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Original poster

Electric bill problem, I think I owe £15k :o

407 replies

electricbills · 05/04/2022 10:56

This is not a begging thread before anyone piles on. But I am in a flap over discovering the above.

I've had some health issues, plus building works at home which combined together meant I've not been able to read my meter for a few years as it's in an awkward spot. I can't remember the last time either I gave a reading or anyone came out.

I can now access the meter and with all the stuff about electric prices rising I thought I should start with a clean slate. I couldn't access any of the previous readings online but submitted my figure of 31460.

I've since had a bill (obviously generated before my reading) and according to this my last estimate was 52440. I can't access any bills or readings online further back than 12 months and I don't get paper bills haven't for years.

So by my rough calculations based on kwh of I think 21p, I owe about 15k. My usual bills are about £300-400 per quarter. I feel sick.

I can just about pay it if I completely empty my savings and sell some stuff. But it's such a huge amount of money. I couldn't pay it in one go.

What do I do now?

OP posts:
HomeHomeInTheRange · 05/04/2022 16:51

@Sswhinesthebest

And don’t get a refund, keep it in there because then you’ll pay for loads of future bills at the old rate and won’t be subject to all the current increases. - and won’t actually have to pay anything in effect.
Er no.

The credit is money, the OP hasn’t bought a stockpile of energy as if she has filled the cupboard with beans bought at 9p a can. Any credit money is used to buy electricity at whatever price they are selling it that day.

Who would leave £4K + in someone else’s account?

dementedpixie · 05/04/2022 16:53

Have you gone for a fixed rate at £420 per month?
I wouldn't fix if that's the price they are charging

ILookAtTheFloor · 05/04/2022 16:57

@dementedpixie

Have you gone for a fixed rate at £420 per month? I wouldn't fix if that's the price they are charging
No, we're on the variable tariff or whatever it is.

For the last 3 months we have paid £283 a month, we owe them £400. We were in credit in the summer which was the last bill we saw.

dementedpixie · 05/04/2022 17:00

Do you submit regular readings? How big is your house and what sort of heating system? That's a crazy price to be paying

ReadyToMoveIt · 05/04/2022 17:03

@ILookAtTheFloor

We're in a similar position actually. Not given any readings since forever (no excuses either) our direct debit is now £420 a month?! Which does seem ridiculous even in light of the price rises!

We're now getting a smart meter and sitting here freezing with a blanket on! Is it really using the dishwasher and tumble dryer means we have to pay £420 a month? It's a 4 bed semi!

I didn’t submit my readings for a while (no excuse apart from we were going through a stressful time and it was bottom of our list) and ended up £880 in debit. Thankfully we’d just had a tax rebate so paid it all in one go, otherwise our DD would have been £440 a month from April!
Febrier · 05/04/2022 17:03

Do you submit regular readings?

Guess we’ll never know 🤷‍♀️

dementedpixie · 05/04/2022 17:04

@Febrier

Do you submit regular readings?

Guess we’ll never know 🤷‍♀️

Sorry it was directed at @ILookAtTheFloor rather than the OP
ILookAtTheFloor · 05/04/2022 17:04

@dementedpixie

Do you submit regular readings? How big is your house and what sort of heating system? That's a crazy price to be paying
No we didn't. We didn't give a reading for many, many months. Hence we're getting a smart meter next week!

I spoke to eon and they said that our usage was 'a bit below' their estimates, as we gave an accurate one straight away as soon as we saw the new amount. I don't know the exact figures though. It's gas and electric, we have gas heating, a combi boiler, gas hobs but electric oven.

The house is poorly insulated, unfortunately.

Febrier · 05/04/2022 17:07

Sorry it was directed at @ILookAtTheFloor rather than the OP

Yes, but she’d already explained. However, checking the timing that was only 9 minutes before you posted, so quite possible that you hadn’t seen it when you asked.

dementedpixie · 05/04/2022 17:09

Ah right, totally missed it
Could you afford to pay off the debt and then start afresh?

Choccorocco · 05/04/2022 17:12

I don’t believe that energy companies can charge you for energy used over a year ago. Check with the energy ombudsman who is there to mediate between energy suppliers and customers before you agree to a payment plan as the energy company will charge as much as possible but might be content with less.
And hopefully Pps are right and actually you will be due a rebate! :-)

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/04/2022 17:20

@ifonly4

It's worth taking a photo of your meter, so you can prove that is roughly the same as the reading you gave.

Either way, it sounds like they certainly owe you money.

What are the estimates on previous bills?

Mine asked for photo proof when electric went high for 3mthd

They estimated much lower.

I put in figures snd they queried it at once

And asked fir photo proof

I was right. It was as we had our spa up snd running in garden

So @electricbills take a pic of your electric meter

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/04/2022 17:21

And def they owe you money

MysteriousMonkey · 05/04/2022 17:28

They owe you. They may just suggest they keep it and give you a payment holiday or lower your direct debit. Make sure you get a photo as proof as it's a big difference though.

Roundeartheratchriatmas · 05/04/2022 17:33

If I thought a company owed me 4 he and I’d be hitting redial until I got a human. Hmm

FingonTheValiant · 05/04/2022 17:34

You really need to call. I submit a reading that was well under estimate and their computer decided it had gone all the way round and I owed the 8k. A person easily understood that that was not the case. FGS do not assume that submitting the reading will fix this. You will get a bill for 15k. @electricbills

Original poster
electricbills · 05/04/2022 17:45

@FingonTheValiant

You really need to call. I submit a reading that was well under estimate and their computer decided it had gone all the way round and I owed the 8k. A person easily understood that that was not the case. FGS do not assume that submitting the reading will fix this. You will get a bill for 15k. *@electricbills*
I did try calling earlier but couldn't speak to anyone, lots of automated options and then a please try later type message.

Your comment worries me a bit, how on earth can I prove a negative, that I've not gone all the way round on the meter? Will they just take my word for it? That feels unlikely :( I just don't want to end up stuck with a £15k bill and when I dispute it they say hard cheese!

OP posts:
RonSwansonsChair · 05/04/2022 17:47

Fingers crossed it's a rebate 🤞

FingonTheValiant · 05/04/2022 17:52

@electricbills they took my word for it when I spoke to a real person as it was so obvious I couldn’t have used that much. At the time I only paid £28 per month for a 2 bed flat. I’m sure it will be obvious to them that you haven’t used 15k worth. But you might have to argue for a bit.

Blondeshavemorefun · 05/04/2022 17:52

To use 99999 units and clock it in a few years wouldn’t be possible in a house your size

sophienelisse · 05/04/2022 17:57

Op
I'm quite excited for you I think you will
Get a good chunk back

AwkwardPaws27 · 05/04/2022 18:05

Your comment worries me a bit, how on earth can I prove a negative, that I've not gone all the way round on the meter?

They may ask for another reading in a few days/weeks & extrapolate from that. Your usage would have to be huge to have gone around though. Far more likely they've overestimated by 2k units a year for 10 years than underestimated by 8k a year!

fizzwhizz1 · 05/04/2022 18:23

There was a thread on here a while a go and if an electric company haven't asked for the money, then after 2 years it has to be written off? Perhaps someone else who remembers the thread can shed more light on it?

ReadyToMoveIt · 05/04/2022 18:29

@fizzwhizz1

There was a thread on here a while a go and if an electric company haven't asked for the money, then after 2 years it has to be written off? Perhaps someone else who remembers the thread can shed more light on it?
No need, the rule about not being able to charge after a certain time period has been mentioned many, many, many, many times already on this thread.
HomeHomeInTheRange · 05/04/2022 18:37

Your comment worries me a bit, how on earth can I prove a negative, that I've not gone all the way round on the meter? Will they just take my word for it? That feels unlikely sad I just don't want to end up stuck with a £15k bill and when I dispute it they say hard cheese

OP, please stop this.

It has been explained numerous times why this will not happen. And this thread is going round and round in circles faster than any meter, rehashing misinformation, comments by people who have not RTFT, and people who just don’t understand.