What is the time limit to issue a bill?

Mishomeister

Outfox The Market whom I left years ago, have suddenly decided to send me a bill for a period of between  20 January 2019 to 25 Jan 2019 for the amount of £159.43. Are they allowed that? It says on the internet that utility companies should not be able to bill anyone with any back bills older than 1 year if the below rules are met:

• You didn't receive an accurate bill for the energy
• You weren't informed of any charges due
• Your Direct Debit amount was too low to cover the charges 

The last one is quiet ambiguous as I would always agree with them on the phone what bill I should pay, but with the matter being that old I'm not sure what records I have if any. Also the company I have moved to from the Outfox has gone bust long ago.

QrizB

Time to check your records.

• Were you a customer of Outfox The Market for those six days?
• Is the bill based on actual meter readings, and do those readings tie in with your previous bills from OTM and whoever you switched to?
• Have OTM previously billed you for this energy?
  

Mishomeister

• QrizB said:

  Time to check your records.

  • Were you a customer of Outfox The Market for those six days?
  • Is the bill based on actual meter readings, and do those readings tie in with your previous bills from OTM and whoever you switched to?
  • Have OTM previously billed you for this energy?
    

  
  

1. Most likely I was

2. I don't have bills that are that old anywhere

3. No, they haven't

QrizB

That's a shame, without the bills you've got fewer options.

you can't just ignore the bill, that'll just cause more trouble when they try debt collection.

I think you're going to have to contact OTM and ask whether they've taken Ofgem's back-billing rules into account when preparing this bill.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/check-energy-back-billing-rules has info 9you might have already been to this page).

Qyburn

Mishomeister said:

...

• Your Direct Debit amount was too low to cover the charges 

The last one is quiet ambiguous 

The last point refers to people paying a regular direct debit during the period over 2 months ago. The supplier is allowed to use the credit from those DDs towards the bill, but aren't allowed to ask you to pay more.

In your shoes I'd go back to them stating that you believe it's covered by the back billing rules, unless they can show credible evidence that a bill was issued (and served) before January  2020.

MWT

Mishomeister said:

• Your Direct Debit amount was too low to cover the charges 

The last one is quiet ambiguous as I would always agree with them on the phone what bill I should pay, but with the matter being that old I'm not sure what records I have if any. Also the company I have moved to from the Outfox has gone bust long ago.

Do you remember if you got a refund of your DD payments when you originally left them, or at any point before that?

If you did then the back-billing rules will not cover you to the extent that the refund would have otherwise paid the bill.

If the new bill exceeds the refund then you are only liable to repay the refund.

Mishomeister

I don't remember unfortunately as all this was too long ago. On the limited paperwork, I was able to dig out reg the communication I had from my next provider, the now bust Utility Point is an email saying your supply has started with us today, on the 19th January, which kind of suggest that I already wasn't with the Outfox on the days mentionned.Saying that I don't have any bills from the Utility Point to be able to check this any further. I have forwarded that letter to the Outfox together with the mentionning of the Ofgem rules.