Hi,

I recently moved out of my apartment, which I was renting with two friends for the past 2 years. I rang edf to close the account and they sent me a final bill of £1100. We always paid our bills it was usually about £150 every quarter, we didnt have a dishwasher or an electric cooker, no electric shower or computers and our heating was gas. so i cant understand how this bill is so high, all they tell me on the phone is that it was underestimated for the two years.

Is there anything I can do, they are threatening to send it to the debt collections agency and i dont need any more bad things on my credit history.

spuddy:

Assuming the £1100 and the £150 every quarter paid is for electricity only, £2300 for electricity over 2 years is way too much in a gas heated house.

I have some questions before its possible to give effective advice. Is the meter inside or outside? Were the bills actual readings or estimated readings? Did you ever provide an actual customer reading? Did you take the final reading and is the number submitted the same number that appears on the bill? If you took the final reading are you confident you read the meter correctly?

If the assumptions are true, then the EDF "underestimated" remark is incompetent. I would try another EDF adviser and take very careful note of exactly what is said as it may be required in evidence.

thanks for your reply

all the bills were estimated I only gave a reading on the final bill. the meter is outside my flat but inside the actual building.

I have spoken to a few different advisors and all of them say the same, that i should have rang them with a reading at the beginning and I try to explain that it has to be a mistake but they don't really care.

spuddy:

I believe its unlikely to have been such high electricity consumption in a gas heated apartment. Is it possible/practicable to get back inside the building and take a photograph of what you think was your meter? This has some of the characteristics of a meter database problem, either initial reading, final reading or wrong meter.

If you have not been convinced by the EDF explanation dispute the issue strictly in accordance with the EDF complaints procedure. If you remain dissatisfied after 8 weeks (I think) you are then entitled to take the issue to the Energy Ombudsman or other alternate dispute reolution service.

Do it quickly, you have nothing to lose.