Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

[frances1p]

Just a quickie for now, I am assisting a friend who is struggling to make extortionate DD payments for both her gas & electricity. She has always paid regularly, amounts as defined by supplier - yet she is getting increasingly in debt all the time and her direct debits adjusted by them accordingly.

It is ridiculous though, her electricity bill for 7 December 2010 . on the first page of Electricity Statement Explained (not !): it states : - This bill is for the period 11 Jun 2010 to 06 Dec 2010.
Then first line of billing is:- Total from previous bill = £953.09 ????? (no dates)

Then lists her payments made from july to nov 2010, which were June = £159.00 July = £81.90 per month, through to Nov 2010 !!! I say WOW!

then we have:-

Charter Backbilling Adjustment 20 July2010 -£47.32
VAT @ 5% 2.36
Charter Backbilling " " " " -£475.41
VAT @ 5% 23.77

Your Electricity Usage: (which amounts to Units: 3840)

Your Electricity Bill:
Your Tariff is Domestic - Standard NSC - moneysavers

It then breaks down units of energy and deducts a DD for £23.30 ?

TOTAL CHARGES INC VAT = £464.85

New Monthly Payment £1413.27 = 12 x payments of £118.00

Dont worry we have adjusted your DD from Dec 2010

Now this has been going on for months and months, where she feels she is paying far higher than she should (similar situation with gas account!)
She has telephoned the supplier numerous times and said can they send her a print out or billing, showing all her usage, including what the £900 + which is brought forward relates to? They said, sorry we can only provide evidence up to 1 year. So basically she has to like it or lump it.
She is on benefits, a single mother in a 3 bed, Housing Association Property. These payments are extortionate! She pays by DD, to keep up and would have liked apre pay meter, but they wouldnt install one for her (free!)

Any advice please, as she just cant afford to pay it, but then cant afford not to!!! (Damned if she does, and damned if she dont!!)

Helpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp!!!!!!

Thanks

[Caspar]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

This does seem a vast amount! Is she a heavy user of gas and electricity? Are there things she can cut down on? DD is the cheapest tariff, so best to stick to that if you can, but at least with prepaid you're not running up a bill.

I'd be inclined to do three things. Firstly check meter readings to see that they are accurate; Secondly check she has the one (always get these mixed up) either cubic or cubic metres. I think if you have cubic feet and they then convert to cubic metres used you end up paying 3x more than you should; Thirdly advise them of the first two things if you find anything, then tell them that this is simply not affordable - what are they going to do to help and see what they say.

One thing that springs immediately to mind is could they let her pay arrears off over 2-3 years, while keeping up to date with current usage (no pun intended!) so her monthly payments are more affordable?

[frances1p]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

Thanx for your response.

1. Will get her to check meter readings.

2. The question of it being cubic or cubic metres ? Dont quite understand how to establish this ? But sounds like it needs clarifying? Perhaps you could explain it to me a bit more, so I can pass it on.

3. As for notifying them, she has been trying to get to the bottom of this, for months now - as she simply does not understand how this can happen, when she has always paid her direct debits, as per their estimation. (In fact no choice, as they the amount as and when!).

So really this should be in dispute, as I would not pay any arrears to any Company for anything, without them being able to show me evidence of my owing 'any' arrears - which should be your right?

The bit that gets me, is them not being able to justify the £900 + and show evidence of this being actually used / owed? Afterall, if they can only show you bills/usage for 1 year, then shouldn't they consider upgrading their software - when billing and usage of Electricity and Gas, is afterall their main requirement??

I am sure I read somewhere, that they are obliged to show evidence of any arrears they claim a customer owes and if the customer has always paid DDs as specified by the Supplier (Southern), they are only allowed to pursue you for arrears up to 1 year (maybe 2 max?) - as they are to blame for mis-quoting.

As I mentioned before, she only has a small 3 bed house, provided by HA. She has nothing extravagent which would run up such high amounts of electricity /gas usage. Her son has a PS3 and in the kitchen, whe has a washing maching and gas cooker (she is a basic cook, not one to bake loads of cakes and things), she doesnt even have a tumble dryer.

So, to be expected to pay £118.00 per month direct debit for electricity and somewhere around £61.00 for gas, is outrageous. I am not looking at this as a case of somebody getting into serious arrears and simply not being able to afford it, I am looking at it more as if she is being 'exploited and conned!' . As she always pays her bills as required.

I am concerned as to the section of her gas bill which states:
Your gas usage
meter no: 1234567890
then 576 units x correction factor 1.02264 = 589.04
589.04 cu mtrs x calorific value 39.1
/conversion factor 3.6 6397.62
Units converted to kilowatt hours 6397.62 kWh
Similarly, on her Electricity Bill it states:
Charter Backbilling Adjustment 20 Jul 2010 -47.32
vat
Charter Backbilling Adjustment 20 Jul 2010 -475.41
vat
ACCOUNT ADJUSTMENTS -548,.86
__________________________________________________ ___________

What does all that mean??? correction factors / calorific value? and Charter Backbilling Adjustments. Perhaps the key is in here? Its so complicated.

But in any event, I think that Southern Electric and Gas, should have to justify and show evidence of their being a brought forward amount of £953.00 on Gas Bill and similar amount on Electricity Bill, with nothing explaining how what when or why??? As I said they claim not to be able to show evidence as goes back prior to dates they are able to access info for?? Very Strange??

Hope you can perhaps find something, I am missing with the extra info above? Or more to the point, something I simply cant understand owing to them making their billing so complex.

Any help or suggestions at all, would be very very much appreciated, I feel my friend is simply being ripped off and she cant do a thing about it!!!

Thanks and bye for now!

[Caspar]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

That conversion factor is what I was talking about when talking about cubic feet and metres. Older meters read in cubic feet, modern ones in cubic metres. One metre = approx. 3 feet so if they read a meter thinking it is feet, when actually it is metres, they apply the conversion factor and your bill triples.

It sounds like she had her meters changed from old to new and should have taken accurate readings when this was being done.

[frances1p]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

Thanks once again, but I am still not sure what this means in 'real terms?' and whether this puts her at fault or the supplier?
Also, what she can do about it - as sounds like she is being made to pay, triple the cost of her actual usage?

Do you have any suggestions as to what she can do to remedy this? Also do you have any understanding of the Billing Regulations and how far back they should be able to go, or provide customers?

Many thanks
:help:

[enaid]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

You can go on their website and check all their tariffs, it just depends on your postcode and as I don't know the area you are form could not check it for you.


Our Customer Charter

In 2006 we published the first Customer Charter in the energy industry. We're always looking to improve the ways we can help you so we've produced an updated version for 2009.
Our commitments

We believe in making commitments that are of value to you, and that you can trust. We want you to be able to relax knowing you are in good hands and served by people who genuinely care.
Perhaps that's why uSwitch has named us the UK’s ‘Best Overall Energy Supplier’* for the sixth consecutive time. But there is, of course, still lots for us to do. As we continue to listen and learn from customers and staff, we’re sure our charter will continue to adapt and grow.


Take a look

We've put our Customer Charter in a handy PDF below for you. Go on take a look, you might be pleasantly surprised.

http://www.southern-electric.co.uk/u...ricOct2010.pdf

When you have read the charter I suggest you go into the next step their complaint procedure. At the very least they owe an explanation as to how the bills are calculated and explained so you fully understand it.

http://www.southern-electric.co.uk/H...intsProcedure/

[seduraed]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

there are several things you may be able to do to help . First check the meter readings weekly to see what they are. Second check that all the power gas etc. is being used by her . There have been cases of people having the wrong meter attached to their property in flats. A friend of mine was paying electricity bills for the meter he thought was attached to his flat but was actually attached to the neigbouring one. Get the meters checked. finally she can apply to the hardship funds run by the gasand electricity boards explaining that she cannot reduce the balance but is able to keep up with the payments they then may send a payment to the utils co to settle the balance . only one application can be sent every six months so it needs to be done right .

[frances1p]

Re: Southern Electric / Gas - Billing& Payments

Thanks for all the info and useful links and the suggestions re: hardship funds etc. I shall be putting all of this into practice and see what comes of it.

May take a while for some resolve, but when it has been sorted - will post outcome.

Thanks again