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Original poster

Oh!! fuck! fuck! fuckity! fuck!!

18 replies

MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 14:02

Sorry for the expletetives folks but I have screwed up royally.

We changed our banks over recently and was changinging over all the DD's, SO' etc. and I have realised that we have never had a as or electric bill.

We moved in here last May and I took the meter readings with the lady from the Housing Association. I am fairly positive she said she would inform the utility company that we had moved in. So I have been going my merry way and forgot about it and have heard nothing from the utilities people. I must admit I am terrible with money but was looking forward to starting a fresh and I have made sure my account has always been in credit and set up savings accounts and am just about to sort out life insurance etc. I thought I was doing so well.

What the hell do I do???? I'm bricking it? What size is the bill going to be? Arrrgh!!

OP posts:
Bucharest · 06/05/2009 14:07

This happened to me in rented accomodation in Liverpool years ago- I hid my head in the sand and tum-te-tummed every time I thought about it....
Turned out my landlord had informed them but for some reason bills hadn't been generated...They then "kindly" sent me a whopping stonker of a thing (I had moved out by then) which got lost (don't ask) and I had the whole bailiff's letters thing.

Ring them up today. You'll only panic even more until you know the truth- and if you show willing, I'm sure they will accept paying it a bit at a time.

Good luck.

ChopsTheDuck · 06/05/2009 14:18

Usually the maximum period they will spread it over is 6mnths. So you will be paying treble for the next 6 mnths.

We had problems when we moved in here, we had no idea who our suppliers were and waited for bills that never appeared...

Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 14:23

I am feeling sick to my stomach. Feeling realing scared to pick up the phone, I'm shaking.

I was just talking to my nieghbour and she said last quarter (Dec to aMarch) her bill was gas £150 and electric £160. I think I will have used more than that.

Is there anyway I can get an idea how much we owe without ringing them and work out a payment plan to present to them?

Sorry if that sounds thick but my brain is refusing to work at the moment, I am panicking so much and I have to tell DH. Arrrgh!! They won't put us on a key meter will they?

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 14:24

6 months, oh! god we will never be able to do that.

Fuck, fuck, fuck

OP posts:
Moreta · 06/05/2009 14:27

I've had this happen before with Scottish Power. It was their fault they hadn't sent the bill and they spread the payments over a year because the length of the period I hadn't been billed for. They can't insist you pay it over six months. Don't worry.

ChopsTheDuck · 06/05/2009 14:28

if you have the meter readings it shouldn't be too hard to work it out. The prices should be on the website of your provider.
It really is best to try to reach an agreement with them or they will resort to a prepayment meter which charges a bloody fortune.

ChopsTheDuck · 06/05/2009 14:29

Who are you with? It was southern electric who insisted 6 mnths with us.

Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 14:35

I've just been to check and it's EDF. IA'VE SEEN THEM ADVERTISE ON tv BUT NOT (eek! sorry caps) but never dealt with them before.

I do not want a pre-payment meter, had one in last place and it was hell.

Crumbs I am shaking.

Thanks for talking to me about this folks. Feel such an idiot.

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 14:43

cRUMBS! WHERE DO i START?

www2.savetodaysavetomorrow.com/documents/R77_02_09_v12_eco.pdfS

sorry about the typing.

OP posts:
Rhubarb · 06/05/2009 14:45

Actually, the fault also lies with them. Who have they been sending bills too? You took the meter readings and you informed your HA who told you they would pass on the info. It is their responsibility not yours.

Firstly I would call the HA and ask why the info was not passed on. Get a name and write it down. Pass on the details of your provider to them and tell them to sort it out like they should have done when you moved in! You can also mention that since you are now due a years bill, a bit of compensation from the HA for incompetence wouldn't go amiss.

We're with Southern Electric and when we moved here in Aug I took down meter readings and informed them. We had no bills. I contacted them at Christmas, gave them meter readings again and was promised bills, still none came. I wrote a letter. I wrote another letter and sent it recorded delivery. I telephoned, was promised action.

Finally, a few weeks ago I received an apologetic phone call and a promise that the fault would be sorted. A few days later we had a letter detailing how much we owed and amounts knocked off each bill as compensation because it was fully their fault.

Hope you get some joy with yours.

IDidntRaiseAThief · 06/05/2009 14:45

wow i cannot believe you could not notice, or ignore.

Moosy · 06/05/2009 14:47

We had trouble with EDF in our last house, we had no bills for over a year. They let us spread the payment over a year so it wasn't too bad to pay back. Good luck!

IDidntRaiseAThief · 06/05/2009 14:47

i had the same when i moved in here, double checked the readings with HA, and about 4 months on got in touch.

It took them (N Power) about a year to send me any bills. That was with me taking readings every few months and ringing them all the time, but I had to keep on at them, as knew i owed them money!

Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 14:53

Thanks Rhubarb, will do that. This is a new build so we are the first ones in.

I know I should keep a careful check on DD's etc. on my bank account. I have internet banking and will now set aside a time each month to go through everything.

Any one know how I can work out what I owe from that table?

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Rhubarb · 06/05/2009 14:57

If you phone them with your meter readings from when you moved in and your readings now, they will tell you what you owe straight away.

But I would get onto your HA. It could be that the utilities company have been sending them the bills and they've failed to pass them on. Either way, it's not your cock-up.

Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 15:06

Cheers Rhubarb, will do that.

Can't believe I didn't notice. I am going to sound like a loon when I talk to the HA aren't I?

Children are home from school so will have to deal with them and try and deal with some of this tonight.

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsGokWan · 06/05/2009 15:08

Wan't to have some idea what we owed before i spoke to EDF so I could offer them a repayment plan.

Do you think that £50 per month sounds reasonable?

Oh! fuck!!!

OP posts:
Rhubarb · 06/05/2009 15:51

They'll work out a repayment plan for you. But you are jumping the gun here. I would speak to the HA before anyone else, just to find out if they informed the utilities company or not.

Once you know that, you can then go to the utilities company with that info and ask them for a statement of what you owe. They will break it down into monthly payments for you.

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