E.on billing us for 1.8K elec despite only have a prepaid meter??? Help

PabloandEm

We have recently moved house and as is expected we closed our account with E.on as it was a pre pay and our new house has a different supplier.

We have now recieved a bill for 1.8K for electricity used from 2021 until February 2024.

We were tenants and the meter failed so a new meter was installed by E.on on the 21st March 2021. They are now saying they have no record of any payments from this date.

We have informed them that we were on a pre pay, so would noy get any electricity into the house if we did not pre pay and charge the meter.

They saying that they have no record and we have to prove we bought the electricity.
This is ridiculous, as we could only get electricity by paying in advance onto a key..

Help as they are not backing down.....what should we do??

elsien

 How would you normally top it up - via the app, card or cash payment in store? Do you have any receipts or anything on your bank statements? 

PabloandEm

It was an old meter in a rented property so it had to be topped up at our local Co-oP. But we have no receipts...

To be honest the issue is not proving we paid, but we had to pay to get any electricity for 3 years up front.. pre pay meter? it is there sytem with the error not our regular monthly payments onto the key...

elsien

No, I understand the problem. However  as Eon are saying there is no evidence of payment, the subtext of that is whether they think you have been fiddling the meter somehow if they are not acknowledging any payments.  Which is why I was asking about evidencing that your payments are  not showing - is there nothing online or on the app showing for you? It might help to have something like that before making formal complaint? 

superkoopauk

Do you have any annual statements from EON (these would state your meter type and tariff).  I assume they haven't been sending you any invoices.

I would turn the question on its head and ask EON to prove the meter (which I would guess is smart) was installed in credit mode and explain why they never asked for payments from you

And if EON do backbill as a credit meter then you they can only charge you for a years usage (as it sounds like they were at fault for never invoicing you)

PabloandEm

There would be no invoices or bills... it is/was a pre pay meter. We never recieved any correspondence from them, when the meter credit was low, we went and topped it up... paid up front.... so we cannot possibly owe any money... we paid up from as it was a pre pay meter...

tim_p

Where did the top up key come from?  Did you open an account and get a new key / card?

elsien

When you left, did you check the meter to see how much credit was still showing? No photos at all? Would the agent/landlord have anything relevant? No bank statements if you topped up using a debit card? 
Because if you can prove some payments (even if you feel you don't need to)  it's going to be much easier to show that it is their system at fault. 

Interestingly, this old thread says you should still get annual statements - so unless the system has changed since then, did you get anything?
Eon - bills erroneously issued for prepayment meter after moving out — MoneySavingExpert Forum

PabloandEm

Tim, When they changed the meter in 2021 they provided a new key !! they have record of us reporting the meter not working in 2021, they sent out engineer next day who changed meter, then thier system has no record of any payments depeite the fact we had to pay up front. They will not accept it... Looks like we are off to court....

And Elsian, we put £10 of credit in the meter before we left, but no pics....

elsien

PabloandEm said:

Tim, When they changed the meter in 2021 they provided a new key !! they have record of us reporting the meter not working in 2021, they sent out engineer next day who changed meter, then thier system has no record of any payments depeite the fact we had to pay up front. They will not accept it... Looks like we are off to court....

And Elsian, we put £10 of credit in the meter before we left, but no pics....

Sorry to keep  banging on, but was your key card always topped up with cash or did you ever use a card? 

PabloandEm

we always used a card, but it was never just for eleccy, bread, bottle of wine plus electricity.... trip to Co-oP and whilst you are there top up the key.. normally £50 a go type of scenario..