I have been having trouble with eon/powergen for the last 4 months.

I was living in a rented 1 bed flat with storage heaters for a year. It was the first time that I had lived on my own and been responsible for utility bills so I had no idea how much electricity would cost. I didn't want to get in to debt so I started paying £40 a month online so when I did recieve my electric bill I would not owe a lot. I had paid £120 before I had recieved my first bill. When I recieved my first bill I still owed £164.49 which I paid. I decided to set up a direct debit in march 2007. The minimum monthly payment was £77.50. I paid this for 3 months at which point the eon website advised me that I could lower my payments to £31.50 each month as my account was always in credit. I paid at this rate until January 2008 and my account was still in credit.

I moved house In January and sent eon my meter reading for my final bill just incase I owed them anything. I recieved my final bill via email about 3 days later. I almost passed out when I looked at it, the final bill was for £1068.38.

I had submitted a meter reading in june 2007 so this huge bill was from a period of around 6 months. I immediatley rang eon to find out how my final electric bill for my 1 bed flat could be so high as I had never missed a payment and I was paying the ammount that their website recommended and they said they would look into it. I heard nothing for a while so I contacted them again to see if they had found anything out to be told they were still looking into it. I eventually recieved a phone call about 2 weeks later they had still not discovered why the bill is so high. The lady assured me that a bill this size for a 1 bed flat must be incorrect which gave me some relief. The lady said she needed to speak to someone else in her department and she would be back in contact with me. I heard nothing for a couple of weeks then a call to tell me they were still looking into it. Another couple of weeks later I recieved a call from eon's debt recovery agency demanding the money. I explained that this was being looked into by eon and I was waiting for a reply from them. I rang eon immediatley and they said they would put my account on hold and assured me that I would not recieve another call from the debt collectors. A week later I recieved a threatening letter from the debt collectors so I rang eon again and they told me to ignore it as they were still looking into it. I recieved a few more calls from eon telling me they still hadn't got to the bottom of this yet.

I know the person that moved into the flat after I moved out and I had made him aware of my problem so he has been closely monitoring the electric meter. In the first 5 days of my friend moving into the flat the meter reading had gone up by around 1000 units which works out at around £90. I contacted eon again and they said they would send an engineer out to investigate which they never did.

Eon rang me after another couple of weeks and told me that the reason my bill was so high is because the storage heaters in the flat are not on economy 7 and are heating up at standard rate. They also told me that this is not their problem it is between me and the landlord of the flat and that the landlord didnt inform them that he was putting storage heaters in. There are 4 storage heaters in the flat of which only 2 work and they look as though they have been there for many years.

I called the landlord and informed him of my situation and that eon were saying that the problem is because the heaters are not on economy 7 and he told me that this is nonsense if there was a problem he would have known by now. I thought the same thing myself, the heaters have been there for years surely if someone who lived there before me recieved bills like this they would have something to say about it.

I have made countless phone calls to eon regarding this matter and they keep telling me the same thing over and over. To this point no engineer has been round to the flat to investigate so how they can tell me that the problem is due to the wrong meter being fitted without even looking is beyond me. For all I know the meter could not be working properly or I could have read the wrong meter as there are 3 meters in the electric cupboard. 1 meter has dials on (the one I took my readings from) and 2 digital meters one with high and one with low written on them (economy 7 meters) which eon think belong to the flat upstairs but are not entirely sure. The flat upstairs has central heating so it is a totally different set up to mine.

Eon told me that an engineer had been round last week and investigated but when I spoke to my friend who lives there he told me that this was untrue and there had been no such visit.

I contacted energy watch to make a complaint only to be passed over to eons complaint department and told the same thing "The flat has the wrong type of electric meter it is a single rate not economy 7". After getting off the phone to eon complaints department I recieved another call from the debt collectors. I informed them that I had reported my problem to energy watch and they asked me for my energy watch reference number which I gave them and they left it at that.

The next day the debt collectors rang me again demanding the money. I told them that I had given them my energy watch reference the day before to which they replied eon have updated my account and instructed them to chase me for the money. I rang eon again and told them that the debt collectors are hassling me and I demanded that this problem be resolved immediatly only to be told the same again, "wrong meter".

They have still not sent an engineer to the flat and they have still not lifted a finger to help me, all they have done is fobbed me off and gave my details to debt collectors.

If I felt that this bill was correct and I believed that it was possible to use over 11000kwh in a 1 bed flat in 6 months then I would sort a way to repay without hesitation, however I do not believe this bill to be anywhere near correct so I dont feel it fair that I be put through this stress and worry through something that is no fault of my own.

Eon have told me that they have put a hold on my account for a month so the debt collectors wont bother me until then.

THEN WHAT????????????????

Unfortunately eon are probably right in what they've told You. When your landlord put in storage heaters he should have told eon so they could fit economy seven meters. These split your usage into what you use during the day and night with the night rate being cheaper. As storage heaters use loads of energy and heat up in the night your meter would jump hugely. If you had an economy seven the amount of units used would probably have been the same but you would have been charged at a cheaper nightnrate, but without the proper meter your usage has not been split between night and day. It's definitely not your fault but I would give energywatch another try but in my opinion the blame lies with your landlord.

It can't be right. I had a one gigantic storage heater in a two bedroom good sized flat and economy 7 or not, I still ran it in the day time on accident loads of times and my bill was nothing like yours. We only left in December so the rates can't be that different. All through November and December I had loads of family over as well, and they burned through the gas and leccy. We paid 92.00 a month at the end of it, but when we closed the account we found out they had been charging us twice what we needed to pay and recieved nearly a £1,000 back. So on average we were only spending £45 a month. I know how much heat storage heaters give off and unless your roof was missing there is no way you should be using that much. I've heard similar stories of meters going whacko and eating insane amounts of money on Watchdog. The woman they reported on also spent ages trying to get through.

My advice is to start making real threats, legal action. Start reporting this to watchdog, and certainly make sure you have no way for them to obtain money. In another incident where we were wrongly charged for something, we contacted the police who gave us a reference number and told us that if we were ever contacted by that agency again, to give the police another call because it was illegal. 6 months later we got a refund and an apology out of thin air. You could also threaten the fact that this is a team effort; you as well as the current tentant are the ones to suffer so if you made a lawsuit (or the threat of one) it's doubled in size. Also don't forget to let them know that they are being reported to the likes of Watchdog and other media, maybe it will work or maybe it won't but I know that in my time it's the only thing that's gotten life sorted fast. Don't give up, and thank you for letting us know!

I typed E-ON complaints into the search engine and your post came up. I dont know if there are any business users reading this post but I have a problem with my shop bills and like you the attitude I am facing from E-0n is the same.

In July 2006 EON replaced a meter which supplies my deli. The landlords were at the time receiving the bills in their name and forwarding them to us for payment. As they were at the same time selling the property to another company, we took the opportunity to ask Eon to bill us direct and gave them all the details. In Jan 2007 the first bill came with an estimated reading of 8 and service charge, £72.00. We are very busy running the shop and did not expect a bill so small but not long after they read the meter and we expected a proper bill. We were used to paying about £700 per qtr.

No bill arrived and we phoned them and they said they did not have us on the system We pointed out that we had a small bill from them but they had got the address slightl wrong[which they havent changed to this day].We had another meter reading in May and the weeks passed by with still no bill. We called again and I wish I had logged these calls with the respondents name etc.

When the bill arrived in Nov 07 with a reading for May.........it was for £20,000.00. I rang them and they said something is wrong not to worry and someone would check the meter was a six digit no. They did that and confirmed it was the right meter but still not to worry because it was far too high to be correct. I offered to send copies of previous bills but they said it wasnt necessary. Weeks passed and we kept phoning a speaking to different people and they asked us to get an electrician to test all the appliances and the amp for each phase which we did and sent it to them. Another bill came in for £25,000.00. It was so ridiculous I really didnt worry too much, I thought they were genuinley trying to find answers. I knew that we would need to pay the similar kind of bill to the one prior to the new meter but they said I was to pay nothing until they got to the bottom of it. Christmas was arriving and we close for a few days, they said that after Xmas they would install a check meter if I agreed at a cost of £100. I readily said yes. It was after we agreed that I got a call from the collections dept saying I must pay £4000.00 immediately. I said, no problem I will send it by BACS.no they said you must pay it by credit card today or face being disconnected. I was furious, not because I had to pay ,but because of the different messages, there seems to be no communication between depts.

Shortly after another bill arrives for £34,000.00 and I have by now recorded the calls and correspondence and written to the Director of Customer Services, yet have not had a reply.

To keep it short, a check meter was installed 2 weeks ago and it is speeding along at the same rate as the meter and on telling them this their attitude has changed. There are no more 'dont worry' reassurances. It has changed to 'well if the check meter proves the other meter is correct, you will have to pay it!!

Well the bill is now £40,000.00 for 18 months use, and I face losing the business if this what they will charge. The bills prior to them changing the meter were £5,000 per year and now £20000,00 for 9 months.

I say that if I had a bill in the first quarter, I would have seen the change and questioned it earlier, they say 'tough, you had the chance to negotiate a contract when the meter was changed'. I said I had no idea that anything would be different to before and they wont listen. I would contact Watchdog but dont think they help business users.

As you can imagine I can hardly function at the moment with the thought of losing the business and 12 jobs will go

Help

basil --- Energywatch has a business team that is dedicated to business users, take your complaint and concerns up with them, they have helped in other cases.

http://www.energywatch.org.uk/bst/index.asp

Thank you for that, but unfortunately Energy watch are saying there is nothing much they can do if the checkmeter proves there is nothing wrong with the main meter. Nobody seems to want to know that one meter was removed in 2006 and the replacement meter records 10 times as much consumption I am baffled as to how a few fridges, coffee machine and dishwasher and lights can consume £2000 per month.We havent changed any equipment or added any..........the price has gone up yes, but why should the consumtion go up. I still believe the meter is faulty, it records a new unit every minute.

Hi basil --- I am not allowed to put links to other forums here but if you place the five words, "electric meter check meter inaccuracy" into Google, it returns user forums from other posters experiencing similar problems that they have had with Powergen and also PDF files on what to do with meter inaccuracy disputes that may be of assistance.

Assuming that the consumption proves to be correct, is there any way a surrounding business or other establishment could have tapped into your supply, either mistakenly or intentionally..... You never know these days with energy costing so much. ????

Hi Basil, like you I bought a business last August ( a deli) and saw my bills double in a short period of time after a new meter was fitted, I was having some work done so I shut off all electricity over a 3 day period and noted the reading, each day it increased and I informed EON about this which they said was bizzare did not believe me at first but sent out an engineer to investigate, he discovered that during a re fit and split of the building I now own into two seperate buildings some one made a huge mistake with the wiring and all the costs for electricity were being charged to my metre, no wonder the owners of the building next door laughed when I told them my story, they had yet to receive a bill and kept very quiet about it .Eon offered me a full appology and a full refund.

Be very vocal with your complaint and speak to your local newspapers, eon are on a huge sales promotion at the moment and would not want any adverse publicity, if you can prove that the prevous bills were much lower that sue them , they are supposed to be competitive and if they made any promises to this effect when you changed meters then I believe you have a strong case. I know my current contract with them promises to beat the competition and guarantee lower bills. These people running the call centres know only what is on the screen, ask to speak to someone more senior and demand that they visit you, try and get some comparisions from other shops in the area.

JK

Hi Basil,

Me again ,just a taught check all your equipment and see if any of them are using unnecessary amounts of electricity, in a previous job we had a walkin in fridge that after being serviced used double what it needed to use because of some fault. Check them one by one, you never know, Switch everything off and see if it is still using.

jk

There's living proof that it has happened, basil......which is feasible in your case, follow the good advice and consider calling in your own electricians to follow the feed of everything from the source of the feed if necessary they will conduct consumption checks on individual appliances as well, particularly if there have been building works, improvements or alterations, your meter in fact may be recording the correct consumption ...but it may be that another business is running off, or partly.. off your meter as well. !!!

Hi there

I have been talking to Eon about the whole thing and they say they will send someone out to see if our shop could use so much electric...........and then dont show up. In the meantime the bills are escalating so we have decided to get an overdraft to pay them off and sort it from there. In three weeks the check meter recorded 6500units ! The equip has been tested and there is no faults so we just dont know where these charges come from.

The meter is flashing red and so is the checkmeter and despite telling them this many times they dont come out to check it..does anyone know what this means?

I wonder how many other business face the same problems and the distinct possibilty of closing down!

Hi burr311

Did you see my post? It is a problem so similar to yours...........outrageously high bills and then reassurances from Eon that there must be something wrong, dont worry the accounts on hold etc etc then the debt collections dept contacting you and the rest you know!

Has your problem been resolved? We are a business getting bills 10 x higher since Eon fitted a new meter and we could be put out of business by them if we are not careful. Is there some way of finding out if others are in this situation?

Basil

I moved out of a rented property last year (mid July 07) and gave all meter readings to Powergen/Eon. I received an email saying my final bill is ready online and another stating they have received my final meter readings (still have emails to confirm this). And of course paid the bill in full at the time. Now they have emailed me saying I still owe them money. It's only about £60 but I will not pay on priciple. And here is why:-

1. I spoke to a fella on the phone who said my gas was estimated on the final bill. It cannot be estimated as I gave the readings, plus it cannot have a final bill that is estimated, it would be a contradiction.

2. After I moved out the property was partly renovated and then sold in mid September, and the meter reading that has caused the upset was given by the NEW home owner, meaning 2 months had passed in between, during which time anything could have happened (heating on to dry paint etc. during renovation of property?). The guy on the phone said the meter reading was given by the new home owner the day after I moved out, but the house wasn't even on the market then so that is a blatant lie. When questioned on this point the guy admitted that the new meter reading was submitted in mid September, but as it was listed as a vacant property for 2 months they backdated the reading to the day after I left the property. Outrageous!

3. He then told me if I refuse to pay ther would set debt collectors on me, which was said in a quite threatening manner. I don't respond well to intimidation, and would rather plant a boot in someones head that give in to these bullies.

4. When I suggested the gas could have been used by someone after I left the property he agreed and told me I would have to prove that. I told him that he would have to prove that I used it (common sense tells me I am correct, but you never know in this crazy world).

5. I asked why they took 9 months to come back to me and he said it's becuase the new owner would not pay it. So they have resorted to trying to fleece ME in other words.

6. I asked them to prove I used it before trying to charge me, and have heard nothing. They have since tried to take the money (without my permission) from my bank account, but my bank refunded the payment. Maybe because the DD no longer exists, or maybe because I used to pay Powergen but they tried to take the money as E.ON. Personally I think this is theft (or worse still fraud) as I have already paidthe bill labeled 'Final'.

All in all they have picked a difficult fight in me, as I love to get my teeth into this kind of thing, and will give them a real headache. If possible I will make sure it costs them money.

Will be speaking to my solicitor if they don't back down as I think I have a strong case against them. Wish me luck!

Loafman

Yes I do wish you luck but I think we need some one who has authority to investigate this company.......possible television company etc?? Who is controlling these guys??

Why not let this be made known to all!!

Basil

Hi Basil. I saw your post. Nothing has still been resolved in my case and they still have not been out to investigate the meter. Energywatch told me that if nothing had happeneds in 10 days to get back to them which I will be doing over the weekend.