Help, done a silly thing, at wits end

Oddjob

Hello, I'm not used to posting so if this is in wrong place, please move it.

I lived with my father for years as he had alzheimers. He went into a home in the 1990's.
After he had gone into the home, I changed suppliers for gas and electricity, can't remember who to, it was a salesman at the door. Anyway, they went out of business/got taken over or whatever. I was paying their bills, then suddenly got a letter saying supplier had changed. When the supplier changed though, I only got bills for the gas, I didn't notice at first, you know what its like, bills come in, get paid and you don't think about them till you get another one.

I never answer the door to the meter readers, but do ring in with my gas reading and pay my gas bills.
Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago, I got a letter, address to the Occupier, saying that they had not record of anyone occupying the premises and if they didn't hear from me within 7 days, they would get a warrant to enter the premises and disconnect the meter. I thought it was to do with the gas as I know they supply the gas, haven't a clue who supplies the electricity, with not having had any bills. It said to ring with the meter reading, so I did, asked what they were playing at, they said that a lot of these letters had gone out by mistake and that they would send a letter of apology and get it cancelled, there was nothing on my account that said I should have received it.
A few days later, I got a gas bill for the reading I had given them, but no letter saying that the disconnection notice had been withdrawn, so I rang again. This time I got a lady, she looked it up, couldn't understand why I had got the letter either, there was nothing showing on my account to say there was anything wrong with it. Then she asked if there was any reference number on the letter, I found a number and gave it to her. She looked it up and said it was to do with the electricity and asked who my supplier was, I said I wasn't sure, I paid it by DD. She looked it up on the National Grid and said that they supplied my electricity and I had been registered with them since 1999. My gas had been registered with them since 2001. I said I couldn't remember ever signing up with them, which is true, I haven't, it was with the company that got taken over.
The house was my fathers up until the time of his death in 2002, althought I did live here.
I am now worried sick that they are going to hit me with a bill for 9 years of electricity, thousands of pounds which I won't be able to pay, or cut me off.
I know it was a very stupid thing to do, to bury my head in the sand, but I couldn't afford to chase after people offering to pay bills they hadn't sent me.

I've read on here, that they can't bill you for more than a year, is that really true and would it apply in my case? If it was true, it would be a great weight off my mind, but how would they work out how much I had used in that year?

Nearly three years ago, my gas central heating packed up, I think its only a simple fault, but I have not been able to afford to get it fixed, so have been using 3 little oil filled radiators, two of them are on very low most of the time, the other I only put on a bit at night when I am watching tv. With not getting bills, I have not a clue how much they cost to run.
I had been wondering how they would work out what to bill me for the 9 years, as obviously in the earlier years I was not using so much electricity when the gas central heating was working and also the rates will have changed in that time.

I am worried sick in case they do send me a bill for thousands as I would not be able to pay it.
Can anyone tell me what is likely to happen?

dellxps

Hi,

i'm no billing expert but i'm pretty sure that if your electricity account hasn't been billed at all it can only be backdated for one year. And then you can ask them to spread the debt over some time.

I'm sure someone on here will clarify and give further info.

Oddjob

I've not been billed at all for the electricity, my name wasn't listed on their system as being at this address for the electricity, only for the gas, that was why the letter came addressed to the Occupier. It was only when the staff member looked on the National Grid database that she said that the meter was logged to them and that they were supplying me and had been since 1999.

SwanJon

Dellxps is right.
If they haven't billed you, they can only charge you for the last 12 months.
There are a few threads about this, and there is stuff on Energywatch's website.
It's generally called tyhe backbilling code
Do you happen to have a reading for about a year ago?
If sure if you take some electricity readings a week or more apart then you could make your own estimate (or it might help you 'find that one you wrote down', cough cough).

If they send you a bill, check the read they have used and how it compares with yours. Challenge then if you think the opening reading is too low.
Ask for time to spread the payments, remembering you'll be tied into Eon until you pay it off.
Look at the cheapest tariff they offer in the mean time.

Cardew

You will only be backdated for the last 12 months - if you haven't received a bill. Or to be more accurate if they haven't produced a bill.

Obviously they will have some difficulty in working out how to assess your consumption over the last 12 months.

Having got away with not paying for your electricity for the last 9 years, you are hardly likely to lose out on any estimate they make.

Oddjob

SwanJon wrote: »

Dellxps is right.
If they haven't billed you, they can only charge you for the last 12 months.
There are a few threads about this, and there is stuff on Energywatch's website.
It's generally called tyhe backbilling code
Do you happen to have a reading for about a year ago?
If sure if you take some electricity readings a week or more apart then you could make your own estimate (or it might help you 'find that one you wrote down', cough cough).

If they send you a bill, check the read they have used and how it compares with yours. Challenge then if you think the opening reading is too low.
Ask for time to spread the payments, remembering you'll be tied into Eon until you pay it off.
Look at the cheapest tariff they offer in the mean time.

Thanks Swanjon, that is putting my mind at rest a lot, I was so worried that they would be able to go back the full 9 years, I didn't know how I was going to pay it. Apart from the oil filled heaters that I have to use for warmth and the microwave, I don't think I use that much electricity. I live on my own, don't have an electric shower, nor a washing machine, I only put the emersion heater on perhaps a couple of times a week if that and have low energy light bulbs, although I do tend to leave lights on all around the house a lot of the time, so the local yobs think there is more than me in the house..

I'm sure I can find a reading I took a year ago - wink wink - thanks

Oddjob

Cardew wrote: »

You will only be backdated for the last 12 months - if you haven't received a bill. Or to be more accurate if they haven't produced a bill.

Obviously they will have some difficulty in working out how to assess your consumption over the last 12 months.

Having got away with not paying for your electricity for the last 9 years, you are hardly likely to lose out on any estimate they make.

I know I am not going to lose out on their estimate for the year they can back date it to, I was just worried that it will be something I would be unable to pay.
I am self employed and don't earn a lot. I am not on any benefits or anything like that. I struggle to pay my own way. I know it was wrong not to try and sort it out before, but I just can't afford a lot more money coming out of the little I earn.

Oddjob

I have actually switched all the heaters off, and am trying not to use the one I put on in the evening as I was trying not to build the bill up anymore. I have just put more clothes on in an effort to keep warm, although with it being Summer, I won't use so much now anyway as I eat a lot of salads too in the Summer instead of cooking dinners.

Oddjob

Just had EON on the phone, not heard anything from them since last year when I told them I didn't know who was supplying my electricity.
They've come back and said that it is definitely them and that they want a meter reading to sendthe bill. I said that I believed that they could only back date the bill for 12 months as they hadn't been sending me bills. They said that they had been trying to get in touch several times and sent letters saying that the charges were going up, even though the letters were only addressed to 'The occupier' and because of that, they can decide how long they can go back for billing.
What I don't understand is, they have my name on their records for gas, so they knew who the occupier was, so why didn't they let me know before?

Is it really true that because they have tried to get in touch via letters to 'The occupier' they can back date the bills?
I've not been sent any previously.

They have said it was partly their responsibility and partly mine, which I suppose is true as I had buried my head in the sand over it.
Thing is, I don't earn a lot, I'm not on any benefits and don't want to be, but will really struggle if they present me with a bill of £1000's.

Can anyone help with advice please because I know it will be a bill I won't be able to afford to pay, I did tell them I didn't earn much and they said they could spread payments and to tell them what I could afford to pay a week. That won't be much though as I am already well overdrawn with the bank.

Cardew

Oddjob wrote: »

Just had EON on the phone, not heard anything from them since last year when I told them I didn't know who was supplying my electricity.
They've come back and said that it is definitely them and that they want a meter reading to sendthe bill. I said that I believed that they could only back date the bill for 12 months as they hadn't been sending me bills. They said that they had been trying to get in touch several times and sent letters saying that the charges were going up, even though the letters were only addressed to 'The occupier' and because of that, they can decide how long they can go back for billing.
What I don't understand is, they have my name on their records for gas, so they knew who the occupier was, so why didn't they let me know before?

Is it really true that because they have tried to get in touch via letters to 'The occupier' they can back date the bills?
I've not been sent any previously.

They have said it was partly their responsibility and partly mine, which I suppose is true as I had buried my head in the sand over it.
Thing is, I don't earn a lot, I'm not on any benefits and don't want to be, but will really struggle if they present me with a bill of £1000's.

Can anyone help with advice please because I know it will be a bill I won't be able to afford to pay, I did tell them I didn't earn much and they said they could spread payments and to tell them what I could afford to pay a week. That won't be much though as I am already well overdrawn with the bank.

The bad news is they only have to prove they sent out correspondence - not that you received it. Otherwise we would all ignore correspondence addressed to 'The Occupier'

I think all you can do is see what figure they come up with and then assess the situation.

As they have verbally admitted some responsibility you might be pleasantly surprised! It might only be 12 months.

Oddjob

Thanks Cardew,
Still at my wits end worrying about it though. What baffles me is, why did they send letters to 'The occupier' when they have me on record for the gas, which I have always paid on time?
If they say they knew that they were the suppliers of my electricty, then why didn't they send me bills for it?
Strikes me, left hand doesn't know what right hand is doing.