these are wrong way round. Readings were at 0 when metre was put in.

The gas reading they have at 2104 and it states this is an actual reading. My reading as perphotographic evidence four months later is still 01435

dursleydeeks

Thanks for your interest!

Mobtr

Octopus should be using the same start  readings as SP used to close even if they’re wrong. Octopus should then dispute these with SP & not just use different ones. I understand the electric as this is easily changed round but the gas is a big difference. As this has been going on for so long and you’re getting nowhere, I would recommend you take it to the ombudsman. It might be the only way it will get resolved