£250 bill for 6 days from SO Energy!

jjd_uk

Laughable £250 bill estimate for a 6 day period and after initially agreeing it is ridiculous, they are now standing by this amount in a farcical case of computer says no!

We bought a house in May and weren't able to take meter readings for a few day. No big deal right? There'll be an estimate for the opening reading, but how far off could it be? Well, as it turns out, it can be off by an insane amount! They are estimating that we used nearly 2000 kWh of gas during a 6 day period. That's more than three times the total amount of gas we have used in the last 4 months! They claim their estimate is within industry tolerance and so they aren't required to revise it. They are insting we pay.

I am amazed at the incompetence I have encountered from the billing department and customer service team at SO Energy. Not only have they overbilled by a staggering amount, they have had multiple serious errors pointed out to them, with evidence, and they have failed to correct these. Some of the mistakes that they have made, which are central to getting the billing correct, they haven't even addressed in the 4 months that this conversation has been going on.

To be fair, I can't fault their politeness and everyone I have delt with has agreed that the bill is ridiculous, initially reassuring me that it will be fixed. The problem seems to be a severe case of "computer says no...". Their internal rules allow for overbilling by a few hundred quid here or there, apparently, where an estimate is being used. This isn't too terrible, I suppose, over a long period, where it might represent a potential error of a few percent. But for a six day period, this level of error tolerance means they can bill for 60 times my likely use (based on actual daily metered use over last 4 months) and it's all within their procedures. This is a likely error of up to 6000%, but apparently it's all ok because it's all within their procedures! The representatives I have delt with have all shown common sense at first, but as soon as "computer says no" happens then that common sense flies out the window and they stick to the script.

They have failed to address the errors that they have made.

The units they have billed in are different from those displayed on the meter. This alone means overbilling by nearly 3 times, since that is the conversion factor between the units they have billed in and the actual units. They have the wrong meter serial number, which is likely why they have the units wrong, but despite me sending photos of this, they prefer to stick to what the computer says. This suggests that they failed to update their system when an old meter was replaced, at some point, and have been over billing by nearly three times ever since. 

They have sent me screenshots of the previous owners usage which it strikes me has possible data protection issues.

They have failed to make any adjustment in their estimate of the fact that the property was completely unoccupied and empty during this period. Heating was off, there were no electronics in the property, not even white goods, as the previous owners had moved out and we had not moved in yet. Despite this, they think that their estimate of nearly 20kWh of electricity a day and over 300kWh of gas a day should stand. Again, everyone I spoke to agreed that the estimate is nonsense, up until the point that the computer says no. They are completely incapable of applying common sense to the situation.

For weeks they insisted that I chase a completely different company to correct the estimate. They claimed that as I had changed supplier since the billing period in question, I had to raise a dispute with my current supplier as "only your current supplier is able to raise a dispute on an estimate, even though it is from before you became their customer". Naturally my current supplier pushed back on this, but SO Energy repeatedly insisted that this was the case, and so I persisted with my current supplier for far longer than I should have. That was a complete waste of time. It turns out, of course, that fixing this is indeed SO Energy's responsibility.

All in all it seems like a compete shambles. I would avoid this company at all costs in the future. If they can't fix a simple billing error then what confidence can I have in them? The dispute is ongoing, but four months in I am running out of patience. My next steps will be the ombudsman and the consumer affairs media.

Is there anything I'm missing here?

[Deleted User]

What type of meter do you have? If it is a smart meter, you may have fallen into what is becoming something of a trap. On moving in, you need to provide the supplier with readings from the registers that have been in use since the day the meter was installed. 

For example, I am on a single rate tariff and my IHD and meter show a reading 02486. However, when I look at the ToU matrix sub menu in the meter it shows a R1 reading of 02000 and a R2 reading of 00486. If I give a reading of 02486, I am immediately charged again for the R2 use. The reading the supplier wants is R1 02000.

jjd_uk

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

[Deleted User]

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

jjd_uk

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

[Deleted User]

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

In that case, raise a written complaint. Wait 8 weeks or for deadlock and take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

jjd_uk

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

In that case, raise a written complaint. Wait 8 weeks or for deadlock and take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

I have been dealing with their customer support for months, pointing out the problems with their estimate. I have had to repeat myself a lot, as their memory in each response only seems to go back as far as the latest email in the chain. Do I have to use the word complaint, for it to count, or does my months long email chain of objections count as a complaint?

Swipe

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

In that case, raise a written complaint. Wait 8 weeks or for deadlock and take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

I have been dealing with their customer support for months, pointing out the problems with their estimate. I have had to repeat myself a lot, as their memory in each response only seems to go back as far as the latest email in the chain. Do I have to use the word complaint, for it to count, or does my months long email chain of objections count as a complaint?

As they are not prepared to resolve this, I'd ask them for a deadlock letter and then go straight to the Ombudsman.

MattMattMattUK

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

In that case, raise a written complaint. Wait 8 weeks or for deadlock and take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

I have been dealing with their customer support for months, pointing out the problems with their estimate. I have had to repeat myself a lot, as their memory in each response only seems to go back as far as the latest email in the chain. Do I have to use the word complaint, for it to count, or does my months long email chain of objections count as a complaint?

You have to raise a formal complaint. Have they issued you with a complaint reference?

jjd_uk

Swipe said:

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

In that case, raise a written complaint. Wait 8 weeks or for deadlock and take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

I have been dealing with their customer support for months, pointing out the problems with their estimate. I have had to repeat myself a lot, as their memory in each response only seems to go back as far as the latest email in the chain. Do I have to use the word complaint, for it to count, or does my months long email chain of objections count as a complaint?

As they are not prepared to resolve this, I'd ask them for a deadlock letter and then go straight to the Ombudsman.

Thanks, I'll give them an ultimatum to either offer a reasonable revised bill or else issue a deadlock letter.

MattMattMattUK

jjd_uk said:

Swipe said:

jjd_uk said:

Dolor said:

jjd_uk said:

[Deleted User] said:

jjd_uk said:

The gas meter was an analogue meter. The electric meter was digital - not sure if it was smart or not. Both have since been replaced with smart meters when I changed supplier. I supplied meter readings within a week of purchasing the property. These readings are correct and we have photos. It is the opening reading from six days earlier that they have estimated. It looks like we are essentially being asked to pay a large chunk of the previous owners bill.

OK, normally all that is needed to get the supplier to amend the opening readings is proof of when you became responsible for the property.

The date we took responsibility for the property isn't at issue. There isn't a closing meter reading for the previous occupants though, and our first reading was 6 days in. So they have estimated the readings for the date we took responsibility. The estimated reading falls heavily in the previous occupants favour though. We are being asked to pay £250 for 6 days supply on an empty property. They have gotten their estimated readings for that date wildly wrong. The gas estimate that gives per day is 60 times what we have been using per day on the new meter with our current supplier. 

In that case, raise a written complaint. Wait 8 weeks or for deadlock and take the complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.

I have been dealing with their customer support for months, pointing out the problems with their estimate. I have had to repeat myself a lot, as their memory in each response only seems to go back as far as the latest email in the chain. Do I have to use the word complaint, for it to count, or does my months long email chain of objections count as a complaint?

As they are not prepared to resolve this, I'd ask them for a deadlock letter and then go straight to the Ombudsman.

Thanks, I'll give them an ultimatum to either offer a reasonable revised bill or else issue a deadlock letter.

If you have not started a formal compliant they are likely to refuse to issue a deadlock letter. If you have started a formal complaint then they will likely issue a deadlock letter rather than respond to the ultimatum, you will then likely wait 6-12 weeks for the investigation to take place. If you have not started a formal complaint it may well be worth doing so to resolve the matter, it takes it out of the customer service team and to the dedicated complaints team.