How can I owe a final bill on a pre payment meter?

[Elementalillusions]

I bought a house with a prepayment electricity meter installed, npower refused to remove it and were generally pretty awful with me so once we had started the work on the house that required using any electricity I put in for a switch to another company that would come and swap to a standard meter.

The meter definitely had no debt on it, we had someone come out and check it at the start, and we kept it in credit the whole time we had it with the supplier so definitely not in a negative balance.

The electricity supply was switched two months ago and the new supplier has been to change the meter and all is good, or I though it was until I received a letter from npower yesterday.

“We have written to you several times about the outstanding balance of £49.84 on your account but we still haven't received your payment.“

They go on to threaten sending debt collectors if the debt isn’t paid immediately.

This is the first letter I’ve received from them about any debt, I’m assuming it’s supposed to be a final bill.... but how can there be a final bill when it was a prepayment meter?!
Due to previous awful conversations with them I’m incredibly reluctant to call them, I’d rather email so I have a paper trail, but they don’t seem to make that an easy option as there is no email address on the letter or one that I can find on their website.

Can anyone offer any advice?

A payment meter is not ‘pre-payment’ this is a common misconception. I used to work for an energy company. The credit used when you top us is based on estimated consumption (if not a smart meter). The meter does recognise ‘oh the kettle has gone on that two pence, oh there’s a light going on..,,Therefore readings are still taken to reconcile between what has been used and what has been paid and there will always be a difference either in credit or debit.

@Likethebattle
The credit used when you top us is based on estimated consumption.....The meter does recognise ‘oh the kettle has gone on that two pence, oh there’s a light going on

Erm... I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how a prepayment meter works.

Ok maybe not knowing the kettle or a light are on but the little clock in the meter ticks over when power is being used, faster when more power is being used slower or not at all when little or none is,
which is what generates the meter reading.

On normal credit meters that number goes up as you use power and at the end of each month you either pay a standard estimated bill worked out based on your average consumption or you submit the exact meter reading and pay for the energy you have used based on the difference between the current reading and the last reading.

On prepayment meters it’s the opposite, you prepay by topping up the meter with credit, the meter then ticks over as you consume but instead of counting up, or as it counts up, it deducts the consumption directly from the credit balance, so as the meter reading ticks up the prepaid credit on the meter ticks down and if the prepaid credit runs out the meter cuts out.

Even I understand the basic differences between the meters, it sounds as though you don’t —I wonder if you worked for npower, this would explain why I’m struggling to get logic out of them if this is how they think—

“A payment meter is not ‘pre-payment’ this is a common misconception. I used to work for an energy company.”

Of course it is... you worked for an energy company and thought emergency credit exists and that people run out of electricity because they can’t remember when to top up?...

Update.

When I last spoke to npower around two weeks ago they continued to refuse to explain how the debt was incurred other that the “because the computer says so” argument, so I demanded to speak to a manager, who was equally as useless but did say my only options were to either pay it, let it go to debt collectors, or make an official complaint, which would freeze the debt until the complaint had been investigated, so that’s what I did.
I was told to wait to be contacted by someone from the complaints department, I had an official generic ‘you’ve made a complaint’ email, so I sat and waited...

Monday of this week I received another “you have 7 days to pay or it will be passed to debt collectors” letter.
I emailed the complaints ‘team’ who eventually replied to say the complaint had been closed last Thursday (the date this new letter was issued) I asked why as I hadn’t been contacted at all and was told “it was looked into but they decided the complaint had no validity” I asked to reopen the complaint or make another one as I don’t believe anyone has actually looked into the account and tried to figure out how it had been incurred and I was told they will ask someone to look into it and let me know.

So I’ve now made a complaint to the ombudsman because I don’t think npower are going to do anything without a push.