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Extortionate Npower Bill

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  • Extortionate Npower Bill

    Hi All,


    I have just registered on here in the hope that someone can help me out of a very stressful situation.


    I moved into a lovely farmhouse in April 2012. We have a large log burner which heats the house and water, plus electric showers. My first three gas bills came in very small (approx £12, £24, and £118 (obviously the winter bill was higher))


    This seemed about right as the heating is rarely on from spring and is turned back on in late October but only fired up here and there for speed. During the winter months we used the log burner as much as possible to avoid unnecessary bills. Noone was home during the day so there was no need to have the heating on anyway.


    Npower sent numerous estimated bills which I compared at the time with the meter. They were never more than a few units out so I never thought much more about it and just paid the amount on the bill.


    Now for the shock! A few months ago a bill for £2,500 turned up on my doorstep from Npower claiming that my estimated bills were wrong and i'd been undercharged. How can that be when the meters were always reasonably correct????


    The Npower representative on the phone actually said to me that my house was far too cheap to run so the bill must be incorrect, then contradicted herself by saying she'd compared our usage to the previous owner who's bill were lower. We turned the boiler down when we moved in and the previous owner didn't work and sat at home all day so surely her bills would have been higher.


    I opened a dispute and have monitored my meter but fail to see how such a bill could ever have accumulated. All we have working continuously throughout the year is my gas hob which barely makes the meter move.


    A lovely bailifff came round and we explained the situation to him and he agreed with us. He even got onto Npower to try and resolve it for us giving them meter readings and arguing our case, pointing out that during their recent 'system changes' our reference numbers have changed. Even him and the guy on the phone couldn't make head nor tail of anything nor calculate a correct bill.


    We thought that might move things along and it did in a fashion ... just backwards not forwards! Npower wrote to us apologising for their billing errors and explained that there have been some issues recently as they updated the systems and they are working to resolve everything as quickly as possible. "At last!" I thought and looked at the new 'amended bill'. ... £3000!!!!


    This is where you're all going to think i'm a bit backwards but the next plan of action I had was to actually rely purely on the boiler to heat the house instead of the log burner to see how much gas it would actually use. I have checked the meter today and I have used 685 units since 23/07/13. On that reckoning there would be no way, even using the boiler during the colder days and not the burner since we moved in, that I could have run such a bill up. My house has lovely thick walls and holds its heat well. I only ever have my thermostat set at 15 degrees.


    Does anyone else have any advice as to where I go now? A big bailiff van pulled up outside my house yesterday and started to get out. I rang my partner to come home (I'll explain quickly in a minute), at which point the bailiff looked at me on the phone in the window and sped off pulling up further down the road.


    Unfortunately this caused a minor blackout due to my increased heart rate which is why I wanted my partner home from work. I haven't been 'well' since last February when I started collapsing for no reason. I am in the middle of a run of MRI scans, blood tests and EEG tests to find out why this is happening and staying calm is quite important right now. I'm not sure in their eyes whether i'm unwell enough to be classed as vulnerable. Nor really do I feel that I need to use that as an excuse to keep the wolves from the door when this isn't a situation of our making.


    I have started paying £25 a week to at least show willing while this is being sorted out but I have to admit the stress is taking it's toll.


    Any advice ... Please?


    Stressed.
    Tags: None

  • #2
    Re: Extortionate Npower Bill

    My kneejerk reaction - email, followed by letter to bailiff of your medical condition - copy of doc's letter if possible. say you are vulnerable because of it and to return to npower.

    if npower cannot get their act together in 24 hours, given the situation i would give serious consideration to going to the press with this one. maybe even phone THEIR press office and tell them you are unless they can persuade their billing dept to sort it out. meanwhile, again email followed by letter, "formal complaint" to npower, brief facts re meter ref numbers changing etc, put them on notice of your medical condition and to call off bailiffs.

    others with more knowledge will no doubt help further.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Extortionate Npower Bill

      You say Bailiff but that can only be if NPower have taken you to Court, has this happened?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Extortionate Npower Bill

        Originally posted by Stressed35 View Post
        Does anyone else have any advice as to where I go now? A big bailiff van pulled up outside my house yesterday and started to get out. I rang my partner to come home (I'll explain quickly in a minute), at which point the bailiff looked at me on the phone in the window and sped off pulling up further down the road.
        If Npower has not obtained a County Court Judgement against you, which you have ignored, whatever/whoever turned up was not a bailiff.

        If he turns up again, just dial 999 and ask for the police, telling them that you suspect someone is trying to burgle your house.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Extortionate Npower Bill

          If your boiler had used £3,000 of gas, it would have melted.

          Comment

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