Common problems with energy companies
Here are some of the most regular issues people face with energy companies and how to deal with them.
There are a host of problems you could encounter with your energy company. Many have to do with the fact that most energy bills are estimated, so you could be overpaying or underpaying.
Here are some of the most common issues and how to deal with them.
Estimated readings
Energy companies often use estimated readings, where they guess the amount of energy you've used and send you the bill. If you want to avoid the possibility of a shock bill, check the actual readings yourself and send these to your energy company. It’s simple enough to do and will mean you’re actually paying for what you’re using rather than an estimated amount.
You can also use the Meter Readings app (69p) which will keep an eye on how much gas, electricity and water you’re using for you and predict how much your quarterly bill will be.
Getting your money back
If you’ve been overpaying your energy bills, the company is not legally allowed to hold onto the extra money and you can claim it back if you’re in credit. If for some reason this doesn’t happen, your supplier needs to let you know if it has reasons for withholding the cash. If you disagree with its reasoning, you can challenge it.
Difficulties with paying your bills
If your situation changes, for example you lose your job, and you start struggling to pay your bills, call your provider as soon as possible. It should be able to give you advice on different tariffs and information on potential benefits such as the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Not receiving a bill
Bizarre though it sounds, sometimes energy companies simply don't send out a bill. If you haven't received a bill for a while, contact your energy company. Under law, if they didn't send you a bill they can't charge you for any energy you used more than a year ago, providing you can prove you made efforts to contact them.
Switching supplier
There is little benefit in being loyal to an energy company so don’t be afraid to switch if another provider is offering a cheaper deal. This will save you on average £256 a year so there’s no point putting it off. However, before you do anything check your current contract, as there may be a penalty fee if you leave early.
If you do switch, make sure you tell your current supplier to ensure it goes smoothly.
If you need to take things further, read How to complain about your energy supplier.
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I’ve just found out all the top ten big gunners previously are already not even in top 20.
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I’ve been with Scottish Power for quite sometime, then I just found out that they were connected with Southern Electrics. 1) Scottish Power did exactly what Southern Electrics did to me for about 8 years ago. End of December 2018 when my tariff runs out with Scottish Power then I realised and spotted my bill on Jan 2019 became more than twice the regular bill and they did not inform methat they automatically put me to the standard rate which twice the price of my previous tariff, until early this March 2019 I have tried many times to reach them out as I am alerted my bill is keep going up, then is quite difficult to reach as it takes between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to get connected. There is a voicemail press something and they will call you back, but then again you won’t know exactly when they will call and when they call just a few ring then it will go off the ring, then lost another chance speaking to them as quite irritating. When I managed to have chat with them they told me that it’s gone up my bills due to winter time and price increased. In fact, they told me that Ai am in debt of £462 plus and they will carry over the debt until will break even my billsand usage, so I calculated that I have paid them for 15 months with £1,500 plus which the previous years bill will only £850 to £890. 2. Same thing happen to me with Southern Electrics after many years then exactly the same thing happen to me with Scottish Power. I will not use both Southern Electrics and Scottish Power again, NEVER!
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I am a customer of Scottish Power and have been for a while. My current tariff ended on 30th April this year and I initially elected to go ato a tariff ending July 2014 but then discovered that there was another tariff which wasn't widely advertised for Fixed Online Charges until February 2016. After 2 months of being on this tariff Scottish Power have decided to further raise my Direct Debit by £23 per month, despite my sending them an analysis of usage over the past 3 years calculated by current prices as I keep computerised records, after initially raising it 2 months ago by 45%.Since protesting against these rises I have received an offer which has reduced my account to something I am reasonably happy with but I suspect that this has become a money raising exercise by the company so should I bring this to the attention of the regulator as evidence of malpractice??
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14 March 2019