NPower..is this right?

purenmature

My first post here, and im desperate for some good advise please, apologies if its long....

I did a house exchange 2yrs ago (april29th 2006) , so was forced to go with Npower till i changed back to british gas who i'd originally been with at my prevous property.
myself and the lady i exchanged with telephoned our final readings in, and i owed nothing on my previous proerty, in fact i was in credit.

I requested budget cards over the telephone, as i have used these for years,the payment set by them at that time was £10 per week on each.
After 2wks, i had received nothing, so i called again, another 2wks nothing... eventually after approx 8wks they sent me "flexi payment cards" i assumed they where the same as budget cards, as that is what i request, and i immediatly started payment.

Then the lady who i had exchanged with called me, and told me NPower had sent her a cheque for £232, she was shocked, as she didnt know they owed her anything.... then i got a bill for the exact amount of £232.... so i called them, not only had they sent her that payment by mistake, but they had also lost our meter readings :eek:

we eventually got that sorted out, then i received my statements, on the electricity they said i owed some, and they wanted the payment immediatly:wall: and on my gas that i had'nt paid a penny :eek:

it turned out they had lost my gas payments, and the flexi cards where nothing like the budget cards, so again i asked for budget cards.....nothing!

i sent them copies of my receipts for my gas payments, which they reckon they didnt recieve, so then in feb 2007 i had a guy turn up to cut my gas off but i showed him my pile of receipts, and turned him away, then in April 2007 they all of a suddenly found my reciepts, but not before preparing court papers!

anyway, all my bills have been estimated, i have never once had a meter read, so i assumed they would over estimate,and going on freinds with bigger houses, i was paying about the same.

then at the end of last summer 2007, i upped my electricity to £20 per week, and my gas to £15, knowing the big price rises.

then i start getting these letters telling me i am in debt, and still even though i have requested time and time again, i stil havent had my budget cards.

i called them today, and gave them meter readings, expecting them to say i wasnt in debt....how wrong was i

Even after all my payments, never once missing any .....i paid this...

In 2006 £40 per month on gas
in 2006 £40 per month on leccy

then in 2007 to now, i raised it to

£60 per month on gas
£80 per month on leccy

but i still have a balance outstanding of.....

£471.00 on my gas
£538 on my electricity.

they now want £130 per month for gas, and £130 per month for electricity, thats £260 per month for both.

Does this sound right?

What has really upset me is, i should be back with british gas, but due to their incompitence and errors of losing my gas payments, and billing me for their mistaken payment to the previous tennant i wasnt able to, and now am stuck with NPowet till ive paid off almost £1000 of debt.

Any advise will be greatly appreciated, many thanks!

Edit: im in a 2bed house, with a combi boiler, thermostatically controlled rads, new loft insulation and cavity that was installed in 2006, full double glazing including double glazed doors, and their are only 3 of us.