107.35p kwh! Help!!!!

[Cosmicdreams]

Sorry this is a long one. Hi I need some advice. I moved into a new build property in May, 9 days after giving birth. I was told my electric was with total gas and power. Never heard of them but I put it in my name and as I just had a baby didn't have time to look into it to much. In July total told us they are looking for the previous occupier told them it was a new build and gave them the name of the builders. Shortly after we got our 1st bill at 45p kwh. I queried this but they then told me it is because they are a business company and do business rates. I told them I want changing to a domestic supplier they said they had to change my meter on ECOES. I asked them to do that was informed it will take 2 weeks. In August after the kwh rate went up higher I contacted asking if the change has happened yet. They told me they'd chase it up. 15th September they finally changed it, I then signed up with bulb. I have just received my final bill from total. 107.35p kwh! My heart just sank am just wondering what should I do should I pay it and draw a line in the sand not think about it again or should I fight it. If I fight it how do I do that. We have never been a business its a 2 bed house. Thanks for reading I just don't know what to do x

I don’t understand quite how you have been originally put on a business rate but this may help Ombudsman

I don't know why we were in business rates I think it was a f-up with the builders. I've contacted total they told me not to pay final bill and that they have sent my details on to the credit team and they may price match bulb as a domestic supplier but I will hear back from them in 5 days. I really hope so 🤞

Have you got a local consumer program you could contact? We have one that operates on the radio. This sounds like just the thing they’d take up and sort out.

That sounds promising fingers crossed.

If not you need to take it up with the builders and be prepared to name and shame on social/local media if they don’t sort it out

whether or not they can actually charge you for this probably comes down to something in your contract.

Was it a relatively small builders (rather than a Wimpey etc)?

Over the last year there was an issue with new builds not being able to get connected at all (energy suppliers not being prepared to take in new customers that they were likely to make a loss on). Some small builders got around that by having new builds connected as businesses rather than houses.

@UserNameNameNameUser that actually makes sense as it was a pain to actually find a domestic company to take us as a new customer. They were local builders.