I’ve fucked up and it’s going to cost me thousands- what do I do now?

[SnowQueenie]

A couple of years ago my electricity meter stopped working. Contacted the electricity company who came out and placed a smart meter. I continued paying the bills as they came in monthly, with increases when they requested it. They contacted me to say I needed to do a meter reading, but I have a smart meter so didn’t think anything of it. This month I’ve had a bill that’s more than 10 times my usual monthly bill. I’ve contacted them to ask what’s going on, and they’ve told me that I’ve not had a meter reading since October 2023. They’ve never come to do one, or told me the smart meter wasn’t working, so I didn’t realise. They’re saying they’ve been charging me as having 0 usage for this entire time, despite me paying £50-£60 a month. They’re now saying they’re going to back bill me for the entire time I’ve not been properly charged and that it’s likely to skyrocket my bills because of this. What the hell can I do? I’ve been paying monthly and didn’t realise there was an issue, surely the onus is on them to notice that the meter isn’t working and fix it. Or to come and take a meter reading if they haven’t got one? And how is it costing me £60 a month for 0 usage?

It could be faulty so if engineer can’t obtain a reading when they remove it, and get a photo (engineer should photo the removal read too), then they can either bill you to estimates, or do an consumption analysis on your new meter once fitted.
as you elec isn’t for heating, it won’t fluctuate as much seasonally. You can ask them to complete the analysis over several months. They can then use this to compare against the estimates used on this meter that’s not been sending readings in.

hope you get it sorted soon

I paid ca £60/month for the year that my house stood unoccupied before it went on the market (long story!), with the electricity left on but boiler shut off and no one in the house except the estate agent once a week to check on it. I also had no clue how Octopus could be charging me £60/month for no usage, and I never got an answer from them, but when I finally closed the account I got a substantial refund.

Depends of a size and usage, right? I have 1 bed flat and my electricity could vary from aprox. 100/month in the winter to 40£ in the summer. And I just pay same amount every month and it stays on my account as credit whatever is not used. So no, you wouldn't think you're paying too low amount.

A similar thing happened to my MIL and she was told it was her responsibility to make sure the SmartMeter worked and should have informed the company. Which is stupid really because surely one point of a SmartMeter is not having to bother checking the meter in the first place?

In the past I got a bill from EON saying I owed a lot more per month (I think because our direct debit was a lot less than what we were using) and I rang to tell them I couldn’t afford it. They were brill and asked me how much I could afford and agreed to splitting it up over a few years rather than one so that it wouldn’t be too expensive. It’s always worth being a bit cheeky?

I think you need to educate yourself on how to read an energy bill. If the supplier has not charged for any electricity, this will be shown on the bill you have received monthly.
Standing charge will be a minimum of £20, so how much energy do you think you'll get for the remaining £30 you've been paying?
Don't pay anything more until you have spoken with your energy provider. Ask them to explain how they have calculated your usage, particularly If they say it has been zero. And what has happened to your monthly direct debit - where is that money going and what is it paying for? Good luck.

Sorry I haven’t been able to read all the replies so I may be repeating what someone else has said. .
we had a similar problem and I logged a complaint with ofcom straight away after ringing them for advice.

Hope you get it sorted and maybe change supplier

Hi OP. First of all - you have NOT fucked up, this is E-on’s fault.

I was in a similar position with gas recently, meter issue resulting in gas not being measured. Ovo initially tried to charge me for 3 years, but I stuck to my guns, pointed out it was their error and eventually they only charged me for 12 months estimated use, which they took out of the massive credit I had amassed!

You have been paying your bills, so shown you are not ‘stealing’ the electricity. Now put the ball back firmly in their court. What are they doing to resolve their issue? And stick to your guns about not paying for their mistake!

Good luck!

Push back and make them prove your usage - if they can’t don’t pay - Metering records are notoriously inaccurate.

if they can’t insist on paying back over the same period they are charging so if you 2 years pay it back over the next 2 years

Double check you gave them the correct reading. I missed a decimal point when I moved into a new house, my next bill was over £2000, spoke to the energy company and resolved it.

It depends entirely on the size of the property and the number of people in the property. I live alone in a one bed flat and until recently my monthly electricity bill was £45 to £60 a month, including standing charges, depending on time of year (lights on longer in winter etc) and less than that if I was away for a couple of weekends, say. It's recently gone up to £60 to £75 a month due to price increases plus I've been using a couple of high energy devices a bit more as well. If I got a bill for £200 a month I'd want to know why I was paying for my neighbours usage as well!! And £60 a month standing charge!?? JHC! Mine's £10 a month.... 🤦🏼‍♂️

@ThisCoralBird I can’t give a meter reading, the meter is broken?

Lots of people have explained to you that it is indeed possible for the electricity bill to be £60. But you are so rude in your manner that I'm going to add to them

You are wrong

An average household is not a single person living in a one bedroom flat. I am in a four person household living in a six bedroom detached house. My bills are multiple times the averages I see quoted in the news. Obviously bills depend on usage and I will be paying more than average. You think if you got my £200 bill you were also charged for your neighbors and if I got your £45 pound bill I’d wonder what fuck up had occurred at the energy company.

And my comment was on page one of the thread…. in response to the fact that £900 was ready to be offset against a surprise bill because of a £60 DD going since 2023, when in reality a good chuck (ok not the whole lot) of that is payable on standing charges. £10 per month is cheap even for average standing charges.

£60 a month!!!
Well that’s a give a way my normal bill is £300 a month and due to go up.
you must have known you weren’t paying enough.

Wow you must be a high user. £300 a month electric is extreme

I have this with octopus. They fitted the smart meter but are unable to read it. When I can be bothered I send them a reading. As I pay by DD I’m not too concerned. Bloody system though. What’s the point of all that investment in a system that doesn’t work.

Yep, I also work for an energy supplier and this sums it up.

There are more rules around back billing than OFGEM tells you and it's only applicable under certain circumstances.

@Sapphireblueeyes loads of people on here have said it seems similar to theirs? We use oil for heating/hot water/cooking so don’t use much electricity normally

Well, sounds like a failing of that energy company with monitoring your smart meter. So I would go through with such request, charging break down. Require proof also, as they can be producing about when meter stop sending signals. Electrical Estimating Services, among other tools, will come in handy on your way towards computation of predicted consumption and on their basis validating or rejecting all such backbilled amount.