£250 bill for 6 days from SO Energy!

jjd_uk

MattMattMattUK said:

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. 

OK, thanks. I suppose I may have not made a formal complaint, even if I have been complaining a lot. I'll start with that first then.

wild666

Keep any email between you and the company and complain, if you used the phone take the time you started and finished the call, I have a Dictaphone and always use the option for speaker so it can be recorded, this way you can also add the conversations to any email to the ombudsman. 

[Deleted User]

jjd_uk said:

MattMattMattUK said:

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. 

OK, thanks. I suppose I may have not made a formal complaint, even if I have been complaining a lot. I'll start with that first then.

If you haven’t followed a supplier’s formal complaints procedure, then Energy Ombudsman Services will not accept your complaint. To do so would be unfair on the supplier as it has to pay a sizeable case fee.

EOS is a private arbitration company and it investigates nothing. You have to lead them by the hand through the facts of your complaint. You also need to bear in mind that if the Final Decision goes against you, this will assist the supplier in its claim that it is owed money. Even if you reject the Final Decision, the supplier can still use it. In sum, take your time putting your complaint together and think through the consequences of EOS finding in favour of the supplier. It happens.

jjd_uk

Thanks everyone for all your input. I have started a formal complaint now and have a complaint number. It sounds like the person I am speaking to actually has the power to do something. I wish I'd spoken to them earlier, rather than going around in circles for so long with customer service. I'll post an update with progress. Hopefully I won't have to go to the trouble of going to the ombudsman.

markin

Some people have an easier time asking the seller for the money.

Did you give a reading before starting a switch?