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Original poster

E.on Next - gone from £250 in credit to £2300 in debit?!

159 replies

FLA92 · 07/02/2023 20:04

This surely can not be possible?

We have gas and electric with E.on Next. It’s always in credit, it was over £200 in credit the last time I had checked.

We got asked for meter readings which we gave - it said they were high for what was expected but they were correct so we submitted them.

I have just checked my account and it’s now £2,300 in debit!!!

We have lived here for 2 years and obviously this was nowhere near what we paid last year - it’s just the 2 of us living here and I didn’t put the heating on until late November / early December!

I do work from home most days but even so - surely it cannot be this high?

I’m going to call them first thing in the morning, but has anyone else had a similar situation?

OP posts:
plumduck · 08/02/2023 06:55

Munches · 08/02/2023 00:39

Unfortunately we were with this dreadful company once . We had the same
issue but was paying a lot more than you per month- then , wham, we got the most extortionate bill.

The issue we found is no one on the phone helps you and the bills are designed to confuse the fuck out of you and so don’t understand the gobbledygook bollocks that is written on them. They are the most dreadful and disgusting company and it took us months to sort it out. We never did get anything off the bill that we believed we hadn’t used but paid it and changed providers .

Never ever again. Looking back I wish I had reported them and I should have reported them but I was a new Mum at the time and we were all over the place anyway.

Good luck to you with this.

Their bills are very clear and whenever I've spoken to them on WhatsApp they've been very helpful

WaddleAway · 08/02/2023 07:34

Munches · 08/02/2023 00:39

Unfortunately we were with this dreadful company once . We had the same
issue but was paying a lot more than you per month- then , wham, we got the most extortionate bill.

The issue we found is no one on the phone helps you and the bills are designed to confuse the fuck out of you and so don’t understand the gobbledygook bollocks that is written on them. They are the most dreadful and disgusting company and it took us months to sort it out. We never did get anything off the bill that we believed we hadn’t used but paid it and changed providers .

Never ever again. Looking back I wish I had reported them and I should have reported them but I was a new Mum at the time and we were all over the place anyway.

Good luck to you with this.

I don’t have any issues understanding their bills and they’ve always been helpful when I’ve phoned.

Original poster
FLA92 · 08/02/2023 07:54

I’ve just checked the photos of our meter readings with the serial number on our E.on Next account… and they don’t seem to match. Which is weird because there is a label saying our flat name next to the meters.

This would mean we’ve been taking the readings from our landlady who lives in a 4 or 5 bed large house above us!

OP posts:
megletthesecond · 08/02/2023 07:57

Do not get a smart meter. They could force you to pre-payment.
Just send meter readings in every month.

WaddleAway · 08/02/2023 08:00

Has the label always been there?

Original poster
FLA92 · 08/02/2023 08:06

WaddleAway · 08/02/2023 08:00

Has the label always been there?

As far as I can remember, yes, I’m going to go out and check it shortly!

OP posts:
Userusing1 · 08/02/2023 08:09

You probably need to speak to your landlady to see what her meter number is that she is using, so it is clear what is happening, she may be with a different supplier.

YourUserNameMustBeAtLeast3Characters · 08/02/2023 08:23

Heyjoewhatsup · 07/02/2023 22:26

This exact same thing happened to me last week. I could have written your post! I’m also on Eon Next and also pay £60
pcm, the tarriff is fixed til October and is the lowest on the market. With the £66 govt payment it’s actually £126 pcm which on an old tarriff for a 3 bed is around average usage. Ignore people saying it’s too low and you obviously owe money.

We got a shock email last week- £2300 in debt down from a £380 in credit . I submitted frequent meter readings.

Here’s what they did and I urge you to check if the same thing happened to you. The absolute buggers did something very naughty. It took 2 hours trawling through bills to spot it. They changed my opening meter reading- reduced it dramatically and recalculated my usage since being with them. So let’s say my opening balance was 45000 units they dropped it to 30000! I phoned them up, provided evidence (first bill and meter readings), they tried to dispute it and I pushed back. They eventually admitted it was a mistake. I am convinced it was done on purpose to extract money.

Next day our account was recalculated and I went back into credit. Then, the cheeky buggers sent an email saying they anre increasing my direct debit to £350pcm as they want to protect me from getting in future debt based on my usage. There is no risk of this looking at my tarriff and usage so I immediately went into the online account and adjusted the amount to £100pcm.

I’m going to keep an eye on them, as it’s obviously a strategy to extract as much money as possible for their cash flow as the tarriff is such a good deal. I will also be taking photos of all meter reads from now on so I have date time stamps.

Good luck.

Wow!

OP those older manual readings you gave us for the electricity - did they come from old bills or from a new bill / the online account? Wondering whether you’d be able to spot it if the older manual readings had been changed by Eon.

YourUserNameMustBeAtLeast3Characters · 08/02/2023 08:24

Oh sorry I thought I’d got up the end. The meter switch is the issue then (cunning neighbour…?)

OntarioBagnet · 08/02/2023 10:37

I do wonder if the bigger house lady has swapped the stickers! Around the time of that big jump which doesn’t tie in with the other readings.

cptartapp · 08/02/2023 11:37

mumyes I've just checked, our estimated annual electric usage is £768.00. Following my recent meter reading we are now £246 in credit and my next monthly payment will be £0!

Original poster
FLA92 · 08/02/2023 12:45

Only our meters are out there and it definitely says our flat name right next to the meters.

Just to check I’m not being stupid, the serial number is below the barcode on the actual meter?

E.on asked me to send them a picture of our meters which I’ve done so they can check.

OP posts:
Munches · 08/02/2023 20:38

plumduck · 08/02/2023 06:55

Their bills are very clear and whenever I've spoken to them on WhatsApp they've been very helpful

Show quote history

Well that’s brilliant for you.. they may have changed.

I’m going back ten plus years and they right royally fucked us up.
Never NEVER would I go with them again.

Munches · 08/02/2023 20:40

WaddleAway · 08/02/2023 07:34

I don’t have any issues understanding their bills and they’ve always been helpful when I’ve phoned.

Show quote history

Hopefully they’ve livened themselves up … they were fucking shocking with us.

Going back ten plus years though.

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 09:10

I don’t find their bills clear AT ALL. The biggest boldest number on the page should be what you have to pay not last months bill and it should be quoted AFTER that months £67 not before. I think they’re slippery.

MNisMyGuiltyPleasure · 09/02/2023 09:14

It also depends on how many hours a day you have your heating on and what temperature you set it at. Also, do you use gas to cook? Wash?

OnMyWayToSenility · 09/02/2023 09:22

Turn off your supply and check to see which meter is yours.

Glueguns · 09/02/2023 09:25

FLA92 · 07/02/2023 20:14

I can’t remember when we sent our last sent a meter reading but it would’ve been months ago. We have a flex tariff of £62 per month.

£62 a month? £62 lasts me a week

BlueWhiteHat · 09/02/2023 09:29

Sounds like your land lady has just switched the labels to get cheaper! That’s theft and an actual offence. Your gas sounds about right but not your electricity. She could have decided to heat her house on electric heaters knowing you are paying for it!

FawnFrenchieMum · 09/02/2023 10:17

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 09:10

I don’t find their bills clear AT ALL. The biggest boldest number on the page should be what you have to pay not last months bill and it should be quoted AFTER that months £67 not before. I think they’re slippery.

The government payment is a unique one of scheme, they are not going to reformat their whole statement system for a one off 6 month scheme.

WaddleAway · 09/02/2023 10:19

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 09:10

I don’t find their bills clear AT ALL. The biggest boldest number on the page should be what you have to pay not last months bill and it should be quoted AFTER that months £67 not before. I think they’re slippery.

I’ve just been through mine and don’t have any issues understanding the format.

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 10:32

It’s perfectly easy to reformat a bill, just as it is easy to issue the £67 before asking for payment (though obviously that would mean customers getting the benefit rather than do next holding it till the next bill). For some people that extra cash makes a huge difference.
If you find it “easy to read” are you perhaps allowing them to hold your £67 in credit for next month? Or are you perhaps one of those (deluded) people who thinks it’s important to have overpaid your bill by hundreds and be “in credit” 🤣🤣🤣for goods and services you haven’t received.

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 10:34

OnMyWayToSenility · 09/02/2023 09:22

Turn off your supply and check to see which meter is yours.

This is actually a really good idea. If it keeps increasing either it’s the wrong meter or someone is tapping it.

WaddleAway · 09/02/2023 10:36

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 10:32

It’s perfectly easy to reformat a bill, just as it is easy to issue the £67 before asking for payment (though obviously that would mean customers getting the benefit rather than do next holding it till the next bill). For some people that extra cash makes a huge difference.
If you find it “easy to read” are you perhaps allowing them to hold your £67 in credit for next month? Or are you perhaps one of those (deluded) people who thinks it’s important to have overpaid your bill by hundreds and be “in credit” 🤣🤣🤣for goods and services you haven’t received.

Not sure why you’re so offended by others not having any difficulty understanding their bill 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Itisbetter · 09/02/2023 10:37

I’m not offended

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