new gas supply - not billed for 4 years!

Unfortunatly you are indeed only liable for the last 12 months, (I work for EDF Energy and used to deal with the Ofgem/Energywatch cases) I love the way customers allways don't think that they are stealing Gas or Electricity because they haven't received a bill. Do you walk out of the shop with a TV in your arms and if no one sees you it is their fault so you shouldn't pay?

You are lucky for the recent changes.

Sorry if I sound a bit preachy but I spent 5 years hearing that line from customers
 
I had something similar with a new build flat I bought. Something to do with a cocked up contract number we couldn't raise a bill for gas, electric or water. The meters had British gas as the supplier on them but they refused to accept responsibility. Of-Gen said we had no gas, yet I had a gas cooker and central heating. After 4 years I moved out without a bill and neither had anyone else in the block ever received one.

Left a forwarding address but that was 8 years ago and I have moved 3 times since. Never heard anymore. I spent about 10 hours trying to sort it on the phone and numerous letters, I don't see it as theft as the energy companies are not able to sort it so why am I a thief for something I tried to pay for.
 
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At our old house we didn't get billed properly for 12 years. For 12 years we got charge £10 a quarter for gas, despite my dad phoning up after every bill and telling them it was wrong because the meter reading they had on their system was completely wrong.

One day out of the blue we got a call asking for 12 years worth of gas charges and my dad told them where to go, and paid for a years.
 
Steve said:
Unfortunatly you are indeed only liable for the last 12 months, (I work for EDF Energy and used to deal with the Ofgem/Energywatch cases) I love the way customers allways don't think that they are stealing Gas or Electricity because they haven't received a bill. Do you walk out of the shop with a TV in your arms and if no one sees you it is their fault so you shouldn't pay?

You are lucky for the recent changes.

Sorry if I sound a bit preachy but I spent 5 years hearing that line from customers
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Funny you should post with that attitude. I've had the same argument with her. You have an anti customer view point, as EDF would have paid you to act that way in those cases. Try to protect the companies revenues against claims. I also think you should get a new job, as I wouldn't want customer service from you.

As the man isn’t taking goods from any property I'll trump your poor analogy with:

If the milk man turns up to my door every morning and drops off a pint of milk which I stand and gulp down in the beautiful morning dew... is it my fault that he never asked money for the milk in four years yet kept bringing it to the door?

While the OP could have said something, the suppliers ultimately are the people providing the good/services. 13 months I could understand, 4 years I don’t. Given the fact that the details of the new meter would have been on the xoserve database by the meter operator the supplier in my opinion is in the wrong.

The company should look after its interests better.
 
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Steve said:
Unfortunatly you are indeed only liable for the last 12 months, (I work for EDF Energy and used to deal with the Ofgem/Energywatch cases) I love the way customers allways don't think that they are stealing Gas or Electricity because they haven't received a bill. Do you walk out of the shop with a TV in your arms and if no one sees you it is their fault so you shouldn't pay?

You are lucky for the recent changes.

Sorry if I sound a bit preachy but I spent 5 years hearing that line from customers
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Maybe you should put a note into the suggestion box and get them to actually read meters and send bills rather than rely on the cutomers to do all the chasing?
 
You've never ever contacted them to find out why you have never been billed in 4 years, give me a break, you knew you were gettting free gas, and are now crapping as they've got in touch about a reading so going to find out. :p
 
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LoadsaMoney said:
you knew you were gettting free gas, and are now crapping
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I have never thought I am getting free gas

I have always set money aside in a savings account as I assumed one day that their system must eventually catch up that i am a gas customer though I am suprised it has gone on for over 4 years!. I have always used the gas normally i.e. economically.
 
I work on the regulatory side of the energy industry and a good part of the advice provided is accurate. The bottom line is, tell your supplier the score and ask them to bill you. If they're at fault for not billing you, then you're only liable for 12 months. If you hit a snag, your first point of contact is Energywatch (until September) and, if they fail to resolve it (which would be very surprising), then you would go to the Ombudsman.
 
Biohazard said:
If you ask them to bill you, they will do it from the start and if you accept you will be liable for the full whack is what I am being told..
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Sorry, but your advice is wrong. The supplier should be amending the bill from the very start and failure to do so makes it so much easier for the consumer to spread them over a table if they need to approach a third party for resolution.

Agreeing to pay a bill has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the consumer's rights or the supplier's obligation to amend their billing which, in this case, is detailed under the Energy Retail Association's Code of Practice on Billing (and various follow-up documents).

For crying out loud, you're making me work while I'm having my breakfast! I'm off! :D
 
What do you do if (like I did) you move into a newly refurbished property with no previous occupant in your flat (as it wasn't previously separate flats) and you don't know who your supplier actually is?

All I could do was wait for the inevitable bill... :/
 
Haha similar thing happened to me, new build, was trying to get all the contracts and that in my name but was having a mare with powergen one and a half years later, still with no bill I send them an email explaining the situation. Turns out that because the house was down as plot 50 not down as house number 134, they sent me an email saying im not one of their customers. I then changed comany after that polava and when I did they called me asking me for the last 1 and a half years gas....I told them to do one as I had written confirmation from themselves that they werent my supplier. Didnt pay a penny. :)
 
Mr.Clark said:
What do you do if (like I did) you move into a newly refurbished property with no previous occupant in your flat (as it wasn't previously separate flats) and you don't know who your supplier actually is?

All I could do was wait for the inevitable bill... :/
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Phone any gas company and they can either tell you or give you the number for the people who support your regions gas supplies (not selling companies but the ones whom run it, around here is eon) and they will be able to inform you.

Try 0870 6081524 thats the number which helped us out when we moved 3 months ago.
 
update

update and an unexpected result with eon without having to go to ofgem/enegywatch (yet :) )

phoned eon today to confirm the current reading and that i was going to energy watch etc and they simply went along with the july 07 billing code of practise calculated what number of units i owed them based on the last 12 months useage.

they have to get back to me with the actual amount due.

a couple of questions to the experts

1. I am thinking that they need to base last years bill on the rates which applied at each previous quarter over the last 12 months? (i.e. not units used x current rate)

2. Also had they not failed to bill me I would have been paying by direct debit (as per my electricity which is with them) this attracts a 9% duel fuel discount. Should I also be entitled to this discount off the 1st year?

thanks
 
I had the same "problem" with Virgin Media, I started a basic broadband package with them, I got in contact with them twice telling them I wasn't getting billed. They didn't give a damn, I didn't either :D

Result? Got one year free broadband! :) Now they have noticed it but they have been good got to say, only started paying from the moment they noticed!
 
ThriceNightly said:
1. I am thinking that they need to base last years bill on the rates which applied at each previous quarter over the last 12 months? (i.e. not units used x current rate)

2. Also had they not failed to bill me I would have been paying by direct debit (as per my electricity which is with them) this attracts a 9% duel fuel discount. Should I also be entitled to this discount off the 1st year?
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That's the way it should be - they shouldn't try and bill you for the full amount on the off chance you won't moan about it. Nice to hear about someone following the rules!

1. There are many different tariffs that it would be impossible to second-guess them before you receive your bill. Check your bill carefully when it comes through and ask them for a breakdown of their calculations, including the tariff and details of any price changes.

2. That would be a reasonable request, but the Code of Practice doesn't specifically state anything along those lines.

Good luck :)
 
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