bev & soph:

Eon had been estimating my bills for nearly a year but never visited my property to check the meter

I don't mean this to be critical of you but rather to give advice for others always to submit a customer reading every time a supplier issues a bill or statement using an estimated reading.

It looks as if you have fallen behind because of inadequate estimated readings extending over more than a year. Eon have an obligation under the Code of Practice for Accurate Billing to base estimates on previous consumption, or failing that, typical consumption for the type of property. While customer redress is weakened by the non-provision of customer readings it's possible Eon may be in partial breach of the billing code.

Are you "all electric" with Economy 7 electric heating?

The other thing is that your consumption based on cost really does seem excessive. In the case of "excessive consumption" Eon are totally wrong to say the "the meter doesn't lie". Without getting your hopes up, particlarly with Economy 7 its not impossible that there is a metering explanation for the "excessive cost". You need to start paying attention to what the meter says, perhaps post some readings.

Hi bev and soph

Really sorry to hear you haven't received much help when you called us.

As Jalexa says, the final bill from your old property sounds like a catch up following a series of under estimated bills.

You mention having a payment arrangement for the old property. How long is this arrangement for? You can ask for the debt to be spread over a similar length of time it took to send an accurate bill. If this has not been done it may be possible to extend the length of the arrangement. This will lower the monthly payments.

Following redundancy and the birth of your child you may be receiving certain benefits that will allow us to set you up on a special short term payment arrangement. This will cover ongoing usage but with a smaller monthly amount going towards re-paying the debt. Let us know if this is the case.

Once a payment arrangement has been agreed it needs to be kept to. Missing a payment will automatically cause the arrangement to fail and prompt further debt contact. This seems to be what has happened to you.

I do understand the pressures that can cause payments to be missed. Therefore, I would advise you to contact us before the due date if you think you will be unable to make a payment on time. This way, we can re-negotiate the arrangement to prevent unwanted follow up calls.

I have to say the amount of electricity you seem to be using is very high. Are your bills now based on accurate meter readings? We are always happy to accept your readings. You can either call in with them or enter them through our website.

If the readings are now accurate you will have used the electricity. In this case, it will be advisable to have a look at ways you might cut back on usage. We can help with this.

As I said earlier on this thread, we have an Energy Efficiency team who specialise in helping people cut back on their usage. I would certainly have a word with them. Have a list of your appliances to hand.

There is also some useful advice on our website to help with reducing consumption.

Going forward, make sure you are on a tariff that best suits your needs and usage. There are discounts available for paying by Direct Debit and managing your account online.

Are you on an Economy 7 or single rate tariff?

Given the amount you are spending on electricity I suspect your property is all electric, possibly with storage heaters. If this is the case, an Economy 7 tariff would possibly be best. Ask for a comparison and choose the type of tariff that will benefit you.

If you continue to struggle we can, as a last resort, fit a Prepayment meter. Any debt, including that from your old property, can then be put on the meter to collect at an agreed weekly rate. This will allow you to re-pay the debt at a significantly lower amount than you are currently paying.

As you have already spoken to us without satisfaction I would contact our Directors Office team. Tell them the circumstances and ask for a complaint to be raised. From the date the complaint is opened we have 56 days to resolve the matter.

Should the complaint remain unresolved after this time then you can refer it to Ofgem, the industry Ombudsman, for a ruling. Please note, the Ombudsman will not consider a case unless a supplier has been given this period of 56 days to sort it out. Full details of our complaints procedure can be found on the website.

Again, I am sorry you haven't received more help previously but hope this helps give a few ideas of a way forward.

Malc