Estimated bills: Your stories

People with estimated bills could be racking up debt, warns Citizens Advice

Energy customers may be getting themselves into debt unintentionally because of their estimated fuel bills, Citizens Advice has said.

Here, BBC News Website readers tell us about their own experiences with energy suppliers.

"In January 2007, our gas supplier sent us a bill for £1,400. We had already been paying £45 per month and never missed a payment. Despite them taking meter readings they still estimated our bills. In October 2007, the electricity company did the same, we had a bill for over £1,200. We now pay £300 per month on both bills, but have just found out that only covers the actual consumption at today's rates. We have no way of increasing our monthly repayment and no way of paying our bills off."
Phil Savage, Aberdare

"This all sounds very familiar - and I thought we must be an isolated example. Our monthly direct debit has just gone from about £70 per month, to £278! We raised a query with our supplier months ago regarding the fact that we seemed to be consuming more electricity, but at no point was it suggested that we increase our monthly payments, so now it has finally caught up with us, when they have presumably done their annual review of our account status. We are just about able to afford a 400% increase in our direct debit, but sure that is not the case with everyone else."
Eliot Lowe, Monk Fryston, Nr Leeds

"At our son's house, their readings are taken and on at least two occasions recently the readings have been ignored and estimates sent. I too have submitted readings, only to find them ignored. Fortunately the house is in credit but why is money being wasted by paying a meter reading service and why don't they act on information supplied? Energywatch should pick up on this and perhaps prevent someone less fortunate from racking up bills unnecessarily."
Bill Glover, Saltcoats, Ayrshire

"I experienced the opposite - looked at my combined gas/electricity bill one day and realised I was over £500 in credit! I asked for a refund, and got a cheque in the post a few days later. I don't think the money would have been refunded automatically though, and I'm sure they did quite well out of the interest earned on my overpayment."
Deb, Bath

"While living in Bristol at University we had no access to our electricity meter as it was located in another part of the apartment building. Having never paid electricity bills before going to University we were not aware that our bills, for nearly two years, were estimated. Thinking that we were average users (£50 here, £60 there), we maintained a constant level of usage. Eventually we got a bill for over £1,600. The total amount was written off, however, by the EDF Energy Trust - an excellent part of the organisation which aims to help people unexpectedly having trouble with their bills."
Tim, South Petherton

"I would like to add to this issue that we received estimated bills for over a year (2006-2007), and when our meter was eventually read we were billed for £1,433.20. We were advised that this was due to the price of electricity rising despite paying our bill by direct debit. The previous year (2005) we had actually had a rebate of £117 due to low consumption of electricity and were therefore really shocked to receive this bill. I, personally, feel that the electricity companies should install the meter outside of the home, to enable the meter to be read at all times."
Mr Michael O'Gorman, Plymouth

"I recently received an electricity bill of over £300. When they are normally around £60. On checking I realised that my bills had always been estimated, which I hadn't realised. In fact at the beginning of the year I received a rebate cheque of £150 as I had accrued so much credit on my account. I live on benefits and pay £15 per fortnight onto a payment card. I live in an apartment block and on each floor are our electricity meters, so no access is required to our flats. I am mystified as to why my bills have always been estimated and not read. Never have I received notification that anyone has tried to read the meter and because access is possible I must admit I never thought of checking until I received this latest bill."
Chrissy, High Wycombe

"Most bills over the last year have been estimated, but we had an actual meter reading last month which resulted in a letter advising us that our payments would increase from £38 to £115 as we had fallen behind in our payments and now owed £350. What's most annoying about this is that I've been in this situation before and had increased my payments to £38 to clear off the debt previously. The energy companies really do need to be more proactive in the way the manage customers accounts to stop the debt building up in the first place."
Douglas Carson, East Kilbride

"Last quarter I had an estimated bill that ran to £2,600. When I enquired they said it was correct. When I ask them to check it again this dropped to £500 which is still very high and that was just for electric. I owe £260 on gas. I've paid by direct debit for years!"
Paul Stead, Leeds