No meter readings, back billing, Eon,

hullensien

Good Morning
Hope I’m posting in the right place and something similar hasn’t been covered elsewhere
My partner bought a property in September 2021. Part of the property was an old workshop that a previous  occupant ran a woodworking business from - it was full of machinery. Local enquiries have indicated business stopped years ago due to his ill health.
The workshop had subsequently been cleared and turned into an oversize shed with a garden room sectioned off at the back.
I don’t live with my partner( I do stay fairly regularly) so generally don’t query what happens in her property or her billing arrangements.
On the 1st August she received an absolutely massive bill from Eon for 3 meters in what used to be the workshop - all 3 are based on estimated readings - this is the first communication of ANY kind with regard to the meters from Eon - she pays Scottish Power
The bill had already been opened and pushed through the letterbox - the visible part of the bill (the part you can see through the window) was just addressed to “the Occupier,” the workshop, then the village name - no reference to the actual correct address although that did appear elsewhere on the bill so I assume it got delivered elsewhere, someone opened it, saw the correct address inside, and hand posted it.
I put an email together for her and sent it to the hi@eon address. 
When she moved in she changed suppliers from Eon to Scottish Power - bill is paid regularly - no arrears - i’ve looked at her account and it only references a separate meter at the front of the house.
She doesn’t look at meter numbers — she just  she just pays the bill. 

On 14th August she received a further bill - for another 2 weeks supply plus the arrears from estimated readings - the same thing as before - a non existent address in the delivery window - already opened and then put in the letterbox

I put another email together and added the unhappy@eon email address. I reiterated the points from the first email - primarily that there has been no contact/correspondence with regard to separate meters since she bought the property in sept 2021. 
We have managed to speak the the previous occupants - short term from nov 2020 to sept 2021 - same scenario - no contact whatsoever with any supplier regard to separate meters.

Yesterday she received a letter from E.ON Field Debt Solutions  - again addressed to the occupier but now with the correct address visible in the delivery window claiming that an agent visited the property on 14th August - at the time he claimed to have visited I was here - he didn’t come here - nor did he trigger the cameras - and they have charged her £55.

There was a mobile number in the letter so I rang him - he was fairly helpful. Most Importantly he told us the the last readings he had for the meters (he didn’t know if it was customer or supplier agent) was 25/10/2020 - he gave a reading of 1202 for one of the meters for that day - It’s only 834 now almost 3 years on.

So there have been no visits or bills or any correspondence of kind with regard to the 3 meters at least since Sept 2021 and potentially since Nov 2020(according to previous residents)

The bills are estimated  - potentially I believe on the usage when it was a woodworking machine shop - and the readings they claim to have are incorrect.

The E.ON Field Debt Solutions guy is coming back tomorrow - no problem paying what has been used but what do we need to do

Thanks in advance

Xbigman

Thoughts.

You mention back billing in the Thread title. That is unlikely to apply for various reasons. 

Is this a business supply? That could have a big effect on how things develop.

If you haven't already done it you need to photograph the three meters showing the readings and meter numbers.

Are you saying there were temporary occupants that never set up an account or paid anything towards their bills?
I hope you have their details.

When the agent calls you need to get the last set of meter readings for all three meter readings from him.

If this is a business account the standing charges will be higher than a domestic supply and you might be paying three sets of them. Be prepared for a shock on that one.


Darren

[Deleted User]

Did your partner contact the existing supplier or just switch? All properties have a deemed supplier which is why the lights came on when your partner moved in. I suspect the latter. If that is the case, then you will have to provide evidence showing when your partner became legally responsible for the property. The supplier should then estimate start readings from the date that your partner legally took over the account and bill you up to the date of the switch. BackBilling relief would not apply unless the supplier was advised of new occupants with details; dates and meter readings and it failed to raise a bill. 

Keep_pedalling

It sounds like the house and workshop are on separate supplies with the workshop on a 3 phase supply. First thing to do is search the ex- workshop for overlooked meters. 

hullensien

@Xbigman - the previous occupants did exactly same as she did - paid the bill when it came in - there have never been any bills for the other 3 meters - nor have there been any bills in any of the previous occupants names. It looks to have been a 3 phase supply for the historic woodworking machines - a standing charge is only against one meter. E.ON are “claiming” the meters were read in nov 2020  - but the reading they have for that date is 50% higher than it is today.
@[Deleted User] - she can’t remember-a bill came in  from eon(for the main meter) - she paid it - then switched to scottish power. She wouldn’t expect to have 2 companies billing one address. As said - nothing from EoN referencing 3 separate meters in the last 33 months (at least to our knowledge) - and why would EON let it get so far if the bills hadn’t been paid - there haven’t been any - nor have there been any readings.
She has letter with completion date from solicitor for sept 2021

hullensien

@Keep_pedalling
there are 3 meters there 
one not in use - one feeding the shed - one feed a garden room
partner had it rewired and just assumed everything was through front meter
No problem paying what has been used, but how can that be calculated if there have been no actual readings - potentially since a historic occupant went into a care home 6+ years ago.
I’ve found out in the last 30 mins that the house was unoccupied for almost a year, and prior to that the historic owners grandchildren dossed (for want of a better word) here for some time.

[Deleted User]

As said - nothing from EoN referencing 3 separate meters in the last 33 months (at least to our knowledge) - and why would EON let it get so far if the bills hadn’t been paid - there haven’t been any - nor have there been any readings.

That suggests to me that the supplier still believes that it is responsible for those meters, and it has been pursuing the previous occupant for payment. This may be nothing more than an administrative mix up or it could be more complicated. For example, re-wiring from a meter does not negate the meter standing charge.

hullensien

@[Deleted User] - just a point - unless she was made aware - and she says she wasn’t - how would she know there was a separate account for the workshop - any why never any bills in nearly 3 years

hullensien

Dolor said:

As said - nothing from EoN referencing 3 separate meters in the last 33 months (at least to our knowledge) - and why would EON let it get so far if the bills hadn’t been paid - there haven’t been any - nor have there been any readings.

That suggests to me that the supplier still believes that it is responsible for those meters, and it has been pursuing the previous occupant for payment. This may be nothing more than an administrative mix up or it could be more complicated. For example, re-wiring from a meter does not negate the meter standing charge.

But they haven’t been pursuing her either - nothing - no bills - no visits - no updates of tariff changes etc

[Deleted User]

hullensien said:

@[Deleted User] - just a point - unless she was made aware - and she says she wasn’t - how would she know there was a separate account for the workshop - any why never any bills in nearly 3 years

That should have been revealed in any property searches undertaken at the time of purchase. As I said above, if the new occupant does not inform the supplier then they will pursue the previous occupant for payment until new information comes to light. 

CSI_Yorkshire

hullensien said:

@[Deleted User] - just a point - unless she was made aware - and she says she wasn’t - how would she know there was a separate account for the workshop - any why never any bills in nearly 3 years

Because there is a a meter for it, and it wasn't on the bills that she was getting.