[Lance]

Hi all.
I have an ongoing complaint with E.ON regarding a recent switch back to them from another supplier. At this time I do not wish to add any details on this public forum but suffice to say that it is a disagreement about my first statement and incorrect meter readings.
I have now had numerous email exchanges with various people at E.ON and have been somewhat alarmed by some of the exchanges to the point of deciding that I might be better taking my concern straight to the Energy Ombudsman.
However, I have shared all of the exchanges with a friend I have who is a small business owner and they have suggested that what I might be dealing with is not simply inaccuracy or incompetence but deliberate manipulation and possibly fraudulent behaviour.
Does anyone here have any experience of such a serious claim with E.ON or any other supplier and should that still be a case for the Ombudsman or should I actually consider getting legal advice?

I'm more than confidant that I have a clear case of wrongful charging but I think that if I were to reveal here the extent of the manipulation of my communications and claims it would prove extremely troubling to any E.ON customers.
Any sensible advice would be welcome.
Many thanks,
Lance.

[rwh202]

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." And with most big companies, there's plenty of it going around...

Does this happen to involve 'deemed' readings?

[meldrewreborn]

@Lance

its difficult to comment. When there’s a switch between suppliers the last reading with the old should match the start reading with the new. If that reading isn’t correct the the amounts you pay to each will be wrong, and possibly at incorrect prices. This recently happened to me, but the amounts involved didn’t cause me great pain. But it was over 2 months before my actual reading exceeded my start reading.

in the past readings at date of changeover were supplied by the customer to I think the new supplier, who then fed that back to the old, who would then issue a final bill.

Now I think the old supplier generates a reading, issues a final bill and passes the detail to the new supplier, presumably to comply with new rules limiting the time taken to switch supplies - is it now 5 days?

there is obviously a temptation to inflate final readings in this new process, but whether this disadvantages customers much is not clear. OFGEM will doubtless be on the case and then fine miscreants 2 years down the line.

[wizzo227]

Outside independent opinion here.

Given the completely blank information from you other than that there exists an allegation of fault, I can only guess between the odds of there being a troublemaker at your end vs. the odds of improper conduct at EoN. Your meter is your only friend in this. If you photograph your meter with todays' newspaper held near it, nobody can accuse you of showing the meter number of a previous date in order to underpay somebody. I bet you'd not bothered to photograph your meter on change-of-supplier day? That could be routine best practice as it doesn't cost anything and can clear up aggro later.

I'd not waste costs with the legal profession. If you don't have a photo which contradicts what EoN presently think, your rumpole talking about might-have-beens is an endless opportunity for legal fees. If you do have an applicable photo of your meter then you don't need the legal profession to send it in by email.

Chances are, that you might have reason to expect that a one off wrongish payment to somebody ought to be necessary, for example if your previous supplier had billed to estimates which weren't right. From your photographed dated meter read onwards EoN can be trusted to bill correctly.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by wizzo227

I bet you'd not bothered to photograph your meter on change-of-supplier day?

How much are you willing to bet?
Not only did I provide a reading along with photographic evidence of the reading on the day, it is also corroborated by my previous suppliers final reading and bill.
I also have all of my readings (it's a smart meter) and bills going back two years.
The person suggesting that E.ON is running dangerously close to fraudulent behaviour is one of the most professional people I know, which is why I showed them the communications.
E.ON have now at least admitted something is wrong but need a week to look further into it.
Thx for your opinion.

[Lance]

@meldrewreborn
I'm on a duel-rate tariff or 'economy 7'.
The issue is that my meter has only recorded use on daytime rate and none on nigh time rate for two months.
They then said that the signal on my meter was weak. When I questioned that they then said it was now working.
E.ON then issued me a statement with a totally fictious, and impossible, night time reading to 'create' use over that period. Completely ignoring the reading given by me and corroborated by my previous supplier.
They have since amended my readings in my online account where initially the fictious night time reading stated 'estimated', as it still does on the statement/bill, to 'manual'.
There is also an incomprehensible amount of retraction and amendment of transactions that tbh make no sense to me.
E.ON has now opened an official complaint procedure but initially dismissed my assertion that they have mistakenly had me on a single rate tariff.
The person dealing with it has at least admitted something seems awry but cannot offer me an explanation for the non-registering of nightime rate nor the use of a fictious and impossible reading. They have asked me to give them a week to look into it.
Thx for your reply.

[meldrewreborn]

@Lance

you need to arm yourself with data from your previous supplier going back as many years as possible. If no night consumption has been recorded recently.and you were supposed to be on a dual rate tariffs, then you meter must have been remotely reprogrammed, assuming it did record correctly before. That can only have been done by Eon Next.

the first thing needed is to get the meter recording correctly so as to minimise the period where the night time usage is estimated. It’s highly likely you’ll end up taking this to the ombudsman, so all the data will come in handy.

hopefully over the summer months the night consumption will not have been too high.

Mistakes happen, but too often suppliers fail to take a pragmatic approach to rectifying them, appearing unwilling to accept that errors are possible ever.

[Lance]

@rwh202
You are going to have to expand upon what is meant exactly by 'Deemed'.

[Lance]

@meldrewreborn
I'm reasonably well armed. I have two years of data. I understand mistakes happen and in my experience, the bigger the outfit, the bigger the mistakes.
I don't want to sound too cynical but I think if you were in receipt of all of the communications I have had you may well feel as though people are trying to cover their tracks somewhat.
I could be paranoid ofc, that it is a possibility.

[rwh202]

Originally Posted by Lance

@rwh202
You are going to have to expand upon what is meant exactly by 'Deemed'.

It doesn't seem to be the case here, but 'deemed' readings are fictitious readings created using an 'industry formula' that are used for a switch when the two suppliers can't agree on the reading (or don't even try to) - in my case despite one having smart meter readings the day before, the other the day after and me photos of the day. The formula can somehow generate a reading a long way detached from reality.

And yes, they are very good at 'rewriting history' so make sure you take copies of statements - when things are 'fixed' the past just gets overwritten...