Query relating to how far back a utility can claim for mispricing?

stormCat99

Hi,

This is a query on behalf of my SIL. She bought a brand new flat in a block of 4, when she moved in the meters were marked with each flat number, so she took an initial reading to give to elec company, and that was that.

Since then, it has come to light that the meters were wrongly labelled, and hers is another meter. She has been billed correctly since this was discovered, but is concerned about the billing up until when the problem was found as she doesn't think the money aspect was straightened out.

So my quesion is, how far in time can a gas/elec company claim backwards, for any discovered billing errors? She is just worried that after all this confusion, they may suddenly hit her with a large retrospective bill to correct their error. I'm sure I read somewhere that they can only claim for so far back now ?

Realistically, this shouldn't happen, because she rarely is in the flat - round at her parents more often than not, or out and about - and when she is in, she is extremely frugal with turning on lights etc. Any advice appreciated - thanks.

Cardew

In this case the answers are not easy to find.

They can only backdate 12 months if no bill has been raised - which is not the case here I assume i.e. she was paying bills for the wrong property?

To be fair it is probably not the Utility company's error but the builder/developer. They are responsible for labelling the meters and telling the utility company; don't forget in a new build the electricty would have been used by tradesmen before it was sold.

Surely it isn't the point that your sister is frugal with electricity - that would have been to the advantage of the person who was paying her bill.(thinking it was theirs)

If the bills your sister had been paying(for another flat) were lower than her own should have been; then they might ask her for the difference - but they would need to provide evidence.

If your sister is really frugal it is quite possible that she is owed money as she had been paying bills for people who were not so frugal.

stormCat99

Thanks for the reply. I think it may have been teh 12 month backdating when you've had no bill at all, that I had been thinking about.

Yes she really really IS the most frugal person with her gas and elec, it is a standing joke. She says that now she has found she has switched electricity meters, hers is the highest reading of the 4 flats in her building, which does seem highly unlikely to me given how little I know she uses. But then again perhaps her flat had a higher reading to start with - had lights on for more viewings before anyone moved in maybe, I don't know.

Sounds like there will be no clear cut answer to this - I was hoping to reassure her that there wouldn't be some problems further down the line.

Terrylw1

Hi,

Ok, these issues are extremely difficult to resolve which then become further complicated by having various Suppliers between the flats, If this was a new build though then you have a saving grace.

You just need to know which meter is actually yours, not where the tails are connected into. Obtain the opening meter reading for that (the Supplier will have that as well) then the tails need to be swapped over and re-labelled which is totally the builders fault as they label them.

Then your Supplier has to bill you up from the opening reading to current reading to correct the rest.

Backbilling applies up to 2 years prior to July 2007. Anything discovered after that time is 12 months backbilling only.

Backbilling is in regard to the billing of energy. In your case, you have not been billed correctly for energy to your meter and as a result have never received a correct bill. So, you should push for the 12 months backbilling.

The backbilling states where the Supplier is at fault for not producing a bill.