OT: Gas supplier using wrong switching readings

[AnthonyL]

My current supplier's system will automatically bill me based on a submitted reading. There is no agreement involved. I put in 2152 I'll get debited 2026 to 2152's worth of gas.

I don't see what is to stop the outgoing supplier to wake up to the fact that I've submitted the closing reading of 2089 and invoke their direct debit.

At this point I will now have a (winnable) fight on my hands.

As above. Incompetence.

Of course and it will obviously have to be sorted once I'm clear that my account with the outgoing supplier is closed which is where I think I came in with this thread. I could of course cancel the DD authority but in my mind I clearly have units of gas that are due to the outgoing supplier so if they did bill me I'd pay it on condition that they tell my new supplier that reading.

Note the outgoing supplier estimates an an annual usage then DD pro-rata during the year and I think this estimate is what they've submitted. The new supplier bills monthly on my meter readings (or their estimate if I don't submit one).

[Robin]

That is not correct. I'll repeat it once more:

"It's complicated 'cos the system's designed to cope with the people who don't provide readings promptly and accurately, and the readings may be a long time after the last readings the old supplier validated. So there's a calculation to see if the reading you supplied matches what's expected based on various things - that last validated reading, your annual usage in the past, seasonal corrections, and your star sign. (I may have misremembered that last bit.) As a result they may use a figure lower (or indeed higher) than the one you submitted. All done as someone else said by a third party."

[AnthonyL]

So basically they are pretty dumb and rather than use a reading I give them with evidence they use the last reading they had which was 12 months ago which gave them an average usage based on the 12 months before that and have used that figure.

And that is despite being told on here that it is the figure I give to the incoming supplier that will be used.

So let's be very precise - who will bill me for the 200 cu ft shortfall, the supplier who I incurred the usage with or the new supplier. I don't want to contact either of them until I am clear on this point. Citation links welcomed.

[Robin]

I don't think I can usefully offer you any further comments.

[Andy Burns]

You created the situation with the 200 units, I doubt anyone here has been through the a similar situation.

[AnthonyL]

I don't agree with you. The situation arose because both the outgoing and incoming suppliers didn't use the reading I gave them with photographic proof leaving a fictitious figure to deal with one way or the other.

Thank you, much of the site is concerned with consultative documents about what the industry is planning to do especially with price comparison sites. But if that is what is to be read and understood it is no surprise that support staff have no idea what is going on.

Having waded through this (well done a google sub-search on the domain) I came across:

This clearly indicates that the incoming supplier use my reading and referring it back through the system as alluded to earlier in this thread. They didn't and this is what they wrote when I tried to address the issue:

"Thanks for getting back to me.

Although we do take into account the reading you provide us upon switching, we also have to take into consideration the data we receive from your previous supplier. "

So until I see how many units the outgoing supplier is going to bill me for and unless that figure agrees with what the incoming supplier starts with I'm maintaining my stance. The outgoing supplier's reading is roughly in accordance with their monthly direct debit (which with the cold spring we had is low). So if they stick with that I'll put in the true figure with the new supplier who will get

200 cu ft of income. If the outgoing supplier revises their bill to the correct figure then I'll pay it once they've told the incoming supplier that correct figure.

If the incoming supplier had done as it seems they should then this whole situation would never have arisen.

So for the time being I'm doing nothing until (assuming I will) I get the final bill from the outgoing supplier.

[Andy Burns]

There are some consultation documents on the 21 day switching process, I agree it's a bit tangled, but presumably the information on how the process is intended to operate are in there, or something linked from there?

Up to 6 weeks from the change of supplier I gather, my switch takes effect tomorrow ...

[bert]

Well your meter reading will obviously be on a specific day which may not be the actual change over day, so they estimate usage from reading day to changeover day. If you've given a meter reading then the deemed reading should be very close and critically should be used by both suppliers. Ofgem can be your friend - if you speak nicely to them:-).

[AnthonyL]

It was on the eve of the changeover day.

Yes it should - there is no evidence that that is going to be the case.

Why should I have the hassle?

[bert]

Somewhere in the depths of their website it will explain the rules for calculating the final meter reading to be used by the two suppliers involved. They are complicated. Probably designed to prevent arguments of cheating by any party. I've changed a few times, have only ever notified one supplier of meter readings and always found the two used the numbers.

[AnthonyL]

Bit silly when the customer needs to provide the figures for billing.

You've been lucky as I also had a dispute on the electricity switch last year.

Earlier in the week the outgoing supplier has sent me the final bill using my figure. The incoming supplier is still using the lower figure initially estimated by the outgoing supplier so as I expected unless I take action I will billed for the same units twice. I have removed my "usage" reading from the new supplier so they now only have that incorrect opening reading.

I emailed/on-lined messaged both suppliers asking when their figures would be sync'd and neither have responded.

Tomorrow I will send the same email to both suppliers stating:

i) My direct debit to the outgoing supplier will be stopped

ii) That only usage readings will be paid to the new supplier (I can't stop the payment authority as that also covers my electricity).

iii) If they dont' resolve the issue by the end of the month the email and issue will be referred to OFGEM.

I don't know, and it isn't my responsibility to know, who is responsible for the discrepancy.

All that is needed is for both suppliers to use the figure I gave them and which the outgoing supplier is now using for the final bill. It's not rocket science.

[AnthonyL]

And a final f/up for anyone still watching this thread, after raising a formal complaint yesterday all parties are now using my final reading this morning but no-one can say where the problem arose.

Phew! Switching is easy and convenient ..... NOT.

[Andy Burns]

Just had the final bill through from my previous supplier, for electricity both suppliers used the value I sent to the new supplier on the changeover date and the old supplier marked it as an "Actual" reading.

For gas, the new supplier used my value, the old supplier used my value minus 1kWh and marked it as an "Estimated" reading.

[AnthonyL]

Sssshhhh. You're in front, for the time being.

[Andy Burns]

I'll put thruppence on the side ready for when they send the heavies round.