Losing my mind with edf!!

Bionicwoman28

Briefly
Terminally ill man finds edf supply is business. His mistake, so informs edf and asks to go on to residential fixed.
Receives 'final VAT invoice' saying he owes £700+
Wife (now widow - husband died December) demonstrates all payments made by DD.
Receives invoice saying she is £500 in credit.
A week or so later receives a bill for the £700+
Very distressed- I step into help.
Speak to edf. Look at account. Not to worry. No debt, £500 credit.
I ask for that in writing. Received. 
Less than 2 weeks later, bill arrives for £700 (this morning 28.01).

2 days ago received bill from edf for new residential account, however saying it is Standard Variable not fixed. This was probably husband's mistake as did not complete necessary form, but he was dying at the time.
Email sent to edf explaining situation, asking to go onto Fixed rate, asking if this could be backdated in view of the circumstances. No reply as yet. 
Only the bill referred to above.
We are at our wits' end. I am going round tomorrow to try to help out a very distressed woman. Her husband's  funeral is next week.
HELP

Mark_d

Lots of people make honest mistakes.  Giving the customer here a backdated fix would be unfair on EDF and unfair on other customers who have made honest mistakes.

Robin9

The tariff involved is the least of the widow challenges at the moment.

Not this week -  there's no rush.

First contact Edf's bereavement service and transfer the account to her name.

Second make a formal complaint as per the web site to sort the invoices.

Bionicwoman28

That's a very minor point Mark. I don't actually care if they backdate it. Lots of people do make honest mistakes- particularly when they're dying.
Read the first part of my post. That's what I need help with.

Brie

Have readings been taken and submitted or are they estimates?  That might be part of the issue.

Secondly it may be that husband's account is in debit but wife's account is in credit.  2 different accounts so a different result.  Check that the account numbers are the same or whether there was a balance rolled from one account to the other.  

Sorry for your loss - I do agree that there are more important things perhaps to deal with but also understand that doing practical things can be therapeutic. 

Rinse_Repeat

Mark_d said:

Lots of people make honest mistakes.  Giving the customer here a backdated fix would be unfair on EDF and unfair on other customers who have made honest mistakes.

Why would it be unfair on EDF? 

stripling

Mark_d said:

Lots of people make honest mistakes.  Giving the customer here a backdated fix would be unfair on EDF and unfair on other customers who have made honest mistakes.

What a really unhelpful, illogical and irrelevant response. 
Unfair on EDF? A dying man and his (now) widow? Are you for real?  🤦🏻‍♀️

QrizB

Bionicwoman28 said:

Read the first part of my post. That's what I need help with.

Recent domestic fixed tariffs haven't been all that different to the variable tariff.

Have you calculated what the difference would be? Is it really worth arguing over at this time?

silvercar

The £500 credit rather £700 debit could be because edf haven’t acknowledged on their system that it’s a residential supply. Even for business’s, if the electric or gas is being used for a residential supply, the VAT should be 5% rather than 20% and no CCL should be charged. This can and should be credited if charged in error.