Electricity billage

[Youngie1337]

I want to ask people here who own their own house/flat what they pay for their electricity? I'm just wondering since my electricity price has tripled. We had to use a pre-payment meter because apparently you can't have a direct debit / credit meter without being with the company for 12 months. We are used to paying by direct debit since it's easier than having to buy electricity on our key / buy those horrible cards. We get charged £10 per month for the meter (which I have taken into account). We got a bill through recently stating we owe money to them (over 1k) for electricity that we should of been paying for??????? So my question is, how can one owe money when you pay for what you use? Makes no sense to me, they read the meter 3 times, and I also read it to them over the phone. They said it was fine, so meter readings / price charges are out of the question.

Can you all state how much you pay per month as I would like to compare. PS I live in a flat/apartment with my GF. Comparing our bill to friends and family they pay £600 less than us, every 12 months. Which is stupid considering we're never here really.

Cheers, hope someone can reply .

 

[Msm2]

We pay about £10/15 per week in electricity on a meter so we pay about £60 ish. We are a family of 5 here. Add to that over the last few months I have been folding 24/7.

 

[Runebeard]

Living with 3 other guys, so we chew through electricity a far amount as the TV is almost always on, and I have my laptop on almost all the time when I'm back from uni. We're with 'Southern Electric' and I swear we only paid £7.43 each for the last bill (£29.72 total) but that did include the christmas break where the house was vacant for about 10 days.

I have no idea why yours would be that high sounds like they've added on charges rather than extra electricity usage. Even at my parents house when all 5 of my family lived there, I doubt we ever had to pay that much. Tbh, it's probably a cock-up on their part. Hope they sort it out soon, cos that's ridiculous!

 

[Youngie1337]

We pay about £10/15 per week in electricity on a meter so we pay about £60 ish. We are a family of 5 here. Add to that over the last few months I have been folding 24/7.

Seriously? I put £35 in 1 day, the next day it was £7, I think they're scamming me (I know). I phoned them up numerous of times, they say that the meters fine, they also said that they would NOT come out and check it, because they're right. They have also failed to send me a bill saying I owe 0. I kindly explained it to them over the phone, to basically be called a liar and a fraudster...

I'm switching energy companies soon, if they try to even mess up with the change I'm taking them to court. The amount of stress this has caused is unbelievable. They also lied to me on the phone a lot of times, they said I couldn't change meters, they said they were not taking a charge, they said that they do not charge for the meter (which is BS since it says on the meter they charge £2.50 per week for it) I said I want to go onto a credit meter, they gave me BS saying the charges are the same, and I may be paying more? Which is a lie.

They also said I have to pay to switch, they alsom forced me to change meter, they sent me 3 letters being forceful and pushing me into changing my meter when I didn't want to. I asked them would it be the same as before? They promised YES, they put it in, within the first week we used £90. Just 2 of us living here, cook once a day (comps on for a little bit, and perhaps the TV). Doesn't work out does it?

Living with 3 other guys, so we chew through electricity a far amount as the TV is almost always on, and I have my laptop on almost all the time when I'm back from uni. We're with 'Southern Electric' and I swear we only paid £7.43 each for the last bill (£29.72 total) but that did include the christmas break where the house was vacant for about 10 days.

I have no idea why yours would be that high sounds like they've added on charges rather than extra electricity usage. Even at my parents house when all 5 of my family lived there, I doubt we ever had to pay that much. Tbh, it's probably a cock-up on their part. Hope they sort it out soon, cos that's ridiculous!

It is, working out the sums, it comes pretty close to the debt they said I owed, being added to our price. They're c*n*s and lie constantly, one person says something completely different to someone else. I have been to Citizens Advice about is, they didn't do anything, they just said yes the prices are fine (because they said on the phone) rofl....

I also read them the OLD meter readings over the phone, and they were likes YES YES YES YES to ever number I read out. I said is that ok? She said yes those readings are up-to-date. I said hang on, excuse me, these are the old meter readings which are apparently (WRONG AND I SHOULD OF BEEN PAYING MORE) she didn't know what to do, I said tell me the truth, she said I'll put you through to this department... Couldn't get a word in, lying scum

 

[Runebeard]

I'd debate switching provider if they're that bad, I don't remember ever having any trouble like that with my provider at uni or back home. At the very least send them a written complaint explaining that you were disappointed with the service you recieved and that you might change due to how poorly you were treated. My mum did that when BT once tried to charge her £200 when all the guy came and did was fit 2 metres of new cable when my dad manged to cut through doing the wallpapering lol. The entire bill got written off!

 

[Youngie1337]

I tried and tried already man. I've complained plenty of times, they seem to call me a liar.

 

[biscuitboy]

Just run for the hills mate, switch ASAP.

 

[Msm2]

What type of meter is it.

 

[Youngie1337]

What type of meter is it.

We were first using the cards that you have to purchase from the shop. Now we got switched to the key meter (key you have to 'top-up'), we got like 3 letters through saying - You need to switch your meter now, your electricity will cease if you do not switch, we are stopping the cards that you currently use for your electricity. Which is a lie since they still sell and companies are still using them ( I asked 2 other companies, and they will not cease, they've never heard of such a thing ). So they forced me to change my meter or suffer no electricity, I didn't mind switching because they said it will be the same charges. BS.

 

[Youngie1337]

Back to this topic. Waited near a month about switching and get a letter saying it's been canceled.

The reason was comfort heating?

Can someone please explain what comfort heating is?

 

[Msm2]

Never heard of that,looks like more porkies from the company. I would switch to another supplier. Who is your supplier?

 

[Youngie1337]

Never heard of that,looks like more porkies from the company. I would switch to another supplier. Who is your supplier?

We've tried switching but this was the reason they said we couldn't.

With E-On tried switching to British Gas.

This is really annoying me now, they're overcharging us so much :/

 

[mayhem]

3 bedroom home with 3 kids 2 adult, 3 pcs, 4 tvs and lights on all the time cos of the kids as we pay about £100 on gas and eltric (both) so about £50 a month each. were with NE.

We movd from meters years ago as we were getting ripped off from them big time as well. You save a fortune going DD.

 

[Runebeard]

Apparently comfort heating is, "the maintenance of the temperature in a closed volume, such as a home, office, or factory, at a comfortable level during periods of low outside temperature." So basically they're saying you put it on more because it was cold outside. Now sure, you may have, but so did my house and our bills didn't go up anywhere near as much as yours. I think we only had to pay and extra £20 or so between us for the month, and our insulation isn't brilliant seeing as it's a student house!

 

[Youngie1337]

3 bedroom home with 3 kids 2 adult, 3 pcs, 4 tvs and lights on all the time cos of the kids as we pay about £100 on gas and eltric (both) so about £50 a month each. were with NE.

We movd from meters years ago as we were getting ripped off from them big time as well. You save a fortune going DD.

Wow thanks for the reply, that sounds like a dream. Currently paying near the 2k mark a year for electricity we aren't using. I phoned them up again and finally spoke to someone who actually did some good and did his job. He was shocked at the price himself and he even said something isn't right here. He said comparing to your usage kwh etc... You're definitely not paying the right tariff, I've gotta wait until tomorrow until he phones back about debt and old tenants who lived here. Apparently we could be paying off a debt on the property :/.

Nice going from 40 per month to this .

Apparently comfort heating is, "the maintenance of the temperature in a closed volume, such as a home, office, or factory, at a comfortable level during periods of low outside temperature." So basically they're saying you put it on more because it was cold outside. Now sure, you may have, but so did my house and our bills didn't go up anywhere near as much as yours. I think we only had to pay and extra £20 or so between us for the month, and our insulation isn't brilliant seeing as it's a student house!

Ah right I see, thanks for the reply Runebeard, the thing is we had no heating on and it still seems to take out so much money. These flats are old, there isn't many people living here anymore but at the time I was starting out my job and needed a place asap.

Well I've tried switching companies and that's failed.

I don't understand this though.

This is the sums:

£400 - spent in 11 months - electricity

Switched over on the 11th month (near the 12th) to their other meter which is a KEY METER, we was on CARD METER.

We get a debt first for £510.65... Okay not a problem, it's not me who should amend meter charges.

Goes higher, and higher etc... They say it's all sorted.

Now I want to know this.

Why did they say that we owe them £510.65 for the amount we underpaid when it would only equal up to 910.65? How come we now come to the same tariff and paying more than double of what they said we were meant to be paying?

They say £400 IS NOT ENOUGH!!! they say £900 is what we should of paid and should pay. Now how come we have nearly paid that within a few months?

Apparently the rest of the bill was because they estimated the reading or something (they make no sense, I always get Indian people (no offense, I can't understand them most of the time).

They just keep lying!

 

[Runebeard]

Yeah they definitely must have you on the wrong tariff or debts from previous tenants, there's no way by only changing the meter it could go up like that. Once this is sorted, as you previously mentioned switching to them, my parents have had no trouble with British Gas in the 4/5 years they've been with them, and you don't get a telephone service in Mumbai either!

 

[Youngie1337]

Yeah they definitely must have you on the wrong tariff or debts from previous tenants, there's no way by only changing the meter it could go up like that. Once this is sorted, as you previously mentioned switching to them, my parents have had no trouble with British Gas in the 4/5 years they've been with them, and you don't get a telephone service in Mumbai either!

After another phone call at my behalf (my bill has come over £60 the last 2 months phoning them) The meter readings are fine, the tariff is right, we are not being charged a debt and we are paying the right rate and charges. I said I want to change to Direct Debit now, right now as in today. We can't do this since it won't be any cheaper. I got angry at this point, I'm not nasty to ladies so kept my tone down but my sarcasm did come out. I said no I don't think you heard me Miss, I want to change to a monthly meter, she still said no. I said I'm switching providers then if you're failing to switch my tariff when it's obviously over charging me. She just said that it's up to me and I could switch without problems etc... etc...

I know 100% that if I switch to British Gas I'm gonna get this bullcrap again. Apparently you need to be with British Gas for 1 month before switching to DD (monthly/quarterly payment). Last time I tried switching they said they couldn't because of the Comfort Heating as you described. So it looks like I have no control over anything I do, I will have to keep putting in the £70 I have done since saturday:/.(4days, and that's low)

I have no idea how they can't see that putting well over 4-5x the amount isn't incorrect. Then again they did say that they're never wrong and nor are their meters :/.

 

[tinytomlogan]

£70 in 4 days?

 

[Youngie1337]

£70 in 4 days?

Yep, 4 bloody days .

then it will slow down, go faster etc... apparently we're down 48% electricity this year as we was last year....

 

[siravarice]

NOOOOO not British Gas!!! I'm with N-Power, they weren't the cheapest but the service is really good. Had no problems so far, got a package for Gas and Electric for around £90 month.