Back billing, Are you eligible?

TroubledTarts

We see a lot of back billing threads here is there a guide to whether you are eligible or not as we get a lot of crossed information so what is the actual truth of it all?

Here is the ofgem information but from other posts here it's a little more nuenced than it first appears

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/what-do-if-you-get-back-bill

MWT

The 'truth' is tricky as it depends to some extent on the particular person that gets assigned to each case.

The majority follow the principle that any money you pay into your account can be used to pay for any energy used even if not accurately billed at the time and that any refunds made from that money can be reversed by the supplier for the same reason.

The basis for this is that it is not considered to be 'bill-shock' if the supplier is using money intended to cover energy costs to do just that…

A very small number of times there will be a perverse decision that does not follow that principle but the preponderance is as outlined above.

The Ofgem Chair has expressed a contrary view to the norm for the Ombudsman service but there is no sign as yet that anything has or will be changed.

This is a summary of the many cases that have been reported here over the years, there is no published statement or definitive rule that can be referred to…