SSE's use of estimated meter reading - Can I dispute?

tman91

Hi,
I have recently been going over my last couple of gas bills from SSE now they've switched to OVO.
Below is a screenshot of my bill from May when my fixed rate term ended and I was switched to a variable plan.

As you can see they have used an estimated reading at the end of my fixed rate, a period of 91 days, of 113 units. 
They have then used that same estimated reading to calculate the next 6 days to the end of the billing period, totalling 274 units.
That estimate is wrong. According to them, once my charge has over tripled to 9.69p, I've then somehow used over double the gas in those 6 days compared to the previous 3 months?!
Unfortunately I did not have the foresight to take a photo of my smart meter on that day as evidence that the estimate is wrong.
Is there any point in my disputing this bill without said evidence or would I just be wasting my time?
Thanks

[Deleted User]

You can provide an actual meter reading at anytime and your supplier should reverse all charges back to the last actual reading. It will then issue a bill based on the reading that you provided. Any estimate used at the end of a fixed tariff will be re-assessed.

Is your smart meter working?

matelodave

You should always give meter reading when the tariff changes - don't let the energy company guess.

Even if you've got a smart meter its still a good idea to check your bills/statements against meter readings, ideally every month so that any anomalies can be sorted out early. It only takes a few minutes once a month and can save no end of aggro in the future. It doesn't need foresight if you make it a habit.

I've got a smart meter but I still sent in a reading on 1st July (tariff change because of energy price cap revision) and I got an up to date statement from Eon-Next within two hours. No estimates or guesses.

jbuchanangb

Even if you didn't read the meter on 10 May, you could reasonably argue that the estimated reading should 1137, by using simple arithmetic, i.e. divide 387 units used by 97 days, multiply that by 91 and add to the 8 Feb reading of 774. Worth a try at least, surely?