Energy supplier billing wrong address, how do I stop them?

Squawky · 15 June 2019 at 8:29AM

I'm asking for a friend.

She lives in a flat that has 6 apartments all with their meters in one room.

She started getting demands a couple of years ago from First Utility listing a meter that does not supply her flat.

With my help she got them to stop sending bills to her address, but now that Shell Energy has taken over, she has now received another bill for near on £1000.

I have let them know that the meter number they list does not supply her flat, and given them the flat number that it does supply along with the meter number, energy supplier, and her account number with that energy supplier that does supply her flat, (for the last 9 years).

I've recommended that they send an engineer to check the meter numbers against the flat numbers, but that's fallen on deaf ears.

Unfortunately they are just not listening and are insisting that they do supply her energy.

So, before I go external to Shell, what is the best method of getting this sorted?

She's a pensioner and doesn't need this hassle, and it's starting to worry her about debt collectors.

D_M_E · 15 June 2019 at 10:18AM

Work out if that particular meter is the actual one supplying her flat.

Go and see her and get her to turn of absolutely everything in her flat, including the gas boiler, if it has one - power down the boiler correctly.

Now, fill up a kettle and one of you go and watch the meter while the other one turns the kettle on.

Meter, if it has a red light, the red light should not be flashing when the kettle is off as no power should be being used.

When kettle is turned on light should flash and meter will advance its reading by a few tenths of a unit, or even possibly a unit.

If meter does this then it's the correct meter - if it does not, check the other meters and see which one moves in sync with your investigations.

You have to check if it's her actual meter before you have a go at them.

If you do find it is her meter then she must WRITE a letter headed COMPLAINT in big bold letters detailing her saga and reiterating the fact that they are trying to bill her for someone else's energy.

CherylG · 15 June 2019 at 10:31AM

Hi

I have had a similar problem with shell energy I was switching from Scottish power to shell end of April. The electricy went over no problem but Sp have continued to take a direct debit for the gas. I rang them and they explained that they are still supplying my gas.
I rang shell 3 times to be told they were.:mad: I was getting so frustrated the one person on the phone was so rude. Anyhow I rang back spoke to a more helpful person checked serial numbers who then told me I was being billed for gas supply to a flat down the road. I live in a house.

So I have been paying Scottish power as they are actually supplying me but shell have also been charging me but for someone elses gas.

I have asked to leave shell as I am so unhappy with their customer service. I would ring again and again eventually you will speak to some one who understands

Cheryl

Squawky · 15 June 2019 at 11:04AM

She knows that it is her meter, it's all been checked out before.

Trouble is, they want the account details to talk and, of course, she doesn't have them as it's not her account.

The bill is addressed to "Mr. Owner Occupier"

Squawky · 17 June 2019 at 11:38AM

Shell are now saying it's because of the "National Database" that shows what meter supplies what properties.

So now got to speak to the current supplier to try to get meter numbers/address sorted.

AndyCF · 17 June 2019 at 1:24PM

Hope you get this sorted, heard of this happening before. With a bit of luck it will get rectified relatively quickly now.

With a bit more luck there should be a possibly a few £ for all the unwarranted hassle and time, at least in an ideal world a quick compo type cheque for £20-£50 or something from them for "oops we are sorry!" would not be unreasonable... Assuming it does all check out that is.

snilloct1957 · 17 June 2019 at 1:41PM

You have done everything right so far, contacting the energy company and so on. Have you sent the details of the problem in writing?

Look online for the address of the customer service dept and send a letter "signed for." Include a letter from your friend, stating that you have permission to deal with this matter. Involve your local councillor/CAB, as they usually have a little more clout with these people. Be firm but not rude, and state that you expect a resolution within two weeks, or else the local newspapers will be hearing about how a pensioner is being hassled over a bill she doesn't owe.

Squawky · 17 June 2019 at 2:16PM

snilloct1957 wrote: »

You have done everything right so far, contacting the energy company and so on. Have you sent the details of the problem in writing?

Look online for the address of the customer service dept and send a letter "signed for." Include a letter from your friend, stating that you have permission to deal with this matter. Involve your local councillor/CAB, as they usually have a little more clout with these people. Be firm but not rude, and state that you expect a resolution within two weeks, or else the local newspapers will be hearing about how a pensioner is being hassled over a bill she doesn't owe.

Yep, sent them a full explanation as a Word document, which they could not open so had to send a PDF, which they could.

They then sent a reply which truly beggars belief in that they totally disregarded the information given and just repeated they do supply energy to that address.

So I rang them and after talking to about 5 different people, who all spoke to their manager, finally got them to look at the PDF I had sent.

This is when they said the current energy supplier is the only one that can update the database, which is interesting because up until then Shell Energy were insisting it was them.

All a bit Catch 22 really.

Anyway, I have now asked my friend to contact her energy supplier using all the information in the original PDF I sent to Shell to ask them to update the "National Database"

Shell also asked for a favour, to ask those in the other property that the meter supplies to give them a ring......

Squawky · 17 June 2019 at 2:27PM

Also, I have just checked what the meter number is on the database by going to

https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/help-and-advice/who-is-my-supplier/

and it's giving me a third meter number, neither the one actually supplying my friend, nor the one listed by Shell Energy as supplying my friend.

I'm beginning to wonder if the other residents in the complex are paying for each others electricity.

snilloct1957 · 17 June 2019 at 2:41PM

Sometimes you just want to cry at the antics of some energy companies...

Anyway, it doesn't stop your friend going to the local newspapers, etc. Don't forget to ask for compensation for all the stress and anxiety this has caused her.

Carrot007 · 17 June 2019 at 2:54PM

Sounds crap. Have you personally seen the details from the database.

If not and it's electric feel free to PM me with the details (if you want to) for a look and what I would recomend. And yes it's going to be a pain with multiple suppliers.

I used to sort this sort of stuff out back in the day and quite frankly most of the people doing it can not think their way out of a paper bag.

But htat's what you get from the no profit domestic industry we have gotten ourselves into. (no really there is no profit, why do you think so many get out of it and all the smaller companies colapse after tehy get to many customers to scale?).

Energy supplier billing wrong address, how do I stop them?

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