Electricity bill - Previous owner??? Ahh!!!

Delvis said:
Why though? When Hartwell have given us a letter saying they have informed the relevant company that we are moving in? Why should I be liable to pick up a bill from a company that I wouldn't otherwise know about?
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As you were living there using Energy whilst SE were the supplier. npower wouldn't come into this until 25th June, when your new contract/rates come into effect.

The Agent has caused all of this in my opinion, it's very sloppy of them. I suspect that they haven't notified SE of this 'change of tenant', so they are just producing a final bill as a result of you moving suppliers.

This is messy! I'd say that if the bill is addressed to your agent, then it's their battle/issue, not yours, but they may choose to seek some of the cost from you, given that you were using Energy (even though it's in their name) during 15th May and 25th June.

Have you had your first bill from npower yet? Is that correct...?
 
Morba said:
You might have said already..... does your documentation from the letting agency (check in document?) have the meter reading from when you were given the keys to the place?
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Yes, it does, and it was signed by a tenant and also someone from the agency, it is then dated underneath.

It has the day readings, night readings, and a 'combined' reading.

:(
 
RussZS said:
As you were living there using Energy whilst SE were the supplier. npower wouldn't come into this until 25th June, when your new contract/rates come into effect.

The Agent has caused all of this in my opinion, it's very sloppy of them. I suspect that they haven't notified SE of this 'change of tenant', so they are just producing a final bill as a result of you moving suppliers.

This is messy! I'd say that if the bill is addressed to your agent, then it's their battle/issue, not yours, but they may choose to seek some of the cost from you, given that you were using Energy (even though it's in their name) during 15th May and 25th June.

Have you had your first bill from npower yet? Is that correct...?
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It's all a load of tosh if you ask me :( I've had nothing but trouble from Hartwell since we moved in, the house was dirty, and just messy, only thing cleaned was the damn cooker!

It's ridiculous, its all in hartwells name, and its signed by someone from them stating they have informed all the people, I don't have £130, I have just enough to cover my rent each month due to my job not paying me a lot and stating a higher wage then going back on it at the last minute :(

We haven't had our first bill no 'due to difficulty' but they've had the start readings, readings I personanlly sent to them via their website, and more readings from a few days ago via a letter they sent me...We then had a call from them to which I pave them some more readings.
 
RussZS said:
Correct, so the OP was SE's customer until 25th June, when the supply changed over. The issue here is the amount on the bill, which is based on a false/estimated meter read.

When we all get 'smart meters', this will all be a thing of the past!
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Indeed. apart from the fact that none of the companies have got the systems in place yet to cope with smart meters, but that's an entirely different story ;)

As for the OP, it sounds like the previous tenants have changed supplier to Southern without Hartwells' knowledge. Hatwells, believeing Npower to be the supplier, have contacted them with your 'move in' reading and Npower have then initiated the transfer of your supply to them from Southern.

If this is the case, Npower should have contacted you for your readings at about the time the transfer between the companies completed, usually around 10 days before the change Of Supply (COS) date. They would then pass that to Southern as an Agreed Read.

Southern would then bill you from the start date (date you moved in) up to the COS date. If Npower never took a COS reading from you, it will have been estimated.

I would contact Southern to check the dates they supplied you from and to, and what reads they are billing from and to. You may have to send them a copy of the signed meter reads to prove your occupancy from that date/read.

then, if the COS readings are incorrect, Npower should be raising an 'Agreed Reads Dispute' with Southern to get these amended so that both companied can bill you correctly.

Hope that makes sense...
 
razerbwfc said:
Indeed. apart from the fact that none of the companies have got the systems in place yet to cope with smart meters, but that's an entirely different story ;)

As for the OP, it sounds like the previous tenants have changed supplier to Southern without Hartwells' knowledge. Hatwells, believeing Npower to be the supplier, have contacted them with your 'move in' reading and Npower have then initiated the transfer of your supply to them from Southern.

If this is the case, Npower should have contacted you for your readings at about the time the transfer between the companies completed, usually around 10 days before the change Of Supply (COS) date. They would then pass that to Southern as an Agreed Read.

Southern would then bill you from the start date (date you moved in) up to the COS date. If Npower never took a COS reading from you, it will have been estimated.

I would contact Southern to check the dates they supplied you from and to, and what reads they are billing from and to. You may have to send them a copy of the signed meter reads to prove your occupancy from that date/read.

then, if the COS readings are incorrect, Npower should be raising an 'Agreed Reads Dispute' with Southern to get these amended so that both companied can bill you correctly.

Hope that makes sense...
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:(

I really don't want to be doing this, especially when they were supposed to sort it! I'm supposed to get a call from my agency tomorrow and i'm going to go livid at them.

It makes sense in a way yes, thank you... :)
 
I got chased off of N Power for a previous owner, was ripping up/sending the bills back for years.

Phoned a few times explaining he was gone and I wasn't him, but they weren't quite having it. They gave up eventially.
 
RussZS said:
At least you won't have to pay £130 when it's all sorted :)
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Probably will because the letters have been left un opened because they've been addressed to hartwell estate agency so i haven't opened them untill now

I shouldn't be paying anything if they did their damn job properly.

They had well over a month to sort out an account
 
You have a signed and dated letter with meter readings on for the date you became key holder.

Stop fretting.

Find out who you owe the money to for the time between becoming the key holder and your new/preferred supplier taking over.
Pay them what is owed and then move on.
It can't be that hard can it?
After that they can send you as many letters and final demands as they like and you can legally and quite rightly tell them to go swivel.

Anything not addressed to you should be simply forwarded to the letting agent without opening. Not your problem
 
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Scubascorpion said:
You have a signed and dated letter with meter readings on for the date you became key holder.

Stop fretting.

Find out who you owe the money to for the time between becoming the key holder and your new/preferred supplier taking over.
Pay them what is owed and then move on.
It can't be that hard can it?
After that they can send you as many letters and final demands as they like and you can legally and quite rightly tell them to go swivel.

Anything not addressed to you should be simply forwarded to the letting agent without opening. Not your problem
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But should I be contacting? It'd be nice if Hartwell gave a reason for not contacting NPower as they said they would.

Shall I contact NPower to see when the start date of the contract is? As well as SE? It's just annoying this has happened really, thats all.

it's just the sudden BAM you owe us money!!! :p
 
JBuk said:
Isn't it the tennants duty to sort out suppliers?
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Which is why we ended up calling NPower because we hadn't heard from them, otherwise I would have sorted out suppliers myself before moving in...But being told 'we wll sort out suppliers for you and give them meter readings, took that weight off my shoulder.

Turns out it was a waste of time anyway
 
Delvis said:
But should I be contacting? It'd be nice if Hartwell gave a reason for not contacting NPower as they said they would.

Shall I contact NPower to see when the start date of the contract is? As well as SE? It's just annoying this has happened really, thats all.

it's just the sudden BAM you owe us money!!! :p
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Ignore the useless pillocks that are your letting agent, deal with it directly so you know exactly what is going on.

Ring up or write to (writing to people leaves a nice paper trail that you can refer to if needed ;) ) the Company that you DO owe money to, give them the date you became the key holder and the meter reading on that day and the meter reading on the day that your new preferred supplier took over.
Get them to give you a bill for that usage and that usage alone.
Pay it....
Then put 2 fingers up to any other payment requests to anyone that doesn't live at that address. :D
 
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Scubascorpion said:
Ignore the useless pillocks that are your letting agent, deal with it directly so you know exactly what is going on.

Ring up or write to (writing to people leaves a nice paper trail that you can refer to if needed ;) ) the Company that you DO owe money to, give them the date you became the key holder and the meter reading on that day and the meter reading on the day that your new preferred supplier took over.
Get them to give you a bill for that usage and that usage alone.
Pay it....
Then put 2 fingers up to any other payment requests to anyone that doesn't live at that address. :D
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Thanks :)

Had a call from the letting agent and miraculously they didnt know the house was under SE, they think the previous tenant changed it without telling them...Cool

they're useless, I know they are useless, and its bloody annoying when people like this are earning more money than me for being USELESS!!!!! ugh

I'll give Npower a call, I would write but it will take ages surely. I'd email them but naturally you get some monkey who is clueless.

Again I'd phone but its my phone bill thats going up because my letting agent has let me down. They should be liable to ne honest
 
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