Re: Electricity Suppliers

[Martin]

After we just recieved a £400 bill as we haden't been charged properly for

> the preceedign 3 quaters we are looking at changing suppliers. Southern > Electric seem to charge us about £570 for the 8.1 MW hr's we used in the > past year (both company read meter readings). > > The online price comparisons seem to suggest Atlantic energy or basic power > as being sutiably cheap alternatives, does anyone have any experience of > them? We dont have any gas and are not on ecomony 7. Cooking is electric as > is our shower. > > How do monthly direct debits in advance work? Do they guess at a yearly > usage divide up monthly and then adjust somehow? > > Many thanks > > Jaime >

Won't the meter reading be done by the same people, "Acuread" (spits over left shoulder).

[Jaime]

snip

Yeh I guess so, don't some of these copanies offer a self read option or something, as Southern electric always seem less than helpful when we have tried to pay the correct amount, only to be struck with a larger bill later.

Thanks

Jaime

[Alan]

In message , Jaime wrote

British Gas bill for the exact amount you tell them for your self read of the gas and electricity meters. They issue replacement bills if you give them your own reading (on the web) just after they send you a bill.

or

and follow the 'manage your bills' link.

[Wanderer]

They all do! If you get three or four estimated accounts and don't bother to give them corrected readings you only have yourself to blame when they send an account based on their actual readings.

I used to be in the industry, it never ceased to amaze me just how many people used leccy like it was going out of fashion, and happily continued to take estimated accounts thinking to themselves that the electricity bill was much less than they thought it was going to be, and then moaned like hell when reality caught up with them.

You do, of course, check that the readings they quote are realistic. It's not unknown for a meter reader to get a reading out by 1,000 or

10,000.

[Dave Liquorice]

I check them an have a spreadsheet that calculates how much I owe them or they owe me. If they owe me more than about a tenner I send in readings (via the web or 0800 number) and get an ammended bill. I just keep an eye on how much I owe them...

It's also not unknown for an electronically read meter to be read incorrectly. Had that happen to me.

Check those meters and bills.

[Jaime]

Many thanks for the replies. Yes we should have updated the readings (didn't know my mum had had such small bills). However I phoned Southern Electric who where very helpful and we have switched to a cheaper direct debit plan with a large part of the recent bill spread over the next few months. Really quite suprising how helpful they where and open to suggestion as to amounts, payment dates etc..., like in another more recent thread it does seem that competition is working in this sector.

Jaime