OK, thank you very, very much for all your pointers. Will action them tomorrow. And yes they have regularly read the meter. In fact, it's because they were reading the meter but we still getting estimates that my other half said who are these people we're letting in then? Meter readers? Burglars? Or just nosey people who want to see our kitchen and have a big dog all over them! That's why we went on Priority, so that it was definitely EDF reading the meter. Glad yours turned out well - seven years- wow!

Hi again Appy, Just read the other bit of your message. When you say the "original start reading", I assume you mean the reading when we moved in 5 yrs ago... I don't know. When we moved in, we told them we were there and I'm pretty sure that they took a reading. Mind you, this is EDF, our readings have meant nothing to them..

Hi Appy, No, we haven't had a breakdown - the latest bill is a standard bill with the line "as you have not responded to our previous requests for payment, we are changing your payment scheme to monthly billing and have now estimated your bill". This alone makes me want to scream out loud! We've spoken to them almost weekly about the fact that they're sending us estimates time after time. Am glad that you understand that we have paid the estimates every time we've had one! It's not as though we've been avoiding them, in fact it's the exact opposite - we told them the bills were wrong and they chose to do nothing about it until we insisted on Priority Service. I sometimes wish however that we hadn't got Priority Service back in November, because that's when they suddenly realised that their records about our meter were wrong and decided we're to blame...

Thx rebel11. That is a very useful site.

Hi, Thanks for your advice. I checked that and it's in metric...

Hi, We have never set up a direct debit with them because for years we've been telling them they've got it wrong! A meter reader comes round, we get an estimated bill a few weeks later, we tell them the meter reading by phone or online and they send another estimated bill. So we pay the estimated one, time after time after time. Now after almost five years they finally realise the meter number isn't matched to our account, they're trying to make up for years of estimates. And I'm not sure that they can demand payment from us for something that isn't our fault..

Hi, I've spoken to the Energy Ombudsman today, because they're threatening legal action. They can't give me any idea how it will be sorted, only that I have to write to EDF which I did today. I just wondered where we stand legally..

Hi, I wondered if anyone could please give us some advice about dealing with EDF. We moved into our property almost 5 years ago and despite receiving quarterly meter readers, as well as us giving online/phone meter readings, have been getting estimated gas bills ever since. We also have our electricity through them and have always paid both gas and electricity bills on time. Finally, last November, after what seems like hundreds of conversations with them that even though we'd given them readings, we were still getting estimates, we insisted that something was wrong and that we go onto "Priority Service", which apparently means that EDF must read our meter, not a third party. When we spoke to them over the phone in order to set up the Priority Service, we suspected that the gas meter reference number on record was not the same meter number as that actually written on our meter. In fact, they were really confused and I had to repeat the number to them about six times. Within a few weeks, an EDF meter reader came to the house, we assume to confirm the meter number. Our meter, incidentally, has an installation date on it of March 2002 - four years before we moved in. Then all hell broke loose! We heard nothing from them until April this year (five months later) when they sent a bill for £1600. And you guessed it, it was still estimated! We have been in contact with them almost every week and keep being told they're dealing with it and the account is on hold. However, it is now July, and they have today sent a bill for almost £2,000, combined our gas and electric into one bill, even though there isn't an issue with the electricity, put us on monthly billing and are threatening legal action. Help! I'm not getting through to them! Alison