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Hi all
Some advice would be very gratefully received.
I transferred to EDF in Oct 2010, signing up for a dual fuel agreement. The transfer from British Gas was completed on 5 Jan 2011.
Since Jan 2011 I have paid EDF monthly via direct debit. They have adjusted the monthly amount up and down based on their reviews of my usage. They send me annual statements showing me the gas and electric used and forecast costs for the next year. The monthly DD varied between £103 and £127 per month, which did not seem unreasonable as there is only myself and hubby in the house. They have had meter readings, the meter is located outside of the property and their meter readers call annually (usually when I'm at work) to read the meter, but the account online has shown ACTUAL 'our reading' for both gas and electric readings.
They've also credited my bank account twice with what I assume have been refunds of overpayments.
In September 2014 I got my usual email from EDF advising my latest bill was available online. So I logged in to check the balance of my account and was horrified to find I was massively in debt. It transpires that EDF have only billed me for gas and Sept 2014 was the first time they had billed me for electricity.
After googling I found out about the Code of Practice for Accurate Billing and quoted that to them. They have agreed the Code applies in my case. However, they still advise I owe them almost £1,000.
They have calculated that between Jan 2011 and Sept 2013 (12 months prior to the first bill), my electricity usage was £1,844.84. They advise during this period I paid them £49.00 per month for electric. The period was 31 months, so in total I paid 31 x £49 = £1,519.00. They have said they will credit the difference between the £1,844.84 used and the £1,519.00 I paid (even though they never billed me). So they are proposing to credit my account with £325.74.
After adjustments this leaves a balance of almost £1,000 debit.
My balance prior to the September 2014 bill was £1,267.82. The electric bill from September 13 to September 14 is about £700, and the gas bill is £125. As I understand it they can only bill me for the prior 12 months so if I was £1,267 in credit and they charge for electric £700 and gas £125 then I should be £442 still in credit. EDF are insisting I am almost £1k in debt because they only have to "cover the shortfalls in the amount you were underpaying for your electricity from 5 January 2011 until 23 September 2013". This seems to imply they can back bill to Jan 2011.
Any advice on where I stand with this would be very gratefully appreciated. I feel like I am being penalised for EDF's poor administration of my account. I have told them I do not accept their response to my complaint and asked for information on what I do to escalate it, but wanted advice on whether I have misunderstood the back billing bit and they can go back to Jan 2011.
Thanks for any help
Some advice would be very gratefully received.
I transferred to EDF in Oct 2010, signing up for a dual fuel agreement. The transfer from British Gas was completed on 5 Jan 2011.
Since Jan 2011 I have paid EDF monthly via direct debit. They have adjusted the monthly amount up and down based on their reviews of my usage. They send me annual statements showing me the gas and electric used and forecast costs for the next year. The monthly DD varied between £103 and £127 per month, which did not seem unreasonable as there is only myself and hubby in the house. They have had meter readings, the meter is located outside of the property and their meter readers call annually (usually when I'm at work) to read the meter, but the account online has shown ACTUAL 'our reading' for both gas and electric readings.
They've also credited my bank account twice with what I assume have been refunds of overpayments.
In September 2014 I got my usual email from EDF advising my latest bill was available online. So I logged in to check the balance of my account and was horrified to find I was massively in debt. It transpires that EDF have only billed me for gas and Sept 2014 was the first time they had billed me for electricity.
After googling I found out about the Code of Practice for Accurate Billing and quoted that to them. They have agreed the Code applies in my case. However, they still advise I owe them almost £1,000.
They have calculated that between Jan 2011 and Sept 2013 (12 months prior to the first bill), my electricity usage was £1,844.84. They advise during this period I paid them £49.00 per month for electric. The period was 31 months, so in total I paid 31 x £49 = £1,519.00. They have said they will credit the difference between the £1,844.84 used and the £1,519.00 I paid (even though they never billed me). So they are proposing to credit my account with £325.74.
After adjustments this leaves a balance of almost £1,000 debit.
My balance prior to the September 2014 bill was £1,267.82. The electric bill from September 13 to September 14 is about £700, and the gas bill is £125. As I understand it they can only bill me for the prior 12 months so if I was £1,267 in credit and they charge for electric £700 and gas £125 then I should be £442 still in credit. EDF are insisting I am almost £1k in debt because they only have to "cover the shortfalls in the amount you were underpaying for your electricity from 5 January 2011 until 23 September 2013". This seems to imply they can back bill to Jan 2011.
Any advice on where I stand with this would be very gratefully appreciated. I feel like I am being penalised for EDF's poor administration of my account. I have told them I do not accept their response to my complaint and asked for information on what I do to escalate it, but wanted advice on whether I have misunderstood the back billing bit and they can go back to Jan 2011.
Thanks for any help
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