@npowerhelp Gas bill from British Gas while being with nPower

[ophis]

Hi.

 

On 09/2009 i`v moved in to a flat rented through rental agency that informed me that my gas and elec supplier is nPower.

 

After few months i have finally recived my gas bill from npower but there was no sign of electricity bill.

 

2 months later some electricity bills came but from Britis Gas and on some other name than mine (previous occupier im guesing). So i took all the bills and gave them to rental agency asking what the hell is that. They said to ignore it because flat is with nPower...

 

After a mont there was still no sign of elec bill from nPower. I called n power and they told me that this flat have no account with them tregarding elec. So i called rental agency and they assured me there is nothing to worry about because this flat is with npower.

 

Its been almost a year now and British Gas knocked to my doors with warrant to take meter readings...

 

Now i'v recieved electricity bill for £900 and GAS BILL for another 200. But gass i payed uptodate with npower.

 

So basicaly british gas made me gas account without my permision and knowlerge.

 

After sending them email. They asked me for serial number of my gas metter.

 

Any sugestions how to solve this? Also is there a way to split this elec bill on some monthly payments?

 

 

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Sorry for my english.

[EnergyIndustryInsider]

Unfortunately the electricity situation for you isn't brilliant. Whilst you have been misinformed by your letting agent regarding the electricity supplier, it remains your responsibility as the person responsible for the electricity to find and pay the correct supplier (especially since nPower themselve advised you they're not the supplier, and BG have been sending you bills). They are unlikely to accept monthly payments, though you can certainly attempt to negotiate and explain the situation. The likelihood is that you'll need to get a prepayment meter installed with the debt loaded, or they'll do this on warrant (which, after 10 months of non-payment, they will get).

 

The gas is a seperate issue. I would recommend finding out if the MSN you've been paying nPower for is for your flat. If it is, speak to nPower and find out if they're still registered as the supplier. If not, and British Gas have indeed taken over your meter without permission, advise them you'd like them to treat it as an erroneous transfer. It may be that BG have supplied your gas all along as well and nPower have been billing you in error, but one or both of the companies should be able to help you investigate this.

[pelham9]

it remains your responsibility as the person responsible for the electricity to find and pay the correct supplier.

 

Please quote the Statute Law or regulations for this statement. The customer is not responsible. The utilities are responsible for sending accurate bills to the occupier at correct address.

 

I am beginning to think that your presence on this forum is to put foreward the utilities' case. They would dearly love to pass these resonsibilities to the occupier.

 

It would be helpful if you would tell the OP how he should attempt to find out which utilities are supplying him.

[pelham9]

Clearly your energy suppliers are in a muddle. This is not uncommon so it is sensible to do some checking yourself. All suppliers and the National Grid (the distibutor) have not yet evolved self checking computer systems and their databases can contain errors

 

 

Ring National Grid give them your address and request the following for both gas and electricity. Do not tell them who you think are your suppliers and do not tell them your meter numbers if you have them

 

a) the suppliers

b) your meter numbers

c) your meter point reference numbers (MPRN)

 

Make a careful record of these.

 

You may find that NG cannot trace your address and if this is the case post again and skip the rest of this check. If they ask for your meter number do not give it nor tell them who you think are your suppliers.

 

If NG can give you the information a) b) c) above you must check the bills to make sure that the meter readings are being taken from the meter numbers that your suppiers are using for your bills - the meter numbers will be on the bills somwhere.

 

Finally you should check that the meter numbers given by NG are in fact for the meters supplying your flat and that the suppliers have your correct meter readings.

 

To do this you must have access to your meters.

 

If they are in your flat there is no problem.

 

In many apartment blocks they are in meter rooms containing all the meters for all the apartments. Sometimes they are outside the apartment in outside boxes. If this is the case you will need keys to access your meters which you should obtain from the letting agents - they often do not supply them. Even if you have acccess these rooms can be in a fiendish unlabelled muddle and it is often difficult to tell which is your meter. If you can locate the meter as on your bill you can do a simple switch off test to check that the meter is actually supplying your flat - it is not uncommon for meters to be mixed up.

 

Everything may check out fine but you may well find surprising differences between NG, the supplers and the actual meters. Let us know what you find !

[davehsug]

Sorry Pelham but NG cannot tell you who your electricity supplier is. To find that out you will need to contact the local distribution company.

[pelham9]

Thanks Davehsug,

 

The last last time I rang NG (9 months ago) they were able to confirm my electricity supplier even though they were not my local electricity distributor according to the map shown in the following link.

 

http://www.energylinx.co.uk/electricity_distribution_map.htm

 

I wouild sttill advise the OP to ring NG - if they will not give him the information he requires they will be able to redirect him - unless they are disdposed to be difficult.

 

Can you give some informattion as to when NG ceased to be the main electricity distributor keeping a record of suppliers? It seems to me that the stance that many suppliers take that they have not committted a Billing Code error if an occupier has not contacted them is unrealistic if their is not a simple way of determining who the supplier is.

[davehsug]

I wasn't aware that they ever were? I thought that this information was only held by the local distributors. Either way, I'm sure they would have access to the ECOES system so would know who the supplier is. Whether are not they should give out that information is another matter, although the whole sysytem of who supplies is much more open these days than it was a few years back & that can't be a bad thing.