Beareavement Experience

baanjax

It feels like every electricity company is trying to maximise its revenue and ignoring anything that would reduce if it can do so.

I've been dealing with a bereavement this year. I reported it to EON in February that the flat involved would be empty, and the only thing on would be background heating. They didn't adjust the costs of the estimates at all. They continued to send bills to the flat (despite having my details and address and me asking for that to be the address) with ever-increasing amounts on them. By the time the probate was granted and the flat was sold the amount shown owing on the bill was more than £2700.

I did a final meter reading and reported it to Eon. Now, the flat is slightly complicated as it still has off-peak (PKA Economy 7) and peak electricity on different rates and different meters. EON managed to take both readings but suddenly forgot that they needed to include both. A 'final' bill arrived, which reduced the amount marginally but only showed the off-peak reading, still showing more than £2700 owed.

Luckily, I had taken pictures of the readings and back on the phone to them. Weill, firstly they only accept phone calls Mon-Thursday so another call yesterday. After another 45 minutes on the phone, they send a correct final bill. It's less than £350.

It feels like you're dealing with a confidence trickster rather than a utility company.  Luckily I have my wits about me enough. I'm sure some people would have paid the bill. 

jlfrs01

I had a similar issue with SSE after my father vacated his apartment to live in a Home which he passed away in. SSE were dreadful, before and after making no concessions to a 90 year old pensioner with Alzheimers before he died and his grieving family afterwards. I ended up involving the Energy Ombudsman, they fought me - and the Ombudsman - all the way and even after I won, they still refused to cooperate, all for the sake of a few hundred quid.
I vowed I would never, ever deal with them again.

Bigphil1474

I dealt with my dads who was with British Gas. He was a bit old school and always had a large credit balance. I've got to say from start to finish, the British Gas bereavement team were very good. All bills were sent to me as executor, we had online access to submit meter readings (although this ended a couple of months from the end due to a change on their side), and the final billing and refund of credit worked well. We didn't pay anything for the 11 months we were sorting the estate out, they just adjusted the credit balance down. They did do an estimate one month which was way off, but soon sorted. I'm not a BG customer, but I was mildly impressed with this aspect. 

I had similar experience with Severn Trent Water, who refunded the entire credit straight off (£700 credit with an annul use of around £150!), and they didn't actually send a final bill, just closed the account - the house was empty for nearly a year though, but I expected a small bill for the odd times we went down to sort the house out.